Has a new rule been passed that a player has to be 18 to play senior football next year? If not, has the current rule changed for next season at all? Have been hearing various bits and bobs in recent weeks.
The rule was changed at Congress but afaik will not come into effect until next season. A player may not play at adult level unless he is 18 or turns 18 in the year of the competition.
Good man. Will hit a good few smaller clubs hard
This is a good amendment! Senior football requires stronger stamina, hence, this rule will avoid youngsters to experience early physical and mental stresses they might encounter during the game.
Good if you've a big panel but so good if you're struggling to field as is
Struggling to field would suggest you should be Junior or Inter not Senior?
Quote from: JoG2 on September 03, 2015, 11:03:33 PM
Good if you've a big panel but so good if you're struggling to field as is
Kilmacud crokes , for example, rarely play current county minors . Smaller senior clubs generally do .
We need a definition of "what is good"
Good for the club short term or good for the player long term?
Quote from: ashman on September 03, 2015, 11:32:15 PM
Quote from: JoG2 on September 03, 2015, 11:03:33 PM
Good if you've a big panel but so good if you're struggling to field as is
Kilmacud crokes , for example, rarely play current county minors . Smaller senior clubs generally do .
Derrynoose, a rural junior club in Armagh, introduced a rule a few years ago to their club that a player still playing minor could not play senior. The hope is that it will be to the long term good of the player and club.
Quote from: Rossfan on September 03, 2015, 11:27:45 PM
Struggling to field would suggest you should be Junior or Inter not Senior?
This rule applies to all adult teams irrespective of whither they play at Junior, Inter, or Senior Grade.
In our club the minors would only get 5/6 games a year if they don't play adult games.
Our 17 year olds get very few games and we haven't seen some of them all year
Our club minor season finished before the end of April after 6 matches. That would mean our 17 year olds wouldn't have had football of any description for the guts of a year if the same scenario was to happen next year. I can understand not wanting to burn the top players out, but that situation helps no one. There'll be lads dropping away with that level of inactivity- and we really can't afford to be losing players.
Quote from: barelegs on September 04, 2015, 11:03:37 AM
Our club minor season finished before the end of April after 6 matches.
There'll be lads dropping away with that level of inactivity.
And there is a major problem.
If they played soccer or rubby they'd have maybe 20 or more games over the whole season.
It used to be a vicious circle. You couldn't schedule minor leagues or whatever because the same players would be burnt out with junior, u21 etc etc.
Now that they can't play adult football, the relevant county boards need to schedule appropriate competitions and games to fill the void, against people they are capable of competing with.
This is a vicious circle to be honest, and it needs to be broken. In a county like Offaly, if you're a 17 year old footballer who isn't good enough to play adult or county, or if you don't hurl, then you get feck all games. The reason is that they can't schedule a meaningful programme for minors, because adult clubs are dependent on their minors* to field junior teams, so they have to put in place a schedule that facilitates both.
Naturally then, the 17 year old who gets feck all games then gives up, while the good 17 year old is playing senior by age 22. Consequently there are no 22 year olds available for the juniors, and the juniors need to hit up the minor panel again - and so it continues ad infinitum.
*funny how clubs that are dependent on minors to field second teams are always dependent on getting the good minors. If only the weak ones are available, then they "can't field".
Quote from: AZOffaly on September 04, 2015, 11:30:02 AM
It used to be a vicious circle. You couldn't schedule minor leagues or whatever because the same players would be burnt out with junior, u21 etc etc.
Now that they can't play adult football, the relevant county boards need to schedule appropriate competitions and games to fill the void, against people they are capable of competing with.
Mayo club minors are guaranteed 7 league games in the County League, an additional 3 games in the qualifying stages of championship and a further 4/5 games in an optional summer league. All in all a player on a successful team could play 20 Minor games if their team reaches semis in league and c/ship. County minors do not play summer league unless county side has exited c/ship. Many would also play 2nd level colleges and U 21.
Lads, I stand corrected on this one but AFAIK the rule only applies to county minors and was passed at congress for starting in 2016.
Basically any county minor can NOT play for his club until his county team are OUT of the championship in order to avoid burnout. The rule does not apply to an 17 or 18 year old who is NOT on county minor panel.
It is a decent rule but up for serious manipulation from clubs - they will advise their Johnny or Tommy that if they are not on starting 15 for county minors then they should just pack it in and play for club only in order to get football - possibly causing conflict with the player/family etc etc
Maybe I am wrong on the rule but that is way I understand it.
