The players and coaches for the girl's U-16 interprovincial series in Kilkenny were left frustrated for a second day as the pitches were once again freezing, leading to the cancellation of the day's play.
Interpro heroics mask structural deficiencies
7 years ago
21 comments:
Are the IHA going to get this tournament played again?
All of the branches and parents of the players have contributed heavily financially for a weekend in wghich none of the players saw a ball!
How will trials be given to players from the various squads for International teams? Will all 18 squad members be taken to an Irish session?
yes, i agree with anonymous this was soul destroying for the young children involved, they have trained for months for this interpros, and something should be done to accomodate them on another weekend, iha stand up and do something, these are the stars of the future.
Have heard that the Leinster branch refused to hand out the players caps,despite them training for 5months..
Is this true?
Yes, the leinster players wont be getting their caps
As a Munster supporter, I can say how upset the girls were at not being able to play last weekend; they had trained so hard for the last 6 months. They were however delighted to receive their pins to acknowledge that they were selected for the Munster squad. The Leinster girls that I saw around the hotel were doubly devastated; they didn't get to play and the branch refused to give the girls their pins for being chosen to represent Leinster. It was no way to treat young hockey players, and to my eyes a disgrace.
Leinster Branch - cop onto yourselfs - what harm would it do to present these girls with there pins? they have trained hard and were trilled to be selected to represent Leinster and Leinster treated them with utter comtempt - is this the future of ladies hockey? I intend to canvas my own club to celebrate their selection
the IHA organising the tournament again - I think not - after all it might involve having to spend money!!
Maybe the IHA could spend .o2% of the money they waste at senior level on underage hockey, and re-fix this tournament for the Girls after all arent these the future of Irish hockey!
E.G. How much of a waste of cash is David Lloyd's Gym membership?
Pissing money away seems to be whats done best.
Maybe someone could be put in charge of re-fixing this tournament and they could in reward have a title like the new senior squad such as "Tournament re-fixture stategic leader" we need at least one of those
Hope the IHA consider all the money the kids and their parents paid, and look to fully finance the replaying of the tournament. It would only be a small fraction of the senior teams' budget, but would be money well spent to support the 100 of Ireland's most talented players that would get to play.
What was the point in taking out the consequences of the weather on the leinster girls? Vindictive bureaucracy from the Leinster branch. How was it the other provinces saw fit to grant caps to their girls?
Has this ever happened before?
How will the girls be selected for Irish 16s?
How many players will be going for trials from each province?
If the IHL can be re-fixed due to bad weather why not Interpro? Seems only fair?
By the way very rough on Annadale!
As a member of da munster hockey branch i was very disappointed about the weekend bein cancelled:(:(:( I feel its a disgrace like there should have a back up plan! we hope it wil b played again:( my daughter was really looking forward to this tournament.! Hopefully the IHA will sort the problem. And we will have a new tournament soon!:)
I think all these girls deserve a chance to play in front of the ireland selectors. They have lost the chance to represent their provinces at this level, something they all worked so hard for. At least let them all get a chance to display their talent.
Also, could nothing have been done during the preceding week to make sure that pitch was playable?
In relation to this issue, I received the following from David Passmore:
"As HPD I tried to move the U-16 and U18 Interpro tournaments forward in 2006 (to late September/early October) for the following reasons:
- adverse weather conditions preventing quality hockey (and prevent cancellations)
- reduce the training load on young athletes (when they also have club and school commitments)
- allow the squads to train through the summer months when quality pitches are available and technical development is most suited
- allow earlier identification of national groups
"This proposal was rejected at the IHA Competitions Committee by the Schools and Youth representatives of Leinster and Ulster. As such the timing of this tournament has remained the same.
"Perhaps people reading your site could put efforts into affecting the decisions of their constituent branches to help impact positive change moving forward and preventing this situation from happening again."
what happens now he still has not answered any question about this year interpros been rescheduled for the 16, or the selection of the national team. That is what the children want to know and deserved to be informed.
Sorry, forgot to post this.
The IHA informed me yesterday that they are willing to reorganise the U-16 Girl's interprovincials but understand that there is a heavy cost involved for the respective branches.
As such, the decision whether the tournament is rearranged now lies in the hands of the branches to see if they can afford playing in the competition at a different date.
From this, I assume a policy on U-16 selection will be taken once a decision is made on the viability of playing the tournament.
Would the IHA be willing to Part Fund the re-fixture of the tournament?
How much actual funding from the IHA goes into these tournaments?
Cost of Umpires - Covered by IHA?
Cost of Irish Coaches Expenses to go watch?
Cost of IHA "Allicadoos" attendence?
Why should the branches pick up the tab when only the above is all they stump up for.
Maybe the branches should organise their own tournament, does not seem like there is much cost?????
IHA time to show us what your made off, devastate your young talant and loose them to other sports or reorganize this tournament. Our own daughter turned down selection to represent her COUNTRY in another sport to concentrate on playing hockey for this tournament. She now thinks she made the wrong decision. Use them or loose them!!
Surely in 2008 there is technology to stop a pitch freezing. Did no one know it was going to freeze last Friday night??
i fail to see what the big problem here is in relation to the girls not gettiing there pins from the LB. I mean they never played for leinster, or "ran out onto the pitch". You don't think the irish rugby players should get caps for training hard and they dont even get caps for sitting on the bench
I agree with the LB, and think it was wrong of the rest of the branchs to give out the pins.
And in relation to the "soul destroying for the young children involved" comment, sport is often unfair, the sooner the players learn that, the further they'll go
Actually the leinster u16s team did play for Leinster in a friendly against Munster before the tournament was scheduled to happen. And the problem with not getting caps is that the girls now have nothing to show that they were ever selected to play at interprovincial level, while the players for the other provinces do.
This is devastating for the girls who had trained all those months previous but frost is frost and there it nothing anyone can do to prevent it. What can be prevented is losing girls to other sports by rescheduling this tournament to a date next year to possibly even be played alongside the u21 interprovincials. Surely this will relieve a lot of cost by having it played alongside another tournament. I can't understand why its not played the same time as they u18s girls competition. Trying to play it in the 1st weekend in December is just looking for trouble weather wise. Every player should have gotten a medal but not a cap. In every other sport where you represent a team you get a cap for walking out onto the pitch and playing, not for representing the team but not playing. Does that mean if the tournament had taken place and for some reason one girl couldn't play but had travelled up with her team, would she get a cap too? Not having played at all? Mick Mc Kinnon had every right to have been upset with the LB but every other province should have simply just been given a medal instead of a cap. There has been an endless amount of effort put in by each branch and the IHA to develop the underage structures in this sport and this tournament was the fruits of all this work and has been cancelled. I believe it is a terrible event for the IHA development directors also. I know of some girls who didn't get Irish trials last season because of a bad performance at tournament and this was there last chance to perform for Irish trials but since their names havn't been mentioned before does that mean they aren't even considered because of this? That would be totally unfair because who is to know what girls out there are being missed because of one bad performance and not getting Irish trials last year
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