Emigration issue hits Wolfe Tones hard

The effects emigration is having on GAA clubs in the county was highlighted again at this week’s county board meeting when a letter from Wolfe Tones was read.
The Shannon club outlined that only 14 of last year’s senior panel of 25 will be available this year due to emigration and retirements. As a result, 11 members of their intermediate panel will be promoted to the senior squad, along with three from their junior B panel.
“This will leave six or seven of our intermediate team from last year in limbo,” the letter said.
They will not be in a position to field at intermediate level and instead of having three adult teams, they will now have two. They proposed that in addition to a senior team, they would field at junior A level.
Addressing the delegates, Wolfe Tones delegate Joe Kelly said, “In the last 24 hours two more of our players have indicated that they plan to emigrate to Canada and Australia, which will add further to our problems.”

Newmarket request

Newmarket GAA put in a request to have their number two team drop down to the intermediate league grade for the coming year.
“This team was beaten in the intermediate league and in the junior A championship final last year. Despite winning promotion to ­Division 2 of the Clare Champion Cup the club feels that this is too high for this panel and we are keen to continue in the ­intermediate league,” explained delegate Mike Clancy.
“It is in the spirit of the game that we make this request. Is there any team that would be willing to swap positions with us?” he asked.
“There is very little we can do as the team earned promotion”, commented board chairman Michael O’Neill.

Scariff football team

Scariff will compete in junior football in 2011. The club applied to the February meeting to be allowed enter a team at the lowest level in league and championship.
Meanwhile, St Joseph’s Doora-Barefield applied to have their junior B football team promoted from Division 7 to Division 5 for the upcoming season.