'Please just let us play competitive soccer,' urged young teenagers who have seemingly been left without league football this season.
Over 400 girls from 27 teams in North Dublin and East Meath have been left in limbo and coaches fear they may not be able to play a competitive match until next September.
The girls were part of the Dublin Metropolitan Girls League (MGL) and many of the clubs transferred to the Dublin District Schoolboys/girls League (DDSL) when the MGL collapsed.
The remaining teams then discovered there was an insufficient number of clubs left to form a league this season and they were too late to join the DDSL after its club transfer dadline of August 20th had passed.
The clubs include Balrath, Laytown and East Meath United in Meath as well as Dublin teams such as Tyrellstown and Rush.
The issue was raised in the Dáil by Sports Minister and Meath East TD Thomas Byrne who has met with the FAI on a number of occasions to get the issue resolved.
"This is one issue which has brought the Government and the Opposition together and that is the girls access to the DDSL League and I hope the message goes out that Dail Eireann is united in that every girl deserves to participate and people in committees shouldn't be deciding that some girls teams can't go into a league which other clubs in the area belong to," he said in the Dail.
Now the girls themselves are appealing for help just to 'kick a ball' competitively.
15-year old Ava Murphy-Hatch of the U16 East Meath United (EMU) said the girls had all been playing together for the last four years and friendships had been formed both on and off the pitch.
"It's very hard to describe how we are feeling. We are feeling neglected. We come together to play as a team and we want to carry on as a team.
"Realistically if we can't play matches, some are thinking of leaving to other clubs. I'd ask the DDSL and the FAI to think again and just let us kick football."
Coach Emmet McDonald from EMU said it was disgraceful that girls were being excluded from playing sport through no fault of their own.
"These girls turn up in all weathers for training, they even help out with the younger players. They should be rewarded, not punished. It's critical to keep them in sport. "
Over in Balrath GBFC, the mood of despondency is similar as some players have decided to concentrate just on GAA football rather than turn up at soccer training.
"It is unfair that we don't have a competition to take part in. I feel we have all been treated unfairly in this," said Amy Cleary who is the U16 goalkeeper.
"Numbers at training have fallen off because some of the girls have just lost the motivation to play sport. What's the point of being a team if we don't get a chance to play as a team?"
Balrath GBFC coach Dave Hewitt said it was 'frustrating' that 400 girls weren't able to play competitively because of what he described as a 'technicality'.
"The DDSL opened expressions of interest to join and two days after that window closed, the MGL released the league which had insufficient numbers to play competitively. And the DDSL wouldn't let us join them then.
"So over 400 girls can't play kids football because of a technicality and there is nowhere else to go so it could be next September before we can join another league and play matches.
"All the coaches involved are trying their best to arrange friendlies but we need a league to play in.
"I've lost four players already and the longer this goes on, the more I will lose. Some girls have decided to only concentrate on GAA now."
He added that many of the girls were at an age where they were studying for exams and sport is an important outlet for them in terms of mental health and getting outdoors.
"We had one girl who was in the national academy and we had to let her go to another club so she could play matches in a different league. It's hard to keep the girls motivated at a time when the FAI has launched their 'In Her Boots' initiative to keep girls playing soccer - how ironic is that.
"In my opinion, the forgotten nine (the nine clubs involved) have been totally ignored by both the SFAI and the DDSL and we have had no communication from them at all."
"These girls need soccer for their own development and their mental health. I'm going to fight for these kids even if no-one else will."
The FAI and the SFAI were approached for comment
A statement from the chairperson of the DDSL Niall O'Driscoll reads: ‘’The DDSL through its 143 clubs in membership provide football for almost 12,000 girls, over 750 teams ranging from under 7’s to under 18’s in the current season.
"We also cater for 37,000 boys in 2500 teams led by a volunteer force in our member clubs of over 11,000 people.
"We are rest assured that all our member clubs make every effort to offer every opportunity for any young girl in the capital to play ‘The beautiful Game’
"The DDSL are regulated by the rules of the FAI and SFAI on all matters and are bound to be fully compliant in all areas of these regulations.
"We are disappointed that the same offering to girls is not offered by many leagues and clubs outside the capital and needs to be addressed by all concerned and especially the supports needed for voluntary sports organisations to deliver such opportunities for the female game that they fully deserve in every aspect’’
