Players playing out of their parishes

Lex Luthor

I know Rebelgirl15 had started a thread on the case in Kerry and was locked by the mods for legal reasons, but I would like to discuss the situation without mentioning the particular case if that was possible?

Mods feel free to lock if you think it crosses the lines..!!

Honestly I wasnt aware that this was being enforced at juvenile level. Reason why is that my local club which has a lot of small parishes surrounding the town has a lot of juvenile players that I know the families personally playing for the club. They bring the kids in from other parishes each Sunday to train and play games. Nothing is ever said and on a few occasions the players would have played for my club against the teams from their own parish with the managers from their own parish knowing they play for our club.

They have never requested the kids to move and I doubt ever would at a young age. I think this goes on all over the country..No?

Clareman

I'm fine with a discussion around this topic, discussion of ongoing legal cases aren't allowed on boards, hence I locked the other thread.

bruschi

yeah I know of cases similar around towns, where kids may play for the fathers home club until he moved out the country a bit or something. I know a case in my own rural parish where a kid is playing for the neighbouring club. his mother is a gobshíte and had an issue with the club, nothing to do with GAA matters, just her being an oddball. but its no reason why her son should suffer so no one really minds. chances are the kid will be back in the near future as all his friends and school mates play for a different team than him, and he wants to play for his proper club.

I think that is the biggest thing. some bonehead administrators over a lcub think if a certain player wont play with them, then they shouldnt play at all. I know there are rules and that, and it cant be free transfer eras, but at the end of the day, its all about getting kids playing sports.

premierstone

As far as im aware Lex it only really becomes an issue if the parent club i.e. the club whos physical boundries the player lives within, objects.

Most urban ares have a quite small catchment area and the outskirts of alot of towns are infact within the parishes of rural clubs, but the kids involved would go to school in the town, all their friends would be in the town and they would consider themselves from the town. I know in my own locality this happens quite alot and there has never been an issue.

It always baffles me anyway why clubs object, ok it sets a dangerous precedent and if there is active poaching going on it needs to be punished, but if an individual player wants to play with team a, then he is of no use to team b as GAA teams are all about heart and comradary, you ask any intercounty player which means more a medal with the county or one with their own club and 99% will say the latter, because its with your friends, your neighbours guys you grew up with, that cant be replicated by playing with a different club.

Gophur

This is a case of the GAA selectively using a rule. Look at the major Urban communities and you will see players playing for any one of a number of clubs. I know of brothers playing for different clubs and there's nothing untoward about it.

Where I like the locals have the choice of two clubs under the "parish" rule. Hardly fair that some people have a choice and others are denied a choice.

I know of many people who reside within the boundaries of one parish but have an affinity with a different club. Nobody has ever tried to deny them their choice of club.

The GAA, in the past few years, did introduce a rule that the club you play U12 for is deemed your club for life, unless you go though the transfer process. It's a bit much to be doing it for kids, and should really only be introduced for more senior players.


(I struggle to understand how the locked thread posed a threat to anyone or any Court case, which, incidentally, is now over, despite what the mod indicated)

Lex Luthor

bruschi wrote: »

I know a case in my own rural parish where a kid is playing for the neighbouring club. his mother is a gobshíte and had an issue with the club, nothing to do with GAA matters, just her being an oddball. but its no reason why her son should suffer so no one really minds. chances are the kid will be back in the near future as all his friends and school mates play for a different team than him, and he wants to play for his proper club.

bruschi, I hope this situation isnt the same as one I am aware of..!!

---

So what actually defines a parish? Where I live, there are 3 parishes all served by the same parish team however they are in their own right separate in structure.

Each separate parish has its own church, in fact we have 2 in my town. I always thought a parish was linked somewhat to the church, but when I think back to when I lived in Cork, we also had 2 churches in our parish.

