Cork county board motion to tighten specific player transfer criteria defeated
Their Convention To At Of Was County Board Defeated Tuesday’s Cork At The Motion Aimed Club’ Players ‘first The Tightening A Transferring Around Up Guidelines Father
A Cork county board motion aimed at tightening the guidelines around players transferring to the ‘first club’ of their father was defeated at Tuesday’s convention.
At present in Cork, a change of address is not required for a player applying to transfer to the home club of his father.
The Cork executive sought to tighten the transfer criteria in this area, with county board CEO Kevin O’Donovan describing the existing bye-law as “flawed” and “faulty”, but was met with strong opposition from the floor.
Prior to the motion being defeated, a number of clubs came to the mic to voice the imperativeness of not closing the door on players who want to line out for their father’s club.
Sean O’Neill from county football champions Castlehaven, a club who have a number of players lining out for them owing to their respective father’s past attachment to the blue and white, said the failure of political classes to look after rural Ireland was driving players away from their home club.
“If this motion is changed, the father that came into Cork city to live, to get employment, but whose heart and desire was [for his son] to play for his parish in his area might find it hard enough.
“If the father's son played in the city, and this bye-law is taken away, that young fella couldn't play for the club of the father at home then.”
Knocknagree’s Jim McSweeney said the proposed change “would destroy rural clubs”.
“Players would just go everywhere if they take out the father rule. It is the one way of trying to keep players back in the rural communities.”
Bere Island chairman Jim Hanley said he is a product of the rule and while urging its retention, he did acknowledge that the bye-law could be improved by dictating that a player only be allowed transfer to his father’s home club if the latter club operates at a lower grade to the player’s existing club.
“It was brought in to help small clubs. Small clubs are crying out for players, clubs trying to get 15, 16 players to keep a club alive.
“I stand before you as someone who is a member of his father's first club. I am now chairman of that club. I spent 20 years playing football for that club. I think this motion should be saved in some way, but it needs to be amended, not deleted.
“I would suggest that we put in a caveat that the person has to be transferring down grades, that you can't transfer up from a junior club to an intermediate or senior club. That would solve an awful lot of problems with the motion.”
Frank McCarthy of O’Donovan Rossa was another to lend his voice in opposition to the motion. He said Skibb, who have a number of former players living up in the city, are similar to other West Cork clubs in that they are struggling for underage numbers at present.
Ilen Rovers’ Ciarán O’Driscoll was in the minority to speak for the motion. He argued that there is no clear definition to establish what constitutes a father’s first club.
“Has he been a player, supporter, or just non-playing resident that lived in the catchment area of the club in the past,” O’Driscoll asked.
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