Tailteann Cup 2025

[Duine Inteacht Eile]

Sure get rid of the Tailteann cup, let those counties ( who at the start actually compete to be in the Sam Maguire) be out of championship from the moment they get bate in their championship.

Less games and less annoyance

Sounds fair. We did similar when we gassed the Tommy Murphy Cup.
Most would rather they were back playing club football anyway.

So you're not into a tier competition set up at intercounty, but ok at club level or is it a pointless range of competitions?

Stop comparing club and county. It's futile.

But.....it's not about me or what I think*. It's the supporters of all these counties. They aren't on board. I don't think you'll get them on board. We couldn't do it for Tommy Murphy either.

* Antrim went rightly in this competition in previous years. I watched with some interest but meh really. The competition isn't "below" Antrim btw but it didn't really interest me. I don't think I can help that.

Why? Surely a realistic chance at winning something is more appealing than watching them getting clippings or at best a morale boosting performance?

Maybe if they'd have won it I might have felt differently, I don't know.

It doesn't take you to win something to know if you've progressed at all. If Antrim got to an All Ireland quarter final, and got hockeyed, I'd take that!!

Hurling or football.

[Wildweasel74]

G how did that penalty stay out!

[trileacman]

Would you really rather the old system where you might play two games and you are gone? Or maybe you would prefer to get walloped by 20 points playing the best in the country. A great way to treat the players, management and fans. 20 quid to see your team get destroyed. Players getting disillusioned after training all winter to be eliminated in two games. What a reward.

Or compete in the competition you are in and support your team trying to win it.

Today proves people would rather pay 20 quid watching their team get destroyed than watch the Tailteann Cup. Yeah I'd rather a county going through a trough got their 2 beatings and were gone back to club football than the current structure.

For plently of fallow years Fermanagh, Wicklow, Westmeath, Louth, Wexford and Lognford got their beatings and were glad their seasons were over. Sometimes they'd bad squads, bad managers or a lot of injuries but every 10 or 15 years they'd have a great run or secure a cracking victory that would lift them off the floor for a while and keep the flame of IC football alive in those counties. Dragging out seasons for teams like Clare, Kildare or Fermanagh, when they're so clearly in a trough period serves no-one.

We desperately need to go back to the 2 division structure so teams can get regular exposure to the teams above them to see the tactics, fitness and dedication that they need to employ to compete with them. It was the backbone of the nineties and noughties period when smaller counties achieved so absolutely cracking results. The advent of the 4 teir league has driven a lot of smaller counties backward. Also giving the minnows home adavantage in the qualifiers so they get a slightly better chance, (remember fortress Aughrim, Newbridge or Nowhere).

There's plenty of other changes we could make to give smaller teams a fighting chance but no-one wants to consider them or discuss them. Instead we want to press them off into the periphery like we've done with the hurling structure and ignore it whilst they wither on the vine. It's sad to see that Gaels would rather have county teams disappear off stage than watch them take a hammering every so often.

[Lazer]

Sure get rid of the Tailteann cup, let those counties ( who at the start actually compete to be in the Sam Maguire) be out of championship from the moment they get bate in their championship.

Less games and less annoyance

Sounds fair. We did similar when we gassed the Tommy Murphy Cup.
Most would rather they were back playing club football anyway.

So you're not into a tier competition set up at intercounty, but ok at club level or is it a pointless range of competitions?

Stop comparing club and county. It's futile.

But.....it's not about me or what I think*. It's the supporters of all these counties. They aren't on board. I don't think you'll get them on board. We couldn't do it for Tommy Murphy either.

* Antrim went rightly in this competition in previous years. I watched with some interest but meh really. The competition isn't "below" Antrim btw but it didn't really interest me. I don't think I can help that.

Why? Surely a realistic chance at winning something is more appealing than watching them getting clippings or at best a morale boosting performance?

Maybe if they'd have won it I might have felt differently, I don't know.

It doesn't take you to win something to know if you've progressed at all. If Antrim got to an All Ireland quarter final, and got hockeyed, I'd take that!!

Hurling or football.

Exactly..As a Down fan, making the last 12 and coming close to Galway in  a very exciting match is a far better achievement than winning the Tailteann cup..I think a lot of our players were on record as saying the most important about winning the Tailteann is getting the place in the "All" Ireland.

Getting a few games against difficult better teams has been a far better challenge and we have progressed a lot better than being in last years Tailteann cup.

We are now back in division 3, and given how strong ulster is, it will be very difficult for Down to get into the All Ireland again next year.

Players, managers and supporters all want to be in the fight for Sam (even if they get kicked out early!)

If we are really going to insist on a 2 tier championship, we need a 3 tier one..

[Milltown Row2]

Down or the rest of the teams were never out of the Sam Maguire? Had that changed? Am I missing something?

[From the Bunker]

The buy in involves creating a legacy. You have to sacrifice profit initially. Charge less into games. Free in for under 18. Give the TV rights to TG4. Have the winners qualify for the AI QF.

Games in Croke Park create a sterile atmosphere and swallow up even the most decent of crowds.