---

I also attended a school match in a neighbouring town a few weeks back when I got talking to a member of the club of the grounds we played at and he mentioned that the so called bigger club 5 miles down the road would often come in and poach their best players. I know if there was a rule to stop this happening you'd expect it to be enforced more often, but maybe like as someone said, these parent clubs just dont object enough

jpb1974

Interesting reading... I wasn't aware of any issues regarding players playing outside their parish.

but the kids involved would go to school in the town, all their friends would be in the town and they would consider themselves from the town.

Aye.. this would be the case for our young lad. We moved out of the town a few years back but the young fella was already enrolled in school in the town. He now plays for the club where I would have been reared which is in the town, the same club that all his class mates attend.

I'd be totally and utterly startled if anyone were to complain... I would have thought that we have the right to choose, the same way we choose where he goes to school, where we go to mass, where we do our shopping etc.

ChloeElla

My own parish doesn't have a camogie club, so I played for a neighbouring club. I was told that after U-12 level, I was only allowed to play for one club so had to make the choice between the two sports, and eventually chose football in my own parish. A good while later, I found out that apparently I could have remained playing with two clubs since there was no camogie in my parish, but I had given up for so long by then that I decided not to go back. My sister also started to play with another, closer parish when they formed a camogie club, and played football in our parish. She wanted to play football for the parish that she represents in camogie. She requested a transfer, on the basis that she plays camogie for the club, our father is from that parish, and a few other reasons and her football club wouldn't let her transfer, so now she's stuck playing for a club that leave her on the line because she requested a transfer in the first place.

jpb1974

her football club wouldn't let her transfer

Have you taken this up with the county board?

To me this sounds ridiculous... the club don't own you and surely to jaysus you should have the freedom and rights to play wherever you see fit?

Just thinking of the Bosman ruling back in the day... somewhat similar scenario from a freedom perspective.

Recently it came to our attention that a chap, about 6 years of age, had transferred to the other GAA club in our town as this is where all his school pals were playing. Someone passed a comment "they (the parents) can't do that, we didn't grant a transfer" and I thought to myself.. "ffs, he's 6 years of age".

Lex Luthor

jpb1974 wrote: »

Recently it came to our attention that a chap, about 6 years of age, had transferred to the other GAA club in our town as this is where all his school pals were playing. Someone passed a comment "they (the parents) can't do that, we didn't grant a transfer" and I thought to myself.. "ffs, he's 6 years of age".

and this is where the trouble starts with some small minded people saying things like this.

I know an 11yr old who plays hurling for our town club but football for another club a few miles away where he lives & goes to school. By the sounds of it we could have complained and requested he make a choice and move to our team in the football, but what purpose would that serve?

His own club where he lives dont have a hurling team so he's forced to come into our town to play. Well done to him. He also plays soccer for our local town team and nobody has a problem with that.

jpb1974

His own club where he lives dont have a hurling team so he's forced to come into our town to play. Well done to him. He also plays soccer for our local town team and nobody has a problem with that.

Aye... once they're out there playing sport it shouldn't matter in the slightest. Enjoying themselves and staying out of trouble is all that matters!

TopOfTheRight

One of these cases ended up in court recently in my own county, a player from a tiny club was playing with a bigger team from the local town because his own club had no juvenile teams. When he finished with minor football he was expected to switch back to his own club but refused to when the bigger club could offer him senior football instead of junior A. Needless to say his home club wanted him back especially when he turned out to be a serious player, playing with the smaller club would obviously harm his chances of getting picked for the county team.

He is still playing senior football with the other team so that tells you what the court verdict was, setting a terrible precedent imo. Can only harm the smaller clubs more and more till inevitable extinction.

premierstone

TopOfTheRight wrote: »

One of these cases ended up in court recently in my own county, a player from a tiny club was playing with a bigger team from the local town because his own club had no juvenile teams. When he finished with minor football he was expected to switch back to his own club but refused to when the bigger club could offer him senior football instead of junior A. Needless to say his home club wanted him back especially when he turned out to be a serious player, playing with the smaller club would obviously harm his chances of getting picked for the county team.

