Its an alternative Ulster... eh GAA I mean

[fearglasmor]

I know its been done to death but it has to change.
Changing structure wont make bad teams better overnight but it might help them make progress.

My suggestion for what its worth. (feck all I know)

1  GAA Season = Feb to Oct
2 Scrap Prelim competitions O'Byrne, McKenna etc
3 League in 4 divisions as now but teams play everyone twice home and away
4 League runs alongside championship right through the summer and finishes in Oct
5 Provincial championships stay but are seperate from All Ireland
6 Championship starts Mid May with Rd 1  =  Div 3 and Div 4 teams only in an open draw played one weekend 4 games sat and 4 sun
7 Rnd 2 = R1 winners in open draw with Div 2 teams, played over one weekend in mid June 4 sat and 4 sun
8 Rnd 3 = Rnd 2 winners in open draw with Div 1 teams, played over one weekend in July, 4 sat 4 sun
9 QF - 8 winners from Rnd 3  played as now
10 SF and Final played as now

Hurling Championship in a similar fashion on alternate dates with League games filling in the gaps so theres national gaa every weekend Feb to Oct

[LeoMc]

Club football Nov - Jan?
Dual players to retire at 22?

[Wee Roddy]

Have you got a club by any chance?? That is possibly the worst proposal I have witnessed on these changes supposedly required.

[thewobbler]

Sooner or later, someone is going to come up with a proposal, one which recognises:

• that having 32 teams in a country the size of Ireland means there's going to be a lot of weak teams.
• that in any given year 26+ counties have no chance of winning an AI.
• that in any given year, 20+ counties have no chance of winning a provincial title.
• that the league is a warm-up competition, and this will not change.
• that the glory and call of senior football is about winning big prizes, and not "shields".

When you factor all these things together, it simply does not make sense to elongate the county season.

The Provincial titles are of vital importance to players from counties who have never won one. They must be retained.

The AI Championship is the jewel in the crown, but the AI qualifiers do nothing but prolong the season unnecessarily.

Nothing else really matters.


Let's go back to the way it was.

[Wee Roddy]

Here Here

[johnneycool]

Sooner or later, someone is going to come up with a proposal, one which recognises:

• that having 32 teams in a country the size of Ireland means there's going to be a lot of weak teams.
• that in any given year 26+ counties have no chance of winning an AI.
• that in any given year, 20+ counties have no chance of winning a provincial title.
• that the league is a warm-up competition, and this will not change.
• that the glory and call of senior football is about winning big prizes, and not "shields".

When you factor all these things together, it simply does not make sense to elongate the county season.

The Provincial titles are of vital importance to players from counties who have never won one. They must be retained.

The AI Championship is the jewel in the crown, but the AI qualifiers do nothing but prolong the season unnecessarily.

Nothing else really matters.


Let's go back to the way it was.

Is it not a bit of a contradiction that you state (correctly) that 26+ counties have no chance of winning an AI, 20+ an inter-provincial title and then yet you state that its all about winning the big prizes and not shields?

I kind of agree with you on what you are saying, but its in the mindset of a lot of counties that they'd rather get beat out the gate (year on year) trying to win an AI title than play in a Tommy Murphy trophy where they're more likely to be competing against teams at a similar level and then progress to the AI series when they're up to it, a win your way up type approach being introduced into the hurling tiered championships.

As Kevin McStay rightly said, no county allows all its clubs to compete in the senior club championships, they're tiered to intermediate, junior and whatever, but somehow they expect their county to be having a shot at the big boys but taking 14+ point hammerings, which in football is akin to a 30 plus point defeat in hurling IMO.

[Hardy]

Here Here

What?! Where? What's going on?

[thewobbler]

Johnny, to put more meat on it.

Nobody wants to play 'B' football at inter county level. Playing senior club level would have greater pull - and as such merits the training and commitment involved.

What the Provincial system does is give every player in Ireland a chance to win top-flight silverware. For those in Antrim, Leitrim or Clare it would still require a few moons to align, but 6 months hard graft and 3 games is the basis required. Play for 10 years and you will get close, if not there.

[johnneycool]

Johnny, to put more meat on it.

Nobody wants to play 'B' football at inter county level. Playing senior club level would have greater pull - and as such merits the training and commitment involved.

What the Provincial system does is give every player in Ireland a chance to win top-flight silverware. For those in Antrim, Leitrim or Clare it would still require a few moons to align, but 6 months hard graft and 3 games is the basis required. Play for 10 years and you will get close, if not there.

The last time someone outside of Cork and Kerry to win a Munster football championship final was in 1935.

The last time someone outside of Dublin or Meath to win a Leinster football championship was in Kildare in 2000, before that Offaly in 1997 and you're talking before 1945 since Wexford have managed it.

In Connacht there's a bit more hope for the lesser lights, similarly in Ulster, but you're going back decades if not longer since some counties have won a provincial title, its 1994 since Down won one, yet we've got to an AI final (which was for the winning) and a few quarter finals, so I'd not be dissing the back door either from a Down perspective.

[armaghniac]

The last time someone outside of Cork and Kerry to win a Munster football championship final was in 1935.

While it doesn't negate your point, Clare did win in '92.

The last time someone outside of Dublin or Meath to win a Leinster football championship was in Kildare in 2000, before that Offaly in 1997 and you're talking before 1945 since Wexford have managed it.

When one county has more people than the rest put together, it isn't really a fair competition.

Ulster is more equal, Fermanagh could have won in 08 with a freetaker. Monaghan have had their chances, Antrim have given up, but it is there for them.

[theskull1]

Let's go back to the way it was.

The numbers of paid administrators will not allow that to happen. This part of the GAA "need" the qualifiers

[screenexile]

Surely giving the Junior & Intermediate Winners a playoff to enter the All Ireland Series at Quarter Final level would mean that every County is still in the All Ireland Championship and keeps that aspect open.

[armaghniac]

The numbers of paid administrators will not allow that to happen. This part of the GAA "need" the qualifiers

there are 10s of thousands of people attending these qualifiers and hundreds of thousands watching these on TV, it isn't all about a small number of people.

[Rossfan]

Surely giving the Junior & Intermediate Winners a playoff to enter the All Ireland Series at Quarter Final level would mean that every County is still in the All Ireland Championship and keeps that aspect open.

If there is to be a "B" or Inter or Junior Grade in any new/revised structure the only way to sell it is by having an avenue to the "real" A.I. available. Probably would need to come in in the Round before the Qtr Finals though.
Fearglas' idea might be worth exploring once there would be only 1 round of League fixtures.

[DJGaliv]

Club football Nov - Jan?
Dual players to retire at 22?

It may be controversial but good riddance to the dual player. This notion that we have to structure around the dual player is nonsensical. What if a lad loved rounders - would we also have to plan fixtures around the rounders schedule?

Dual players trying to commit to two inter-county teams are putting their bodies under a serious amount of stress which is going to cut short their playing career. It does them no good in terms of developing their game, or their physical conditioning. We talk about burnout and kids playing minor/u21/sigerson/fitzgibbon and worry about them, but allow a lad like Lee Chin play three inter-county games in five days because sure isn't he a great Gael.

As inter-county sides become more and more professional it's just not going to happen anymore. Lads will have to choose one sport, which isn't the crying shame some people like to think.