U18 League Moves a Step Closer
January 12, 2012
A Fermanagh and Western U18 Football League moved a step closer following a meeting attended by interested clubs at the Bawnacre Centre on Thursday night.
The meeting was called by the Fermanagh and Western Football League after initial discussions regarding the formation of a league which was originally mooted by Lisnaskea Rovers last season.
The Fermanagh and Western also discussed the matter with the Brendan Keogh Youth League and felt their was sufficient support to progress the matter to this stage.
As a result of the meeting last Thursday, the Fermanagh and Western Football League will now draw up a set of rules for the new league which will be put before an Extraordinary General Meeting and entries will be sought in conjunction with EGM to see if the league is viable.
It is hoped the league will run from September to March with the Irish Youth Cup providing cup competition before Christmas and the Lowry Corry Cup taking place after Christmas.
League secretary, Gerry Connolly believed that the league might attract at least ten entrants but until teams actually entered it was impossible to tell although he did believe that the league could operate with six teams, playing each other three times per season thus engendering 15 games per club.
Nine clubs attended the meeting; Lisbellaw United, Enniskillen Rangers, Enniskillen Town United, NFC Kesh, Orchard Farm, Ballinamallard United, Fintona Swifts, Beragh Swifts and Irvinestown Wanderers. Three other teams including Strabane, Glebe and Mountjoy had indicated through correspondence with the Fermanagh and Western Football League and Brendan Keogh Youth League that they would also be interested. Mervyn Smyth, chairman of the Brendan Keogh Youth League and Davy McQuigg, secretary the Brendan Keogh Youth League were also in attendance.
One of the first decisions of the meeting was to decide whether the league would be at U17 or U18 level with both options discussed. One of the motivating factors for the league was to provide football for players leaving the Brendan Keogh Youth League at U16 level and bridge the gap until they were able to play Reserve or first team football in the Fermanagh and Western league.
Enniskillen Rangers and NFC Kesh felt an U17 league would best fill this void but some of the other clubs represented thought that an U18 league would be more achievable for them and the vote for an U18 league was carried by 7-2.
A discussion then ensued on the format of the league and to help with fixtures it was debated that games would be affixed for a Saturday morning but teams could rearrange to evening kick-offs in the week preceding as long as both teams agreed.
If both teams could not agree, then the Saturday date would have to be fulfilled. It was felt this greater flexibilty would suit given pitch availability and player availability.
All this however is subject to sufficient entries actually being made to make the league viable and adoption of the rule at the proposed EGM. However, it is clear that an U18 Fermanagh and Western League starting in September moved a step closer to reality last Thursday.