Ladies forfeit NFL win

Kerry docked points for unregistered players

THE Kerry senior women’s football team has been stripped of their National League win against Mayo for playing unregistered players in what has been the team’s only win so far in the competition.

As was reported in The Kerryman a few weeks ago, the Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA) were investigating a possible breach of rule with regard to an unregistered player or players, and this week the LGFA have confirmed that the Kerry team has been found guilty of playing unregistered players in their Round 2 game against Mayo on February 2. Kerry’s 2-14 to

2-6 win in Brosna that day was the Kingdom’s only win of their five games played this far, and the points deduction now leaves them with no points and at the bottom of Division 1 alongside Westmeath.

A statement from the LGFA on Tuesday confirmed the decision: “The Ladies Gaelic Football Association can confirm that Kerry have been deducted three points from their Lidl NFL Division 1 fixture against Mayo on February 4, having found to be in breach of rule 55 of the LGFA official guide. The three points from the game have been awarded to Mayo. Rule 55: Any team proved to have played an unregistered player shall be fined €100 per offending player and shall forfeit the game to their opponents, unless exempted by rule 260.”

Kerry are due to play Westmeath this Sunday at a Kerry venue yet to be fixed, and their final game is against All-Ireland champions Dublin on Saturday week, April 7. This game was originally fixed as part of a double-header with the men’s NFL game in Croke Park in early March, but was postponed due to Storm Emma.

With Kerry and Westmeath unlikely to beat Dublin and Galway respecively in the last round, there meeting this Sunday is effectively a relegation play-off with the losing team relegated to Division 2.

The Kerryman made efforts to contact members of the Kerry Ladies Board Executive and the senior team management for a comment, but our calls were not returned.

The Garvey’s Tralee Warriors players and supporters celebrate after the team retained the Champions Trophy title last weekend with a win in the final against Templeogue in Waterford. Photo by Liam Ryan