The outgoing Roscommon ladies’ management team have issued the following statement on their removal from their role ahead of the 2024 season:

 

We — the Roscommon intermediate ladies’ football management team — are extremely disappointed with the decision of the Roscommon LGFA executive to remove us from our position.

As a management team, we wanted to build on the strides we had made and were looking forward to leading the team into 2024.

Following a recommendation from the Roscommon LGFA Development committee who undertook a review of our two years at the helm, it is our understanding that it was stated very clearly at last Monday evening’s executive meetingthat one of the reasons why we should not be offered a third year in charge was because up to 15 playershad indicated that they wouldn’t return to the panel if we stayed on.

Following our own internal review over the past number of days, we have every reason to believe that this was not the case and that the vast majority of players on the current panel were never consulted during the review, including our captain and vice-captain.

Over our two years at the helm, we have wanted only the best for the players. We have always tried to help them reach their potential, and the girls delivered with a Division Three League title in 2022 and a Connacht intermediate title earlier this year.

We acknowledge that results might not have been what everyone would have hoped for in league and championship this season but we feel that we were very competitive in all of these games.

Over our two years in charge, we asked 102 girls into the county intermediate ladies’ football panel. As is their right, some girls declined for a variety of different reasons. At no stage were we made aware by the players or by Roscommon LGFA that one of those reasons might have been management.

In our view, there has been a lot of misinformation and rumours doing the rounds in recent days and we, as amanagement team, feel that the record needs to be set straight on this matter.

Finally, we wish the Roscommon intermediate ladies’ football panel every success going forward. We have seen, at first hand, the players’ commitment and passion to the Primrose and Blue jersey.  They have been a credit to theirclubs and their families, and we have nothing but admiration for them.

 

Signed: Oliver Lennon, Tom Lennon, Brian Lennon, John Kennedy

Outgoing Roscommon intermediate ladies’ football management team