Plea for officials as GAA games in jeopardy

FERMANAGH GAA clubs who don’t have a ladies referee will lose their home advantage for the 2026 season as major concerns continue to circulate over the future of local games and matches.
The ‘Herald previously reported that due to a serious lack of match officials, a number of ladies GAA club games have had to be postponed, resulting in players missing out on game time.
Fermanagh LGFA is to hold a youth referee course on Saturday (July 26) in a bid to encourage more officials, with the county board set to strip clubs of privilege if they don’t have officials.
“It’s the last chance to find a referee, where clubs without referee representation will lose home advantage at all age levels,” Fermanagh LGFA Development Officer, Conor Meehan, pictured below, told clubs.
Correspondence has been ongoing between the Fermanagh LGFA County Board and clubs, with urgent pleas to recruit more officials to cope with the increasing number of matches being played.
The LGFA Development Officer opened up on the significant pressures facing local officials.
“We’ve got 10 referees of our own and two guys from outside the county are willing to come in and help. We’ve got a low number of officials,” LGFA Development Officer, Conor Meehan, said.
“If we don’t get more ladies referees, eventually the well will run dry. The same pool of referees are going to get fed up if they’re out five, six or seven days a week.”