Down Club Hurling & Football

[rosskarr]

    Some clubs call games off for the daftest of reasons and don't refix to a suitable date and then come on cryin here when forced to play them.The games to be played after the 8th don't count as regards relegation or promotion but the ones being discussed here do matter and loughinisland seem to want to do everything their way.Same old/same old.

[Smurfy123]

Hardly loughinisland fault.One rule for one and all that
Rules are rules the cut of point was the 8th and now that has been put back
From what I hear Newry Bosco have been force to play their game on the 15th but they are going ahead and playing in this Saturday
Do these men that make the fixtures know that there is more than 1 pitch in Down.The only time you see them is at Newry from the quarter finals on in the championship

[johnneycool]

I'm with loughinisland with this one.Why should they have to play and An Rioct are given an extra week?Could liatrom not have played at 11 on Sunday morning?I would imagine Island will push this.All leagues meant to be finished on the same day
Call all the division 2 matches off until the following week

Liatroim senior hurlers play in the Ulster junior championship on Sunday.

[Smurfy123]

I meant last Sunday morning?
I'm taking nothing away from Liatrom here lads I'm only putting it out there
Fair play to then to play 3 senior matches in 4 days and hurling on Sunday??
Is that right

[6th sam]

I think the problem is that div 1/2 with 12 teams means that they have had to squeeze in 4 more games than div3 for example.
The late start to the leagues in April means that it's very difficult to get all the fixtures played, taking into account that div 1/2 have more county players at all levels, and more dual players.
In my opinion, recent changes to the championship structure have proved a great success, and I feel that a further simple development would be to have a championship relegation quarter finals and semi finals to keep more players active at a time of the season , when clubs have most players available. Rather than loads of players twiddling their thumbs waiting on the next league game, as they have been knocked out of the championship.
It's nearly impossible to squeeze in the fixture list in div 1/2, as  quite rightly , clubs resist any proposed increase in starred fixtures, & don't want the leagues to start earlier as they don't want to play too many important  games without county players, and most don't want to sacrifice the July holiday break.
League football is of vital importance in Down , mostly due to its link to championship status. If we have an extended championship, with status detached from the AcFl , these perennial issues around league fixtures will reduce . In such a system club players get games most weeks , and county players ( especially fringe players) can play all championship games and any club  league games when they don't effect inter-county championship preparation.
If we don't start to be imaginative about getting players regular annually planned fixtures, we run the risk of losing club players and putting clubs under more pressure. This would include a simple principle that in the event of drawn games, or postponed games ,the replay/refixture has to be played midweek.

[gaaman2016]

Another issue is that due to the AIF replay all matches being moved to Sunday from Saturday and with An Riocht match being postponed on Sunday,Loughinisland would have to play a must win game (1 day recovery) against significantly fresher opponents. An Riocht vs Liatrim being called off gave An Riocht a significant physical advantage going into aTuesdays match

[Smurfy123]

9 games were played in 4 weeks at the start of the year for crying out loud.So it's taken 5 months and still can't get the other 14 games played
Laughable if you ask me.Some leaders at the top table in this county

[6th sam]

Another issue is that due to the AIF replay all matches being moved to Sunday from Saturday and with An Riocht match being postponed on Sunday,Loughinisland would have to play a must win game (1 day recovery) against significantly fresher opponents. An Riocht vs Liatrim being called off gave An Riocht a significant physical advantage going into aTuesdays match

Another point which this highlights is the availability of floodlit venues. If clubs/schools and county boards were able to cooperate to provide a few more floodlit venues it would solve a lot of issues, and provide much more flexibility on several levels. Every club should be encouraged to either provide their own floodlights or secure access to a floodlit venue. We're probably not far away from that at present and a couple more floodlit venues in the county, would not only solve some of these fixture conundrums but provide opportunities for floodlit football tournaments extending the season for our youth .

[downup]

Mike Tyson - my point is that unless Loughinisland got confirmation that they would get to refix this match after the deadline then it was a very big call to make not to fulfil the fixture and giving the significance of the result IMO it was the wrong call!!

[thewobbler]

9 games were played in 4 weeks at the start of the year for crying out loud.So it's taken 5 months and still can't get the other 14 games played
Laughable if you ask me.Some leaders at the top table in this county

This one isn't a leadership problem.

We had 12 team leagues a decade ago and they always completed in October, with playoffs dragging into the first week of November.

It's what happens when you want to fit 22 league matches, a back door championship format, county commitments and July breaks into a single summer.

Easiest solution is 10-team leagues. But the clubs would complain about not enough football in that case.

