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Could anyone post or PM me the proposed dates?

Trying to succeed in both codes with essentially the same group of players is a real problem. There is a real chance of burn out as players try to please 2 masters if its not managed in some way.

CCC league proposals sent to clubs today.

Hurling leagues to start on 18th April with 7 rounds of games being played on Wednesday nights until they switch to Sundays on July 1st.

Coincidentally that means there are no hurling league games fixed for the day after Ulster games on Saturdays - only football so dual clubs will end up fielding weakened UHL teams while hurling only clubs can field what they want.

All proposals up for discussion with clubs in a meeting with CCC in a couple of weeks time.

From the Antrim Hurling Thread

So MadMIck & G2, can you not see why genuine hurling people have such a problem the UHL? Take for instance my club Dunloy. We have easily 11-12 dual players, 4-5 young fringe players who really need to get a run in the hurling team to come on. Our Senior Footballers will argue (and they have a point) that these players will need to be rested in the UHL because they will be fighting for survival in Div 1 of the Antrim Leagues and need players fresh going into these games. So our club will probably be playing with about 3-4 first team players in the UHL. Yes 15 players will be getting games, but as a competition it is what it is.....third rate

I've removed hurling from the title of this thread for obvious reasons

Think youre being a bit unfair TM (and could I suggest a little blinkered) in your opinions. I agree with SCB's points. Cushendall are a well drilled side. Their defense work well as a pack, they play deep and move the ball into open spaces up front where they have a hard working, mobile forward line that I think will cause a few problems. I think they will win on Sunday

Dabbling with what was a pretty tight defence could be Cushendalls downfall. I hope they are not pushing the panic button trying to get a star player ready before he is ready himself. Micky Monty's game is so reliant on his fitness level that it would be a massive gamble to put him in the starting 15 IMO.

what about....

ash bandits? 

From the Hoganstand

Toomevara's chances of making it to this year's All-Ireland SHC club final have been hit by the news that ace defender Paul McGrath has been suspended.

The Tipp men are due to face Kilkenny champions Ballyhale Shamrocks on February 10th at Portlaoise in the semi-final but McGrath will play no part in proceedings that day.

A player tipped to be part of the Premier County squad before too long, McGrath has been suspended for two months after being sent off in a challenge game against the University of Limerick last weekend.

And McGrath can expect to miss the All-Ireland decider too should Toomevara bypass the challenge of the Kilkenny champions.


...must have been a dirty stoke to get suspended in a challenge game

"Sorry Clute, but the manger told me to get up your a $$ the whole game" 

yes, just to back up aontroim abu, no major changes just better consistency, hopefully with senior and reserve games on the same day!!!

I admire your optimism milltown. To my mind no one has held themselves accountable for the failings of last year, so I would be concerned that we may get the same again especially when you add in the "Sambo & Woody" factor come summertime. They'll be hoarding players big time and to hell with the rest. Too much intercounty training & matches in the summer months...its ruining the GAA at a club level

. In essence the only thing that the Ulster leagues are missing are peak times for the fixtures.

No Mick that is not all it is missing. The knock on effect of it being on Saturday is that many players won't play because of work commitments and/or matches (more important in their or their clubs opinion) being fixed for the next day. Add to that the fact that county players will also not play any part. 
This makes it a poor competition which does nothing for the top tier of hurling. If it is not a good competition then there is a high possibility that many club will become disallusioned with it and pull out (you'd want to be travelling all those miles for a reason). Do you accept that this could happen?

If the counties would move over and promote the Ulster league as the number one league we would see strong competition as you are looking for Skull.

Look...the UHL is what it is today Mick. My comments are based on the current format. Let me know when they change the format and I may have a different opinion, but until then it is what it is currently..........

people say the Antrim league was strong 6 to 7 years ago, was there any matches called off due to football then? Not very many.

Well is suggest you speak to someone older then. The Antrim leagues were strong (i.e. regular, compeditive, meaningful, well attended) up to 1989 and they have been on the wain since as County Management became more and more driven to attain AI success. We have been digging away at the foundations of the game ever since and I can't see anyone trying to change it

Its time for change, Ulster league No.1

ra ra get the pom poms out ......don't listen to disenting voices... we are the devil

Well you wouldn't say that about thier juvenile set-up. They are doing great work up there at the minute and making good progress from what I have seen

Come on G2 get into the real world. Playing matches on Saturday nights so that it doesn't clash with matches the next day is one of the reasons why it is a half arsed competition. Are you telling me that clubs with teams in the UHL will play all their top hurlers even though they may have to play in tight football match the next day? This will not happen and you know it...hence the standard of the games will be diminshed. Its too simplistic to say that players simply need games...the games need to be meaningful to be of use. I'm sure clubs will try and make the most of it but that does not mean the competition has serious flaws which I'm trying to point out so that they in the future might be addrressed. Until then my opinion still holds. BTW I have nothing but contempt for what the GAC did last year to hurling fixtures from U16 up into senior, but to suggest that that is a good enough reason to throw the towel in with an Antrim league is a bit over the top

