Antrim Football Thread

[JimStynes]

I wonder what MR thoughts on this are

Contact your club secretary to find out

[Walter Cronc]

What were the girls looking that they had to write and get loads of signatures?

They wanted to dismiss their manager from his role !

To be clear, this is the actual reason !

And going by that article did they apparently forge signatures of team mates or am I misreading that?

[Milltown Row2]

I wonder what MR thoughts on this are

Contact your club secretary to find out

If he had a club Sec. he could find out 

On this I've no idea what's going on as its all in code on here .. Women's football, I'm not involved in, ousting managers happens in all clubs if that is whats this is about, but takes the topic away from the dates on the leagues being announced..

It's like its a big deal on here and when you go to the club theres about 20 people at it lol

[nearlymad]

A Chairde,

The club has informed all members that legal proceedings have been issued against it. The proceedings have been issued by my niece Orlaith Murray and her team mates Ellie Murphy & Molly McAuley. The Irish News have this evening published this fact and it will be in its daily printed version tomorrow. Some of you may have been told a self-serving false account of what these ladies were alleged to have done. The truth is they have done nothing.  They have been brave enough to stand up for themselves and have the benefit of supportive immediate and extended families who have stood with them and will continue to do so.

St Enda's is a great club with great people. I've been a member for over 40 years. As some of you know, my late uncle, Sean Hayes, was a founding member in 1956. He and my aunt Kathleen were one of two families to put their home up as collateral towards the first club. I was here in those very dark days, unlike some of those involved in this shameful episode.  I've represented this club at every level in both codes. I've coached at every level in the club. To say that the actions of a few members have brought such shame on St Enda's is nothing short of disgraceful.

At every turn, those involved in pursuing Orlaith, Molly, and Ellie for the alleged offence of forgery sought to obfuscate and conceal the fact that they had not one shred of evidence against these girls. When the girls asked for the evidence against them, those involved point blank refused to give it. The girls would only find out via the LGFA Appeal process that there was no evidence against them. The club filed redacted documents at the Appeal to conceal various matters.  Despite the club's wish to conceal their paperwork, through the good fortune that the girls are tech-savvy, they were able to remove the clubs redactions and were then in a position to prove that they had not forged anyone's name to any letter.

Think about the actions of these members. Firstly, refusing to provide evidence to support the allegations brought by the club against the girls, and then redacting crucial evidence which, when revealed, helped the girls to clear their names. This is nothing short of apalling behaviour.

It's a very true saying that a little power is a dangerous thing. When we, as club member's, permit people to lead our club, we do so on the basis that they will exercise their power on our behalf, fairly and judiciously. Those involved in what has happened here have fallen far short of these basic standards.

The girls rightly won their appeal, having presented a detailed, robust, evidence based, and cogent defence. Another forum will now examine and pour over the case the club had both at the date of the production of its Disciplinary Sub-Committee report in early March 2022 and the case it presented to the LGFA Appeal Panel in April 2022. Suffice to say,  it did not convince an independent panel of 3 people appointed by Antrim LGFA County Board who said "that having heard both parties' oral evidence and having read both parties' written submissions it preferred the evidence of the appellants".

This should have been the point where our club representatives gracefully accepted that they had lost and did so because they were unable to present any evidence that the 3 girls had forged anyone's name to any letter. However,  those involved, fixed with no capacity to reverse, refused to back off. Instead,  they went full tilt in the oppposite direction and continued to assert that the girls were forgers right up to spending £1000 of members' money to lodge an appeal to the DRA against Antrim LGFA which they haven't pursued in 10 months because they haven't got a leg to stand on - it can only assumed that like all good GAA Appeals they were hoping that a technicality would materialise to get those involved off the hook for such appalling behaviour.
For the luxury of this fool's errand the club have engaged the services of a barrister. It is us as members who will pick up the tab for this additional expense.


I want to be clear and "For the avoidance of doubt" (to steal a phrase from a certain local representative's letter which he submitted anonymously to the LGFA Appeal panel!) Orlaith, Molly & Ellie did absolutely nothing wrong other than ask for a new manager along with numerous other senior ladies. For this, these 3 girls were singled out, pursued relentlessly, and hounded out of this club. A club which they have been members of and proudly represented since they were 5 years of age, a lot longer than some of those who had a hand in forcing them out of it.

