Is the earlier Championship a success or failure?

[Eire90]

Would some counties have to change to a straight knockout format  to get over quicker.

[shark]

Would some counties have to change to a straight knockout format  to get over quicker.

They would just have to start at the earliest opportunity. Many counties delayed starting their championships because if they finished too early then their county champions would be sitting idle for too long. If the provincial championships are moved earlier then the counties will adjust. However an earlier draw would help. There can be a two week difference if your county champs avoid the preliminary round in province. This wasn't known in 2022 until after county championships dates had been set.

[Eire90]

If it was me id play the finals on st Stephens day and make it a tradition since they ditched st Patricks day or maybe the Saturday before Christmas every year(if Christmas is not on Sunday)

[Franko]

The club season should be finished up in the calendar year imo. The old system whereby it took 3 months to play the remaining 3 games (AI semi finals and final) was from a bygone era. Rather than have it finish in January, it would be much better if the GAA could wrap it up within the calendar year. Play the AI finals over the Christmas period and it would generate loads of interest across the country. The onus is on individual county boards to get their house in order and have a properly structured championship that completes by end of September/mid October at the very latest. With the split season that is perfectly reasonable to expect.

100% with this

The St Patrick's day tradition was great, but IMO it's a small price to pay to have a properly functioning split season

There's bound to be a way to schedule something so that there are some meaningful county games (League Finals?) played on St Patrick's day

Having the club finals on, for instance, the second Sunday in December would soon develop into a tradition of it's own (yes I know it doesn't have the same ring to it!)

It would give seafoid and his armchair buddies something to watch on the TV in a hitherto barren month for GAA

[Rossfan]

Fine big indoor pitch outside Ballyhaunis
A Finals weekend on the Saturday and Sunday before Christmas has a nice ring to it.

PS can we stop "running off" competitions, play them instead?.

PPS that Franko seems to  have it in for poor Seafóidín just because he's not fíorgaely enough !.

[Franko]

Not really

Just trying to make him see the bigger picture

Watching Joe Canning stroking sidelines over the bar in a packed Croke Park is a special thing

But it's equally as special in July as it is in September

Especially when that change keeps onside the thousands of folks around the country who provide the backbone of the association

Cos if we don't have those people, then there's no Joe in the first place

[seafoid]

Fine big indoor pitch outside Ballyhaunis
A Finals weekend on the Saturday and Sunday before Christmas has a nice ring to it.

PS can we stop "running off" competitions, play them instead?.

PPS that Franko seems to  have it in for poor Seafóidín just because he's not fíorgaely enough !.

Tá sé seafóid  amach is amach.

[seafoid]

https://www.rte.ie/sport/hurling/2023/0106/1345281-timing-is-everything-calendar-sharpens-january-focus/

"Every player now, you can never relax fully. You need to be ticking over in the down season. I think that maintenance work is going to ramp up even more in the next couple of years because of the split-season."

Even now, as we head into the second year of the divided county-club calendar, the All-Ireland club finals will spill over into January 2024, with the result that players from those clubs usually end up missing league fixtures.

"I would like to see some definite down-time for all players," says Cheddar. "Even those last couple of weeks of the year. Everyone needs a break, even mentally.

"Take TJ Reid for example, one of the best hurlers of any generation, over the last few seasons he is playing well into the year with inter-county and then into the following year with his club Ballyhale.

"You probably have to have a bit of flexibility in year one but I would expect the GAA authorities to tighten up with that.
"I do think some counties do have to slim down to 12-team or 16-team championships to have them run off properly in a calendar season. I can understand the reasons why some counties have a Senior B championship but clear out all that rubbish, make it Senior, Intermediate and then Junior 1, Junior 2 etc.

"I think if all counties had that it would be much easier then to schedule games to make sure that your All-Ireland club championship is going to be held on the second Sunday in December."

"The championship needs to be a bit longer, it's compressed a little bit too much"

Plunkett, who will take charge of Kilkenny intermediate club St Martin's next year, thinks the new calendar model is a move in the right direction but is far from the finished article.

"I think the split-season has been quite successful but I certainly wouldn't jump into it for the next 10 years without giving it really good thought about all the aspects," he says. "Particularly how you're going to grow the game and keep it at the forefront for young people.

