Derry club St Colm's of Ballinascreen have criticised the Oak Leaf county board's decision to move the Allianz NFL Division One game to Bellaghy.
St Colm's were expecting to host the glamour tie against the Kingdom on Sunday, 8 March, but the Derry board were given the go-ahead from Croke Park to switch venues.
Derry chairman Seamus McCloy told The Irish News that the board was simply acting on instructions from team manager Damian Cassidy.
'He (Cassidy) felt that the surface in Ballinascreen was too heavy, and if there was rain, then it would cut up even worse,' said McCloy.
'It was the manager's request. The county board passed the decision to move the game to Bellaghy and it was approved by Croke Park last night.'
However, the decision has been met with anger by Ballinascreen chairman Lawrence Cleary'.
St Colm's played host to Derry’s league win over Westmeath, and Cleary felt that there was no justification in moving venues.
‘We are really disappointed. I can't understand how they can make a decision on a pitch 18 days before the match.
'At the end of the day, Derry beat Westmeath by 14 points and they scored 1-18. I can't see what the problem is.
'We spent a lot money in our preparations for these matches. We put in new fencing and built new dugouts. We are really annoyed about this.'
Cleary said his anger was compounded because Bellaghy is not an official county ground. Celtic Park is listed as the main venue in Derry while Ballinascreen and Glen are the two secondary venues.
Both Celtic Park and Glen are unavailable for the game against Kerry due to redevelopment work.
