How is a fixed calendar for club possible?

[thewobbler]

So if I'm reading you right here, you think it might be better for every single club player to endure patchwork, ad hoc seasons, as the byproduct of this mess is that it is sometimes more difficult for a tiny percentage of players to step out completely?

I just don't get that.

Who's enduring anything?
If your county operates to a master fixtures plan, why is your season patchwork and ad hoc? If it doesn't, why not?
Is it a mess at all?

It's not a mess in Down because of the started system and league playoffs. It's been a bit disjointed in places the past 8-9 years as the league structure has been rebuilt so many times. But it would have been good this year.

But in terms of potential changes, going the first 5-8 league games without county players, instead of random dates in and out over 3 months, would be an improvement. County players wouldn't be cut in two from competing masters, and club managers could focus on tactics and personnel more clearly.

——

Down has had one of the best systems in the country for the past two decades. But it is underpinned by club acceptance  they'll be playing up to half their league without county men.

That's the brunt of my argument, and the bit that the CPA don't seem to wish to address

[five points]

Sounds good. I reckon most counties' fixtures are in reasonably good order although we'd never guess that from listening to the CPA.

[rosnarun]

When does under 21, sigerson happen?

Who cares? get rid of them and the worthless competitions that we run

I hope that's sarcasm
  they are the 2 most important completions out side the senior inter country . Yong lads learn its their responsibility   if they want to keep playing . for most its the 1st time going to training was not an obligation to their Club/family . no one cares in college  if you play or not .
I would love if there were b,c,and D competitions  to keep as many playing as possible , mays a good footballer lost his way in college for the want of a team to play with

[Rossfan]

Sounds good. I reckon most counties' fixtures are in reasonably good order although we'd never guess that from listening to the CPA.

The latest CPA rant that I'm reading in today's sports news sounds like a post on a forum at 2am from some lad who's been out on the town all night.
They threw their rattle out of the pram last year and walked away from the Fixtures Review group and seem to have become an irrelevance

[rrhf]

I have no doubt someone should be appointed then or just the role switched to a new And Possibly more Productive role. I would love to see the wage others costs bill benchmarked as good practice every 5 years against similar stadia and sporting organisations. I'd say they compare favourably but this fixture arguement has and I say this with a small d... too much democracy attached to it in an attempt to keep everyone happy, and not enough strong leadership in a bid to solve. If a common sense approach like the wobblers is unachievable in your and many opinions then it needs another approach which works first on paper and then practiced.

You do realise that county CCCs are run by volunteers?

Yes do you think there is a continuous problem with the broad frames work of timescales between club v county- an argument that the clubs may lose, and ultimately the players they have trained for years. Factors beyond the county boards control eg schools uniball, and provincial and all Ireland club not to mention the intercounty league championship and Mc Kenna cup. How can a county ccc solve this without it being addressed centrally.

[five points]

I have no doubt someone should be appointed then or just the role switched to a new And Possibly more Productive role. I would love to see the wage others costs bill benchmarked as good practice every 5 years against similar stadia and sporting organisations. I'd say they compare favourably but this fixture arguement has and I say this with a small d... too much democracy attached to it in an attempt to keep everyone happy, and not enough strong leadership in a bid to solve. If a common sense approach like the wobblers is unachievable in your and many opinions then it needs another approach which works first on paper and then practiced.

You do realise that county CCCs are run by volunteers?

Yes do you think there is a continuous problem with the broad frames work of timescales between club v county- an argument that the clubs may lose, and ultimately the players they have trained for years. Factors beyond the county boards control eg schools uniball, and provincial and all Ireland club not to mention the intercounty league championship and Mc Kenna cup. How can a county ccc solve this without it being addressed centrally.

There are central and provincial master fixture plans too.  County CCCs work within these parameters.

[Armagh Cúchulainns]

Long story short is that there are too many competitions for certain players with competitions overstretched to gain the most out of them in terms of revenues - inevitably this leads to overlapping commitments which will draw clashes.

Clubs want their players and at some ages want them for multiple teams and possibly committed to both Gaelic and Hurling.
Counties at senior level and underage are no different and then throw in Schools/Colleges.

Demands for players is the wrecking the player and ultimately the games suffer as a consequence.
I regularly speak to our underage players in my clubs that play with a number of teams and its cringeworthy what you hear.
These lads are 15-18 and its ridiculous what's asked of them yet in cases were we, as in the gaa family, force them from the game when it gets too much we all sit back and ignore it or say they werent cut out for it!!

