Derry Club Football & Hurling original

[shawshank]

Teams are guaranteed 16 meaningful games in a season as it stands. 15 League and 1 Championship.

This year there is going to be 7 rounds of the league played from 4th April to 6th May.

Teams will have 45% of their games played in the first month, with 4 and a half months to play the remaining 10 games.

The 9 weeks Shawshank has mentioned above are not totally game free, the District competitions will be played during these months (as these are the weeks the county teams will be in action) The Larkin cup etc will be ran off over these 9 weeks i'm lead to believe with it being in a group stage format for extra games.

I think the craze of young players going to the USA for the summer is going to become even more popular with the first round of championship not pencilled in until weekend 6th-9th September.

Players want to play games. If lads do go to America (who can blame them? - it's a great opportunity) it just gives someone else an opportunity. Players who stay at home don't want to be just training for weeks with no games. The larkin cup should give the clubs plenty of games without the pressure of worrying about relegation and it will allow clubs to blood young players in a competitive environment.

Lenny from your post its looks like you are not on the grass roots level of players, they are not interested in Larkin cups. Can you not see that club football is being year by year stripped. It is now two seasons. Preseason friendlies in March with 7 league games wrapped up by mid May, take a big break, season resumes in mid July with carnival football in between. Its all wrong and catered for 2% of the playing population. here's another sore point for me. The league resumes I believe on the weekend 15th July, right bang in the middle of the holidays of trades men and most businesses in the north. Choice; family holiday for the player with kids or has a partner, or even lads to go with mates for a break or not. They can't choose when they take their holidays. Club players bottom of the pile when it comes to their needs. You could of course argue its the same for the county player, the difference being they have a choice to be a county player, the club player has no choice, sub servient.

[toby47]

Teams are guaranteed 16 meaningful games in a season as it stands. 15 League and 1 Championship.

This year there is going to be 7 rounds of the league played from 4th April to 6th May.

Teams will have 45% of their games played in the first month, with 4 and a half months to play the remaining 10 games.

The 9 weeks Shawshank has mentioned above are not totally game free, the District competitions will be played during these months (as these are the weeks the county teams will be in action) The Larkin cup etc will be ran off over these 9 weeks i'm lead to believe with it being in a group stage format for extra games.

I think the craze of young players going to the USA for the summer is going to become even more popular with the first round of championship not pencilled in until weekend 6th-9th September.

Players want to play games. If lads do go to America (who can blame them? - it's a great opportunity) it just gives someone else an opportunity. Players who stay at home don't want to be just training for weeks with no games. The larkin cup should give the clubs plenty of games without the pressure of worrying about relegation and it will allow clubs to blood young players in a competitive environment.

I never have, and never will criticise a player for going to America. 6-8 weeks, a few grand and a summer of a lifetime but their is no doubt it weakens teams when players go away and there will be clubs that are unhappy.

I'm also not sure young players are going to learn much by getting a few minutes in a Larkin cup game. I think it should be left as a pre season tournament and not used throughout May and June.

[lenny]

Teams are guaranteed 16 meaningful games in a season as it stands. 15 League and 1 Championship.

This year there is going to be 7 rounds of the league played from 4th April to 6th May.

Teams will have 45% of their games played in the first month, with 4 and a half months to play the remaining 10 games.

The 9 weeks Shawshank has mentioned above are not totally game free, the District competitions will be played during these months (as these are the weeks the county teams will be in action) The Larkin cup etc will be ran off over these 9 weeks i'm lead to believe with it being in a group stage format for extra games.

I think the craze of young players going to the USA for the summer is going to become even more popular with the first round of championship not pencilled in until weekend 6th-9th September.

Players want to play games. If lads do go to America (who can blame them? - it's a great opportunity) it just gives someone else an opportunity. Players who stay at home don't want to be just training for weeks with no games. The larkin cup should give the clubs plenty of games without the pressure of worrying about relegation and it will allow clubs to blood young players in a competitive environment.

I never have, and never will criticise a player for going to America. 6-8 weeks, a few grand and a summer of a lifetime but their is no doubt it weakens teams when players go away and there will be clubs that are unhappy.

I'm also not sure young players are going to learn much by getting a few minutes in a Larkin cup game. I think it should be left as a pre season tournament and not used throughout May and June.

It's a compromise. The county players will not be available so at least players can get games during that period. How seriously they take those games is up to the players and clubs.

[Keyser soze]

Teams are guaranteed 16 meaningful games in a season as it stands. 15 League and 1 Championship.

This year there is going to be 7 rounds of the league played from 4th April to 6th May.

Teams will have 45% of their games played in the first month, with 4 and a half months to play the remaining 10 games.

The 9 weeks Shawshank has mentioned above are not totally game free, the District competitions will be played during these months (as these are the weeks the county teams will be in action) The Larkin cup etc will be ran off over these 9 weeks i'm lead to believe with it being in a group stage format for extra games.

I think the craze of young players going to the USA for the summer is going to become even more popular with the first round of championship not pencilled in until weekend 6th-9th September.

Players want to play games. If lads do go to America (who can blame them? - it's a great opportunity) it just gives someone else an opportunity. Players who stay at home don't want to be just training for weeks with no games. The larkin cup should give the clubs plenty of games without the pressure of worrying about relegation and it will allow clubs to blood young players in a competitive environment.

I never have, and never will criticise a player for going to America. 6-8 weeks, a few grand and a summer of a lifetime but their is no doubt it weakens teams when players go away and there will be clubs that are unhappy.