He is still playing senior football with the other team so that tells you what the court verdict was, setting a terrible precedent imo. Can only harm the smaller clubs more and more till inevitable extinction.

Im aware of a very similar case in Tipp, but its a bit more complex than saying its terrible he wasnt forced back to hes own club, the club he played juvenile with were key to hes development as a player, alot of time, effort and money would have been put into this young player, and yet he would have been forced to leave them on turning 18, Im not advocating either side here btw just pointing out its not a black or white area there are two sides to it.

Gophur

TopOfTheRight wrote: »

..........

He is still playing senior football with the other team so that tells you what the court verdict was, setting a terrible precedent imo. Can only harm the smaller clubs more and more till inevitable extinction.

A player is 100% right to get what's best for himself. Why a player should be denied the opportunity to play at the highest level he can is beyond me.

As for the smaller clubs being extinguished? There are far too many of them in the Country, doing nothing for the game(s), dragging standards down and keeping good players down.

premierstone

Gophur wrote: »

A player is 100% right to get what's best for himself. Why a player should be denied the opportunity to play at the highest level he can is beyond me.

As for the smaller clubs being extinguished? There are far too many of them in the Country, doing nothing for the game(s), dragging standards down and keeping good players down.

Ah here now you clearly have no grasp of the basic concept of the GAA if thats your view, ah sure feck it let all the best hurlers in the country play with O'Loughlin Gaels and Clarinbridge, no point fannying about with all them smaller clubs :rolleyes:

TopOfTheRight

Gophur wrote: »

A player is 100% right to get what's best for himself. Why a player should be denied the opportunity to play at the highest level he can is beyond me.

As for the smaller clubs being extinguished? There are far too many of them in the Country, doing nothing for the game(s), dragging standards down and keeping good players down.

I'm not going to argue with you on this point as we clearly dont see eye to eye regarding the values and contributions of smaller clubs, for me it's what the entire association is built upon

As for playing at the highest level, that can be achieved perfectly through senior group teams like they have in cork or kerry, we dont have this anymore in my own county which probably contributed to the players wishes to leave his own club

Gophur

premierstone wrote: »

Ah here now you clearly have no grasp of the basic concept of the GAA if thats your view, ah sure feck it let all the best hurlers in the country play with O'Loughlin Gaels and Clarinbridge, no point fannying about with all them smaller clubs :rolleyes:

I know exactly the concept, but I am a realist, not someone weighed down with sentiment.

There are too many small clubs deluding themselves, resisting change.

premierstone

Gophur wrote: »

I know exactly the concept, but I am a realist, not someone weighed down with sentiment.

There are too many small clubs deluding themselves, resisting change.

Attend next years junior and intermediate club all irelands and see what it means to these 'little clubs' and then come back and tell me these clubs are deluding themselves and holding players and the organisation back.

On a related matter do you think that Shane Nolan and Shane Brick should pack it in with Kerry and seek a transfer to one of the top tier teams in hurling cos like they will never win an AI playing with a small team deluding themselves.

who the fug

premierstone wrote: »

On a related matter do you think that Shane Nolan and Shane Brick should pack it in with Kerry and seek a transfer to one of the top tier teams in hurling cos like they will never win an AI playing with a small team deluding themselves.

Well it worked for some Kildare football players back in the eighties.

ChloeElla

jpb1974 wrote: »

Have you taken this up with the county board?

To me this sounds ridiculous... the club don't own you and surely to jaysus you should have the freedom and rights to play wherever you see fit?

My Mum's bringing it to the county board at the next meeting, I think. While she doesn't mind playing for our parish, because her school friends play here, etc, she is a lot more valued in her camogie club, and has made friends there so our parents left it up to her whether she wants to go through the ordeal of an appeal

Gophur

premierstone wrote: »

Attend next years junior and intermediate club all irelands and see what it means to these 'little clubs' and then come back and tell me these clubs are deluding themselves and holding players and the organisation back.

