A number of Kerry GAA clubs fielded ineligible players during the past year ignoring the games parish rule.
Joe Crowley, Chairman of the parish rule and player registration committee, told delegates at A recent Kerry GAA convention clubs have contravened county bye-laws by registering players who do not qualify to line out for that particular club.
āSome clubs continue to knowingly register players incorrectly and believe the bad practices existing for years should continue,ā reported the committee.
The Associationās rulebook states a player is āconsidered to owe allegiance and loyalty to his home club.”
Crowley continued:
āOne of the challenges we face is parents who have close family links with clubs outside the parish they reside want their children to play with those clubs.
āThis is going to become more and more of a problem within the county as the economy changes. It is just a fact of life within the county development plan.
“At the moment, it is impossible to buy building sites in some of our towns. Families cannot afford to build in towns, they have to move to surrounding areas and that is where problems will arise.
“These parents feel that they have a strong attachment with their original club, but now reside outside the parish or catchment area of that club, so are they to be are accommodated.ā
The committee recommended the establishment of a club forum to study the bye-laws in other counties to determine whether Kerry could benefit from a different rule governing player eligibility.