Are the Provincial Championships Friar Tucked?

[Our Nail Loney]

We need a champions leaguie format - play a competition on a home and away basis for the top 8 teams -
top four go into the semi finals -

What of the teams not in the top 8? No chance of all ireland glory? What would you introduce for them, a sort of uefa cup/inter toto thing?

Yep - a secondary competition - let's face it - these secondary teams are only cannon fodder at the minute !

But sure among the teams left now we have a third tier team and a second tier team. Under your idea they wouldn't get a look in.

What about wicklow beating kildare this year? That wouldn't even get a look in under your structure.

That's what the FA cup is for ! Premiership is for the true champions - FA Cup is a chnce for the Wicklows of this world -Wickow beating Kildare was a one off - Antrim beat Wicklow in the Tom Murphy final.

When is the vote for the proposed name change to gaelic soccer! Its a golden idea if ya ask me, no problems getting it thru or anything.

[orangeman]

We need a champions leaguie format - play a competition on a home and away basis for the top 8 teams -
top four go into the semi finals -

What of the teams not in the top 8? No chance of all ireland glory? What would you introduce for them, a sort of uefa cup/inter toto thing?

Yep - a secondary competition - let's face it - these secondary teams are only cannon fodder at the minute !

But sure among the teams left now we have a third tier team and a second tier team. Under your idea they wouldn't get a look in.

What about wicklow beating kildare this year? That wouldn't even get a look in under your structure.

That's what the FA cup is for ! Premiership is for the true champions - FA Cup is a chnce for the Wicklows of this world -Wickow beating Kildare was a one off - Antrim beat Wicklow in the Tom Murphy final.

When is the vote for the proposed name change to gaelic soccer! Its a golden idea if ya ask me, no problems getting it thru or anything.

[/b][/i]

Forgive me for using those terms but are merely for the purposes of description and comparison ! But I think you know what I'm trying to say.

What do you think yourself ?

[Our Nail Loney]

We need a champions leaguie format - play a competition on a home and away basis for the top 8 teams -
top four go into the semi finals -

What of the teams not in the top 8? No chance of all ireland glory? What would you introduce for them, a sort of uefa cup/inter toto thing?

Yep - a secondary competition - let's face it - these secondary teams are only cannon fodder at the minute !

But sure among the teams left now we have a third tier team and a second tier team. Under your idea they wouldn't get a look in.

What about wicklow beating kildare this year? That wouldn't even get a look in under your structure.

That's what the FA cup is for ! Premiership is for the true champions - FA Cup is a chnce for the Wicklows of this world -Wickow beating Kildare was a one off - Antrim beat Wicklow in the Tom Murphy final.

When is the vote for the proposed name change to gaelic soccer! Its a golden idea if ya ask me, no problems getting it thru or anything.

[/b][/i]

Forgive me for using those terms but are merely for the purposes of description and comparison ! But I think you know what I'm trying to say.

What do you think yourself ?

Personally I don't like your top 8 idea, think everyone should get a chance. The teams should be seeded maybe using the leagues as an idea at the minute into four sets and then put in champions league groups with the top 8 you say separated, top 2 going thru, then straight knock out no back doors. hat way teams would have to train all year round.

Anything to sort out the joke that is the munster football championship.

[Lazer]

Winning the Provincial championship is still the most direct route to the finals, and there is still an advantage to winning it, apart from the pride that comes from it!

Any other format will lead to a large decline in attendances as inevitably the GAA in their wisdom would opt to use Croke Park for many matches, especially if Between Munster and Ulster teams.

An open Draw cannot be used, it is very unfair on the supporters - who already follow their team around the country for the national League, leave the provincial championships in Place!

And do away with the backdoor system entirely! Although I do recognose that this has its disadvantages too, as Ulster teams have to play far more matches than Munster etc etc. How about continuing with the old format but instead of provinces use 4 groups of 8 or 9 neighbouring counties?

[orangeman]

Winning the Provincial championship is still the most direct route to the finals, and there is still an advantage to winning it, apart from the pride that comes from it!
Any other format will lead to a large decline in attendances as inevitably the GAA in their wisdom would opt to use Croke Park for many matches, especially if Between Munster and Ulster teams.

An open Draw cannot be used, it is very unfair on the supporters - who already follow their team around the country for the national League, leave the provincial championships in Place!

And do away with the backdoor system entirely! Although I do recognose that this has its disadvantages too, as Ulster teams have to play far more matches than Munster etc etc. How about continuing with the old format but instead of provinces use 4 groups of 8 or 9 neighbouring counties?

Don't think that's true at all. Ask Armagh.

[Our Nail Loney]

Winning the Provincial championship is still the most direct route to the finals, and there is still an advantage to winning it, apart from the pride that comes from it!
Any other format will lead to a large decline in attendances as inevitably the GAA in their wisdom would opt to use Croke Park for many matches, especially if Between Munster and Ulster teams.

