Dinas Powys football club’s Under 12 team, the Blackhawks, have been rejected by the Vale of Glamorgan League following an administrative error.
Consent forms which were sent to the coach, Mark Jones, on the 21st July 2017 by the football club were incorrect which caused a delay in the submission of the correct forms. Upon realising that the forms originally distributed to parents were incorrect, the club requested an extension to the deadline of 31st July and were granted an extra day to submit the correct forms. Due to the practicalities of distributing and receiving returned forms from 16 different families, this extended deadline was not met in the one day extension offered, and the correct forms were submitted on the 4th August. The team were therefore not registered with the Vale of Glamorgan League.
Where a team is late submitting consent forms, the Vale League has the option to deduct points from the team, impose a fine on the club or disqualify the team from playing. On this occasion, the Vale League chose the disqualification option, meaning that the Blackhawks will not be able to compete against other Under 12 teams in the region.
Upon appealing to the South Wales Football Association, the team were delighted that the appeal was upheld thus allowing them to play in the league. The Vale of Glamorgan League are now, however, appealing to the Football Association Wales to reverse the South Wales Football Association’s decision.
Dinas Powys Councillor and founding member of the football club, Vince Driscoll said, “It is wholly unfair that these children are being denied the opportunity to compete in a sport that they love, because of an administrative error that was out of their hands. Penalising the children is, in my opinion, a very harsh action to take by the Vale League, and I sincerely hope that the FAW will put this right. They are children – let them play football!”
Vale MP Alun Cairns added “I have contacted Jonathan Ford, the Chief Executive of the FAW, to ask that the association allow the team to play. Dinas Powys Football Club and the volunteers who coach the youngsters work very hard to ensure that the village’s children have an opportunity to engage in the game, and benefit from the advantages which come with sport. It would be of great disappointment to these children if their disqualification was upheld on the basis of an administrative error.”