THE West Cork Schoolboys and Schoolgirls League (WCSSL) has voted to retain their March to October season format following a vote taken at an EGM on Tuesday night.
Following on from their recent 2022 AGM, the WCSSL had originally organised an EGM to pass their financial report and discuss suggested rule changes. That financial report and requested rule changes were passed on Tuesday.
Since that previous WCSSL AGM, two-thirds of the region’s clubs (nine in total) wrote to the WCSSL Committee seeking to support a proposal on the discussion of possibly returning to a winter-season format (September to May).
That proposal and subsequent vote took place very late on Tuesday night but was rejected by 31 votes to 18.
Those 49 votes were made up from the number of individual teams entered in the WCSSL’s competitions; i.e. one club could have multiple teams entered across different U12, U14, etc., age-grades.
The outcome means the West Cork clubs elected to retain their current March to October calendar format. A new 2022 West Cork Schoolboys and Schoolgirls League season could begin on Saturday, April 9th, subject to clubs registering their teams in time for the big kick-off.
Also, the decision to continue playing between March and October has now been incorporated as a rule of the WCSSL.
That rule can be challenged at an AGM, however, but will require a two-thirds of individual delegates (as opposed to number of teams votes) majority to change it.
‘Lengthy discussion between all the clubs at the EGM where all viewpoints were heard and taken into consideration resulted in this vote,’ WCSSL Chairperson Declan Deasy told The Southern Star.
‘That vote was taken by the clubs, on a return to “winter” football, but was rejected by 31 votes to 18. This decision can be revisited once again at another AGM but it will require two-thirds majority of the club’s delegates in favour of changing it. All going well, the West Cork Schoolboys and Schoolgirls League hopes to start a new season in two weeks’ time.’
‘There was robust discussion on moving from our current March to September calendar season format,’ added WCSSL Committee member and Kennedy Cup coach David Hall.
‘We got a conclusive result. In a move to get away from this merry-go-round, we decided that the period of time in which the league is delivered be placed as a rule. Moving forward this will mean two-thirds of clubs are needed to change the rule at our next AGM, if they want to thus limit the issue to one vote per club on the issue.’
