Competitions that the GAA Could do without.

[armaghniac]

Competitions run by bodies in the following places

Asia
North America
Australia
Britain
Canada
Europe
New York
London

[AZOffaly]

Ooohhh. Where's that michael Jackson popcorn gif?

[BennyHarp]

Competitions run by bodies in the following places

Asia
North America
Australia
Britain
Canada
Europe
New York
London

Obviously Armagh too. The championship there is as pointless as any of the above.

[twohands!!!]

Ooohhh. Where's that michael Jackson popcorn gif?

The Conor Motrimer  one ? 

[AZOffaly]

No, this one..

[johnneycool]

Competitions run by bodies in the following places

Asia
North America
Australia
Britain
Canada
Europe
New York
London

West Belfast as well of course??

Thought Antrim CB were doing a good enough job at that already.

[Lone Shark]

Not to spoil the fun by going away from the interesting sideshows that have developed here, I've often thought that the McKenna/O'Byrne/etc cups could be kept, but to run them completely differently - as reserve competitions in the spring, alongside the National League. All that happens now is that they're played in ridiculous weather, and they're a no-win scenario for players. If they play well, people have forgotten about it by the summer, or they're just dismissed as winter sloggers or someone lucky enough to be marking a lad who wintered well.

You could still start the league in February but from March onwards, play these games alongside the regular league matches on occasion but mainly using Saturdays/Paddys Day, offering competitive games for the fringe panelists in a squad, matching up against other competitive lads fighting for places in decent conditions. Keep the games local to avoid travelling costs, and where possible, play them as double headers alongside existing league fixtures.

Admittedly county panels would have to be a bit bigger to manage them, but larger counties have bigger panels anyway, while the smaller counties would be more likely to benefit from the more condensed season in the first place. You'd probably have to jig things around to make sure that there were eight teams in each competition, but I don't think counties would have any huge objection to doing this for preseason contests, at least as long as things are kept local.


Just out of pig iron, I'd propose the following groups, and I'll pick a couple of examples of how I'd fit in the fixtures, based on last year's league schedule.

McKenna (W) - Donegal, Derry, Tyrone, Fermanagh
McKenna (E) - Antrim, Down, Armagh, Monaghan
FBD (E) - Roscommon, Longford, Westmeath, Offaly
FBD (W) - Galway, Mayo, Sligo, Leitrim
O'Byrne (N) - Cavan, Louth, Meath, Dublin
O'Byrne (S) - Wicklow, Kildare, Laois, Carlow
McGrath (W) - Clare, Limerick, Kerry, Tipp
McGrath (E) - Cork, Wexford, Kilkenny, Waterford

So for example, McKenna East fixtures:

Antrim vs Down: 17th March (Antrim away on the 16th)
Armagh vs Monaghan: 15th March - prior to Armagh vs Monaghan NFL2
Monaghan vs Antrim: Weekend on 22nd/23rd, NHL week
Down vs Antrim: Weekend on 22nd/23rd, NHL week
Armagh vs Antrim: 29th March (Both teams playing the next day)
Monaghan vs Down: 30th March (prior to Monaghan vs Laois, Down playing the previous night)

And O'Byrne North

Dublin vs Cavan: 15th/17th March (both teams away on the 16th)
Louth vs Meath: 16th March (prior to Louth vs Galway, Meath playing the previous day)
Meath vs Cavan: Weekend on 22nd/23rd, NHL week
Louth vs Dublin: Weekend on 22nd/23rd, NHL week
Cavan vs Louth: 29th March (Prior to Cavan vs Roscommon, Louth away on the 30th)
Dublin vs Meath: 30th March (both teams at home the previous night.

It would take a bit of working out, particularly with regard to under-21 which may have to shift in the calendar a bit, but I think supporters would go for this a lot quicker than they would for games involving shadow teams in January. Local rivalry is always a great way of getting fans in the door.

And certainly, I'd be very happy to give Interpros the boot, and while I've no great interest in IR, it doesn't really create any fixture issue if you play it in November, choosing from the players who don't have club commitments.

[Bingo]

Scrap McKenna Cup/O'Bryne cup etc
Introduce an another Div in NFL making groups smaller.
Limit players to playing at one Intercounty level eg U21 is either senior or U21, not both.
Sigerson Cup played when McKenna Cup/O'Byrne etc was played - no impact on NFL/NHL.

All inter-provincals started and finished between 01/05/xx and 30/06/xx.

[AZOffaly]

I know. Do it like NCAA football.

Play the National Leagues in your 4 divisions, and at the end have a committee decide the 8 All Ireland quarter finalists based on who looked best in their games in the leagues. The rest of the teams can play off in the 'Tipperary Water' bowl, held in Thurles every year, the 'Kerry Group bowl' in Killarney, the 'Circular Arguments bowl' held in Casement Park, etc. The committee would have 11 members. Joe Brolly, Dessie Farrell, Colm O'Rourke, Pat Spillane, Brian Cowen, Jarlath Burns, Paddy Heaney, Eugene McGhee, Vincent Hogan, Martin Breheny and it's chairman Ewan McKenna.

What could possibly go wrong?

[Eamonnca1]

Competitions run by bodies in the following places

Asia
North America
Australia
Britain
Canada
Europe
New York
London

Nah. Keep them and abolish the rest.

[northsideboy]

Scór?

[blanketattack]

Competitions run by bodies in the following places

Asia
North America
Australia
Britain
Canada
Europe
New York
London

So with Europe that includes Ireland?

So only Africa and South America remain.

[GaelOg]

Jan 2nd - 31ST Jan - Mckenna Cup/O Byrne cup /Hastings Cup etc.
2nd week in Februray to last month in April have the NFL/NHL league and including finals all played by last week in Apirl or before it.* Note that this also includes Sigerson/Fitzgibbons/Club All Ireland/Provical under 21 finals/Club All Ireland(inc club semi finals)
May -August Have the championship and have the final in both hurling and football in Augst as Liam O Neill has proposed .
(It can be done,and they may need to introduce Friday Night fixtures)
Sep-Nov Club championship, and have Railway Cup in Novemember /Ocotber.
Dec Collectve trainning with 2 week break.

A few things to note:
*International rules need to be scrapped.
*Friday night games should be introduced
*Bring back the Railway cup and have a good advertsing campaign for it.
*I also beliveve that the Combined Universtites team should be allowed to participate in the railway cup.
and make it more competitive.
*Instead of an Interntional rules team have a Rest of an Ireland team(or the all star team) and play the combined universties team or a selction of GAA players from Britiain/USA/Rest of world team.

There is room for everything in the calender. I think the GAA needs to look at its structures.And this my opinion on how i would like to see the GAA calender for the year.
I would welcome your thoughts/opinions.

[Zulu]

So a 50 week season for some amateur players?

[Stall the Bailer]

McKenna Cup/O'Byrne cup /Hastings Cup etc. - I would restrict to players that didn't play inter county championship in the previous season.
Would also have no breaks in the league so the club season could start earlier. (Sigerson/Fitzgibbons/Club All Ireland could played in November/December)
Condense the provisional championships to 7 weeks from start to finish. (this would add more time to the club season)