Dispute over underage rugby players drags on

A NUMBER of Limerick rugby clubs remain strongly opposed to an agreement reached between representatives of the North Munster Schools and North Munster Youth Clubs aimed at resolving an on-going dispute over the availability of young rugby players to their second level schools and clubs during the playing season.
The eight-point agreement, which was brokered under the chairmanship of Branch President Nicholas Comyn at the Charleville Park Hotel, was ratified by the Munster Branch at a meeting earlier this month. However, while several North Munster-based clubs are in favour of the accord, a number remain highly critical of it.
The issue is expected to generate a heated debate at next Tuesday night’s AGM of the Munster Branch in Limerick.
Munster Branch officials were anxious to find a resolution to the contentious issue prior to the start of next season. Officials are concerned over the fall-off in numbers playing rugby in their late teens and feel that player burn-out is a major contributing factor to this trend. Both the schools and youth sections of clubs have been invited to send representatives to the Charleville meeting with a mandate to agree a deal.
Under the agreement, schools can panel up to 28 players for their Junior Cup (U-16) and Senior Cup (U-19) teams from September 1. These players will play for their school only.
However, players at this level, who are not included in the panels, can be released back to their clubs on request of the player and consent to release ‘cannot be unreasonably withheld.’ At U-15/U-17 level, McCarthy and Bowen Shield level, the release and availability of players is to be managed by the schools/club liasion officers. After March 18 of each year, all players are to be automatically released to their clubs. The players will be allowed play in North Munster competitions which will be changed to Heineken Cup style format in order to facilitate more games.
An age-group committee will adjudicate on all disputes. Panelled players can be released and non-panelled players can be included in panels, subject to the consent of the players.
However, no temporary de-panelling will be allowed. Finally, a formal letter of release is needed from a school to allow players participate in club youths U-17/U-19 pan-Munster competition.
A Munster Branch source said the agreement could be revisited at the end of next season. However, if the accord turned out to be unworkable during the season, then the new age grade committee had the power to move on the matter in the meantime.
One Limerick-based under-age rugby coach said the reality was that players who were on the fringes of the 28 panelled for the Senior and Junior Cup teams would be reluctant to seek release back to their club. Instead, these players would continue to train with the school teams and would, in effect, not be available to their club.
The coach said that the small number of players turning up for club training for much of the season made it extremely difficult to organise meaningful training sessions. The coach also pointed out that the increase in the number of school friendlies being played on Saturdays, with schools often fielding two sides, also hampered the staging of club training sessions the following day. While there were a few elements of the agreement he agreed with in principal, he was opposed to others due to their vagueness.
The coach said clubs played a key role in introducing players to the game before they arrived in secondary school as well as helping them develop as players after their school days and this invaluable contribution should not be overlooked.
One school’s coach said he was in favour of the agreement as it now stands, insisting schools had made concessions in helping to draw it up.
The coach said the player burn-out issue was of real concern, given the amount of matches and training sessions across a number of sports, teenagers were engaged in at present.

Schools cup draw
THE draws for the quarter-final, first round games, in next season’s Munster Schools Senior and Junior Cups have been made.
The 2009/2010 Munster Schools’ Senior Cup quarter-finals: Rockwell College v St Munchin’s College, Ardscoil Ris v PBC, Glenstal Abbey/B School v Castletroy College, Crescent College Comprehensive v CBC. The 2009/2010 Munster Schools’ Junior Cup quarter-finals: Crescent College Comprehensive v PBC, Ardscoil Ris v St Munchin’s College, Castletroy College v Rockwell College, Glenstal Abbey/B School v CBC. Ties likely to be played towards the end of January 2010.

Colm Kinsella