Antrim Football Thread

[imtommygunn]

If you look in a few other county threads reserve games seem to be dying a death there too. Generally the players who will get through to seniors from reserves will get through after a couple of years maximum you'd imagine.

[Milltown Row2]

We lost umpteen amount of players who tried and failed to get on a senior team that was well established, players who'd won multiple minor and under 21 titles, cracking players who couldn't break into the championship team.

These players didn't even want to play reserve, I was in my mid 30's turning out for the reserves, when we'd lads who trained all year and waited to get a game from the bench!

[EOC1923]

There has to be an alternative to reserves, it has become a joke over the course of 20 years. We're giving lads who leave minor and don't burst straight into their senior team absolutely no hope of meaningful football.
Even the name 'reserves' needs rebranded. What about a separate championship of a different name for the second team of one code clubs who are striving to improve?
St Johns no 'reserve' football team by the way, what a joke that is!!

Would there be enough single code clubs of a similar standard at reserve to make that worthwhile?
I imagine they are all SW? I'm sure SW board could arrange something like the Laverty Cup. Though even that is not without its problems.

aghagallon, cargin and portglenone. Round robin championship keep everyone happy

You are laughing but if that was the reserve competition,  add in creggan and st brigids it's way better than what's there now.

It wouldn't be for one code clubs then.

Yeah but creggan and st brigids always field strong teams in reserve football

[EOC1923]

Though St Brigid's lost their reserve championship game to St Galls, who you aren't allowing into the competition.

Latta ballix.

Jesus you are hard work, I stated reserve football isn't working, I forgot about St Galls.

[EOC1923]

So, St Galls are in now meaning that only half the clubs are single code.

Why did you state that it was only for single code clubs if that wasn't really important? That's a bit odd.

I appreciate your frustration with how the current competition has panned out for Cargin. It's unfortunate.

Ignore all my comments from now on, thanks.

[EOC1923]

Ok, you would prefer to post nonsense entirely unopposed. You go for it.

If you think it nonsense that someone suggests improving the football structures then we don't have much in common DII. By the way wheres that setting to delete all historical posts you use? The nonsense I talk I could do with it.

[EOC1923]

Replace the term I used 'one code clubs' with 'clubs with strong senior and reserve teams'. My bad.

[Milltown Row2]

The reserves or seconds competition has unfortunately been never at the forefront of the clubs, it suffers because the clubs senior team needs to dip into it to help with injuries, holidays, working commitments and so on, in the height of summer it's the most depleted team in the club.

It was, in my book as a player in both codes a great place to either retire from senior hurling and enjoy a decent enough standard of football, when we played the teams in all county football I think at one point along with Cargin we'd 3 teams in the leagues.

The divisional games on a Monday and Thursday also gave the reserves another game, you could end up playing 4 games a week if you were playing both.

Numbers have dropped after minor that's one issues also back in the day minors and under 16's all played senior if selected, that's taken a chuck of players away.

I don't know what the best plan would be, different time of year to run games or dedicate a day in the week away from senior games, but officiating them is a stretch only 7 days in a week, put them back into the leagues?

[asaffgael]

Definitely think the reserve games need to be switched back to before the senior games. Lads on senior bench could play first half then 10mins in senior game. Plus crowd landing down for the senior game always caught the end of the senior game.

No one waits around until 3.45 on a Sunday to watch a reserve game & the senior who played 10mins doesn't want to play in the game either.

[NorthAntrim]

Where would the top reserve team sit at in ACFL ranks.(cargin at present) Serious question

[imtommygunn]

Honestly not far off the lower tiers in division 1 I would say. Top of division 2 / lower part of division 1. (They have always been round that level I would say - won intermediate a few times when allowed in it)

[EOC1923]

Our delegates reported back from a fixtures meeting earlier this season, Loughguile I think it was in hurling, and St Galls and possibly St Brigids in football wanted to take their reserve teams out of the reserve leagues and place them in Div 2 or 3. Chairman very vocal in not allowing it, and promised that the reserves would be a success this year and just to stick with it. We go around in circles every year and the last 50 years.

[NorthAntrim]

The hurling is trickier imo. Div 1 reserves would more than likely be top end of division 2 chasing winning the league. I think Cargin reserves could potentially finish top half of Div 2 but wouldnt be in the mix for winning it esp with the knock on effect from county during the leagues

[NorthAntrim]

A restructure would make our leagues more competative. There is too big of a gap between top of 2 and bottom and an even bigger gap between top of 3 and bottom

[Milltown Row2]

You can restructure all day long but you'll always have good teams and weaker teams in the leagues. The divisions are fine, teams just need to 'get better' or raise the standard.