................

You mean go to look at the clubs who have won something? No thanks.

Every County has small clubs that are not viable, clubs that are hindering players' careers.

In the GAA the player comes bottom of the list of priorities, as you so vehemently point out! Club first, player last.

premierstone wrote: »

............

On a related matter do you think that Shane Nolan and Shane Brick should pack it in with Kerry and seek a transfer to one of the top tier teams in hurling cos like they will never win an AI playing with a small team deluding themselves.

Never heard of either lad. Are they looking for a transfer? If not, then the question is irrelevant.

Gophur

The point remains, the parish rule is unfair because not everyone is subject to it.

ciarriaithuaidh

Won't go into details here on the Kerry case, but there are threads on other sites on that. The parish rule, if it were strictly enforced would cause massive upheaval...I for one, would have trouble with it as I am technically living in not only a neigbouring parish to the club I play with, but a neighbouring County! This is one of the problems with it..it is enforced selectively...I'm sure everyone involved in GAA knows of someone who is playing with a club their parents were involved with or something like that...I think the principle of protecting the smaller clubs from poaching is spot on, but in certain cases the facts should be examined and in exigent circumstances there should be a way for natural justice to be done.

Lex Luthor

premierstone wrote: »

the club he played juvenile with were key to hes development as a player

All of which is done on a volountary basis

bruschi

TopOfTheRight wrote: »

One of these cases ended up in court recently in my own county, a player from a tiny club was playing with a bigger team from the local town because his own club had no juvenile teams. When he finished with minor football he was expected to switch back to his own club but refused to when the bigger club could offer him senior football instead of junior A. Needless to say his home club wanted him back especially when he turned out to be a serious player, playing with the smaller club would obviously harm his chances of getting picked for the county team.

He is still playing senior football with the other team so that tells you what the court verdict was, setting a terrible precedent imo. Can only harm the smaller clubs more and more till inevitable extinction.

I dont know the case, and there may be more to it, but if a club does nothing to help its underage development, then how can it complain that players who are trained at other clubs dont go back to them?

I know of many small clubs who struggle with numbers, but what is the point of having a club if you dont have a development of underage? Clubs around would amalgamate if they are struggling for numbers, but if they have enough to be fielding adult teams, then they should have enough to get some semblence of a team for underage, or at least make some effort into it. its not good enough to complain that players wont go back when they have spent 10 years or more playing elsewhere.

this is entirley different to poaching. I hate seeing big clubs 'raid' smaller ones for their better players, but if there is no team for them to play for, then what is a player supposed to do?

ArmaniJeanss

Out of interest is 'parish' a religious (Roman Catholic) concept or a purely geographical concept?

If its the former then I wouldn't be surprised if there is a challenge to the whole legality of it (as opposed to the current individual cases) in the next few years with the large amount of immigrant (or children of immigrant) kids taking up the sports.

Theres bound to be a sizeable increase in the percentage of nonCatholic & nonChristian players, and I suspect many are going to be unhappy to be told that because they live within the parish of The Blessed Holy Saint Luke that they may only play for one particular team.

Opelfruit

ArmaniJeanss wrote: »

Out of interest is 'parish' a religious (Roman Catholic) concept or a purely geographical concept?

If its the former then I wouldn't be surprised if there is a challenge to the whole legality of it (as opposed to the current individual cases) in the next few years with the large amount of immigrant (or children of immigrant) kids taking up the sports.

Theres bound to be a sizeable increase in the percentage of nonCatholic & nonChristian players, and I suspect many are going to be unhappy to be told that because they live within the parish of The Blessed Holy Saint Luke that they may only play for one particular team.

In the name of Jaysus science! :rolleyes: What a load of nonsense!