Give the winners a tour.

Brand the Competition as The All Ireland Intermediate Football title.
While still calling it the Tailteann Cup.

Players and fans buy into AI titles.

[trileacman]

Sure get rid of the Tailteann cup, let those counties ( who at the start actually compete to be in the Sam Maguire) be out of championship from the moment they get bate in their championship.

Less games and less annoyance

Sounds fair. We did similar when we gassed the Tommy Murphy Cup.
Most would rather they were back playing club football anyway.

So you're not into a tier competition set up at intercounty, but ok at club level or is it a pointless range of competitions?

Stop comparing club and county. It's futile.

But.....it's not about me or what I think*. It's the supporters of all these counties. They aren't on board. I don't think you'll get them on board. We couldn't do it for Tommy Murphy either.

* Antrim went rightly in this competition in previous years. I watched with some interest but meh really. The competition isn't "below" Antrim btw but it didn't really interest me. I don't think I can help that.

Why? Surely a realistic chance at winning something is more appealing than watching them getting clippings or at best a morale boosting performance?

It's a straw man argument comparing club and county too. Most parishes are a few thousand people, getting 15 really good footballers is a hard thing for them to do, most of the smaller ones without a football tradition will struggle to do it when compared to the larger, more traditional parishes. It's a lot easier for counties with a thousand or more players to choose from to be able to piece together 15 really good players.

I'm not suggesting we should have 32 counties with the equal chance of winning, but we should lend a hand to 1 or 2 underdogs going through a purple patch for a few years and give them a chance to beat a top tier team. And if that means a certain amount of trimming so be it. The championship has always had hammerings and yet it survived and prospered. Hiding the smaller counties out of view in a separate championship entombs them in perpetual mediocrity.

[Duine Inteacht Eile]

Down or the rest of the teams were never out of the Sam Maguire? Had that changed? Am I missing something?

He backed that up....

Dropping to Div 3 probably means Down need to reach an Ulster final to get into the Sam Maguire. That's not an easy task at the moment. There are certainly easier paths to it.....

[Rossfan]

Down or the rest of the teams were never out of the Sam Maguire? Had that changed? Am I missing something?

Ah just some Gaaboarders who love a good rant especially a negative one and get a dig at the GAA powers that be as well.

[trileacman]

The buy in involves creating a legacy. You have to sacrifice profit initially. Charge less into games. Free in for under 18. Give the TV rights to TG4. Have the winners qualify for the AI QF.

Games in Croke Park create a sterile atmosphere and swallow up even the most decent of crowds.

Give the winners a tour.

Brand the Competition as The All Ireland Intermediate Football title.
While still calling it the Tailteann Cup.

Players and fans buy into AI titles.

Jesus Christ we tried all this with the Railway Cup, no-one cared and it died a death. Insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results.

[trileacman]

Down or the rest of the teams were never out of the Sam Maguire? Had that changed? Am I missing something?

Ah just some Gaaboarders who love a good rant especially a negative one and get a dig at the GAA powers that be as well.

So you think the TC is a success?

[Duine Inteacht Eile]

Down or the rest of the teams were never out of the Sam Maguire? Had that changed? Am I missing something?

Ah just some Gaaboarders who love a good rant especially a negative one and get a dig at the GAA powers that be as well.

Not quite. Fermanagh were getting it in the neck when I entered the discussion. They should like the competition and that's that....according to some Gaaboarders.

[Milltown Row2]

Down or the rest of the teams were never out of the Sam Maguire? Had that changed? Am I missing something?

He backed that up....

Dropping to Div 3 probably means Down need to reach an Ulster final to get into the Sam Maguire. That's not an easy task at the moment. There are certainly easier paths to it.....

But it's still available and up to them.. the door isn't shut, win or at least get to a provincial final and you're in, if you ain't good enough to be a div 2 team or can't win two (sometimes) games then you probably won't get too far, so players can concentrate on their clubs.

As I've said I personally prefer less games, senior championship should only be the top teams in first two divisions and a seeded straight knockout out for me

[Duine Inteacht Eile]

I'm not against your view.

However, the route to qualifying for Sam Maguire should be the same for all. That's not currently the case. And before I'm accused of whinging for Ulster (which I am), Leinster has 11 teams in it ffs.

[The Boy Wonder]

Down or the rest of the teams were never out of the Sam Maguire? Had that changed? Am I missing something?

He backed that up....

Dropping to Div 3 probably means Down need to reach an Ulster final to get into the Sam Maguire. That's not an easy task at the moment. There are certainly easier paths to it.....

But it's still available and up to them.. the door isn't shut, win or at least get to a provincial final and you're in, if you ain't good enough to be a div 2 team or can't win two (sometimes) games then you probably won't get too far, so players can concentrate on their clubs.

As I've said I personally prefer less games, senior championship should only be the top teams in first two divisions and a seeded straight knockout out for me

Ridiculous - you would deny a Division 3 counties like Kildare & Offaly a shot at Division 2 counties like Louth and Westmeath ? Kildare and Offaly had far more pedigree in Leinster Football than Louth & Westmeath.