F&W agrees to explore intermediate move

THE Fermanagh and Western governing body is to explore the possibility of establishing an intermediate league.

At Thursday evening’s AGM, Irvinestown Wanderers official Paul Cassidy said that many clubs at the top end of the Fermanagh and Western League were already operating as intermediate clubs.

Mr Cassidy said this was evidenced by unprecedented success in the Irish Junior Cup and by the fact that some clubs were “offering more money to players than they could expect to receive at Championship clubs.”

The Wanderers representative asked that the Fermanagh and Western produces a comprehensive report on the matter so that clubs can consider if intermediate football within the ranks of the Fermanagh and Western would be feasible.

“I feel that currently our first division is predominantly operating intermediate status as it is,” he said.

“If you look at the various clubs, the facilities that they have, the standard of their squads, it’s not really surprising that they are dominating the Junior Cup.

“Basically I feel it is intermediate clubs playing in a junior competition and the day is not far away when all four semi-finalists will come from this jurisdiction.

“Added to this we have clubs operating at intermediate level offering more money to players than they can expect to receive at Championship clubs. We lost one of our brightest prospects to a local club.

“I just feel that it is time for some integrity around the way we are operating and that things are much more transparent.

“There is already a gulf forming in the local leagues and we need to look at this to protect all the clubs competing just to ensure a level playing field.”

“This is not a proposal to turn Division One of the Fermanagh and Western into an intermediate league but a request for the Fermanagh and Western League to produce a comprehensive report to see what it would look like.

“At that point all the clubs could sit down and make an informed decision on whether or not it would be the right or wrong move.”

Responding to Mr Cassidy’s request, chairman of the Fermanagh and Western League Neil Jardine said they would give the matter due consideration to establish the feasibility of such a move.

FULL STORY IN TODAY’S TYRONE HERALD