[6th sam]

Would agree wobbler , those that criticise our fixture makers must have little knowledge of the goings on in other counties. Also they can have no appreciation of how many factors that CCC have to take into account when organising fixtures eg pitch availability, referee availability , floodlit availability, dual clashes, minor/reserve clashes, all Ireland Intercounty and ulster club fixtures, county commitments at various levels , and that's just for starters. Jarlath Tinnelly has the toughest job in the county in many ways, and like every club we have had issues over a small number of fixtures over the years, but At the same time it's hard not to respect how CCC does an almost impossible task , very well. Whereas I respect loughinislands position, Perhaps only a rigid application of a 10 day rule around re-fixtures Can avoid these problems in future years.
Wobblers suggestion of a 10 team league seems the simplest solution, but for most clubs that does not satisfy the Gaa guidelines of at least 22 fixtures for senior teams.
I think the key thing is that we must aim to provide all players with weekly games, the current system does not allow for that . Sport should be about enjoyment and competitive games are essential for that. Weekly games are absolutely vital , for club and county players. The current system where county players can spend weeks with no county games, is part of the problem . I think if players are with the county and unavailable to clubs they should be playing county games, while club games should go ahead without them. However when they return to their clubs there should be weekly games, as opposed to them being inactive again, if they are knocked out of the club championship. The GPA would gain real credibility, if they drove a national club and Intercounty fixture plan, providing regular games for club and county players.

[johnneycool]

Would agree wobbler , those that criticise our fixture makers must have little knowledge of the goings on in other counties. Also they can have no appreciation of how many factors that CCC have to take into account when organising fixtures eg pitch availability, referee availability , floodlit availability, dual clashes, minor/reserve clashes, all Ireland Intercounty and ulster club fixtures, county commitments at various levels , and that's just for starters. Jarlath Tinnelly has the toughest job in the county in many ways, and like every club we have had issues over a small number of fixtures over the years, but At the same time it's hard not to respect how CCC does an almost impossible task , very well. Whereas I respect loughinislands position, Perhaps only a rigid application of a 10 day rule around re-fixtures Can avoid these problems in future years.
Wobblers suggestion of a 10 team league seems the simplest solution, but for most clubs that does not satisfy the Gaa guidelines of at least 22 fixtures for senior teams.
I think the key thing is that we must aim to provide all players with weekly games, the current system does not allow for that . Sport should be about enjoyment and competitive games are essential for that. Weekly games are absolutely vital , for club and county players. The current system where county players can spend weeks with no county games, is part of the problem . I think if players are with the county and unavailable to clubs they should be playing county games, while club games should go ahead without them. However when they return to their clubs there should be weekly games, as opposed to them being inactive again, if they are knocked out of the club championship. The GPA would gain real credibility, if they drove a national club and Intercounty fixture plan, providing regular games for club and county players.

Bloody hell, the hurling clubs in Down really are getting short changed in relation to fixtures. I'd be surprised our Div1 or Div2 hurlers got half those games a year in Down!!

[Brick Tamlin]

Well the reality is that nobody gives a flyin f**k about Hurling in the county.

[The Raven]

Well the reality is that nobody gives a flyin f**k about Hurling in the county.
[]

Asking Liatroim's minors to play 2 county finals in 4 days proves that

[SamFever]

Would agree wobbler , those that criticise our fixture makers must have little knowledge of the goings on in other counties. Also they can have no appreciation of how many factors that CCC have to take into account when organising fixtures eg pitch availability, referee availability , floodlit availability, dual clashes, minor/reserve clashes, all Ireland Intercounty and ulster club fixtures, county commitments at various levels , and that's just for starters. Jarlath Tinnelly has the toughest job in the county in many ways, and like every club we have had issues over a small number of fixtures over the years, but At the same time it's hard not to respect how CCC does an almost impossible task , very well. Whereas I respect loughinislands position, Perhaps only a rigid application of a 10 day rule around re-fixtures Can avoid these problems in future years.
Wobblers suggestion of a 10 team league seems the simplest solution, but for most clubs that does not satisfy the Gaa guidelines of at least 22 fixtures for senior teams.
I think the key thing is that we must aim to provide all players with weekly games, the current system does not allow for that . Sport should be about enjoyment and competitive games are essential for that. Weekly games are absolutely vital , for club and county players. The current system where county players can spend weeks with no county games, is part of the problem . I think if players are with the county and unavailable to clubs they should be playing county games, while club games should go ahead without them. However when they return to their clubs there should be weekly games, as opposed to them being inactive again, if they are knocked out of the club championship. The GPA would gain real credibility, if they drove a national club and Intercounty fixture plan, providing regular games for club and county players.

Bloody hell, the hurling clubs in Down really are getting short changed in relation to fixtures. I'd be surprised our Div1 or Div2 hurlers got half those games a year in Down!!

That's because there are only three proper Hurling Clubs in Down playing in that place called Antrim plus a gather up of others playing each other at least three times a season at a level associated with Divisional reserve football.
   In the Div2 fiasco, it should never that got to where it has landed.Ccc should have foreseen all this at the end of June and planned accordingly as now we're at the stage of cutting the sh-te out of everyone and in-fighting.Sad.