Ladies minor footballers must be treated equally and fairly – Dillon

The organisation which runs Ladies Gaelic Gootball must reverse a decision not to allow the 2020 inter-county minor teams to compete, a Fine Gael TD has said.

Deputy Alan Dillon said today that while the minor All-Ireland competition for teenage boys continues, girls had their competition cancelled completely.

A number of the girls’ teams ran social media campaigns in an effort to get the Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA) to reverse its decision.

As a compromise the LGFA proposed regrading underage competitions in 2021 so that an Under-19 competition would go ahead instead.

Despite the proposal, members of the LGFA Central Council voted against the proposal, which has angered players and team coaches.

Deputy Dillon, who is Fine Gael’s Dáil spokesman on sport and tourism said, “I find it incredible once again that here we have a boys’ competition going ahead and a girls’ competition being cancelled.

“And once again, this does not look good for female sport and how this has been handled.

“I know from talking to minor managers and to parents of these young players that they feel as though they have been left behind.”

Deputy Dillon said: “Differences in how players are treated based on gender was never acceptable and must change.

“The LGFA came up with a compromise for 2021 and I congratulate them on doing something to try to fix this issue, but I am flabbergasted that counties at Central Council voted last month to disregard this cohort of 18-year-olds who will never play juvenile sport at inter-county again.

“I believe the Central Council must reverse this decision tonight or they face further ridicule.

“A solution to all of this in the longer term must lie in a OneGAA process with all codes under one governing body.

“The girls affected by this decision have had an awful year; many of them had the stress of the Leaving Cert and all that came with this.

“I know coaches continued to coach online to keep the girls’ spirits up. But this LGFA Central Council decision was a huge blow to them. Tonight they must put that right,” Deputy Dillon concluded.