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Football League website disappears
16.09.10
by Linda McGrory
THE Inishowen Football League has been left shocked
and dismayed after its website disappeared with the
loss of a huge amount of content built up over the
last three years.
The website - www.inishowenfl.com - was set up
following a high profile launch in November 2007
that included representatives from the Football
Association of Ireland (FAI).
It contained comprehensive information on the
League's 18 clubs including match reports,
photographs, club histories and archives.
PRO, Terence Hegarty, who managed the website on
behalf of the League, said he was stunned when the
website went down earlier this month without
warning.
"It was very unexpected and we had no word that it
was going to disappear," he said. "We had built up a
lot of content over the last three years and now it
doesn't look like we are going to get any of it
back." |
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The Inishowen Football League
website, left, and Terence Hegarty who managed the
site on behalf of the League. |
The website was set up
by an online services company describing itself as
"Ireland's leading soccer portal" and was paid for
by the FAI. It did not cost the local league
anything except the time and effort it took to
regularly update it. Since the website went down,
the PRO has been unable to get in contact with the
company.
"My emails to them are bouncing back and my phone
calls are going unanswered," he said. "I can't say
for sure, but I don't know if the company is still
in operation."
Meanwhile, the local league has contacted the
registration service provider who say they cannot
hand over the contents of Inishowenfl.com because it
belongs to the soccer portal.
The Inishowen Football League has been in existence
more than 38 years and has club membership from
Malin Head to Killea.
The PRO said the website was an important link
between all the clubs and a great source of
information on fixtures and match reports. It was
also a reference point for club and FAI rules.
Terence Hegarty said the website had become
particularly important for former players who had
been forced to emigrate in recent times.
"I've been inundated with phone-calls and emails
from people wondering why the website has
disappeared.
"We were always under the impression that the League
owned the website because the FAI had paid for it.
This has been a tough lesson learned," he added. He
is now in the process of getting quotes for a new
website but says a replacement could be some months
away. Terence said he would be delighted to hear
from anyone who might be able to help in any way. He
can be reached on 087 6681756. |
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