Just because all county leagues are poor doesn't make the UHL league the panecea you seem to be making it out to be. You seem incapable of seeing the realities of the UHL as it stands today and why people who play at the the top level in Ulster have a problem with it in terms of offering a meaningful competition (which we all would like it to be). My viewpoint does not detract from someone in another part of the province who see's nothing but positives from the UHL, it just depends where hurling is at in your own part of the world. Why are you not prepared to accept that the views I hold are valid and in the intersts of progressing the game. You have yet to comment specifically on any of the saliant points I have made on this discussion so far rather you have simplistically attacked the antrim man for holding back the development of hurling in ulster which could not be further from the true. I would be grateful if you could address the points I have raised regarding the UHL and respond to these specifically.

Just to back up what JC has said, the All County League in Antrim has suffered initially as far back as 17 years from the increase in preparation time for our County Teams which has been made even worse by the increase in the number of County matches over recent years. This is the real reason for Antrims problems. What I would like to see is Antrim and every other County giving their players back to the clubs and letting them play. Make sure that every club trains their players properly, play regular matches, and pull the County Panels from those playing well in the league. We have tried hoarding County Players away for years and it hasn't gotten us to far up the road, so why do we keep putting our eggs in the one basket year after year after year ?? Croke Park like to pay lip service and say that the club is the heart of the GAA. Until they start changing their strategy and get away from being solely interested in money then I fear the worst for hurling in Antrim and in many other counties. The interest is on the wain simply because the scene does not exist for people to get into it

Trying to keep my composure after that Mick  . I would prefer if you actually read what I have written rather than try and read between my lines and come up with what "you think" I am saying. I'll clarify my view for you shall I?

Skull, I think you are being very short sighted. You continually focus on the Antrim set up and games within Antrim. In order to progress Hurling in both Antrim and Ulster the standard has to be raised throughout the province.

The UHL should improve the standard of hurling in Ulster in the weaker counties IF the clubs are serious about it and their respective counties don't overburden dual clubs with football matches (the stronger sport in these counties) the next day which will ultimately deplete squads. Antrim should play their part in trying to help these clubs improve if they put out their full squads on take it seriously. I have grave doubts that this will ever happen. What makes you think it will?

In order to raise the standard we need a strong competition across the board and the Ulster league is the means to do this.

It has every chance if taken seriously to raise the standards at almost every level in Ulster except the top division in Antrim. However, If the UHL was the only game in town then the standard in Div 1 would be lowered. Playing the games on Saturday (combined with Dual player commitments on Sunday) as well as the fact County players won't be playing in it are the reasons why I hold this opinion

What eventually will happen is that the Ulster league will take over as the main league by means of the Ulster council marketing it better and providing better incentives for teams to win there leagues.

I cannot see this happening with the Antrim leagues (div1 and mabye div2) although I can see the argument for most of the other divisons/counties. What about clubs with reserve teams in Antrim. It's not that easy to split squads up and send them all over Ulster to fulfill fixtures and maintain support from players in the long term. Players on the fringe of the senior team will never get noticed if the play in different leagues at different venues. That is not workable from our clubs perspective.
Could I ask you if you think that each of the all county fixtures committees will agree to these matches being played on Sundays which they need to be for the UHL to become credible for a start? Is that not a big ask?

If we have a situation where the Ulster league is run in the summer months with top class games with all clubs playing their top players is this a bad thing or would you still want to see the Antrim league dominate?

That situation would be wonderfull Mick (I've assumed that the games will be on a Sunday). Nothing better in fact. At the moment though that is nothing more than a pipe dream that bears no relavence to my current views on the competition as it is today.  

or would you still want to see the Antrim league dominate? So as you can win Ulster by 20Pt's. Come on move on, especially in these changing times.

Not once have I stated that it is my desire so why ask such stupid questions? I'll say it one more time. My desire is to see hurling standards in Antrim progress (NOT DOMINATE THE REST OF ULSTER). I would also love to see the standards of hurling progess in the rest of Ulster and believe that the UHL will help do this in weaker areas. Hopefully in time there will be nothing between the counties. But someone has to keep the standard high in the meantime. The top tier in Antrim will not be able to do this by playing in the UHL as it stands today. If Antrims standards fall then where will hurling in Ulster be?
Could you just elaborate on "these changing times" What does that mean?

My opimions are valid, pragmatic and widely held Mick, so please take a moment before you consider your reply.