At the founding of the GAA the parish was choosen as the catchement area for clubs. At that stage of Irish society the concept of the parish had a cultural association. Everybody knew to which parish they belonged and so it was the only geographical boundaries that everybody associated with. Cultural association with counties only came about after the founding of the GAA and directly because of it. The advantage of using the parish was that they were of a near universal standard size in terms of geographic coverage and population sizes.

If you live in the catchement area then play for that club. It's a simple rule and it's one that works. However, there's always people who believe themselves to be special cases, people who are above the rules and regulations. These type of people destroyed my home club!

ArmaniJeanss

Opelfruit wrote: »

In the name of Jaysus science! :rolleyes: What a load of nonsense!

At the founding of the GAA the parish was choosen as the catchement area for clubs. At that stage of Irish society the concept of the parish had a cultural association. Everybody knew to which parish they belonged and so it was the only geographical boundaries that everybody associated with. Cultural association with counties only came about after the founding of the GAA and directly because of it. The advantage of using the parish was that they were of a near universal standard size in terms of geographic coverage and population sizes.

If you live in the catchement area then play for that club. It's a simple rule and it's one that works. However, there's always people who believe themselves to be special cases, people who are above the rules and regulations. These type of people destroyed my home club!

Thank you for the history lesson about how it came about.

I feel to see how that makes my question 'nonsense' though.

The parish rule may make sense to us, but I suspect that the young eastern europeans, africans and asians who are being taught the games at school level may not be quite as enamoured of the parish system as we are, especially when a sizeable percentage of these are not going to be catholic at all.

Explaining to young Asif that he can't play on the same team as his cousins Arak and Ahmed because even though they live 2 miles from each other they reside in different boundaries of the catholic church.
You seriously don't see a possibility of that whole concept being challenged under equality legislation over the next 20 years?

Opelfruit

ArmaniJeanss wrote: »

Thank you for the history lesson about how it came about.

I feel to see how that makes my question 'nonsense' though.

The parish rule may make sense to us, but I suspect that the young eastern europeans, africans and asians who are being taught the games at school level may not be quite as enamoured of the parish system as we are, especially when a sizeable percentage of these are not going to be catholic at all.

Explaining to young Asif that he can't play on the same team as his cousins Arak and Ahmed because even though they live 2 miles from each other they reside in different boundaries of the catholic church.
You seriously don't see a possibility of that whole concept being challenged under equality legislation over the next 20 years?

Who cares what the boundaries originally meant, today they are mostly recognised as the boundaries of GAA clubs. Why should 125 years of tradition have to be dismantled to allow someone play with his cousin? Why even make as issue of it?

Equality legislation? How does the parish rule make him less equal than any other person in Ireland?

jpb1974

Why should 125 years of tradition have to be dismantled to allow someone play with his cousin?

Freedom of choice should be paramount here.

Opelfruit

jpb1974 wrote: »

It's hardly tradition... merely a rule that I would imagine the majority care little for.

Freedom of choice should be paramount here.

:rolleyes:

jpb1974

Yes.. poorly phrased.

If you are implying that playing for your parish a tradition then of course I agree.

If you are implying that it should be mandatory I disagree.

If someone wants to play outside their parish for whatever reason then I don't see why they cannot choose to do so.

UpTheSlashers

jpb1974 wrote: »

If someone wants to play outside their parish for whatever reason then I don't see why they cannot choose to do so.

Exactly. People dont realise how important the parish rule is. It prevents a ridiculous situation of the best players transferring to the best clubs and weaker players bein forced to move to "smaller" clubs to get a game. This could in turn lead to money eventually being involved in these moves which would be seriously detrimental.

jpb1974

It prevents a ridiculous situation of the best players transferring to the best clubs and weaker players bein forced to move to "smaller" clubs to get a game.

It's a fair point but in general I'm not sure how often it actually happens? I have seen a few Wexford county players move clubs, but your talking out of the county to places like Cork and Dublin due to work commitments.

