Antrim Hurling

[btdtgtt]

But that's my point, why do we have a build up of games at business end of season as you call it? If the games are played consistently then there shouldn't be a build up. Already been highlighted the way our leagues run where you get 3 games in a week then nothing for 4 weeks does nobody any good. And its not just down to county demands. Bad communication resulting in bad laid out plans/fixtures. Ulster league is supposed to be pre season comp so shouldn't have any bearing on end of season. Our leagues start in april and yet we can't have them wrapped up by august?.

+1

[theskull1]

Take a closer look at a busy dual clubs fixture list and tell me that theres alot of down time. I thinks thats a lie that seems to bandied around but doesnt stack up when you look at the facts

[johnneycool]

Take a closer look at a busy dual clubs fixture list and tell me that theres alot of down time. I thinks thats a lie that seems to bandied around but doesnt stack up when you look at the facts

But at the same time do you think 14 league games are enough for the ordinary club hurler to develop over the year as is the current set up?

The Ulster league are glorified friendlies and you could end up out of the championship after 60 minutes?

The dual clubs have problems in this regard, no doubt, but I think its unfair that hurling and football only clubs may be held back because of it.

I'm maybe coming from a different perspective than the Antrim scenario as our seniors and reserves in particular play an inordinate amount of hurling in the months of april, may and june in Down leagues and Antrim leagues but SFA in july and August due to Down dual clubs footballing commitments and then low and behold we're playing 'championship' games in November which do nothing to promote hurling as no one gives a shíte at that time of year.

[theskull1]

Take a closer look at a busy dual clubs fixture list and tell me that theres alot of down time. I thinks thats a lie that seems to bandied around but doesnt stack up when you look at the facts

Just to back up what I'm saying. Heres the games a dual player in Dunloy gets through. Not much slacking. Would have been more but out footballers got chinned in the first round of the championship. So thats 48 games in a 34 week season

                        Feb   Mar   Apr   May   Jun   Jul   Aug   Sep   Oct      Totals
Football             1      3      4       5      3      5      1                               22
Hurling              3      2      4       2      4      5      1      3      1               26
Total                 4      5      8       7      7      10    2      3      1               48

[btdtgtt]

Antrim leagues come first skull.

Ulster league & feis for example dont involve all clubs so others can't be held to ransom over these.

Belfast dual clubs still suffer from 3games a week - then 3/4 weeks off. Quit with the shutdown for the sake of the minority of county players and spread fixtures out more. Particularly the summer months when players love to be busy.

[thegladiator]

i played in dublin for a few years, junior hurling and intermediate football. in 1 season we had 29 hurling games between league, cup and championship. the reason was because of the will of the clubs to play games. surely lads would rather play than train. our board seem to have a mission to kill off the dual player by crazy fixtures. we have played football on saturday at 7pm then a hurling match the next day at 3 pm in carey. its madness. even if we played2 games a week for 26 weeks during march- sept enough time for 52 games, that leaves plenty of time for championship prep.  i think we played 18 football league games and 14 hurling games this season. that leaves 20 possible match days (10 weeks of the season) free. our fixtures gang decide that playing a 1/4 of our league games in july is a good idea. as i say madness!

[maxpower]

Purely from a div 1 perspective I saw very little wrong this year.  From what I saw all teams fielded strongly throughout, fixtures where regular and competitive and with the exception of a couple of end of season fixtures everything was well run.

Regarding the feis, I would consider this an important competition, perhaps rather than give off about City teams should organise an equivalent

[Gizzy15]

Purely from a div 1 perspective I saw very little wrong this year.  From what I saw all teams fielded strongly throughout, fixtures where regular and competitive and with the exception of a couple of end of season fixtures everything was well run.

Regarding the feis, I would consider this an important competition, perhaps rather than give off about City teams should organise an equivalent

I have put this out there before, no reason why belfast teams dont do the same. 6 good teams St Johns, Rossa, St Galls, Lamh Dearg, Sarsfields and St Pauls, Group of 6.

Casement park or wherever 3 fixtures on an evening at hight of Summer. 5 weeks every team plays each other once top 4 go to semi finals/ final, no county players required even a chance to blood some young players. All you have to do is wait to see all county fixtures, then pick five free tuesday nites through the summer and there you go. ok there might be the odd one where there is a football game on the wed nite, just give some footballers a break. these games would as someone said be as good if not better than a tuesday training session.

just a thought, think you would get a few supporters also with six teams involved in an evening with earlier start as no travel involved.

[theskull1]

Antrim leagues come first skull.

Ulster league & feis for example dont involve all clubs so others can't be held to ransom over these.

Belfast dual clubs still suffer from 3games a week - then 3/4 weeks off. Quit with the shutdown for the sake of the minority of county players and spread fixtures out more. Particularly the summer months when players love to be busy.

Thanks for ignoring my hard evidence of the real reasons  my own club mightn't favour an 18 game league. Just skip past it 

Would you mind backing up your opinions this time? I think your making it up

[btdtgtt]

I didn't ignore it skull - I just disagree with the sentiment. There's a massive difference - the fact that I responded pretty well proves I didn't ignore it. Nice stats but I would prefer ulster league & feis excluded as they don't include all teams (or did u ignore that)
In the whole month if august - Div1 had 4games played in total and div2 had 4games in total. One game per team in the whole month of August - I think this is wrong.

Max power - u negate ur own post by saying "from a division1 perspective".
That's the problem - too many people and clubs looking only for themselves. Its the county's job as a whole to look at developing all hurling across the 4 divisions to ultimately improve antrim hurling across the board. I have spoke about this "ourselves alone" attitude that prevails in the big glens clubs.

On the point if organising a Belfast hurling championship - i am not openly against it but why?!
Just run the Antrim league properly and everyone gets sufficient quality games without retreating to narrow tournaments. Where does it stop? Divide the Belfast teams into upper & lower falls tournaments? Divide the feis into coast and inland tournaments?

I mean it's not that big a county for grown men to organise leagues to get sufficient games for all at the right quality - that's fact.
If you think there's too many games - well lets not bring in the feis or ulster league then.
Can't have it both ways!

I don't expect agreement on this one but at least an appreciation of other clubs and the bigger picture.

[Seamroga in exile]

The North Antrim clubs will not ignore the feis btdtgtt, it's a big thing up here. It has a great history of some classic games.

[btdtgtt]

I didn't ask it to be ignored SIE.

It has a fine history but I Remember watching feis games without county players also.

The feis can never ever be used as a reason to effect whole county structures.
That would be a ridiculous assertion.

[Buswhacker]

In days gone by the main game at the Feis was North Antrim v. South Antrim, would that be worth re-introducing?.

[btdtgtt]

I can nearly hear the cheer from the pound bar!
Ballyhale beaten by oulart.

[Seamroga in exile]

Otb are some team btdtgtt. Not as big an upset as some might think.