Dunmore Town ladies have issued a statement surrounding their recent postponed Connacht Cup semi-final with Castlebar Town.

There were reports that Dunmore conceded the fixture but the Galway side are disputing those claims.

Dunmore Town Senior Ladies have issued the following response.

Dear Connacht,

Unfortunately due to the logistical challenges we as a team faced in being able to make the Connacht Cup semi-final today, it is with deep regret we will be unable to field for the game vs Castlebar Town.

We feel that the spirit and fairness of the competition have been compromised with the actions taken in the last number of days. We feel that our voices in this instance were not heard, and this is devastating for us, all parties involved and the club as a whole.

We feel it was disrespectful to the club, management and players to have seen the new date for the game on Facebook before being formally contacted. Despite the suggestion we received email confirmation, that was just never the case. All of this, especially after we acted very respectfully toward Castlebar Town and the Connacht Committee after the original weekend was cancelled due to Castlebar Town's pitch issues and players playing in a GAA All-Ireland final. This was all to help keep the integrity of the competition, which we wholeheartedly facilitated.

We feel that the decision made will have a detrimental impact on the way women's football on a local and wider Junior stage is viewed. However, we stand by our decision in the hope that this will act as a platform for other clubs in the future to not be afraid to stand up when they feel they have been treated unfairly and unequally.

Again, it is with deep regret we will not have the chance to play in one of the biggest competitions we can as a group and as a team. Chances like this don't come around every year, but we feel the decision we made today as a team will last longer than any potential name on a trophy.

Regards
Dunmore Town Senior Ladies Team.

Midwest Radio have contacted the Connacht FA for a response and are awaiting a reply.