Does the GAA care about the ordinary club player anymore?

[gammysolo]

Does the GAA care about the ordinary club player anymore? Every year we have the same discussion/problems. Club players left idle for weeks even months when the pitches are in prime condition. Then when games come around they are often blitzed in weeks. We have seen farcical situations teams playing a provincial match the day after winning county title.  Then you see the GAA trying to bring in group stages for All Ireland Football which is another kick in the teeth for ordinary club player. The GPA was initially setup for welfare players now openly shows disregard for clubs. They are more interested in making trips to America looking for benefactors to their corporate society. Yet again another GAA president has failed to tackle the fixture crisis which is killing our games. In his acceptance speech when he took over role as president O Fearghail said that that the 'Four F's' will underpin his presidency with 'fixtures, facilities, finance and family' central to this ethos. We are seen too many gaps between intercounty games. Too many county boards are bowing to county managers meaning players are been wrapped up in cotton wool. I am sceptical about this new  CPA. Will it be a forum for senior footballers? Will they listen to need to needs of the junior b footballer? GAA needs to forget about Sky Sports and remember the grassroots of GAA

[Rossfan]

And your solutions are........?

[gammysolo]

And your solutions are........?

abolish FBD, McKenna etc. Gap between league and championship is too open. Bring championship forward and finished by mid  August or keep current format and inforce county boards to play club championships sooner(they will be impossible for dual counties or teams going through backdoor. The current format is not balanced. For example say Kerry have 5 games to win Sam where Monaghan have 4 games to win Ulster. Simple as 8 groups of 4. top 2 qualify for A championship bottom 2 B champ

[Farrandeelin]

How many counties play their championships on a straight knock out basis? Dublin do but they keep the last 16 until the county gets knocked out, it could be spread over the summer if they wanted to.

[Owenmoresider]

How many counties play their championships on a straight knock out basis? Dublin do but they keep the last 16 until the county gets knocked out, it could be spread over the summer if they wanted to.

Tyrone and Fermanagh might be the only others I think.

[Gael85]

How many counties play their championships on a straight knock out basis? Dublin do but they keep the last 16 until the county gets knocked out, it could be spread over the summer if they wanted to.

DCB took easy option making championship knockout. I thought it worked well with backdoor format. Then again 32 teams is too many when only 4/5 have realistic chance of winning.

[shawshank]

How many counties play their championships on a straight knock out basis? Dublin do but they keep the last 16 until the county gets knocked out, it could be spread over the summer if they wanted to.

Tyrone and Fermanagh might be the only others I think.

Derry also

[mouview]

So what was Roscommon's excuse? All their county teams were knocked out of the championships by July and they still didn't get finished til October. Clubs are just as absolutely culpable as their county boards, be in no doubt. At the start of every year, I'm sure most CBs publish the timetable for the year. The clubs would see this, yet the year is hardly too old before some clubs start pushing for postponements, citing players injured (while on county duty maybe), unplayable grounds (sometimes legitimately)etc. A postponement is granted, which then has a domino effect with fixtures on other clubs, thus creating a backlog. Clubs don't see the bigger picture, (and I suppose could you blame them?), just their own narrow interests.

Even with the best will in the world it's very difficult to adhere 100% to the fixtures list as bad weather, (and not just later in the year), bereavements etc. will always scupper things up somehow. One way to alleviate backlogs is to stipulate that *all* club c'ship matches must go to extra-time first, before replays are needed.

[armaghniac]

This is the single reusuable thread, as it comes around again and again. If county football alone is the problem then counties like Leitrim, Antrim or Carlow would be nirvana for the club player and Kerry would be terrible, but it just isn't as simple as that.

[RadioGAAGAA]

And your solutions are........?

1. Abolish the qualifiers. Outright dismissal of any suggestions (which are wholly driven by the idiots in the media) for a "champions league style" inter county championship.
2. National Rule, there are no county league playoffs for promotions/winners. Relegation can - but that shouldn't overly affect teams at the sharp end of championships.
3. National Rule, games can only be postponed as a result of someone's death. Stag do's, weddings, etc don't count. If a club wants to change a game in such an event, they have plenty of notice of the event and can move it forward, not back. If they cannot move it, that is what squads are for.
4. Inter-county managers cannot pull players from their clubs' games more than a week in advance of any inter-county fixture.
5. Any division within a county league cannot have more than 10 teams in it.

