A Leitrim hurling club has claimed some of its players are being discouraged from playing the sport.

Carrick Hurling Club has urged GAA clubs to work together after a Connacht GAA rule to keep Wednesday nights free for club hurling activities was being ignored by football clubs in their catchment area.

Under the headline ‘Wednesday Night is Hurling Night’, the club posted on Facebook: “For more than 10 years, we have worked hard to keep all our hurling activities—whether training sessions or matches—on Wednesday evenings. While there are occasional exceptions due to fixtures in other counties, such as Longford, approximately 95% of our hurling activities remain on Wednesdays.

“Two years ago, Connacht GAA passed a motion stating that football matches should not be played on Wednesday evenings, with the intention of preserving one night each week exclusively for hurling. Clubs were also encouraged to support and promote hurling participation on Wednesday nights.

“Unfortunately, this is not always happening in practice. More and more football clubs are now scheduling training sessions on Wednesday evenings at the same time as hurling activities. This is making it increasingly difficult for children, young players, and adults to continue as dual players.

“Every week, we receive messages from parents apologising because their child cannot attend hurling training due to football commitments. One particularly upset parent recently contacted us after their son was told that if he attended hurling training, he would not be selected to play football at the weekend. No child should be put in that position.

“We have also heard of senior players who have proudly represented their county being told not to pick up a hurl until the football season is over. Young players are being told that if they continue playing hurling, they will never become senior footballers. Such messages are unfair, discouraging, and simply untrue.”

The post added: “Keeping one evening a week dedicated to hurling should not be too much to ask. If we want hurling to survive and thrive in our area, we must work together to support those who wish to play both games.”

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