Blessington up in arms Anger over team’s regrading
BLESSINGTON GAA CLUB delegate Michael Sargent clashed with Wicklow GAA’s CCC fixtures secretary Paul Wilson and County Chairman Martin Fitzgerald when he protested the promotion of his Blessington side from the Junior ‘B’ football championship up to the Junior ‘A’ championship.
The decision was made by an independent review committee that was set up to try and ensure fairness in the different grades in the county.
‘I affiliated a Junior ‘B’ side and now I find them in Junior ‘A’,’ said Michael Sargent from Blessington GAA Club.
‘There was an independent review of the whole Junior grade structure held last year, and there were a number of factors taken into account, including the list system. As I said before, the list system has, in effect, given the Senior teams more players available to them,’ replied Paul Wilson.
‘Well, on that point alone, we played 23 players last year, two are gone on an Erasmus trip for a year, we’re down to 21. We put in a list of 18 that we can’t play anyway. On the old system we would have got three back anyway, so I’m no better off, Paul. That argument doesn’t work for me,’ he said.
‘An independent review was carried out. It was recommended that some teams be promoted to Junior ‘A’ in light of the size of the clubs, the player population and the availability of players. And there were some teams that were dropped down a grade in order to create fairness in the grades.
‘This was discussed and debated. The recommendations were brought to the CCC. This was discussed and debated at length in the CCC, and not taken very lightly, and passed. We then brought it forward to the county fixtures meeting here on the 15th, we discussed it at length and there were some questions from the floor, and it was agreed at that point.
‘It was then brought forward to the management meeting on January 21 and discussed there and was passed at the management meeting. As a group here, we think it’s fair and we’ve looked at things as a whole for Wicklow football and not just one team,’ said Wilson.
Michael Sargent asked what other teams had been promoted. He was informed that Éire Óg Greystones and St Patrick’s had been.
‘Éire Óg and St Pat’s were in the Junior ‘A’ championship, so as far as I’m concerned, they are holding their status,’ said Sargent.
‘If you want to go into history, we can look at a couple of things,’ replied Wilson. ‘Firstly, Éire Óg were relegated and they were quite within their rights to go to Junior ‘B’ and that wasn’t allowed to happen in the interests of fairness. Secondly, you had a Junior ‘A’ and Junior ‘C’ team and you withdrew the Junior ‘A’ team very soon after you won a Junior ‘A’ championship just a couple of years ago,’ he said.
‘Four years ago, Paul. I had to go back and start again. Now you’re saying to me, just because I have a third team that I have to go up to Junior ‘A’. Why does the second team in AGB not have to go up, or the second team in Bray not go up. Why is it my team that goes up? If you look at the stats of my second team. We’ve been trying to build a Junior team for three years.
‘Last year we were beaten in the quarter-final by Enniskerry, previous year we didn’t get out of the group, the previous year we were beaten in the quarter-final by Enniskerry again. We haven’t got anywhere, and this year what happens, our third team are beaten by Tinahely who won the Junior ‘C’ championship.
‘And here am I, getting a team out to have a crack at the Junior ‘B’ and you’re telling me we’re in the Junior ‘A’, to make up the numbers, that’s all we’re doing.
‘That’s all you’re doing, Paul. There are teams going down, and to balance it up you have to put up a couple and here, ‘we’ll just rub out Blessington and it’s a pencil exercise, that’s all it is,’ he added.
‘No, it’s not, Michael, and I take exception to that. As you can see this has gone through many layers of discussion, debate and everything else,’ said Paul Wilson.
‘Yeah, but the facts don’t go towards your decision,’ replied Michael Sargent.
County Chairman Martin Fitzgerald said that the decision wasn’t Paul Wilson’s to take and that an independent committee had reached the conclusion to promote Blessington.
Michael Sargent protested that nobody had the ‘courtesy to veen call me’ in relation to the move.
Martin Fitzgerald replied that the decision had been discussed at the fixtures meeting and that nobody had objected.
‘As far as I’m concerned, based on the results over the last three years, this a totally wrong decision, totally wrong,’ he said.
Martin Fitzgerald repeated that nobody had objected at the fixtures meeting. Sargent said that he wasn’t the fixtures secretary, that he was a club delegate and it was here that it should be debated.
The offer was made to Michael Sargent as to whether he wanted to put the matter to a vote but the Blessington delegate said that that would be akin to asking a defendant in court to sentence himself.
‘You have 15 teams in the Junior ‘B’ championship. If I was in the Junior ‘B’ championship I wouldn’t want Blessington in it either, there’s one team less. All the top table voted against me as well, there’s 30,’ said Michael Sargent.
County Board member Billy Byrne interjected at this stage and said that he hadn’t made any decision in relation to Blessington moving from Junior ‘B’ to ‘A’. He also said he wasn’t aware that there was any independent review committee appointed to deal with this issue.
Michael Sargent said that the decision was approved by the County Board at a meeting in December.
He also turned to the delegates and said that this could happen to someone again in the future.
‘It’s an unfair one, and I’ll remember it, that’s all I’ll say,’ he added.
County Chairman Martin Fitzgerald asked Michael Sargent if he wanted to put it to a vote or if he was accepting the decision.
Michael Sargent replied that he had no choice and that asking Junior ‘B’ clubs to vote on whether Blessington be allowed stay in Junior ‘B’ would be like asking turkeys to vote for Christmas.