I'm also not sure young players are going to learn much by getting a few minutes in a Larkin cup game. I think it should be left as a pre season tournament and not used throughout May and June.

It's a compromise. The county players will not be available so at least players can get games during that period. How seriously they take those games is up to the players and clubs.

How is it a compromise for the club player reducing the number of competitive games they get in a season? 

[theticklemister]

Any club secretaries out there who can verify the league structures?

[Josey Wales]

Barker and the complete County board don't give one dam about clubs.  Its all about the County and croke park.

Used to be clubs would have made a bit of much needed money by being given the odd club championship match.  They have taken all that now and the club even have to pay the ref for championship matches while the County board pocket all the gate recipts. 

Also im trying to remember but wasn't there a case recently where clubs voted a certain way for a motion, but our Country board delegated went down to croker and voted against the will of the club vote.  Can someone let me know what this motion was?

[Uncle Phil]

The Larkin Cup is a load of shite lads, lets be honest.

[oakleaflad]

The Larkin Cup is a load of shite lads, lets be honest.

Maybe clubs should put more emphasis on these competitions considering the lack of competitive games compared to training that is apparent.

[Uncle Phil]

No, they shouldn't. The clubs would be better off campaigning to change the league structure. The Larkin Cup has never been, and will never be, a competition clubs take seriously. Do you know who won it last year (without googling)? I don't, and I'm pretty sure most people on here don't know either. The current league structure makes no sense for players, and clubs would be better off having their say about that rather than treating the Larkin Cup like another couple of league games.

A couple of seasons ago the County Board had it spot on. First year of the straight knock out championship. All league games played most weeks, and league finished before the championship first round. Left clubs a couple of weeks to focus purely on championship.

Now it's gone to the dogs.

[lenny]

The Larkin Cup is a load of shite lads, lets be honest.

Maybe clubs should put more emphasis on these competitions considering the lack of competitive games compared to training that is apparent.

Totally agree. If you think this competition is rubbish it will be. If you take it seriously it can be a good competition and clubs can get a lot out of it. It will get much increased kudos from being a stand alone competition in the middle of the season. In previous seasons it just got in the way of important league games.

[DoYerJob Linesman]

Kudos for winning a Larkin Cup?   

[toby47]

The Larkin Cup is a load of shite lads, lets be honest.

Maybe clubs should put more emphasis on these competitions considering the lack of competitive games compared to training that is apparent.

Totally agree. If you think this competition is rubbish it will be. If you take it seriously it can be a good competition and clubs can get a lot out of it. It will get much increased kudos from being a stand alone competition in the middle of the season. In previous seasons it just got in the way of important league games.

Lenny, its a crap competition. How are teams expected to take it serious when their county men aren't able to play in it. e.g you could play a =Slaughtneil side missing 7 players.

It's purpose was a pre season comp, similar to Hughes/McElwee in minors.

[lenny]

The Larkin Cup is a load of shite lads, lets be honest.

Maybe clubs should put more emphasis on these competitions considering the lack of competitive games compared to training that is apparent.

Totally agree. If you think this competition is rubbish it will be. If you take it seriously it can be a good competition and clubs can get a lot out of it. It will get much increased kudos from being a stand alone competition in the middle of the season. In previous seasons it just got in the way of important league games.

Lenny, its a crap competition. How are teams expected to take it serious when their county men aren't able to play in it. e.g you could play a =Slaughtneil side missing 7 players.

It's purpose was a pre season comp, similar to Hughes/McElwee in minors.

95% of players aren't county players. What are those players supposed to do in the 8 or 9 week break. With this competition in place they are going to get regular games. It's nowhere near as important as league or championship but the players will enjoy getting regular games even without county men.

[screenexile]

No, they shouldn't. The clubs would be better off campaigning to change the league structure. The Larkin Cup has never been, and will never be, a competition clubs take seriously. Do you know who won it last year (without googling)? I don't, and I'm pretty sure most people on here don't know either. The current league structure makes no sense for players, and clubs would be better off having their say about that rather than treating the Larkin Cup like another couple of league games.

A couple of seasons ago the County Board had it spot on. First year of the straight knock out championship. All league games played most weeks, and league finished before the championship first round. Left clubs a couple of weeks to focus purely on championship.

Now it's gone to the dogs.

I googled it and I still don't know!!

[Josey Wales]

The Larkin Cup is a load of shite lads, lets be honest.

Maybe clubs should put more emphasis on these competitions considering the lack of competitive games compared to training that is apparent.

Totally agree. If you think this competition is rubbish it will be. If you take it seriously it can be a good competition and clubs can get a lot out of it. It will get much increased kudos from being a stand alone competition in the middle of the season. In previous seasons it just got in the way of important league games.

Lenny, its a crap competition. How are teams expected to take it serious when their county men aren't able to play in it. e.g you could play a =Slaughtneil side missing 7 players.

It's purpose was a pre season comp, similar to Hughes/McElwee in minors.

95% of players aren't county players. What are those players supposed to do in the 8 or 9 week break. With this competition in place they are going to get regular games. It's nowhere near as important as league or championship but the players will enjoy getting regular games even without county men.

Larkin cup, wise up. 

The players shouldnt have to do anything as there shouldnt be a 9 week break.  Also what about the respective club spectators who have given there all for their club for 60 to 70 years.  Are they just expected to sit for nearly 3 months at the height of the good weather and watch meaningless dung, not even mentioning the reduction of 15 competitive games a year to 11?