Has the Back door become Redundant?

[The Brick]

Definitely agree with some kind of a knockout structure in place instead of backdoor. I think this would ensure bigger crowds at games and a better atmosphere however the top knobs at the GAA will never let this happen as lost revenue at gates.

[seafoid]

Definitely agree with some kind of a knockout structure in place instead of backdoor. I think this would ensure bigger crowds at games and a better atmosphere however the top knobs at the GAA will never let this happen as lost revenue at gates.

Teams can have an off day early on. It's fair enough to give them a second chance.
Especially with all the work they put in.
Look at the cats last year for example.

[armaghniac]

Yeah, doing away with the only real cash cow outside Dublin at Croke Park that the sport has is no real loss.

I think this would ensure bigger crowds at games and a better atmosphere however the top knobs at the GAA will never let this happen as lost revenue at gates.

I think these contributions, which appear in various forms again and again, typify this debate.
The GAA leadership (elected by all members of course) are characterised as "knobs" for wishing to attract people to games, although the revenue from these games is valuable and not easily replaced.

[Milltown Row2]

Definitely agree with some kind of a knockout structure in place instead of backdoor. I think this would ensure bigger crowds at games and a better atmosphere however the top knobs at the GAA will never let this happen as lost revenue at gates.

Teams can have an off day early on. It's fair enough to give them a second chance.
Especially with all the work they put in.
Look at the cats last year for example.

It's that fair it cost Galway the All Ireland last year!!! Fcuk them, if they get knocked out 'early' on then that's that, should have prepared better and if they knew there was no back door they probably will. An open championship with the name pulled out first getting home venue will generate as much money as the qualifier system if marketed right. Fed up with the back door system.

Would love to see Kilkenny drawn away in the first round to Galway!! Or Dublin v Donegal in Ballybofey, yes there might be Antrim V Kerry down there, but the teams will know what to expect when the draw is made and train/prepare accordingly.

If they tried it for a period of 4/5 years and it doesn't catch on as well the what will they really lose? The back door system in my view has become stale. No second chance, now that's exciting

[deiseach]

If they tried it for a period of 4/5 years and it doesn't catch on as well the what will they really lose? The back door system in my view has become stale. No second chance, now that's exciting

I remember those 'no second chance' days. They were awful.

[Lar Naparka]

I may have overlooked something but I don't think any poster on this discussion so far has mentioned the reasons for opening the 'back door' in the first place.
According to the public relations officer at the time, the realisation that soccer and rugby were gaining in popularity and the GAA support base was shrinking led to it being introduced. The GAA was losing the battle for the minds and hearts of the people. It lacked an 'international dimension' and, mainly because of this, it wasn't getting the TV and press publicity of its rivals.
Extra games would mean extra interest in the counties concerned and extra revenue at the gate.
There were other reasons put forward at the time but this was the main one.
Incidentally, those advocating an open draw AI series should remember that the GAA did run one such competition on a trial basis back in 1984.
This was staged to mark the centenary of the association's foundation and I think Meath were the winners. (This was quite separate from the AI series of games.)
It was held the following year as well but it was then abandoned due to lack of public support.

[armaghniac]

Would love to see Kilkenny drawn away in the first round to Galway!! Or Dublin v Donegal in Ballybofey, yes there might be Antrim V Kerry down there, but the teams will know what to expect when the draw is made and train/prepare accordingly.

Antrim is now effectively in an open draw championship, leading to the Sam Maguire,  first game is against Louth. Will they prepare accordingly and will the public get behind them? We all know the answer.

I may have overlooked something but I don't think any poster on this discussion so far has mentioned the reasons for opening the 'back door' in the first place.

Exactly. The backdoor gives more games for TV and the possibility of a run by a Sligo or Fermanagh to awaken interest in those counties.

[Milltown Row2]

If they tried it for a period of 4/5 years and it doesn't catch on as well the what will they really lose? The back door system in my view has become stale. No second chance, now that's exciting

I remember those 'no second chance' days. They were awful.

Seriously? So the All Ireland series and the winners prior the qualifiers was awful? I suppose you think the All Ireland club series is shite also?

So just to generate one extra game (though the provincial champions didn't get a second chance ) you think that a team that gets hammered in one round should have the option to get hammered again in the next?

If counties (especially my own) get their house in order and raise the standard then I believe the open draw is worth a shot

Would love to see Kilkenny drawn away in the first round to Galway!! Or Dublin v Donegal in Ballybofey, yes there might be Antrim V Kerry down there, but the teams will know what to expect when the draw is made and train/prepare accordingly.

Antrim is now effectively in an open draw championship, leading to the Sam Maguire,  first game is against Louth. Will they prepare accordingly and will the public get behind them? We all know the answer.

I may have overlooked something but I don’t think any poster on this discussion so far has mentioned the reasons for opening the ‘back door’ in the first place.

Exactly. The backdoor gives more games for TV and the possibility of a run by a Sligo or Fermanagh to awaken interest in those counties.

Armagh in the same boat as Antrim to As I said we need to sort ourselves out first

[deiseach]

If they tried it for a period of 4/5 years and it doesn't catch on as well the what will they really lose? The back door system in my view has become stale. No second chance, now that's exciting

I remember those 'no second chance' days. They were awful.

Seriously? So the All Ireland series and the winners prior the qualifiers was awful? I suppose you think the All Ireland club series is shite also?

So just to generate one extra game (though the provincial champions didn't get a second chance ) you think that a team that gets hammered in one round should have the option to get hammered again in the next?

If counties (especially my own) get their house in order and raise the standard then I believe the open draw is worth a shot

For a Waterford man it was awful. Sometimes we'd get walloped, sometimes we'd go close. But invariably we'd lose and that would be that for the summer.

Not every team that gets hammered in the first round of the provincial championships gets hammered in the first round of the qualifiers. In fact half of the teams beaten in the first round of the provincial championships win in the first round of the qualifiers. Fancy that, eh?

[armaghniac]

Armagh in the same boat as Antrim

True, more or less. But there is some dissatisfaction in Armagh about this and Armagh have had periods when they've been a major influence in  the championship. Antrim is a substantial county who haven't had a material influence on the championship for 60 years.

[seafoid]

In the glory days before the BD Galway and Mayo could both have had top level teams as in  1998 -2000 but there was only one that could get out of Connacht. Obviously that is not an issue at the moment but it will recur again.

Tyrone also benefited from the BD. Fermanagh got to the AISF. There have been some great upsets.   

[armaghniac]

[quote]Fermanagh got to the AISF. There have been some great upsets.[/quote]   

That made me upset anyway.

[seafoid]

[quote]Fermanagh got to the AISF. There have been some great upsets.

That made me upset anyway.
[/quote]
Are the rivalries more intense in Ulster than in the rest of the country? 
Were you sickened when Derry won in 93 for example?   

[armaghniac]

Are the rivalries more intense in Ulster than in the rest of the country?
Were you sickened when Derry won in 93 for example? 

I was quite pleased for Derry.
Fermanagh beat Armagh in the QF in a game in which we should have won and where we had a good shot at progressing to the AI Final. Quite upsetting.

[Mike Sheehy]

If counties (especially my own) get their house in order and raise the standard then I believe the open draw is worth a shot

errr.....if counties are not competititive because they haven't "got their house in order" then it doesnt really matter what system is in place.