Teams short of players can now play 13-a-side
CLUBS in the SFL Division 2 and 3 will not be able to play games with 13 players after the Ballymanus GAA Club motion was carried at the County Board meeting in Ballinakill.
County Chairman Martin Fitzgerald voiced his support for this Ballymanus motion from the off but he did stress that if there are 15 players on both sides that the game is played with 15.
The motion stated: ‘Clubs in Division 2 and 3 of the football league that are not able to field 15 players for the game are allowed proceed with the game with 13 players’.
“I’ve no problem with that (playing 15 players if there were 15 available),” said Ballymanus delegate Kevin Byrne. “We just know from our own numbers that we are going to be under pressure here. If we have 15...”
“Can you amend that, if there’s 15 players on both sides, can you amend that?” Asked Martin Fitzgerald.
“By all means,” said Byrne. “They must play, instead of having two lads standing in the goals,” added Fitzgerald.
“Well I don’t believe...” began Byrne
“You’d be surprised,” said the County Chairman.
“I wouldn’t like to keep two lads at home and tell them not to come just to play with 13. I don’t think you’d have them around for too long,” said Kevin Byrne.
“Just to cover everything, can we amend that?” Asked Martin Fitzgerald.
Kevin Byrne agreed. Martin Fitzgerald said that there could be no lower than 13 permitted.
One delegate said that the motion doesn’t actually say that it is 13-a-side. It says that if a team only has 13 players they can play with 13. Martin Fitzgerald said that the other team must then play with 13.
The club delegate pointed out that that was not what the motion said.
“It may need to be clarified,” said the delegate.
Martin Fitzgerald called for the motion to be amended to include that wording.
He also added that this motion only related to league and not championship and only for teams who could only field 13 players.
If a team arrives at a venue with 15 and the other club only has 13 then the game will be played as a 13-a-side game.
If both teams could field 15 then they must field 15.
The motion carried.