Down Club Hurling & Football

[rosskarr]

Minor 7s
Don't know about the rest of yous but for only 8 EastDown teams & 4 SouthDown teams showed up for their 7s tournaments which for me is really disappointing that clubs dont have 10 boys who would want to play for a chance of a 7s medal

Teams that showed up
East Down ( -Kilcoo / Castlewellan / Bryansford / Saul / Dundrum / Liatroim / Bright / Teconnaught
South Down (4) - Clonduff / Saval / AnRiocht / Longstone

I think clubs should be fined if they don't show up

Anyone else got opinions?

The Down Minors decided to have a training weekend down south this weekend, could they not have picked a better date when clubs did not need their players?

County Minor panellists are not permitted to play Adult Club while the County Minor team are still in the Championship.

[Line Ball]

Minor 7s
Don't know about the rest of yous but for only 8 EastDown teams & 4 SouthDown teams showed up for their 7s tournaments which for me is really disappointing that clubs dont have 10 boys who would want to play for a chance of a 7s medal

Teams that showed up
East Down ( -Kilcoo / Castlewellan / Bryansford / Saul / Dundrum / Liatroim / Bright / Teconnaught
South Down (4) - Clonduff / Saval / AnRiocht / Longstone

I think clubs should be fined if they don't show up

Anyone else got opinions?

The Down Minors decided to have a training weekend down south this weekend, could they not have picked a better date when clubs did not need their players?

County Minor panellists are not permitted to play Adult Club while the County Minor team are still in the Championship.

Minor 7's, Hello!!!!!!!

So you are telling me that these Minor club players cannot represent their clubs because the county minors have picked the very same weekend to take them away.  Typical of the way we run things here 

[Lecale Gael]

Minor 7s
Don't know about the rest of yous but for only 8 EastDown teams & 4 SouthDown teams showed up for their 7s tournaments which for me is really disappointing that clubs dont have 10 boys who would want to play for a chance of a 7s medal

Teams that showed up
East Down ( -Kilcoo / Castlewellan / Bryansford / Saul / Dundrum / Liatroim / Bright / Teconnaught
South Down (4) - Clonduff / Saval / AnRiocht / Longstone

I think clubs should be fined if they don't show up

Anyone else got opinions?

yeh don't play them at a stupid time such as a bank holiday weekend

fine the clubs ? no not their fault. cant force teams to play them

[redandblackareback]

Does not surprise me that the minor Feis sevens was handed this level of disrespect, its a pure disgrace where the Feis sevens at both senior and minor level has descended too, why not make a massive day of it and play the south down games in Pairc Esler, and the east down games in Newcastle, make it into permanent fixtures in the calendar where no other activities happen in the county on that weekend, and its compulsory to enter or punishments will be severe. Any team at any stage can decide not to fulfil a fixture and receive a fine of £100, hardly a deterrent is it?

[supersub]

As far as I am aware if you do not enter the 7s at Senior level, you are not permitted to enter any other external 7s competition ie Kilmacud 7s etc. Not a huge deterrent but something at least.

[thewobbler]

Does not surprise me that the minor Feis sevens was handed this level of disrespect, its a pure disgrace where the Feis sevens at both senior and minor level has descended too, why not make a massive day of it and play the south down games in Pairc Esler, and the east down games in Newcastle, make it into permanent fixtures in the calendar where no other activities happen in the county on that weekend, and its compulsory to enter or punishments will be severe. Any team at any stage can decide not to fulfil a fixture and receive a fine of £100, hardly a deterrent is it?

Surely that's not dissimilar to people suggesting that the Railway Cup should be held in Croke Park and enjoy a six figure marketing blitz?

If the enthusiasm isn't there, don't try to force it. We've more important problems to get to grips with in Down than this.

[east down gael]

It's only a sevens competition,can't really see the big issue here. If a member of your senior team got injured playing in a sevens tournament the manager would go mental.

[Leonardo]

Always thought the 7s ( when teams took it seriously) was a great competition. The best players in the county playing against each other - and if you were lucky enough to qualify for Kilmacud, you got to line out against some of the best players in the country. How else can the average club player line out against Padraig Joyce for example?

[cut the crap]

I can remember watching my team mates put 5 penalties past the great Charlie Nelligan at Kilmacaud in the 80s when we had a great 7 which included Bundie Mason Gary Mason , great memories from an era when all teams put in a seven , sad to see this format of the game in decline

[downup]

Not too many chances of rubbing shoulders against county players in Kilmacud anymore. This competition is dying a death over the past number of years. Down are actually the biggest contributer of teams to it although that changed last year with the 'if you don't play in county 7s you don't play in kilmacud rule'. It was always a great GAA day where you met up with old college mates or former all Ireland players, enjoyed the football and off course the socialising. The gaa calendar has definitely affected it with a lot of club teams still playing championship at that time of year. As regards the Down 7s I think they are dead at the minute which is unfortunate and they will be difficult to revive as there doesn't seem to be an appetite for them. If they could get a sponsor like O'Neills maybe they could have incentive's for the winners like sets of jerseys for club or something although it is maybe not a good road to start going down either. Its a pity as 7s football was always a good days craic when you had the big teams playing in them.

