Championship structures - the never ending saga?

[Esmarelda]

It's better than the current format and while the round robin has weaknesses it's better than what's there and doesn't make things worse for clubs as far as I can see. However,it's not the best system and we really should focus on that. It's better than what we have so on that basis I'd give it a go.

Couldn't agree more.

The round robin might be a complete disaster but the tightening of season was always what I considered to be a fundamental first step. If they get that over the line then additional attempts can be made in later years to either change the latter stages or come up with a completely new approach.

[AZOffaly]

Tend to agree. Where I disagree with Zulu is relating to the Provincial Championships. I like them, and I think players absolutely want to keep them.

[blewuporstuffed]

Ok, but if it's an either or do you not think it's better?

In the case of the round robin, what exactly is your objection to it?

It's not something I'd have come up with but I don't see the harm in it. It gives the provincial winners a second chance should they lose their first game, it gives the viewing public more games between the better teams, it gives a bigger incentive to the lesser teams to make the quarter finals as they'll get a home game against one of the bigger teams.

People seem to be down on it because it'll raise money which seems to be a sin. I don't see how it is if it's not at the expense of something else.

What happens to club football during the period it takes to play these additional games at this stage?

Well to answer your question, that's up to the individual counties, but to expand on it you need to look at the dates that the counties will be involved by using the new proposal as applied to the 2016 championship.
All 24 counties that don't reach the AIQF will be out of the AI series by the first week in July and free to play their club games from that date on. The four AIQFs that don't make the AISFs will be free from the last weekend of July.

So what the proposal does is improve the season for clubs. It doesn't make it perfect; the months of May and June will full of intercounty games and each county will either need to play reserve championships or league games without their county players like most have to do in the spring. Or even better, it gives a definite window for club players to go on holidays.

But it means that you won't have the farce we see now of a mad rush to get county championships played off in time so that the provincials don't need to be played in December.

Counties wont play league games the same day as their county is playing. So does that mean all club games then move to a friday night  or a saturday during this period ( im not saying i am against that, i am just asking for clarification)
My major fear would be that we will end up again with massive swathes of the season with no club club football at all (may/june/july/ august)
The compressing of the inter county season is a good thing, but i get the impression the main purpose is to fit in more high profile intercounty games rather than to actually help the club season any.
The fact that the intercounty season is finished a few weeks earlier, regardless is definitely a positive though.

[Esmarelda]

Sorry, I actually forgot that counties are likely to be playing every week. I suppose they'll play on the Sunday if the county is playing on the Saturday or vice versa. I don't know.

Like is said, there just won't be large periods where there no club games.

For example, the eight counties that lost both their provincial opener and their first round qualifying game in 2016 (Antrim, Armagh, Down, London, Louth, Waterford, Wicklow and Wexford) would have entered the championship on the weekend of 30th April and exited on 28 May. One month. The next batch of eight teams to exit (Carlow, Fermanagh, Laois, Leitrim, Limerick, Meath, Monaghan and Offaly) would have exited on 11th June. That's half the country gone by that date.

[five points]

1. Don't compress the intercounty season, but widen it - Leagues from February to the end of May, with no finals, and Championships from June weekend to All Irelands in September

2. Allow at least 2 idle intercounty weekends each month through March, April & May for club league games and again in July & August for club championships.

[Captain Obvious]

It's better than what we have so on that basis I'd give it a go.

Basically you are saying throw mud at the wall to see will some of it stick.

[Zulu]

Er, no. I think there's some very clear things that need to be done to get a proper competitive season, get rid of the provincials and don't make any accommodations for dual or multiple age group players. But since that won't happen in the immediate future we can still make changes to make improvements on what we have now. There are clear improvements in this proposal and I see little that will make it worse, so let's give it a go.

[Kuwabatake Sanjuro]

Er, no. I think there's some very clear things that need to be done to get a proper competitive season, get rid of the provincials and don't make any accommodations for dual or multiple age group players. But since that won't happen in the immediate future we can still make changes to make improvements on what we have now. There are clear improvements in this proposal and I see little that will make it worse, so let's give it a go.

The super 8 proposal will make things worse in regard to the problem of the increasing (footballing and financial) gap between the top counties and the rest.

[Syferus]

Anyone who thinks Duffy's attempt to paper over the fall in attendences with more pointless matches between the big boys is a good idea or even worth trying can be dismissed straight away.

[Zulu]

Well if you say so. You'd think you'd start to get tired of posting daft things but no sign yet.

[Zulu]

Er, no. I think there's some very clear things that need to be done to get a proper competitive season, get rid of the provincials and don't make any accommodations for dual or multiple age group players. But since that won't happen in the immediate future we can still make changes to make improvements on what we have now. There are clear improvements in this proposal and I see little that will make it worse, so let's give it a go.

The super 8 proposal will make things worse in regard to the problem of the increasing (footballing and financial) gap between the top counties and the rest.

Why? 8 teams, or one quarter of the teams in Ireland will make the final 8 so plenty of teams should be in with a shout of benefitting from whatever the big boys get out of it. The gap won't be closed by maintaining the status quo either. 

[Rossfan]

Anyone who thinks Duffy's attempt to paper over the fall in attendences with more pointless matches between the big boys is a good idea or even worth trying can be dismissed straight away.

That the Uachtaràn CLCG and Kerry Co Board put in their boxes !

[Syferus]

Anyone who thinks Duffy's attempt to paper over the fall in attendences with more pointless matches between the big boys is a good idea or even worth trying can be dismissed straight away.

That the Uachtaràn CLCG and Kerry Co Board put in their boxes !

Thanks for the support, little fella.

[Esmarelda]

Would Kuwabatake Sanjuro and Syferus care to explain their points?

[Rossfan]

I hear the CC agreed to let the new proposals go to Congress?
Didn't see any reports in the media so don't know if that's fact.