Championship structure changes??

[borderfox]

Here we go, I nearly had it right!

The GAA has unveiled a controversial set of proposals that, if passed, would radically transform Gaelic football in Ireland. Under the new scheme, the National League would be scrapped as an independent competition and incorporated into a championship designed to guarantee every county at least 10 games.
By Mark Jones

DUBLIN — The GAA has unveiled a controversial set of proposals that, if passed, would radically transform Gaelic football in Ireland. Under the new scheme, the National League would be scrapped as an independent competition and incorporated into a championship designed to guarantee every county at least 10 games.

The proposed competition, which is expect to meet with stern resistance, would encompass two regions, north and south. The north would comprise the top seven counties in Ulster and the top four in Connacht. The south, meanwhile, would be made of up of the top seven in Leinster and the top four in Munster.

All remaining counties, including New York, would be accommodated in a third group also providing a minimum of 10 games per county on the way to an All Ireland B championship. The winning team would then be promoted to the premier competition.

However, the competition doesn't do away with the time-honored provincial semi-finals and finals. The four counties from Leinster and Munster who finish highest in their groups would qualify for their respective provincial semifinals.

The top three teams from both Munster and Connacht would qualify for the knockout stages in their provinces with the leading team going straight to the final and the next two contesting a semifinal.

Devised by the GAA's Football Development Committee, the reasoning behind the plan is to ensure that every county has a minimum of 10 games in a highly competitive structure. The games would be played in the March-June period while the provincial semifinals and finals, as well as the All Ireland semifinals and finals, would continue to be staged in the traditional July-September period.

Under the present system, teams have a series of National League games in the poor conditions of midwinter, and then after six intensive months of training, they could find themselves knocked out in the first round of the championship.

The proposals of the Football Development Committee, whose members include Colm O'Rourke, Eugene McGee, Martin Carney, Pat O'Neill, Noel Walsh and Art McRory, will have to be passed at the GAA's annual congress next April. The early indications are that they could well be rejected.

Some successful county boards may not want to contemplate a reduction in the gate receipts they currently enjoy with a two-tier League and Championship system. Clubs may also feel they will be short-changed by being left idle during the March to June period.

Traditionalists might also balk at the possibility of Mayo beating Derry in a last group game to create the situation of a Connacht team eliminating an Ulster county from the Ulster championship. By the same token, Kerry might remove Dublin from the knockout stages of the Leinster championship.

There also is likely to be strong resistance from some counties who might see the new format as one which could effectively preclude them from competing in their own provincial championship.

On current standings, the North group would consist of Mayo, Galway, Roscommon, Sligo, Armagh, Down, Derry, Tyrone, Donegal, Fermanagh, Cavan.

The South group would be Meath, Dublin, Laois, Offaly, Louth, Kildare, Westmeath, Cork, Kerry, Tipperary, Clare.

Meanwhile, the B championship group would consist of Monaghan, Wicklow, Leitrim, Wexford, Carlow, Longford, New York, Antrim, London, Limerick, Waterford.

Aer Lingus will be rubbing their hands at that!

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Well Martin McHugh must be reading this message board, he was on rte radio1 this evening talking about doing awau with the provincial championships and replacing with a champions league type draw

[brokencrossbar1]

Well Martin McHugh must be reading this message board, he was on rte radio1 this evening talking about doing awau with the provincial championships and replacing with a champions league type draw

davesporstdesk is probably the researcher for the program and that's why it came up here!

[GTB]

Good to see they have their finger on the mood of the nation then!!