Talks in progress to settle 'hosting' issue

FÉILE DISPUTEDISCUSSIONS ARE continuing between the National Féile Committee and the Camogie Association in an effort to resolve the possible exclusion of the Lucan club from this weekend's competition in Kilkenny. The requirement for competing teams to stay with host families, which Lucan are declining, resulted in them being told they wouldn't be allowed play, unless they adhered to that requirement.

The matter was addressed in yesterday's LockerRoom column of this newspaper, and in responding to that, a spokesperson for the Camogie Association said a resolution was being sought, and that "no one wanted to see anyone miss out".

The Camogie Association, while it is an organisation of the GAA, is represented on the national organising committee of Féile. The host family element is part of the rules as Féile is a cultural/community initiative, which doesn't stress the competitive element of the sport.

Child safety and protection in sport falls under the remit of the Irish Sports Council, who in 2000 published the Code of Ethics document, an all-island document, which was revised and updated in 2005. However, the Sports Council have not yet been directly consulted on the matter of Lucan's possible exclusion due to their preference to stay together in Kilkenny rather than be placed in pairs in houses in Freshford.

"Formally, the council is always available to advise on these matters," said Sports Council spokesman Paul McDermott. "That doesn't seem likely in this case, as we wouldn't have direct jurisdiction over a competition such as Féile, which has its own rules. The Code of Ethics document has been adopted by the Camogie Association, and is essentially about good practice. There are a couple of pages in that document that cover overnight and away trips, including hosting . . .

"We can't comment on whether a specific tournament should have hosting or not. All we can say under the code of ethics, hosting is broadly covered. One side of the argument is that some parents don't want their children going down the country and staying with people they don't know. The other side is that part of the experience of Féile is that they stay with host families. So it's a bit of an exceptional circumstance here."

The Lucan issue also raised the matter of Garda vetting, which is not yet part of the Féile competition, although the Camogie Associated are now trained up to it, and in the process of rolling it out:

"Vetting is not the solution to every problem," added McDermott. "Effectively all it means is another check in the system. All Garda vetting can do is check for a criminal record. It's something we are encouraging, but it's not foolproof."

The Sports Council's Code of Ethics document does make reference to the hosting of teams: "It's a very practical document, and does deal with supervision and general guidelines for hosting, such as written permission from parents and guardians, and that governing bodies should share any appropriate information with leaders of the group.

"It's just a list of good practices. That hosting and host families should agree to abide by the governing body's code of conduct, consent to appropriate checks and references, and attend host family meetings.

"What Féile are doing here is sticking to their rules, and the ethos of the competition. Our only concern would be if Féile have that policy of hosting and host families, then we need to make sure they've abided by what the code of ethics says . . . this is a guideline of good practice. It's not the law."