Hi Michailov, I don't think you're right there. We had this discussion at a committee meeting this week. If you are a 17 year old, you cannot play adult (over U21) competition.
From Treoraí Oifigiúil 2015
Age Grades
To be eligible for the Grades listed hereunder, a player
shall meet the respective stated age criteria:
Adult: Be over 16 years.
Chapter 6 GA
MES &
COMPETITIONS
85
Under-21: Be Under 21 years and Over 16 years.
Minor (Under 18):
- Club - Be Under 18 years and Over 14 years.
- Inter-County Be Under 18 years and Over 16 years
Under 16: Be Under 16 years and Over 12 years.
Under 14: Be Under 14 years and Over 10 years.
Under 12: Be Under 12 years and Over 9 years.
(From 1st January 2016, the following changes shall apply:
Adult
- Club - be over 17 years
- Inter-County - be over 18 years
Under 21
- Club - be under 21 years and over 16 years
- Inter-County - be under 21 years and over 18 years)
To be "Under" an age shall mean that the player shall
celebrate the Upper Limit birthday (e.g. 21st. for Under
21 Grade) on the 1st. January of the Championship Year
or on a later date.
To be "Over" an age shall mean that the player shall
have celebrated the Lower Limit birthday (e.g. 16th. to
participate in Senior/Under 21 Grades) prior to the 1st.
January of the Championship Year.
Adult shall include Senior, Intermediate and Junior
Grades.
Girls may participate only up to and including the Under
12 Grade.
Note: In the interests of the avoidance of any doubt
regarding Age Grade eligibility, Championship Year
shall mean the Calendar Year in which the Competition
is commenced. In the event that the Competition
is completed in a subsequent Calendar Year, such
circumstances shall not be construed so as to allow a
player who was ineligible, by reason of age, at the date
of the commencement of the Competition to play in the
Competition at any time up to and including the date of
its conclusion.
Clearly, from Jan 1st a player will be in his last year as a minor to be eligible for adult club level and minors will be ineligible for adult level inter-county competition.
Yep, that's as I understood it too. Thanks for the post hardyannual.
Quote from: mrhardyannual on September 04, 2015, 12:18:31 PM
From Treoraí Oifigiúil 2015
Age Grades
To be eligible for the Grades listed hereunder, a player
shall meet the respective stated age criteria:
Adult: Be over 16 years.
Chapter 6 GA
MES &
COMPETITIONS
85
Under-21: Be Under 21 years and Over 16 years.
Minor (Under 18):
- Club - Be Under 18 years and Over 14 years.
- Inter-County Be Under 18 years and Over 16 years
Under 16: Be Under 16 years and Over 12 years.
Under 14: Be Under 14 years and Over 10 years.
Under 12: Be Under 12 years and Over 9 years.
(From 1st January 2016, the following changes shall apply:
Adult
- Club - be over 17 years
- Inter-County - be over 18 years
Under 21
- Club - be under 21 years and over 16 years
- Inter-County - be under 21 years and over 18 years)
To be “Under” an age shall mean that the player shall
celebrate the Upper Limit birthday (e.g. 21st. for Under
21 Grade) on the 1st. January of the Championship Year
or on a later date.
To be “Over” an age shall mean that the player shall
have celebrated the Lower Limit birthday (e.g. 16th. to
participate in Senior/Under 21 Grades) prior to the 1st.
January of the Championship Year.
Adult shall include Senior, Intermediate and Junior
Grades.
Girls may participate only up to and including the Under
12 Grade.
Note: In the interests of the avoidance of any doubt
regarding Age Grade eligibility, Championship Year
shall mean the Calendar Year in which the Competition
is commenced. In the event that the Competition
is completed in a subsequent Calendar Year, such
circumstances shall not be construed so as to allow a
player who was ineligible, by reason of age, at the date
of the commencement of the Competition to play in the
Competition at any time up to and including the date of
its conclusion.
Clearly, from Jan 1st a player will be in his last year as a minor to be eligible for adult club level and minors will be ineligible for adult level inter-county competition.
I had thought the same as you but the part highlighted in bold seems to suggest that he can play senior in the year that he turns 17?
Edit - a bit like the over 40s - you can play in the year you turn 40
Quote from: laceer on September 04, 2015, 12:25:44 PM
Quote from: mrhardyannual on September 04, 2015, 12:18:31 PM
From Treoraí Oifigiúil 2015
Age Grades
To be eligible for the Grades listed hereunder, a player
shall meet the respective stated age criteria:
Adult: Be over 16 years.
Chapter 6 GA
MES &
COMPETITIONS
85
Under-21: Be Under 21 years and Over 16 years.