[Gael85]

And your solutions are........?

1. Abolish the qualifiers. Outright dismissal of any suggestions (which are wholly driven by the idiots in the media) for a "champions league style" inter county championship.
2. National Rule, there are no county league playoffs for promotions/winners. Relegation can - but that shouldn't overly affect teams at the sharp end of championships.
3. National Rule, games can only be postponed as a result of someone's death. Stag do's, weddings, etc don't count. If a club wants to change a game in such an event, they have plenty of notice of the event and can move it forward, not back. If they cannot move it, that is what squads are for.
4. Inter-county managers cannot pull players from their clubs' games more than a week in advance of any inter-county fixture.
5. Any division within a county league cannot have more than 10 teams in it.

100% on that. The 10/13 day or whatever the current rule where players cant with clubs is stupid.

[BennyHarp]

So what was Roscommon's excuse? All their county teams were knocked out of the championships by July and they still didn't get finished til October. Clubs are just as absolutely culpable as their county boards, be in no doubt. At the start of every year, I'm sure most CBs publish the timetable for the year. The clubs would see this, yet the year is hardly too old before some clubs start pushing for postponements, citing players injured (while on county duty maybe), unplayable grounds (sometimes legitimately)etc. A postponement is granted, which then has a domino effect with fixtures on other clubs, thus creating a backlog. Clubs don't see the bigger picture, (and I suppose could you blame them?), just their own narrow interests.

Even with the best will in the world it's very difficult to adhere 100% to the fixtures list as bad weather, (and not just later in the year), bereavements etc. will always scupper things up somehow. One way to alleviate backlogs is to stipulate that *all* club c'ship matches must go to extra-time first, before replays are needed.

Listening to Aaron Kernan on Woolys podcast the other day he was posed the question about why the Armagh county final took so long to run off when the county team was knocked out relatively early. He said the county board did it so the county champions wouldn't have to wait a month or so to play in the provincial championship - I assume, the timing of the provincials is a factor in the Roscommon county boards thinkings. If the provincials were moved to an earlier slot, say at the end of September, (assuming the AI final is shifted a few weeks earlier) then county boards would be forced to tighten up their fixtures too.

On a response to the opening post - Kernan also suggested that he was one of the only players to attended his club AGM last year and as a result the fixture issue wasn't efven discussed as it wasn't something that the guys in attendance were too bothered about. I'm sure this was the case in many clubs around Ireland and as a result his club delegate was given no mandate to bring it up at provincial council or therefore, central council. If players are serious about wanting change they need to attend these meetings and demand it.

[five points]

On a response to the opening post - Kernan also suggested that he was one of the only players to attended his club AGM last year and as a result the fixture issue wasn't efven discussed as it wasn't something that the guys in attendance were too bothered about. I'm sure this was the case in many clubs around Ireland and as a result his club delegate was given no mandate to bring it up at provincial council or therefore, central council. If players are serious about wanting change they need to attend these meetings and demand it.

I think most players are happy enough with fixtures. There is always a decent turnout of players at my own club's AGM and they often complain about things like the Players Injury scheme, but not fixtures.

[Farrandeelin]

Perhaps Ros's excuse was that they play a group system. Maybe if there was straight knock out they could have finished earlier. Look at the fuss my own County made. There were already 2 rounds of group games. If that was knockout it would be at the semifinal stage as there's 16 teams.

[Rossfan]

We do have a group system but we dragged out the knock out section as our Champions weren't in Connacht action till 13th November.
Our problems with the Inter Championship arise due to Oran getting to the hurling final as well as Inter football final and them ending in draws.
First thing needed us for the Provincial Inter County SFCs ( and SHC) to be played over a shorter sharper timescale.
Then all other fixture calendars can be designed from there.