Alternative GAA Season Structure: The McNamee System

[Kuwabatake Sanjuro]

The 8 bottom seeds will be wasting their time. If you go with a League section to the Championship then you have to go with a tiered system.

I disagree, of the 3 games the 4th seed would only need to win one to progress and that would be possible against division 2 and 3 teams. A bit of momentum and confidence could be gained too. Then the guaranteed home game against the 1st seeds could lead to spectacles and occasions that would not be too common under the current system.

Given how shoddily the GAA treats Christy Ring/ Nicky Rackard competitions any move to a tiered championship would be a disaster.

1. The tier 4 side will be utterly destroyed by the tier 1 side, and given a pretty good shoeing by the second tier side. There are many ways to build momentum, but getting a stark reminder of how much better Division 1 footballers are, just ahead of facing another one of them in the first knockout stage, will never, ever generate momentum.

2. The Ring and Rackard cups are secondary competitions, which means they are of limited appeal to the fans of competing counties, and of zero interest to fans from non-competing counties. Personally I'd love to know what you would do to give such competitions a higher pedestal. Spectators don't want the games. TV and media have no interest. They need smaller grounds and need to be kept apart from tier 1 competition matches in order to have any chance of sparking an interest.

It is not that long ago that a division 4 Sligo were robbed against Kerry and Kerry struggled against Antrim that year too. Mayo were beat by a division 4 Longford too. Wicklow have had there share of scalps too.
Of course there still needs to be some form of financial equalisation to close the gap further and the GPA proposal will lead to greater resources which should be divided to weaker counties.

What you described about the hurling competitions is what will happen for any 2nd tier football competition. In the short term the likes of Roscommon, Kildare, Wicklow and Meath should be promoted to the preliminary stages of the Liam McCarthy cup. There should be 2 teams promoted/relegated from division 2 in the league too. The best way for weaker counties to improve is to compete with stronger teams. As it stands there is too much protectionism for the stronger counties.

[ONeill]

The only way the inter-county season will make any sense is when the provincial system is abandoned or given no weighting when it comes to championship football.

Having four competitions with 6, 7, 9 and 12 teams in their respective sections makes no sense.

[Rossfan]

If a tiered Championship is out of the question then it has to be a knock out system.
At least that way weaker teams have the hope of drawing another weak team and the possibility, however remote of getting a bit of a run.
Being in a group with 3 deliberately chosen stronger teams would mean no hope and lots of panellists finding better things to do than training like mad for 3 wallopings.

[Kuwabatake Sanjuro]

Even based on this season there would have been victories in the championship for 4th seeds Wexford over 1st seed Down, 3rd seed Sligo over 1st seed Roscommon, 4 seed Antrim over second seed Laois and 3rd seed Kildare over 1st seed Cork. Upsets will happen and most weaker teams will get at least 4 championship games a season giving more prospects for development.

Then there is the benefit of a more fixed calender and the benefits that will have for club football over the present system.

[blewuporstuffed]

Even based on this season there would have been victories in the championship for 4th seeds Wexford over 1st seed Down, 3rd seed Sligo over 1st seed Roscommon, 4 seed Antrim over second seed Laois and 3rd seed Kildare over 1st seed Cork. Upsets will happen and most weaker teams will get at least 4 championship games a season giving more prospects for development.

Then there is the benefit of a more fixed calender and the benefits that will have for club football over the present system.

What are the benefits?  I'm not really seeing them to be honest 

[Kuwabatake Sanjuro]

Under the current system most inter-county players are only available for a couple of weeks at the end of May and then from the middle of August onwards. Under the GPA proposal the availability will be increased massively for the majority of counties. This should allow more certainty for club fixture planning with contingency plans put in place for early/late exits from championships.

[INDIANA]

Under the current system most inter-county players are only available for a couple of weeks at the end of May and then from the middle of August onwards. Under the GPA proposal the availability will be increased massively for the majority of counties. This should allow more certainty for club fixture planning with contingency plans put in place for early/late exits from championships.

