It is a case of kingdom come for the Mayo ladies, after they were reinstated in this year’s All Ireland senior football championship. An appeal against the decision to withdraw Mayo from the championship was lodged with the central council of the Ladies Gaelic Football Association by a number of clubs in the county despite the delegates from a majority of clubs in the county voting to withdraw the side from the championship at a county board meeting earlier this year.
The statement issued by the Ladies Gaelic Football Association also stated that procedures had been agreed for the immediate appointment of a new manager for the team. Mayo Ladies County Board Secretary, Mary Malone told the Mayo Advertiser yesterday that this step starts from now. “It starts from today on now, it has been agreed that people from the Croke Park executive will alongside someone from the county board set about getting a manager in place.” As for who that manager will be there has been no decision made on that yet. “There are procedures in place and that decision will be made by the people put in the role.”
It is all about getting the team ready now for their clash with Kerry from now on according to Malone. “We are where we are now and it is now time for everyone to put their efforts into the team, now they are back in the championship and do everything to ensure that they are prepared the best they can for the game against Kerry on August 2.”
The whole drama began in May when at a Ladies’ county board meeting the delegates voted by 25-6 in favour of withdrawing the Mayo team from the championship, following the resignation of Pat Costello as the manager of the ladies’ senior team after the National Football League campaign. Costello resigned from his post in April after he said he was being constantly undermined by players in the panel. The delegates then requested that the county board to ask Costello to reconsider his position at the end of April. However when Costello replied in mid May the delegates of the clubs voted to pull Mayo from the championship at the next county board meeting. Mayo had been due to play Sligo in the semi-final of the Connacht championship on June 5, but that game was never played with Sligo going through to the final against Galway. However following the decision of the central council of the Ladies’ Gaelic Football Association Mayo are now back into the championship on August 2 against Kerry. In fact the Ladies’ Gaelic football association had included Mayo in a list of teams that will be competing in the senior championship this year in a press release launching the championship which was issued on Monday July 5; this came despite the fact that Mayo had been officially withdrawn from the championship and no decision was made by the central council on their reinstatement until Wednesday night July 8. In other ladies’ news, the Mayo minor team will face Clare in the All Ireland Minor A Shield final in Mountbellew in Galway on Saturday afternoon with a throw in time of 3pm.