I suppose I'm looking at things from a more general perspective. Our young lad is registered with a club that is smaller and less well-off than the club which resides in the parish in which we now live having built a house out here a few years back. He started school in the original parish when we still lived there. He started hurling last year but I was far more comfortable sending him into my original club where I am involved as an U12 selector and club PRO.

Now I'd find it very hard to swallow if someone told me I was breaking a rule and should move the young lad back out to the club in the parish in which we now live. I've nothing against them in the slightest, we were out there the other night with the U8s playing a practice game and t'was lovely, but sometimes life just dictates the choices you make... not a rule-book.

jpb1974

Years back in the mid 90s we had a chap playing intermediate who broke onto the county senior panel.

Eventually he decided to leave the club and move to the town's other club who played senior hurling. He would have been playing with a couple of county senior players at this club and playing against the best players in Wexford.

To this day there are people in our club that would not talk to the same chap... but to be honest it was for the good of his career and for the good of Wexford hurling that he made the move... I never held it against him. Sure he came up through our under-age system, but it got to the stage where our club couldn't match his ambitions. Sometimes there are bigger fish to fry out there for people... but that's just life. Life at the club went on... one player didn't define who we were... no doubt he was a loss... but I respect his right to progress his career.

Lex Luthor

I've been involved at a juvenile level at our club for a number of yrs now, all of which is volountary time I put in.

One of the main reasons why I do it is that 30yrs ago somebody else gave up their free time to coach me the game of hurling & football.

If after coaching a kid for 10ys they were to turn around and move to another club for whatever their reason was, who am I to say they cant do it cos I gave all that time to them over the yrs.

People should have the right to play for wherever they want in my opinion.

UpTheSlashers

jpb1974 wrote: »

It's a fair point but in general I'm not sure how often it actually happens? I have seen a few Wexford county players move clubs, but your talking out of the county to places like Cork and Dublin due to work commitments.
.

I think these are possible because of a change in address.

Duffy the Vampire Slayer

Article on the subject in the Sunday Independent today....

The recent case in Kerry which saw two young brothers aged eight and 14 go to the High Court in an attempt to be freed from the confines of the GAA's parish rule brought the debate on this subject into focus. The two boys wanted to play for Listry, the club nearest their home and the one they felt connected to through school and friends, but the rule dictated that they must play for Ballyhar-Firies, their parish team.

After a lengthy saga which saw two votes taken by Kerry County Board, a High Court case and a DRA hearing, the second vote by the board -- taken last month -- reaffirmed its parish rule by a margin of 59-23.

Last week in Meath, the county board met to resolve a case involving neighbouring clubs Duleek-Bellewstown and Curraha.

Curraha had sought exemptions for seven children aged between eight and 14 to play with them, even though they lived in the Duleek parish. Duleek refused to sign the exemptions, saying it could provide the children with football. When Curraha brought the matter to the county's CCCC, they argued that the boys could be lost to the GAA forever if the exemptions were refused as -- similar to the case in Kerry -- they felt no connection to Duleek. For their part, Duleek warned that the board would set a dangerous precedent and so undermine the fundamental principle underpinning the parish rule.

On each of the seven applications, the board voted by a significant majority in favour of granting the exemptions and the boys are now free to play with Curraha.

Stories like those in Meath and Kerry are becoming more commonplace and despite the strong similarities in the two cases, the outcomes were totally different.

The Association's rule book outlines its position on this issue as follows: "A player is considered to owe allegiance and loyalty to his home club and county," but the problem the GAA now has with the principle of 'the parish' as its bedrock is that inconsistency in the application of the rule across the country leaves it open to more rigorous challenge.

It is not in force in every county, which is a glaring weakness. Furthermore, where a club refuses to allow someone living in their parish to play with another club it can now be brought before the county board for adjudication because of recent modifications to the rule which will only add to the inconsistency and confusion.

