AT least 10 senior ladies players are prepared to walk away from intercounty football if “the current executive” remains in place. The news emerged last Wednesday, after the Fermanagh Herald obtained a letter issued by the players to the Fermanagh County Board, in which the players highlighted a list of grievances, ranging from sponsorship, fixtures, expenses, finances, gear and general conduct.
As the situation has continued to unfold throughout the week, last Wednesday evening, Fermanagh manager Jonny Garrity submitted a statement to the County Board Executive and to all the clubs in the county, in which he outlined that he and the current management team “note with disappoinment the executive committee’s decision not to offer the senior team management an extension to our current term”. Garrity goes on to clearly state that “despite being invited to reapply for the role, I have no intention of doing so under the current leadership of the county executive.”
Garrity and his backroom team had attended a managerial review meeting on Monday September 6 and Garrity told the Fermanagh Herald this week that they were “told that following the review meeting they (Executive) were going to arrange a review meeting with the players after which they were going to make a decision on whether to offer us a new term or put the job up for tender and we were leaving the meeting content that that was agreed.
“We also know that prior to the meeting the girls (players) had put in a letter saying that the current management had their complete backing and they wanted us to continue in place” however, he adds, “It seems that whenever we left the room that word was broken because the County Board then proceeded to vote on whether to offer us a new extension or not.
“They voted on the matter and decided that they would put the job up to tender and notified me the next day (Tuesday) that this was the case and their reasoning for doing so- that there was ambiguity that we would continue on in the role if offered but I did say during the course of the meeting that we would consider. I couldn’t give them a definite answer whether we would accept or not, because we would’ve had to speak to our backroom, our players for buy-in, off the back of that ,which I think is pretty reasonable.”
On Thursday night, Fermanagh Ladies Gaelic Football Association advertised for a new Senior County Manager with a closing date of this Friday September 17.
In Garrity’s statement to the County Board and clubs he says; “I have no confidence or expectation that they (Executive) possess the ability, vision or will to progress ladies football in the county.
“I have major misgivings over their lack of a strategic plan, a vision for the future, a player pathway or a coaching pathway. I genuinely believe that in order for the county to arrest declining standards that urgent action needs to be taken to replace the current leadership of the executive with some of the many great football people in the county.”
To read more on this story see this week’s Fermanagh Herald. Can’t get to the shop to collect your copy? No problem! You can download a copy straight to your device by following this link https://bit.ly/3gOl8G0
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