Offers nothing. More meaningless games.

Championships should be graded - they are at club level.

[Catch and Kick]

What other proposals are under consideration from the counties? I don't think the GPA version is very practical - too many meaningless games.

[Give and Go]

What other proposals are under consideration from the counties? I don't think the GPA version is very practical - too many meaningless games.

[url]http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/carlow-claim-blueprint-a-boost-for-clubs-358328.html/url]

This seems a very practical way to organise the Championship - bases it on last year's Championship results and current National league results which makes it easier to plan a national fixtures programme....
One way or the other the Provincials will be kept and it's a matter of optimising time to accommodate clubs as much as counties. This might work....

[Rossfan]

I believe 6 proposals submitted (+ GPA?) and will be discussed at November CC meeting.
Plan is to have a motion going to Congress 2016 with new format to run in 2017.
Wonder will they be making the proposals public?

[OgraAnDun]

What other proposals are under consideration from the counties? I don't think the GPA version is very practical - too many meaningless games.

[url]http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/carlow-claim-blueprint-a-boost-for-clubs-358328.html/url]

This seems a very practical way to organise the Championship - bases it on last year's Championship results and current National league results which makes it easier to plan a national fixtures programme....
One way or the other the Provincials will be kept and it's a matter of optimising time to accommodate clubs as much as counties. This might work....

As long as the provincial championships are also seeded then this is a workable and fairly straight forward system.

[Catch and Kick]

John Fogarty in the Examiner comes down heavily in favour of the Carlow proposal instead of the GPA option.

Reading through it, it is so simple it is brilliant and solves a lot of the problems for counties and clubs.
It gives lower level counties games at the appropriate level before they meet big guns, it rewards provincial success and provides, for the first time ever, the opportunity for a truly workable fixtures programme..
I hope it gets support as it's a mess the way to is and other alternatives just ain't right..

http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/columnists/john-fogarty/john-fogarty-carlow-recipe-for-change-worth-sampling-359035.html

[blewuporstuffed]

John Fogarty in the Examiner comes down heavily in favour of the Carlow proposal instead of the GPA option.

Reading through it, it is so simple it is brilliant and solves a lot of the problems for counties and clubs.
It gives lower level counties games at the appropriate level before they meet big guns, it rewards provincial success and provides, for the first time ever, the opportunity for a truly workable fixtures programme..
I hope it gets support as it's a mess the way to is and other alternatives just ain't right..

http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/columnists/john-fogarty/john-fogarty-carlow-recipe-for-change-worth-sampling-359035.html

Surely this is the big issue with the proposal 

"it magnifies the inequalities of the provincial championship. Using this year as an example, the idea of Sligo being seeded ahead of Tyrone and Mayo being handed a last-16 spot, having won just one game, where Donegal and Tyrone would have to win three, doesn't sound or look right.
However, that isn't Carlow's fault."

[Catch and Kick]

I would see that as a strength - seeding is merit based. Win or reach your Provincial Final and you are deserving of the seeding. In reality that's the same as now. Provincial Finalists are in quarter finals. The fact that 'a county' reaches that final and is not one of the 'stronger counties' should be irrelevant unless we want to reward the 4/5 counties who have dominated in the recent past.

[blewuporstuffed]

I would see that as a strength - seeding is merit based. Win or reach your Provincial Final and you are deserving of the seeding. In reality that's the same as now. Provincial Finalists are in quarter finals. The fact that 'a county' reaches that final and is not one of the 'stronger counties' should be irrelevant unless we want to reward the 4/5 counties who have dominated in the recent past.

The point is, that its much, much harder to reach an ulster final than any of the other provinces.
As it stands, cork and Kerry are almost guaranteed a provincial final spot every year the way it has been seeded.
contrast that with being drawn in the preliminary round in ulster (like tyrone & Donegal this year)