The only way I see the GAA solving the overlap of players playing with multiple squads, multiple competitions, and competing training/match schedules is to go down a route similar to rugby where player availability is restricted to certain competitions.

Players have to put front and centre - not the people above them wanting to 'solve' the crisis while sitting with their rose tinted glasses on.

[FermGael]

https://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2020/0807/1157916-gpa-proposal-would-see-inter-county-season-end-by-july/


Fair play to the GPA.
Not their biggest fan but at least now they are showing leadership.
Its what needs to happen.

[rrhf]

Not a million miles off my thought process. I must have the inside track to the lads.

[sid waddell]

https://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2020/0807/1157916-gpa-proposal-would-see-inter-county-season-end-by-july/


Fair play to the GPA.
Not their biggest fan but at least now they are showing leadership.
Its what needs to happen.

It really isn't, though.

There is a continual overlooking of the fact that the inter-county scene is the GAA's shop window, that the GAA competes against professional sport for interest and thus competes with those sports for children and young people playing the games, that August and September have traditionally been the GAA's two biggest months in terms of attention - months in which most other major sports have a lull period - and that by giving up those two months, you're giving up attention to other sports. June and July is a much more crowded sporting environment with World Cups, Euros, Olympics every second year and Wimbledon, the British Open and the Tour de France on every year. Rugby's Lions Tour is a another quadrennial summer counter attraction.

Giving up your prime traditional months, months which offer you unchallenged attention, is idiotic in publicity and interest terms.

April is already designated as a club month. I wonder has anybody ever thought of running off the club championships between April and the end of June and then starting the inter-county championships in July and running through to October. It would offer a real shop window for club players to stake a claim for inter-county places and wring the maximum publicity out of what are traditionally sparse enough months in the general sporting environment.

[magpie seanie]

https://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2020/0807/1157916-gpa-proposal-would-see-inter-county-season-end-by-july/


Fair play to the GPA.
Not their biggest fan but at least now they are showing leadership.
Its what needs to happen.

It really isn't, though.

There is a continual overlooking of the fact that the inter-county scene is the GAA's shop window, that the GAA competes against professional sport for interest and thus competes with those sports for children and young people playing the games, that August and September have traditionally been the GAA's two biggest months in terms of attention - months in which most other major sports have a lull period - and that by giving up those two months, you're giving up attention to other sports. June and July is a much more crowded sporting environment with World Cups, Euros, Olympics every second year and Wimbledon, the British Open and the Tour de France on every year. Rugby's Lions Tour is a another quadrennial summer counter attraction.

Giving up your prime traditional months, months which offer you unchallenged attention, is idiotic in publicity and interest terms.

April is already designated as a club month. I wonder has anybody ever thought of running off the club championships between April and the end of June and then starting the inter-county championships in July and running through to October. It would offer a real shop window for club players to stake a claim for inter-county places and wring the maximum publicity out of what are traditionally sparse enough months in the general sporting environment.

I'm pretty sure that was one of the proposals from the Fixtures review committee. That report was really good and should be read by all people with an interest in GAA.

I think there are some downsides to completely separate club and county seasons but this enforced trial has shown there's a lot going for it too. The right balance is going to be impossible but certainty is what all players want.

[Rossfan]

The Fixtures Review Committee road show was aborted by the oul Covid.
Good to see them getting back into some action and I'm sure this unusual year's fixtures will have given them food for thought.
Mind you we had a totally closed season of three months which probably won't be happening again

[magpie seanie]

The Fixtures Review Committee road show was aborted by the oul Covid.
Good to see them getting back into some action and I'm sure this unusual year's fixtures will have given them food for thought.
Mind you we had a totally closed season of three months which probably won't be happening again

I actually think this is a case where a radical proposal wouldn't have really had a chance except we're getting a taste of it not due to unforeseen circumstances. If people feel it works it might gather momentum. There might be something to thank the oul Covid for!

[Farrandeelin]

Surely there has to be some form of club competition when the county competition is on in a hypothetical scenario if this kind of situation happened. It might not suit clubs with more county players than others, but it would at least keep players interested in the competitions.

[magpie seanie]

Surely there has to be some form of club competition when the county competition is on in a hypothetical scenario if this kind of situation happened. It might not suit clubs with more county players than others, but it would at least keep players interested in the competitions.

Yes, I personally think there should also be games without county players (and there are in a lot of counties) but the certainty and security of the championships must be secured first and foremost. Leagues without championship status implications for example.