An open Draw cannot be used, it is very unfair on the supporters - who already follow their team around the country for the national League, leave the provincial championships in Place!

And do away with the backdoor system entirely! Although I do recognose that this has its disadvantages too, as Ulster teams have to play far more matches than Munster etc etc. How about continuing with the old format but instead of provinces use 4 groups of 8 or 9 neighbouring counties?

Don't think that's true at all. Ask Armagh.

Yep they were absolutely daffy ducked after winning ulster!

[TacadoirArdMhacha]

But sure among the teams left now we have a third tier team and a second tier team. Under your idea they wouldn't get a look in.

What about wicklow beating kildare this year? That wouldn't even get a look in under your structure.

I can never understand why it seems to be such a sacred ideal that all 32 intercounty teams have to be in competition for the primary championship when everybody happily accepts at club level that it is perfectly reasonable to divide teams based on ability and allow them to progress at their own through through junior, intermediate and senior championships. I know with my own club that we'd feel we could more than compete with a lot of senior clubs having beaten them regularly in the league but we aren't a senior club as we didn't win the intermediate c'ship, so tough. Its up to us to qualify to be a senior side and I don't see why this logic shouldn't apply to the intercounty championship as well.

Personally I'd divide intercounty sides into 3 sections with 10/12 teams in each. Divide each section into 2 divisions of 5/6 sides each. In each division you play every team once with the top team in the group going through to the AI semi finals with 2nd and 3rd going into q/finals against the corresponidng teams in the other division. The both sides in each division play off to avoid relegation with the loser relgated and the winner into a play off against the beaten finalist in the section below. This would keep very division close and competitive as there'll always be soemthing to play for.

Replace the Leagues with the current Provincial c'ships to be played off by the end of March leaving April and May free for club football.

Yep they were absolutely daffy ducked after winning ulster!

Really don't think winning Ulster had a negative effect on Armagh's chances last Saturday.

[RadioGAAGAA]

Don't think that's true at all. Ask Armagh.

Did Armagh have to play a game between the Ulster final and the quarter final?

Did their opponents?


Question answered.

[ExiledGael]

Wrecked after winning a provincial title? These almost professional athletes play three maybe four seventy minute games in two months and they're wrecked?! Total tripe and just an excuse.
The idea of a competition primarily is to find out who the best team is. We are still achieveing that, this crap pipes up every year.
Jesus Tyrone can't draw 15,000 to Omagh for a big match these days, how many would turn up for a champions league style clash with say Cork?
The provincial Championships must be retained. Once we go down any other road we are writing off the lower tiers.
This is not the answer to any problems we currently have in the game, infact this is not even the right debate.
It's a cop out and an easy answer after years of under-investment and ignorance to what's going on in certain areas of the country, mostly large urban areas and cities. The GAA has been dying on its ass in places like Enniskillen, Armagh City, Derry City most of all, most of Belfast, even Newry and that's got feck all to do with the Championships.
I know dozens of people who live within a mile of Celtic Park in Derry and have never set foot in the place. I've been asked by a local what that big place is for? "It's a waste of space they should really use that for something" he said. It's places like these we are friar tucked.

[RadioGAAGAA]

Too many people in here watching f**king soccer and getting stupid ideas.


Once upon a time the European cup was pure knock-out. Small teams from poorer leagues (which could be equated to weaker counties) managed to win the thing the odd time.

Then the greed set in, it became the champions league and the top teams had the odds set in their favour with the mini-league system. Que the smaller teams winning much less.



Don't take a stupid idea from soccer and try to apply it to football please.

[orangeman]

The Munster championship is great fun altogether for Limerick and Tipperary and Waterford etc.

[RadioGAAGAA]

The Munster championship is great fun altogether for Limerick and Tipperary and Waterford etc.

So instead of bringing the standards up in those counties, you'd rather they played against a lower standard to make them feel better?

[Our Nail Loney]

Has anyone from munster complained about the provincial championships yet?

[orangeman]

Has anyone from munster complained about the provincial championships yet?

Only a couple of counties play football in Munster - Kerry and Cork aren't complaining.

[davereilly]

Provincial championships are a waste of time. The local rivalries would still be there as neighbouring counties will have to rub off each other sooner or later in the All Ireland championship. I really like the idea of seeded groups, 8 groups of 4 followed by knock out stages. The seedings determined by the National Leagues.

No don't seed it. if you get the likes of a group like Kerry, Monaghan, Longford and Carlow it's quite obvious who'll qualify. Do an open draw so a weak group like Carlow, Waterford, London and Clare can happen. If two teams qualify from this group it will boost Morale and encourage more youth to play the game, perhaps improving the likes of Munster football (obv. excluding kerry and Cork in this remark)

BTW I don't agree with this format (soccer style) but it is better than seeded grouping