Ulster Colleges

[BigGreenField]

Is Abbey Vocational a stand alone school and the Southwest Donegal team is a bit of an amalgamation?

Are Omagh fancied for the final again along with Magherafelt?

SW Donegal is an amalgamation of the schools in Killybegs, Carrick, Glenties, Rosses (Dungloe) and Gweedore.

Abbey VS is a single school in Donegal Town.

Damien Diver, who is the county board person in charge of coaching, said previously he was looking at the possibility of other amalgamations to give young lads a chance to play at a higher level.

I don't think Gaoth Dobhair and Na Rossa are in SW Donegal?

Either that or it's a massive catchment area.

The old SW Donegal Dail constituency was way bigger!

But yeah, maybe "west Donegal" would have been more accurate.

That's not fair, is it?

How many schools?

At some point with amalgamations you begin to lose the point of what schools football is about, certainly helps in preparing future county players but shouldn't be then be all and end all.

[skeog]

Con job its a U/20 Donegal panel.

[J70]

Is Abbey Vocational a stand alone school and the Southwest Donegal team is a bit of an amalgamation?

Are Omagh fancied for the final again along with Magherafelt?

SW Donegal is an amalgamation of the schools in Killybegs, Carrick, Glenties, Rosses (Dungloe) and Gweedore.

Abbey VS is a single school in Donegal Town.

Damien Diver, who is the county board person in charge of coaching, said previously he was looking at the possibility of other amalgamations to give young lads a chance to play at a higher level.

I don't think Gaoth Dobhair and Na Rossa are in SW Donegal?

Either that or it's a massive catchment area.

The old SW Donegal Dail constituency was way bigger!

But yeah, maybe "west Donegal" would have been more accurate.

That's not fair, is it?

How many schools?

At some point with amalgamations you begin to lose the point of what schools football is about, certainly helps in preparing future county players but shouldn't be then be all and end all.

Are all the lads going to these big northern schools all heading to their nearest secondary school in the morning like the lads from Donegal?

[J70]

Is Abbey Vocational a stand alone school and the Southwest Donegal team is a bit of an amalgamation?

Are Omagh fancied for the final again along with Magherafelt?

SW Donegal is an amalgamation of the schools in Killybegs, Carrick, Glenties, Rosses (Dungloe) and Gweedore.

Abbey VS is a single school in Donegal Town.

Damien Diver, who is the county board person in charge of coaching, said previously he was looking at the possibility of other amalgamations to give young lads a chance to play at a higher level.

I don't think Gaoth Dobhair and Na Rossa are in SW Donegal?

Either that or it's a massive catchment area.

The old SW Donegal Dail constituency was way bigger!

But yeah, maybe "west Donegal" would have been more accurate.

That's not fair, is it?

How many schools?

Five schools like I said.

What's fair? That a lad from a small, local rural school has no chance whatsoever of playing serious schools football without an amalgamation like this?

Abbey VS are strong at the moment due to the production line Four Masters have coming through, but outside of that, the only lads in Donegal who every get a chance to play at this level are the Letterkenny area lads who go to St. Eunans when every thirty years or so a generational player like Michael Murphy temporarily lifts the squad up to that level.

Why should Donegal not get the chance to improve their underage players in this manner like the likes of Tyrone, Armagh, Down and Derry?

[gallsman]

At some point with amalgamations you begin to lose the point of what schools football is about, certainly helps in preparing future county players but shouldn't be then be all and end all.

Pray tell, what is the "point" of schools football exactly? Because your follow-up comment is precisely what schools football in the north has become in the last 20 years.

[Wildweasel74]

Cause they mostly single schools. St Mary's Magherafelt for yrs didn't play Macrory, unbalanced boy-girl enrolement. They got hammered, should they been allowed to join St Pius, pick up any Catholics at the Rainey and enter a All Magherafelt team. If teams are not strong enough, that' what McLarnon was for. Amalgamation is no of schools combined, not sure how they were allowed to enter the MacRory Cup.

[dec]

Are all the lads going to these big northern schools all heading to their nearest secondary school in the morning like the lads from Donegal?

Some of the grammar schools would have a big catchment area, in Newry St. Colmans and the Abbey would have boys coming in from a good bit of South Armagh and South Down.

[gallsman]

Because maybe some people think a greater ideal for underage football is that as many people capable of playing at as high a level of football as possible get to do so, rather than trying to satisfy the unquenchable thirst for vicarious glory of a load of alumni on the internet.

[dec]

Do the schools that are part of the amalgamation have single school teams for those who aren't good enough for the amalgamation (maybe playing in one of the lower competitions). The amalgamation is obviously good for the few from each school who make the team, not so good for those that would be on their own school team if it existed.

[J70]

Do the schools that are part of the amalgamation have single school teams for those who aren't good enough for the amalgamation (maybe playing in one of the lower competitions). The amalgamation is obviously good for the few from each school who make the team, not so good for those that would be on their own school team if it existed.

Had a quick look - both Gaoth Dobhair and Glenties schools made the quarters of the Markey Cup, GD are still in it at the semi stage. No idea if the amalgamation players from either played, or what the other schools are at. I'd imagine their normal teams would still go ahead.

[Targetman]

From a Down perspective its been another poor year for schools at senior level, Abbey and Colmans beat in 1/4 finals of Mc Rory and Red High and St Malachys the same in Mc Larnon, its not looking great for future!!

[SaffronSports]

Would there be a few schools from Belfast that could amalgamate to create a team or would they still be well off the pace?

[DownFanatic]

From a Down perspective its been another poor year for schools at senior level, Abbey and Colmans beat in 1/4 finals of Mc Rory and Red High and St Malachys the same in Mc Larnon, its not looking great for future!!

Another very disappointing year for our schools. Plans afoot I see to send GDO's into our secondary schools. This is a move in the right direction. Just thinking as well. We've one Ulster MFC title in the past 36 years and that was in 1999.

[ShutterinbyDayGAAbyNight]

I remember an instance where Inis Eoghain (an amalgamated team) had 11 starting players from the same school (Carndonagh CS) playing. When Inis Eoghain were knocked out of the McLarnon the 11 starting players played the very next week in the Markey Cup knockout for Carndonagh. Seemed quite unfair to me back then.

[Smokin Joe]

What is the purpose of the Macrory Cup?

Is it a trophy that is awarded to the "best" school football team in Ulster that year, or is it to give students the chance to play at the highest level in schools football in Ulster?
I think that needs to be clarified.

If it is the chance for students to play at the highest level (and so amalgamations are allowed) then why would the same logic not apply at club football where divisional teams or amalgamations could enter provincial or national competitions?  This would give more club footballers the chance to test themselves at the highest level (to use Damian Diver's line of thinking).