Notably, the Secretaries Report to the 2022 AGM glossed over what happened in Ladies football in 2022 by euphemistically saying, "It's been a difficult year." In truth, the treatment of these 3 ladies, and the fallout from a manager refusing to step down when the intial group of 14 senior Ladies respectfully requested that he do so in November 2021, has lead to a significant number of ladies leaving the team or the club, setting senior ladies football back 5 - 6 years. This is not something that our club should be proud of.

By contrast, St Paul's and Wolfe Tones might well be able to say its been a good year for them as they have significantly benefited from the exodous. It has also impacted our camogie senior ladies with the loss of two of our best camog's in Ellie Murphy and my other niece Mairead Murray (Orlaith Murray's sister), who also transferred to St. Paul's after the appalling treatment of her sister.

Likewise, the annual report made no mention of the girl's solicitor having issued letters of claim to our club in August 2022. Surely, as members, we all have a right to know that our club was likely to be sued as a result of the actions of some of our members.

If this is the "Naomh Éanna Way", that is now so often spoken of, by those at the head of this club, then we are going the wrong 'Way'. There has been a serious failure of leadership at Executive Committee level of the club for this to have happened.

Recently, the talk from those involved has changed to "oh, it was badly handled, it should never have happened like this." As if those involved in creating and perpetuating this mess did not anticipate the consequences of their actions in wrongly accusing and pursuing these 3 ladies who, in response, had the strength and means to robustly defend themselves.   In truth, (sadly a virtue in short supply) what they mean is that when the girls were each sent a letter in February 2022 accusing them of forgery, the club simply expected the girls to roll over and not challenge an allegation of such magnitude, one which has serious implications for their reputations and futures.

The club response to being challenged to provide proof to support their allegation was to pursue the girls at speed with a pack like mentality of 'us against them'   But the  'them' were 3 of our young female members.  All the while, our Executive Committee sat docile, some entirely deprived of knowledge of what was happening, while others were knowingly compliant. Either way, this is no way to run our club.

As a club, we should now be asking why we are leaving the resolution of this mess in the hands of the very people who caused it?

Interestingly, or perhaps shamefully, when the LGFA HQ in Dublin became aware of this case, they said they have never heard of a club accusing it's own players of forgery. So, as a club, we now hold the unique and wholly ignominious title of being the first club in LGFA history to do so and, in turn, be sued as a result. Is there space in the trophy cabinet for such an award?

It gives me no pleasure to write such a critique about a club that I love and take pride in being a member of but I am sick of the talk on corners, the lies and half truths that have been spread about my niece and her teammates over the last year both within the club and far beyond its gates. The true story will now be told in significant detail before a Belfast Court, much to the shame of this club.

Finally, I see that whoever engaged with the Irish News on behalf of our club has stated that the club will "robustly defend its position."  The swift acquisition of some humility and the capacity to say we are sorry, we got his wrong might suit those involved much better. Certainly, before the courts lift up your skirts to peer at your filthy undercarriage!

As a club, we can't defend the indefensible!

Sin é

Is mise,

Declan

[imtommygunn]

Jesus what a mess.

[realisticsaff]

What a mess indeed

[Walter Cronc]

Be 2 clubs in Glengormley shortly. A mess

[nearlymad]

  Too many Solicitors amongst all of this.

[Hoof Hearted]

Doesn't sound that something that can be fixed I'm afraid

[paddyjohn]

Complete mess. Sad to see, St Endas a good club who have come through a lot.

[Milltown Row2]

Sounds bad when it gets this far... I don't know too many clubs that doesn't have its splits over the years.. hopefully some sane mediation can take place

[Kidder81]

Is this a new (blow in) St Endas vs old St Endas?

I have heard of those tensions in the last few years as the club has got much bigger

[JimStynes]

Maybe St Enda's can split and one half can play in the Belfast league and the good half can play in the South West.

[barnish oggie]

Maybe St Enda's can split and one half can play in the Belfast league and the good half can play in the South West.

With the numbers they gave at underage that would be easily done

[Champion The Wonder Horse]

For a solicitor, Declan doesn't have a great grasp of the English language.