Some clubs could be removed from ADSL at special meeting
The Athlone District Schoolboy/Girl League has confirmed that the start to its new season has been suspended to at least the weekend of September 17/18 to allow a Special General Meeting to take place next Monday - which may result in the removal of a number of clubs from the membership of the ADSL.
The ADSL season was due to kick off this week but is now postponed to facilitate a proposed alteration to Rule which could have a knock-on effect for some clubs in the ADSL, particularly Willow Park, St Francis and Mullingar Athletic.
The proposed Rule change is intended to commit clubs to sole membership of the ADSL and to prevent clubs from entering some of their teams in other Leagues, to the detriment of the ADSL. The new Rule would provide that all Clubs in the membership of the ADSL must not be a member of any other Divisional League Schoolboy League and must not enter teams in any other Schoolboy League / Divisional League except with the permission of the ADSL. The Rule change goes on to provide that clubs in breach of this Rule shall be removed from membership of the ADSL.
This would have immediate consequences for Willow Park, who have an U-16 team in the Midlands Schoolboy League; for St Francis, who have an U-17 team in the Combined Counties League; and for Mullingar Athletic, who field teams in the Midlands Schoolboy League, the Dublin Schoolboy League and the North Dublin Schoolboy League.
ADSL Chairman, Padraig Quinn explained that the ADSL has had "a problem over the last four years with some clubs allowing teams to enter at the older age-groups in other leagues".
"This leakage has caused damage to our League, depleting our playing numbers and lowering the standard for everyone else," continued Mr Quinn. "It has been a recurring frustration at the start of every season for the last three years but was thought to be resolved with the consensus of all clubs at a Special Meeting last year. However, the same thing happened this summer with a number of teams leaving or trying to leave. The rest of the clubs have just had enough and that feeling was very clearly expressed at this season's Formation Meeting on 22nd August last and has found more formal expression in this proposed Rule change to be decided by all the Clubs".
All ADSL clubs were circulated with the proposed Rule change early last week and were requested to canvass the views of all their players, parents and members before next Monday's Special General Meeting which could see the removal of at least three clubs from the ADSL.
"Nobody wants that to happen", said the ADSL Chairman. "We are a better and stronger League with all these clubs and all their teams in the ADSL. We are trying to make the ADSL better and bigger all the time for all our clubs and all our teams and in every age-group, but the mood of the Formation Meeting was very clear that all clubs should fully commit to the ADSL and that if some clubs wanted to enter some of their teams in other Leagues then they should enter all their teams in those other leagues. There is a very strong view that clubs cannot be casual members of the ADSL, entering teams elsewhere when it suits them and without obvious regard for everyone else and the future of this League".
Mr Quinn confirmed that this issue has been coming to the boil over the last number of seasons. In the last number of years St. Francis, Willow Park and Temple Villa have at different times entered teams in the Midland Schoolboy League which covers mainly the counties of Offaly and Laois.
The mood in the ADSL is also influenced by a recent decision of the national governing body, the Schoolboys Football Association of Ireland, to prevent an under-16 team from Monksland United from entering the Midlands Schoolboys League. This team was a St Joseph's team who competed in the ADSL last season and a proposal to enter that team in the Midlands Schoolboys League was rejected by the St. Joseph's Club during the summer. However that team manager tried to enter as a separate team under the Monksland United banner but that application was ruled out by the SFAI after a hearing in Dublin at the end of last month. That decision has been appealed to the FAI by the Midlands Schoolboy League and by Monksland United.
Mr Quinn referred to this incident as "summing up the damage and upheaval that is being caused to the League".
"It is frankly a huge waste of time, effort and energy that should be better used developing and improving our League," he said, adding that he "hoped that all the clubs in the League would fully discuss and consider the proposed Rule change".
The Special General Meeting of the ADSL takes place in the Shamrock Lodge Hotel next Monday, September 12 at 8pm.
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