Valentia GAA's future threatened by U17 rule
February 22, 2019
The Kerry flag.
The club of the legendary Mick O'Connell could go under if the rule prohibiting U17s from playing adult games isn't changed.
The Young Irelanders GAA club in Valentia won't be in a position to field an adult team this year unless the rule is reversed at tomorrow's GAA Congress in Wexford, chairperson Deirdre Lyne has warned.
Valentia got the motion through the Kerry convention before Christmas and are hoping it will be passed as their short-term future depends on it. Speaking to the Irish Independent, Ms Lyne revealed that since winning promotion from Division 5 of the league last year, Valentia's adult playing numbers have fallen to just 12 or 13, while 52-year-old Brian Quigley is mulling over his future after suffering a serious injury in last year's South Kerry quarter-final.
"It's not any one reason, it's a collection of bad luck. In the space of six weeks, the whole backside fell out of it through no fault of anyone's," she said.
"If we can survive until halfway through the year, we could have a very good year, we'd be quite competitive in Division 4."
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