"Having it last year was really good because it gave us a sense of what it looks like. But what are we comparing that against? We would have to have, for example, a blended season or something to compare It with.

[seafoid]

So it looks like purgatory is over until August

[seafoid]

Attention Franko


https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/2023/01/12/connacht-secretary-condemns-disgusting-responses-to-provincial-draw/
"Many commentators have commented on the fact that the GAA has lost a big promotional tool by having the All-Ireland finals finished in July. I would argue that we now have two big promotional tools available to us: one for first six months of intercounty season and the other for the second six months of the club season.
"There have been several weeks when local newspapers have carried up to 15 pages of reports of club championship games in a county. This is gaining a new and most important promotional tool for our association, at the most important level grassroots level."

[mouview]

Attention Franko


https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/2023/01/12/connacht-secretary-condemns-disgusting-responses-to-provincial-draw/
"Many commentators have commented on the fact that the GAA has lost a big promotional tool by having the All-Ireland finals finished in July. I would argue that we now have two big promotional tools available to us: one for first six months of intercounty season and the other for the second six months of the club season.
"There have been several weeks when local newspapers have carried up to 15 pages of reports of club championship games in a county. This is gaining a new and most important promotional tool for our association, at the most important level grassroots level."

The 'floating voter' has very little interest in club games however, and very few save the real diehards look forward to club matches at the weekend the way one would for big intercounty championship contests.

[Owenmoresider]

Attention Franko


https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/2023/01/12/connacht-secretary-condemns-disgusting-responses-to-provincial-draw/
"Many commentators have commented on the fact that the GAA has lost a big promotional tool by having the All-Ireland finals finished in July. I would argue that we now have two big promotional tools available to us: one for first six months of intercounty season and the other for the second six months of the club season.
"There have been several weeks when local newspapers have carried up to 15 pages of reports of club championship games in a county. This is gaining a new and most important promotional tool for our association, at the most important level grassroots level."

He's obviously never read the Sligo papers so.

[Franko]

Attention Franko


https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/2023/01/12/connacht-secretary-condemns-disgusting-responses-to-provincial-draw/
"Many commentators have commented on the fact that the GAA has lost a big promotional tool by having the All-Ireland finals finished in July. I would argue that we now have two big promotional tools available to us: one for first six months of intercounty season and the other for the second six months of the club season.
"There have been several weeks when local newspapers have carried up to 15 pages of reports of club championship games in a county. This is gaining a new and most important promotional tool for our association, at the most important level grassroots level."

The Connacht secretary is clearly a man with his priorities in the right order

[Franko]

Attention Franko


https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/2023/01/12/connacht-secretary-condemns-disgusting-responses-to-provincial-draw/
"Many commentators have commented on the fact that the GAA has lost a big promotional tool by having the All-Ireland finals finished in July. I would argue that we now have two big promotional tools available to us: one for first six months of intercounty season and the other for the second six months of the club season.
"There have been several weeks when local newspapers have carried up to 15 pages of reports of club championship games in a county. This is gaining a new and most important promotional tool for our association, at the most important level grassroots level."

The 'floating voter' has very little interest in club games however, and very few save the real diehards look forward to club matches at the weekend the way one would for big intercounty championship contests.

True statement, but the appeasing the 'floating voter' should be well down the list of priorities when compared to club players and supporters

Besides, Mr 'floating voter' has from the beginning of January until the end of July to fill his boots with county games

And if he's not interested after that... well that's disappointing... but hey ho

[seafoid]

Attention Franko


https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/2023/01/12/connacht-secretary-condemns-disgusting-responses-to-provincial-draw/
"Many commentators have commented on the fact that the GAA has lost a big promotional tool by having the All-Ireland finals finished in July. I would argue that we now have two big promotional tools available to us: one for first six months of intercounty season and the other for the second six months of the club season.
"There have been several weeks when local newspapers have carried up to 15 pages of reports of club championship games in a county. This is gaining a new and most important promotional tool for our association, at the most important level grassroots level."

The Connacht secretary is clearly a man with his priorities in the right order

Good man Franko