club v club?

[Aristotle Flynn]

One man one club - only way to go. You cant have people playing for differnt clubs in the same competition. UCD could be allowed to enter if all the students were banned from turning out for the home clubs in league or championship. Let's see how strong they are then?

[Maximus Marillius]

It would be very interesting to find out what would happen ifthis was challenged at court if a club player took himself off to another club in another county to play championship football with them after his own club was beaten in the championship. Applying the principle that the allows players this to do this with the aforementioned university the outcome of the court hearing would be interesting

[highking]

Was watching a program last week and heard that nearly 24,000 attend UCD. He also said it was the same population as county Leitrim. Ok half are female and half that left arent involved in sports - but that still leaves about 6,000 lads between 18 and 25 who are eligible to play. Remember also that these guys are probably inteligent, come from a good family background and have a few € in the background supporting them.

Thats some pick - it would be very easy to get two teams out of that to win a Dublin County Title - never mind one. The O'Cuív situation is disgracefull in that 8 teams are held up for one player. It cannot be justified....

[dubnut]

"heres a querie if ucd beat rhode will mcnamee be able to play for them in the next round?"

No.
If UCD played in the Offaly championship and beat Rhode he would have been allowed play for UCD in Leinster despite having been beaten by them in the county championship.
You can only play for one or the other in your county championship, then Leinster is seperate, so you CAN switch teams between county championship and Leinster.

[magpie seanie]

Why have the Dulbin clubs not stopped this. Around now is the time for submission of motions for county conventions. Stop this madness now - its a total joke.

[Blue Boy]

Interesting feature about this topic on Setanta.com:


Articles such as this are most often spawned by the success of the privileged and the disgruntlement of the proletariat.

UCD's footballers, the former in this case, are through to the Dublin County final and should they win, a tired, unshakeable argument will revolve around bar stools in the capital once more.

Had the students been knocked out of the championship by now, such articles would struggle for a column inch. But a team comprising a United Nations-esque band of intercounty stars is winning in an environment where sense of place is held most dearly.

Take one player: Paul Earls, the UCD right corner forward. Earls lined out for his home club, Wicklow County champions St Patrick's, against Moorefield of Kildare in an AIB Leinster Club SFC first-round defeat. Though his side were beaten 0-12 to 0-8 by the Lilywhite kingpins, Earls is still playing club championship football for his college.

Offaly's star intercounty forward Niall McNamee is another example on the college side. His club, Rhode, the Faithful County champions, are set to play Palatine of Carlow in the first round of the provincial competition. If UCD progress in the Dublin final, he will have to choose to play for club or college. Indeed, it is not inconceivable that after helping UCD through to the AIB Leinster Club SFC, McNamee could end up playing against his college team mates for Rhode.

It all begs the question: is it fair that the elite have two chances of club success, while the majority have just one shot at glory?

There are 32 separate county championship competitions, which each produce a champion club that goes on to contest the provincial and, if successful, All-Ireland Club series. The Ulster, Leinster, Connacht and Munster Club tournaments and the All-Ireland competition are an extension of the county championships but are effectively considered separate entities. So, a player can, with certain stipulations, play for two clubs in two different county championships but only one club once the GAA calendar reaches the provincial series.

For most Gaelic footballers and hurlers the ultimate goal is to win and All-Ireland title with their club and not with their county as might be commonly understood. Take this little theory: by contesting one county championship successfully for their college and another for their home club, they then most likely apply themselves under their club's flag in the provincial series. Are they then depriving another club player the opportunity to compete in the latter stages of the club season?

It's difficult to criticise the individual in such a situation but it's not a question of the little Dutch boy and the dyke when it comes to the rules at county board or even provincial council level.

Universities generally have more resources than clubs and sometimes spend as much money on their panel as is spent on senior intercounty squads.
Third level outfits also have the advantage in that they can effectively handpick players with scholarships and other incentives, while clubs predominantly have to work with the hand they are dealt, generally from a small parish area.

UCD did not contest the Dublin championship for a long period between the 1970s and late 1990s. But in less than a decade they have won three Senior Hurling Championships, three U21 Hurling Championships, two U21 Football Championships and one Senior Football Championship.

Many of their playing body do not have full-time jobs unlike most club players. The University has the largest student population in Ireland and the biggest scholarship scheme in the country. Their medal haul in the senior championships in recent years is better than any other club in the capital.
A quick analysis of UCD's starting XV suggests they are in rude health in terms of intercounty. Aside from McNamee and Earls, both senior intercounty stars, Shane Lennon, who scored the winning goal against Kilmacud Crokes in the Dublin SFC semi-final, played for Louth this year.

Dermot Geraghty, Paddy Navin and Austin O'Malley all have senior games under their belt with Mayo, while Billy Sheehan was a driving force in Laois' forward lines in 2006.
Cavan's Sean Brady and Mark Ward of Meath are amongst a number of other senior intercounty stars that comprise the UCD side.

Whether having a United Nations style line-up in a County Championship appreciates or depreciates the competition's health is debatable. But it is certainly a case of the rich getting richer if an elite footballer or hurler can have two chances of club success while the average club player has just once opportunity.

By Jim Lalor

[Corner Back]

Hard to argue with that!

[Josey Whales]

I'm shouting for ucd - because we need the country clubs on board to throw them out. The further they get the better for everyone. It is only when they are successful at leinster and all-ireland level- that they will be thrown out of our county chmpionship- until then they will be the bane of our existence in vincents. Of the 10 county finals UCD have won in recent years they have beaten vincents in six. need i say more.

[dubnut]

Well done Rhode!!!!

Although I agree with Josey re UCD doing well, its the only way the rest of the country will know whats going on.
I live in Meath and many of them presumed before the Dublin final that Wolf Tones would be playing Vincents either way as they assumed UCD wouldnt be allowed in Leinster.

The pricks 

[Fionntamhnach]

A rule should be very clear cut to exclude UCD and any other university/IT from club competitions...

A club which enters a team in the Sigerson or Trench cup shall not be permitted in the same year to compete in the Senior, Intermediate, Junior or Under 21 club football championship of any county. Also a club which enters a team in the Fitzgibbon or Ryan cup shall not be permitted in the same year to compete in the Senior, Intermediate, Junior or Under 21 club hurling championship of any county.

I'd reckon that if QUB or UUJ, maybe even St.Mary's were allowed to compete in the Antrim SFC, the club sides in the county could forget about it around 80% of the time.