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Women's Gaelic Players body condemns fixture clashes

The Women's Gaelic Players Association (WGPA) has criticised a fixture clash which will see both ...



Women's Gaelic Players bod...
Football

Women's Gaelic Players body condemns fixture clashes

The Women's Gaelic Players Association (WGPA) has criticised a fixture clash which will see both of Cork and Clare's camogie and Ladies football teams playing matches on the same day, which will affect the dual players involved with both setups.

The Cork camogie team take on Offaly at 2pm this Saturday, with the footballers in action four hours later against Kerry.

Clare's camogie team take on Dublin at an expected time of noon with the Banners' Ladies footballers up against Waterford in an intermediate final later that day.

Between the two counties, a total of seven duel players are affected by the fixture clashes, which means they will need to choose one of the codes on Saturday or play two matches in the space of a few hours.

In a statement, the WGPA said: "Cork Camogie are due to play Offaly in Páirc Ui Rinn at 2pm in the third round of the championship while the Ladies Footballers are in action in the Munster final in Mallow at 6pm against Kerry. Three dual players are affected by the clash.

"Clare Camogie team are scheduled to play Dublin (anticipated 12noon throw in) with the Ladies Footballers in action in the Munster intermediate final against Waterford at 4pm, also in Mallow. Four dual players will be impacted.

"We feel this is an unacceptable situation for the players involved; it is not okay to ask players to play two championship games in one day. There are serious issues around player welfare, potential injury and diminished performance, as well as the health and safety of the players rushing between venues. After months of diligent preparation, both the players and the teams involved deserve the chance to deliver their best performance.

"We have engaged with both national associations and the provincial bodies, as well as the players involved, to encourage co-operation in order to find an alternative resolution. The fixtures have been in place since the start of the year so the issue should have been addressed some time ago. A suitable compromise such as staggering matches over the course of a weekend, which has worked in other provinces would serve to benefit both the players and the profile of our games."

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