Would you be in favour of a second tier?

[SCFC]

I think it has to be done before long.

[Captain Scarlet]

There is no way a county board or the county team will have the stomach to take the drop, even if every shred of logic tells them that they are not able to compete at this level.

I am playing in my head the scenes at the county board meetings with that being discussed up and down the country. Anyone here who has ever been to one close their eyes and you can imagine the people going red in the face talking about this.
As I said no county will agree to it no matter what the facts will say.
I for one voted undecided as I honestly don't know until there is more definite parameters. I think dumping all Div 3 and 4 teams down is the cleanest method and would mean the league would be given even more attention but is a nuclear option vefore we even really go for more restructuring within the current system.

If things stay as they are then the suits in Croke Park will be blamed but the grassroots are the ones who will shout loudest against an A and B option.
As I say there is no real logic to it. You have lads from Junior clubs who are playing county and they look around their dressing room back home and accept that is their level. In their hearts they must look around the county dressing room and realise that coming up against certain teams they just are not able to compete.
But for the club it is OK and if they won a county junior title it would be a source of pride. But trying to bring that into intercounty seems to be just a case of not swallowing pride.

[sligoman2]

"There is no way a county board or the county team will have the stomach to take the drop, even if every shred of logic tells them that they are not able to compete at this level."


There is no drop in my proposal, you still play in the provincial championship and you get an opportunity to re-enter ar a later stage if you make it to the final of the second tier competition.  For many teams it means more games and a chance at winning some silverware.

Sligo have won one connacht championship since 1975 which is 42 years, surely players would like a chance at winning something in the championship.....

[Syferus]

"There is no way a county board or the county team will have the stomach to take the drop, even if every shred of logic tells them that they are not able to compete at this level."


There is no drop in my proposal, you still play in the provincial championship and you get an opportunity to re-enter ar a later stage if you make it to the final of the second tier competition.  For many teams it means more games and a chance at winning some silverware.

Sligo have won one connacht championship since 1975 which is 42 years, surely players would like a chance at winning something in the championship.....

Dust off the trophy cabinet lads, Tommy Murphy Mark II is on the way!

[Hardy]

Everybody's done very well, really.

[Rossfan]

When in reality some counties have a V8 engine and others have a 1 litre petrol and no matter how that 1 litre is souped up will always come a distant second.

We'll put.
Honda 50s v Harley Davidsons in the same race.
Wonder who'll win?

[Syferus]

When in reality some counties have a V8 engine and others have a 1 litre petrol and no matter how that 1 litre is souped up will always come a distant second.

We'll put.
Honda 50s v Harley Davidsons in the same race.
Wonder who'll win?

The one with enough diesel.

Too many here trying to reducing this to a cute little one line methapor. It will never fit.

[Rossfan]

17 Counties - 10% of Provincial titles in 25 years.
20 if you add in the non achievers with big populations ( Antrim Louth Wicklow)
So 35% of Counties win 90% of the Provincials.

Now Syfīn there's 4 lines for you.

[Esmarelda]

17 Counties - 10% of Provincial titles in 25 years.
20 if you add in the non achievers with big populations ( Antrim Louth Wicklow)
So 35% of Counties win 90% of the Provincials.

Now Syfīn there's 4 lines for you.

But is that dissimilar to other sports?
Premier Leauge - 25 odd years and six winners. Two of whom have won it once each.
Scottish Premier League - Two winners in about 30 years
Spanish League - Three winners - Four winners in 17 years, with Atletico winning it once and Valenica twice, the last of which is 13 years ago.

I know I've only quoted soccer, as it's all I otherwise follow, but I think you know that there's more to entering than winning.

Horses with no chance of winning the Grand National enter every year. At every Olympics you see athletes and swimmers finishing double digit seconds behind the winners of the heats.

[Keyser soze]

We need a competition that everybody wins in turn. Or maybe everybody could get a wee cup and some medals every year.

[Rossfan]

Full time Professional sports where all the best players move to the top teams and get very well paid for playing endless series of games.

I know Ballinameen will never win the Ros Co Championship.
They play in the Junior which they have a chance of winning.
Some Inter Clubs have a chance of winning, others fight to preserve their Inter status.
Same at Senior.
Indeed in Roscommon we have 2 "tiers" in both Senior and Inter.

Leitrim will never win the Senior AI.
16 other Counties won't either for population or hurley reasons.
Then there's Louth Antrim Wicklow ( + what do we do with Kildare and the Rhubarbs😁).

[Esmarelda]

Full time Professional sports where all the best players move to the top teams and get very well paid for playing endless series of games.

I know Ballinameen will never win the Ros Co Championship.
They play in the Junior which they have a chance of winning.
Some Inter Clubs have a chance of winning, others fight to preserve their Inter status.
Same at Senior.
Indeed in Roscommon we have 2 "tiers" in both Senior and Inter.

Leitrim will never win the Senior AI.
16 other Counties won't either for population or hurley reasons.
Then there's Louth Antrim Wicklow ( + what do we do with Kildare and the Rhubarbs😁).

The supporters of these teams keep attending the games though and I don't think the type of Olympians I mentioned climb much of a ladder.

My point is that there is more to sport that winning and I think that, regardless of your view on this topic, that it's very clear that this is the case in the inter-county scene.

[Rossfan]

Only one team can win in any competition but putting Honda 50s racing Harley Davidsons......
Even the Hurling crowd don't do that - they have in effect 5 tiers.

[Esmarelda]

Only one team can win in any competition but putting Honda 50s racing Harley Davidsons......
Even the Hurling crowd don't do that - they have in effect 5 tiers.

But you seem to be ignoring the point I'm making.

[Rossfan]

Is it that people still go to games?
Lesser numbers though as people are pointing out in earlier posts.
2009/10/11 Ros played Leitrim 3 years in a row. Each game drew around 13k.
Last 3 meetings we're talking 8.5k.