Minor (Under 18):
- Club - Be Under 18 years and Over 14 years.
- Inter-County Be Under 18 years and Over 16 years
Under 16: Be Under 16 years and Over 12 years.
Under 14: Be Under 14 years and Over 10 years.
Under 12: Be Under 12 years and Over 9 years.
(From 1st January 2016, the following changes shall apply:
Adult
- Club - be over 17 years
- Inter-County - be over 18 years
Under 21
- Club - be under 21 years and over 16 years
- Inter-County - be under 21 years and over 18 years)
To be "Under" an age shall mean that the player shall
celebrate the Upper Limit birthday (e.g. 21st. for Under
21 Grade) on the 1st. January of the Championship Year
or on a later date.
To be "Over" an age shall mean that the player shall
have celebrated the Lower Limit birthday (e.g. 16th. to
participate in Senior/Under 21 Grades) prior to the 1st.
January of the Championship Year.
Adult shall include Senior, Intermediate and Junior
Grades.
Girls may participate only up to and including the Under
12 Grade.
Note: In the interests of the avoidance of any doubt
regarding Age Grade eligibility, Championship Year
shall mean the Calendar Year in which the Competition
is commenced. In the event that the Competition
is completed in a subsequent Calendar Year, such
circumstances shall not be construed so as to allow a
player who was ineligible, by reason of age, at the date
of the commencement of the Competition to play in the
Competition at any time up to and including the date of
its conclusion.
Clearly, from Jan 1st a player will be in his last year as a minor to be eligible for adult club level and minors will be ineligible for adult level inter-county competition.
I had thought the same as you but the part highlighted in bold seems to suggest that he can play senior in the year that he turns 17?
Edit - a bit like the over 40s - you can play in the year you turn 40
Seems to suggest the exact opposite to me, that you have to turn 17 before 1st January that year or you can't play i.e. you must be in your last year of minor football to play seniors.
This basically suggests that there will be no new senior club footballers next year. What you have eligible this year is the same as next year.
To me this could have a bigger impact on reserve/2nd teams than anyone else although some rural clubs at junior/intermediate level are bound to feel aggrieved.
QuoteTo be "Over" an age shall mean that the player shall
have celebrated the Lower Limit birthday (e.g. 16th. to
participate in Senior/Under 21 Grades) prior to the 1st.
January of the Championship Year.
It's this part that is making me think differently
e.g. in 2016, a player must have celebrated his 16th birthday prior to 1st of January 2016, therefore, will turn 17 in 2016.
It will definitely have a big impact on my own club - we have a group of lads turning 17 who would at least be fit for reserves next year and are chomping at the bit to get playing.
I think that's another stupid f**king typo in a GAA rule, qu'elle surprise. The 16th Birthday is only relevant for U21, not Adult. So a lad will have to have celebrated his 16th birthday in 2015 to play U21 in 2016.
He'd have to have had his 17th birthday in 2015 to play adult in 2016.
i.e.
Adult
- Club - be over 17 years
Under 21
- Club - be under 21 years and over 16 years
They shouldn't have said 16 for Adult/U21 in their 'helpful' note.
the rule book is in desperate need for an update / be rewritten in less amibiguous language
It'd really need to be clarified either way!
The rule is what is important, never mind their unhelpful hint.
The lad has to have celebrated the lower limit birthday PRIOR to January 1st of the Championship Year.
For Adult Club Competitions, the lower limit birthday is 17.
For U21 Club Competitions, the lower limit birthday is 16.
Quote from: AZOffaly on September 04, 2015, 11:30:02 AM
It used to be a vicious circle. You couldn't schedule minor leagues or whatever because the same players would be burnt out with junior, u21 etc etc.
Now that they can't play adult football, the relevant county boards need to schedule appropriate competitions and games to fill the void, against people they are capable of competing with.
Has any county board done any sort of forward planning and proposed any new competitions for minors?
Don't know about other counties. Mayo seem to have something along those lines.
Quote from: Gabriel_Hurl on September 04, 2015, 12:56:07 PM
the rule book is in desperate need for an update / be rewritten in less amibiguous language
whoever is responsible for drafting the language should be shot - some of the way the rules are written is shocking.
I know that the motions in Congress get run past a committee of some sort to make them somewhat better but there is still a lot of ambiguity in an awful lot of places.
Quote from: AZOffaly on September 04, 2015, 01:02:47 PM
Don't know about other counties. Mayo seem to have something along those lines.
