IN THE MIDST of a dual fixture clash for the Thurles Sarsfields camogie and ladies football teams, Tipperary Ladies Football have stated that they are “always open to putting in place a structure to avoid clashes.”
The statement from Tipperary LGFA Chairman Mr Lar Roche comes in response to one issued by Sarsfields, highlighting an “extremely unfair” clash which sees eight dual players line out in two games in four hours on Sunday.
The camogie side face Kilruane McDonaghs in the intermediate championship semi-final at 2pm, while the footballers are contesting their own intermediate final at 6pm.
The football decider was originally fixed for 3pm but according to the Thurles outfit, “the only accommodation the county board could make was to move the game to 6pm instead.”
They added: “Despite both county boards highlighting the plight of the dual players at inter-county level, most recently where Tipp dual star Orla O’Dwyer had to choose between camogie and football All-Ireland semi-finals, the situation has been deemed unavoidable and the fixture stands.”
While voicing their unhappiness, the club reluctantly accept the situation at hand and will fulfill both fixtures.
In a statement to The42, Mr Roche underlines that the ladies football county board are “restricted by time constraints enforced outside their control,” though they are “always open to dialogue to find workable solutions so that girls do not have to make a choice between different codes.”
He added: “‘We feel at times that Tipperary Ladies Football are always the ones expected to move.
“We have said it already this year there needs to be more co-operation from our sisters in camogie so our girls have an equal playing field when participating in amateur sports.”
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The Tipperary LGFA statement in full:
Tipperary Ladies Football have this week stated that they are ‘always open to putting in place a structure to avoid clashes between Camogie and Ladies Football Fixtures.’
Chairman of Tipperary Ladies Football County Board, Mr. Lar Roche was responding to statement issued by Thurles Sarsfields Club concerning a clash of fixtures between the two codes on Sunday next September 29th. In the statement issued this week Mr. Roche said, ‘Tipperary Ladies Football are open to putting in a place a structure to avoid clashes between Camogie and Ladies Football.’ He added that he would like to point out that Tipperary Ladies Football did endeavour to seek a more workable alternative, in the early part of last week, as they recognised there was a strong possibility of clash. However he said Tipperary Ladies Football County Board were restricted by time constraints enforced outside their control but did move their fixture from 3pm to 6pm on Sunday.
Continuing Mr. Roche said that Tipperary Ladies Football are always open to dialogue to find workable solutions so that girls do not have to make a choice between different codes. However he added, ‘We feel at times that Tipperary Ladies Football are always the ones expected to move. We have said it already this year there needs to be more co-operation from our sisters in Camogie so our girls have an equal playing field when participating in amateur sports.’
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