MSP intervenes as Lewis footballers forced out of contest
Isles girls pull out over Sabbath final
Published:
A Western Isles girls football team look likely to miss out on playing in a national tournament because it is being held on a Sunday.
The team from Back, on Lewis, have qualified for the Coca-Cola Sevens finals to be held at Tynecastle stadium in Edinburgh next week.
But a number of parents have withdrawn their children because they do not wish the break the Sabbath.
Western Isles MSP Alasdair Allan raised it at Holyrood after writing to organisers asking them to be flexible.
He said previous competitions had not been on a Sunday and that all sports should be open to all, regardless of race or religion. He urged organisers to “avert a situation in which a team in the final would be disqualified simply because of religious traditions of the families from which they come".
Neil Graham, who has a daughter in the team, said the situation was “unfair”.
He said: “The football finals have always been played on a Saturday. It was only when the girls got though all the rounds that we found out it was changed to a Sunday."
A Coca-Cola spokeswoman said: “We are sorry to hear the Back school feel they must withdraw. We have tried all routes to attempting to hold the final on the Saturday but, due to the extraordinary football fixture congestion and poor weather over the last few months, we have had no choice but to hold the final at Hearts FC on a Sunday.
“It is the only date any high-profile stadium with enough capacity has offered us."
