Former Secretary of the Fermanagh and Western Football League, Gerry Connolly, has urged the Fermanagh and Western Management Committee to revisit it’s decision to null and void the league and consider a reduced playing season for Division One option while playing out the other divisions as originally planned instead.

The Enniskillen Town man says that he believes that the Management Committee have made the wrong decision to end the league and has queried why the clubs were not asked to vote on the matter while he also feels that there is sufficient time to play out a reduced season for Division One along with the original schedule for Division Two and Three as well as the Reserve Divisions.

“The Management Committee should revisit its decision to annul and void the current league campaign and make arrangements to convene an Extra-Ordinary General Meeting to consider a reduced playing season only for Division One teams and not put the onus on its member clubs to have such a meeting convened,” said Connolly.

He feels that the Management Committee’s decision to null and void the league conflicted with the one taken in May to end last season’s campaign when the clubs voted on it.

“Why has the decision to decide the current league campaign similarly not been entrusted to clubs on this occasion?” he asks, while also questioning why an EGM has not been called to seek the views of clubs on a reduced season.

“Why have the Management Committee failed to direct the convening of such a meeting to gauge the opinions of clubs?

“Such a meeting could be convened before the end of 2020 and if a reduced playing season was sanctioned by clubs there is no reason why local football could not be resumed on January 9th,” said Connolly who also argued that a simple majority, not a 75 per cent majority, is enough to effect a change to rules.

Connolly also disagreed with the Management Committee’s view that there would be no chance of completing the season.

“If the league season resumed on January 9th there would be 21 Saturdays, eight Tuesdays and nine Thursdays on which games could be played before the end of the regular playing season – a total of 38 dates which would be increased by 13 if an extension to play in June was granted.

“In addition if a reduced playing schedule for Division One teams was sanctioned at an Extra-Ordinary General Meeting the playing schedule for such Teams would be reduced by seven games,” he added.

The Fermanagh and Western Management Committee have stated that they intend to run an alternative competition for teams along with the Mulhern and Reihill Cups while the Junior Cup is also expected to go ahead.

However, Connolly believes that the league should be the priority.

“It is an incontrovertible fact that he various Divisions are the mainstay of local football, having been established in 1904, but they are now being prematurely cast aside in favour of alternative, unformatted and meaningless standalone competitions and Cups which the local Football Association had no hesitation in discarding without consultation last season,” he said.