Club Championships 2025

[ranch]

Everyone I've talked to in Cork is pretty much unanimous that their club competitions have improved hugely from the change to an increased number of tiers with smaller numbers in each tier. I'd love to see all counties (exact the smallest) have 4 tiers in their championships, even though I can't see any county managing to get the votes to ever pass this.

Armagh did something similar with the league structure - the leagues were condensed into divisions of 8 teams (competitive, linked to championship, no dead rubbers and competition is taken seriously)

Also last year brought in a Junior B Championship, somewhat foolishly restricted it to IIs teams only (who were then unceremoniously voted out of the All County Leagues to go and form their own league - make it make sense)

Linked to championship is probably the biggest flaw our league system has. I don't like seeing teams go up a championship grade when they've been unable to win the one below. I also don't like teams being relegated to a lower championship grade when a lack of access to county players throughout the league has a massive bearing on it.

[cynic]

Kerry folks are the smartest football people on the island.  It is always a pleasure to talk football with a Kerryman - genuinely - you always learn something!  There is a lot of football knowledge in the county.  And Kerry doesn't run their unique systems for no good reason.  Of course it gives Kerry teams and Kerry players an advantage; that's the whole point. 

Kerry maintains an artificially-small senior division.  Which means that their "intermediate" division is much closer to senior standard than in any other county, for 2 reasons: (1) some of the teams in it should be in the senior division, and would be senior teams in any other county; and (ii) even the genuine div 2 teams are brought on by regularly playing against senior-standard teams.  And their divisional championship plus club championship is a great help to players from smaller clubs too, as it gives them an opportunity to team up with players from stronger clubs. 

[general_lee]

Linked to championship is probably the biggest flaw our league system has. I don't like seeing teams go up a championship grade when they've been unable to win the one below. I also don't like teams being relegated to a lower championship grade when a lack of access to county players throughout the league has a massive bearing on it.

I appreciate you don't like it, but it doesn't mean it's flawed. I'd argue clubs are more likely to be affected by lads going to the US for the summer than they are by missing county players. The bulk of current Armagh players are from Div1 clubs that are unlikely to get relegated with or without them.

[Armamike]

What was the worst that could have happened Glenullin if they went man to man in the second half?  They were going to lose the match anyway by not coming out and playing.

[Blowitupref]

From gaelic stats man

[Wildweasel74]

They won senior club once since 1990, 35yrs 1 return. The books are cooked at lower level.some of the teams in Dublin be winning every year if they tried the same approach but they dont.

[SouthOfThe Bann]

They won senior club once since 1990, 35yrs 1 return. The books are cooked at lower level.some of the teams in Dublin be winning every year if they tried the same approach but they dont.

Same with Cork with the amount of clubs they have they could be winning it every year too.

Have to admire the Dubs in some ways too they do some things the old school ways.

[gallsman]

The Dubs also have All-County leagues that include second and third teams etc, with none of those teams allowed to enter the county championships at any grade. Teams winning the junior championship in Dublin can come out of divisions from maybe 6-8.

[Armagh18]

Am I right in saying Dublin have a senior a (16 team) and senior b (16 team) championship? So really their intermediate representatives are the 33rd best team in the county? Mad compared to Kerry who send their 10th...

[gallsman]

33rd best club first team. There would be a good few second teams of clubs in Senior 1 and Senior 2 who would handle them per easily.

[Armagh18]

33rd best club first team. There would be a good few second teams of clubs in Senior 1 and Senior 2 who would handle them per easily.

Some going.

[Wildweasel74]

I remember playing a St Colmcilles, a swords team years ago and they had won Division 5 and were now in Division 4 which was about top  or above Junior level in Derry. Now them divisions were possible 1-9, plus Senior and their Intermediate grade on top of that. Had a quick read up on it there. 1-9 Divisions of 16, a 10A/B of 16 each plus a 11A/B of 12 teams each. 200 in total.

[SouthOfThe Bann]

Brigid's by 4 or 5 tomorrow?