[Centre 3/4]

Or just start the season 2 or 3 weeks earlier and play those games on a Saturday or Sunday until the light improves

[thewobbler]

Or just start the season 2 or 3 weeks earlier and play those games on a Saturday or Sunday until the light improves

Surely you remember that the first couple of weekends were destroyed by weather. Starting 2-3 weeks earlier would only add to fixture congestion when the better weather happens.

Two points. A county manager getting upset about club fixtures 4 weeks before the championship is out of order. It's madness and it's a madness fuelled by jealousy of other counties that don't care for their club footballers Central Council really needs to intervene with promises of ejecting counties from championship ball unless club fixtures are being fulfilled all summer long.

Second one. If the above happened the GPA would be up in arms and play the welfare card. Much as I'd love to see this as an opportunity to stamp authority over them, they probably do have a point. So counties must act. The logical thing is to go to 10 team leagues. Problem is that clubs are unlikely to vote for a system that endangers their current status. Some of the traditionally bigger clubs could be looking at years in second tier club football. So this where we need leadership. There's a greater good card to be played, and if necessary beaten across their faces.

[6th sam]

The debate over club fixtures rears its ugly head again.
This is the single most important issue facing the GAA.
Only a change of mindset will solve this. The club game in Down has a period from Mid April to early July when including starred games, clubs get regular football. Because league and championship status are linked , this has become the most important part of the season for many clubs. To keep clubs with county players happy , CCC fits in as many games as possible creating understandable tension on both sides.
I agree with wobbler that the GAA centrally has to legislate to resolve this issue. We already have the precedent set by the IRFU's international player management scheme.
Let club games go ahead but never more than 1 game per week. For blocks of fixtures all players will be released to clubs , while in addition certain fringe players may be released outside these blocks to give them game time.
However during the dedicated blocks for county football , there should be regular county games (league/round robin championship) and importantly club games still go ahead but as a different competition. For the clubs premier competition (championship) they have unrestricted access to their players and for several games, whilst for the other club competition (league) weekly games go ahead without access to most county players. The important point is that a club with county players at various levels could conceivably play their league football in div 3 , weakened by the loss of their county men , but at least they know they'll have unrestricted access to them for potentially a senior championship campaign.

[SamFever]

The debate over club fixtures rears its ugly head again.
This is the single most important issue facing the GAA.
Only a change of mindset will solve this. The club game in Down has a period from Mid April to early July when including starred games, clubs get regular football. Because league and championship status are linked , this has become the most important part of the season for many clubs. To keep clubs with county players happy , CCC fits in as many games as possible creating understandable tension on both sides.
I agree with wobbler that the GAA centrally has to legislate to resolve this issue. We already have the precedent set by the IRFU's international player management scheme.
Let club games go ahead but never more than 1 game per week. For blocks of fixtures all players will be released to clubs , while in addition certain fringe players may be released outside these blocks to give them game time.
However during the dedicated blocks for county football , there should be regular county games (league/round robin championship) and importantly club games still go ahead but as a different competition. For the clubs premier competition (championship) they have unrestricted access to their players and for several games, whilst for the other club competition (league) weekly games go ahead without access to most county players. The important point is that a club with county players at various levels could conceivably play their league football in div 3 , weakened by the loss of their county men , but at least they know they'll have unrestricted access to them for potentially a senior championship campaign.

6th,one of your "solutions" from Decemebr last year where you are suggesting,May/early June : exam season/no county football matches/unrestricted club football..
You can't wear two hats here.What is your view on the issues facing Eamon Burns and the fixture congestion he sees coming up to the Monaghan game in 4 weeks time?

[6th sam]

The "solutions" suggested are not for this year , but an aspiration for future years. That aspiration includes amongst other suggestions , club as opposed to county football at exam time , as you have detailed ( I'll take it as a complement that you have forensically perused my previous posts!lol) . Anyone with any degree of insight will have sympathy for The plight of county & club managers and especially players at this time of year. Precedent has shown that legislation ideally from Croke park Is the only way of solving these issues. Eg. though there is disappointment at club level regarding availability of u17s & county minors for senior club football , clubs get on with it, accepting that it is a long term solution to an important player welfare issue. By contrast we see the annual conflict between clubs and county over senior player availability and injury at this time of year. To be fair , Down fixture makers have been better than most counties, and they have had to come up with a fixture programme to accommodate our clubs who voted in a 12 team , two round league (for very good reasons) .
My argument is that as things stand , our fixture makers are being asked to fit round pegs into square holes. Only a directive from Croke park , possibly designed around the principles of the IRFU international player management scheme will protect our county players, whilst invigorating both our club and county game.