(At a time when the GAA is in danger of losing its parish rule, it is ironic that the Ladies Gaelic Football Association has gone in the opposite direction and firmed up its version of the parish rule, which has helped to increase its number of new members and, significantly, new clubs, year on year.)

The parish rule, though, is a safeguard for the amateur ethos. It only ever belonged to, or was relevant in, the GAA but to many it is antediluvian -- a remnant from a bygone age that has no place in 21st century Ireland. In a society where concepts such as loyalty and community have become heavily diluted, this is an edict which may appear antiquated but which still stands as a contradiction to modern attitudes, even if it is threatened by populism and disdain.

In the drive to make this country a great, modern European state -- that turned out really well, didn't it? -- we shed many of our traditions and idiosyncrasies. But many still survive.

This rule is one of those. The idea that a person is bound to their parish is the essence of the GAA and deserves respect. Just as other sports at grassroots levels have different rules governing representation, which also must be respected. It is not an argument to compare one against the other and use that as a stick to beat the parish rule with. Each to their own.

Nor is 'convenience' an argument. Bob Dylan once said, "People seldom do what they believe in. They do what is convenient, then repent." People will often argue that they should be allowed to associate with the club whose pitch is closer because it is more convenient. The irony that the journey will be completed by car, and not by bike as it was for many years by those who went before, is lost on them. At any rate, I heard recently that there is a primary school every four miles in Ireland -- surely there is a GAA pitch every 10 miles or less?

Here's what former Kerry footballer Dara ó Cinnéide (pictured) had to say in this paper recently on the subject: "The identity of the parish is becoming less relevant in parts of Ireland and that's sad to see. Sometimes, when the question of borders and boundaries arises a club is looked upon as being inward, small-minded and parochial. To be honest, I have no problem with that. We are little cliques so why not celebrate it? We shouldn't be shy about that sort of thing."

If there was not some kind of restriction on the movement of players between clubs, the whole structure of the Association would collapse. This is not a fanciful notion, but a real prospect. The smaller clubs would be picked off one by one as their brightest talents are lured away with the promise of success, or some other inducements. Other players and volunteers would turn away disheartened and disillusioned, creating a vacuum in the community.

We are more conscious now than ever before of the need for participation in sport at all levels and at all ages in terms of the well-being of the nation and every organisation needs to do all it can to penetrate as much into society as possible.

As far as the GAA is concerned, the parish rule is its best weapon in this regard, and until such time as someone comes up with a better idea than that, it should be protected.

http://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/gaa-must-protect-parish-rule-at-all-costs-2859943.html

I have to say, I'd agree with everything said in it.

quintain

To the best of my knowledge there's hardly a club in Waterford city that's based on the parish rule. I would say it would take years to revert to the parish rule for all clubs in the city and if it happens I would guess that Ballygunner will win every county championship at every level for years to come.

rebel girl 15

ChloeElla wrote: »

My own parish doesn't have a camogie club, so I played for a neighbouring club. I was told that after U-12 level, I was only allowed to play for one club so had to make the choice between the two sports, and eventually chose football in my own parish. A good while later, I found out that apparently I could have remained playing with two clubs since there was no camogie in my parish, but I had given up for so long by then that I decided not to go back. My sister also started to play with another, closer parish when they formed a camogie club, and played football in our parish. She wanted to play football for the parish that she represents in camogie. She requested a transfer, on the basis that she plays camogie for the club, our father is from that parish, and a few other reasons and her football club wouldn't let her transfer, so now she's stuck playing for a club that leave her on the line because she requested a transfer in the first place.

GAA, ladies football and camogie all have separate transfer rules. The fact that she plays camogie with the other parish would have no bearing on the outcome of the ladies football transfer. Her home club is the club that she first played with football with - which would be her parish team. What county is she playing in? If she has not played or registered with the club for three years, the parish rule will not apply afaik, so she can transfer to whoever she wants to. But she would need to check that with her county board