'All he wants to do is play GAA with his friends'
March 17, 2017
O'Moore Park Portlaoise
A Laois man has slammed the GAA transfer rules which are stopping his 16-year-old son from playing Gaelic football with his friends.
Ken Byrne was speaking to the Leinster Express after his son Kyle was denied a transfer from Park-Ratheniska to Portlaoise last week. Kyle, who suffers from a condition known as PKU, started his GAA career with 'The Town' before transferring to neighbouring club Park-Ratheniska whilst attending primary school there.
He sought to re-join Portlaoise shortly after starting secondary school in the county town, but has been unable to do so due to strict bye-laws which prevent players moving from clubs within Portlaoise parish to Portlaoise GAA club.
"You can imagine my shock when I was informed that because I had signed the form when Kyle was eight years of age that Kyle was now a member of this club for life; this was never explained to us," Mr Byrne said.
"Kyle is a fantastic son and has always given his best for the teams he played for, but this setback could be detrimental to a young man's development and mental health. He battles with PKU every day as does his sister. All Kyle wants to do is play GAA with his circle of friends, the people he plays rugby with in Portlaoise, the people he attends school with in Portlaoise."
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