Kilmore GAA club in Roscommon has formed the first local branch of the new Club Players' Association (CPA) after they were forced to play two big championship games in the space of 20 hours at the weekend.

After needing extra-time to overcame Oran in their Roscommon IFC final replay on Saturday, they were back in action again yesterday in the Connacht club IFC at Tuam Stadium where they suffered a 0-9 to 1-16 defeat to Galway champions Monivea-Abbeyknockmoy. 

"We are appalled at the downward spiral within which club fixtures have existed over recent years," the club said in a strongly-worded statement.

"We have reached a point where our club is no longer prepared to accept competitions structures that gives no certainty or regularity to club games and exposes club players to unjustified and unwarranted physical and mental demands.

"We left the dressing room in Strokestown at 4.30pm on October 22nd and took the field for a warm-up 19.5 hours later in Tuam with players who were physical and mental wrecks from the day before. Can anybody with a single functioning brain cell justify this? 

"It proves that the spin we hear about the physical and mental welfare of players and the importance of club games is nothing more than that; SPIN."

Kilmore, who were also critical of the Connacht Council for refusing a request to have yesterday's provincial game postponed following the death of their president Frank Dennehy, added in the statement: "Club games have been marginalised; Co CCCC's have been forced to squeeze them into ever tighter schedules; club players have been exposed to unjustified, unmerited and unacceptable physical and mental pressures.

"Because of this, Kilmore GAA is no longer prepared to allow this utterly unacceptable situation to continue. We have decided to form the first local branch of a National Club Players' Association that we know will be formed soon."

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