The Kildare camogie team has hit out at what they say is the "disrespectful" county board decision to withdraw them from the All-Ireland intermediate championship against their wishes.
The players had been in dispute with the Kildare camogie county board over what they claim was a failure to meet the terms of an agreed charter.
In a statement issued through the Gaelic Players Association, the team say they were informed of the county board's decision through a WhatsApp message on Friday and told there would be no further discussion.
The intermediate championship begins this month and Kildare, finalists in 2015 and who do not play at senior level, were due to play in a group with Cork, Dublin, Kilkenny and Galway.
"This has caused great distress to us as a playing group and indeed anger," the statement said.
"This is not only because the decision was taken without our consent but because of the disrespect that was shown to us in how it was communicated.
"We want to be very clear, we want to represent Kildare to the best of our ability in the camogie championship. This is and has always been the case."
The players said they had been in discussions over a number of issues, including that "a charter, agreed between the players, the executive, and the management team was not being adhered to.
"For example we didn't even have access to showers and changing rooms after training.
"A decision was taken by the County Board that senior inter-county players would not be permitted to play in the Kildare club leagues even at the discretion of our inter-county manager. This is a decision we did not agree with.
"It had reached a stage where we had informed the county board executive that we would withdraw from the panel as a result of this mistreatment in the hope that they would rectify these issues.
"At a recent meeting with them we believed progress was made and that our season might be salvaged. Then having trained and given our all for Kildare camogie since before Christmas, our season was ended in a disrespectful way.
"It brings to a head a pattern of disrespect shown to us players over the last number of seasons."
Open Letter to the camogie clubs in Kildare issued on behalf of the Kildare Intermediate Camogie Panel. pic.twitter.com/n5z5Rw3sge
— GPA (@gaelicplayers) May 9, 2023
The team appealed to clubs in the county to support them, claiming that "the future of inter-county camogie in Kildare is at stake.
"To you, our clubs, we want to make it clear; we want to play and are willing to play and represent our great county and you, our great clubs. However, changes must be made in the conditions and environment in which we prepare and play.
"If we don't make those changes now, the players who come after us will never forgive us.
"We are calling on you the clubs of Kildare to have your voices heard and support us the players during this time. The future of inter-county camogie in Kildare is at stake.
"We are not asking for the world, we are asking for the minimum standards that had been agreed to be put in place through our squad charter, to be adhered to by our county board."