AZ, after reading the various replies to my original post then you are correct regarding the age limit but I honestly think there is also a rule whereby a county minor can NOT play for his club until his county minor season is OVER - this comes in next year 2016. I know a local club to us who have 2 lads playing senior now at 17 but as they will be county minors next year, they will NOT be allowed to play according to reports!!. not sure how true this is but this was my main point in my original post.
Quote from: Mikhailov on September 04, 2015, 01:43:13 PM
Quote from: AZOffaly on September 04, 2015, 01:02:47 PM
Don't know about other counties. Mayo seem to have something along those lines.
AZ, after reading the various replies to my original post then you are correct regarding the age limit but I honestly think there is also a rule whereby a county minor can NOT play for his club until his county minor season is OVER - this comes in next year 2016. I know a local club to us who have 2 lads playing senior now at 17 but as they will be county minors next year, they will NOT be allowed to play according to reports!!. not sure how true this is but this was my main point in my original post.
You are 100% correct about the county minors not be able to play senior until county season over
Quote from: Two Hands FFS on September 04, 2015, 06:39:08 PM
Quote from: Mikhailov on September 04, 2015, 01:43:13 PM
Quote from: AZOffaly on September 04, 2015, 01:02:47 PM
Don't know about other counties. Mayo seem to have something along those lines.
AZ, after reading the various replies to my original post then you are correct regarding the age limit but I honestly think there is also a rule whereby a county minor can NOT play for his club until his county minor season is OVER - this comes in next year 2016. I know a local club to us who have 2 lads playing senior now at 17 but as they will be county minors next year, they will NOT be allowed to play according to reports!!. not sure how true this is but this was my main point in my original post.
Except for championship games , which are not covered by the new rule.
You are 100% correct about the county minors not be able to play senior until county season over
Quote from: mrhardyannual on September 04, 2015, 09:15:29 PM
Quote from: Two Hands FFS on September 04, 2015, 06:39:08 PM
Quote from: Mikhailov on September 04, 2015, 01:43:13 PM
Quote from: AZOffaly on September 04, 2015, 01:02:47 PM
Don't know about other counties. Mayo seem to have something along those lines.
AZ, after reading the various replies to my original post then you are correct regarding the age limit but I honestly think there is also a rule whereby a county minor can NOT play for his club until his county minor season is OVER - this comes in next year 2016. I know a local club to us who have 2 lads playing senior now at 17 but as they will be county minors next year, they will NOT be allowed to play according to reports!!. not sure how true this is but this was my main point in my original post.
Except for championship games , which are not covered by the new rule.
You are 100% correct about the county minors not be able to play senior until county season over
Are you saying a minor can play club championship for his clubs senior team but not league? Where does it say that in the rule?
If a player's good enough they're old enough! I made my debut at 15 (intermediate) whilst playing juvenile, minor, school and for a local soccer team. I regularly played reserves and seniors in my first couple of seasons having played 90 minutes of soccer on a Saturday and I kept that going until I was 22, adding Gaelic and soccer for the university and three trips a week home for training. I was never county standard but played colleges and have an all Ireland medal. Been all downhill since that though! :)
Hold on
So we could have been playing 17 year olds this year?
Quote from: manfromdelmonte on September 05, 2015, 08:37:02 PM
Hold on
So we could have been playing 17 year olds this year?
Yes.
The rule in regard to County minors not playing club
league football until the County minor team exited the championship was in force this year. (They could still play club
championship football.)
Next year, however, players will not be allowed play adult league
or championship for a club unless they turn 18 in the calendar year.
Quote from: LaurelEye on September 06, 2015, 10:41:39 PM
Quote from: manfromdelmonte on September 05, 2015, 08:37:02 PM
Hold on
So we could have been playing 17 year olds this year?
Yes.
The rule in regard to County minors not playing club league football until the County minor team exited the championship was in force this year. (They could still play club championship football.)
Next year, however, players will not be allowed play adult league or championship for a club unless they turn 18 in the calendar year.
our club officers need to be taken outside and something done to them
Quote from: manfromdelmonte on September 07, 2015, 04:52:14 PM
Quote from: LaurelEye on September 06, 2015, 10:41:39 PM
Quote from: manfromdelmonte on September 05, 2015, 08:37:02 PM
Hold on
So we could have been playing 17 year olds this year?
Yes.
The rule in regard to County minors not playing club league football until the County minor team exited the championship was in force this year. (They could still play club championship football.)
Next year, however, players will not be allowed play adult league or championship for a club unless they turn 18 in the calendar year.
our club officers need to be taken outside and something done to them
Maybe your county brought in an additional by law? Did any other clubs you played against play their county minors?