New All Ireland Championship Format

[Tyrone Dreamer]

I think the championship and national league format has become outdated and its time for change. How about combining the league and championship into one competition played in a more condensed time frame freeing up more time for clubs. The ulster, leinster championships etc could be played of as a warm up to the main competition. There's currently to much time of relative inactivity in county football and to many parts of the season without enough meaningful games. Im afraid due to the gulf in class in counties the championship would have to be split in 2 seperate competitions of 16 (New York would have to go). Each championship would then be split in 2 again to leave groups of 8. In both competitions the top four would qualify for the qnockout, with the top division teams competiting for Sam. 1st would play 4th,2nd v 3rd etc. Int the top division the bottom two in each group would become involved in relegation playoffs, with 2 teams emerging as going down. The playoffs in the bottom division would also decide who go's up. This competition would provide much more meaningful matches for all and if marketed right could potentially lead to the use of much more county grounds. Teams would have 3 home games and 3 away depending on the quality of their ground (otherwise they could nominate their home venue). 1 match would then be played at a neutral venue, possibly croke park.
What does any1 think? (and saying im crazy aint an option)

On a seperate note the black tick should be banned as its being overused by referees who are wasting far to much time over them. When the opposition now fouls they are basically being given the advantage because the referees are wasting a load of time and allowing them to get all their players behind the ball. Refs must learn that slowing the game down only penalises the attacking team.

Rant over.

[Bud Wiser]

I think there are too many replays, particularly in football.  Each game should be played to a conclusion and while that may be ok for me to say sitting here at a laptop instead of having to train I still think the idea of say Kerry or Cork coming to play a qualifier in Croke Park and having to play a replay a week later is pure madness. Has anyone got the stats on the number of draws in the championship last year?

[clarshack]

totally agree about replays - there shouldnt be any (including all ireland finals). discarding replays is one of the ways to free up time for club football. the only thing is how to agree on a method of determining the winner if the match is still a draw after extra time. penalties? who had the most 45's in the game? who had the more scoring opportunities?  if a match finished 3-9 to 0-18 should the team that scored 6 more times in the game go through?

[Bud Wiser]

Extra time period of 10 minutes.  The first to score would put a ref's life in jeopardy if he gave a free a wrong way.  Scoring six times more in a game I don't agree with, I'd rather have a show of hands than to go out of a championship like that.

[thejuice]

I think that championship format would work, excluding New York is a bit harsh, even tho it would be a logistical nightmare for them. The important thing is getting the fairweather fans out for the group stages. Yes proper marketing is vital, for it to be a success. get a bit of hype around the group games. I have been in favour of changing the provincial structure. Just have a north south east and west conferences with 8 teams in each continue the knock-out format. its ridiculous having only 6 teams in munster and connacht.

and right now ill have a go at placing teams in these conferences

North
Aontroim
Ard Mhacha
Doire
Dún na nGall
An Dun
Fear Manach
Muineachán
An Cabhán

East
Baile Átha Claith
Cill Dara
Laois
An Mhí
An Lú
Loch Garman
Cill Mhantáin
Ceatharlach

West
An Iarmhí
An Longfort
Gaillimh
Liatroim
Londain
Maigh Eo
Ros Comáin
Sligeach

South
Cill Chainnigh**change with New York if need be
Uíbh Fhailí
An Clár
Corcaigh
Ciarraí
Luimneach
Tiobraid Árann
Port Láirge

[Hardy]

Sorry lads, but I can't agree with banning replays in the championship. I understand and agree with the motivation to limit the number of county games in favour of club activity.  But I don't think this is the way to solve that problem.

Replays are part of the romance of the GAA. When soccer people talk over pints about the great moments of their sport it's probably World Cup finals and great goals and the like that they talk about. For rugby people it's Heineken Cups and Triple Crowns and whatever. But when GAA people talk great occasions (football, anyway), the legendary replays and second and third replays will always feature.

These occasions have been huge milestones in the development and popularisation of GAA sports. They capture the imagination, if you'll forgive the cliché, build the excitement and generate huge public interest in GAA games. Most people credit the Meath-Dublin series of 1991 with giving the GAA the boost that it needed post Italia 90 and being the start of the current unprecedented level of popularity the games enjoy. Great Louth-Meath draws and replays in the '50s are still strong in football folklore where I come from.

More than that, the replays tend to be great and memorable contests. The first replay between Meath and Kildare in '97 was possibly the best game of football I ever saw. (And that series, I'm sure, played a huge part in the development of the Kildare team that reached the AIF of '98). You can also point to great replays like Kerry-Galway in 2000, Meath-Mayo in '96 (yes) and Dublin-Cork in '83 that are both part of the legend of the game and were great games in themselves.

At a time when everybody is clamouring for better marketing of GAA occasions, to abolish replays, given their importance in the imagination of the public, would be a crazy move – on a par with the government's attempt to abolish another national sport by introducing electronic voting. We're doing enough to ruin football and its popularity by eliminating physical contact, tolerating cheating and diving, flirting with professionalism and introducing the crazy card-waving extravaganza, without pumping another bullet into the Association's foot by abolishing replays.

And penalty shootouts – we can't be serious about introducing such shite into the GAA.

[inthemaking]

so according to this format thejuice reckons we just kick tyrone out then? armagh can take da moy players

[The Real Laoislad]

Tell me this the juice? How in god's name would Offaly be south and Laois east when Laois is more south than Offaly?

[thejuice]

sorry bout the tyrone omission? As for Laois and Offaly, yeah that would make a bit more sense too, i was just having a go at it, of the top of me noggin. Would you agree tho that changing it to 8 team conferences (perhaps not as I said earlier) rather than sticking to the traditional provences, would make a whole lot more sense. The provinces were (im assuming) divided over a hundred years ago and they werent thinking about football and hurling when they did it either.

[thewobbler]

The only change that should be considered for the Championship is to revert back to the old style, straight knockout.

Why oh why is the continual need for change such a major part of the GAA psyche?

I enjoy our games the way they are. Am I alone like that?

[Fishead_Sam]

thejuice

You should leave Westmeath out of Connacht and put Donegal in there instead but be better for a stronger Western Championship. Also Westmeath despite its name is far from West, when I travel to Dublin when I get pass Mullingar on the bypass I consider myself nearly there. Sure for a West-Mayoman Roscommon is pretty far East.

[thejuice]

its got nothing to do with the distance, if you look at the map you'll realise that the counties closer to the east are generally smaller So some the midlands teams are going to have to go west or south. the whole point was getting 8 teams in each conference.  that list i put up is just suggestive, i wont be going  before congress  but feel free to put up your own revised version of it.

When you look at ireland in comparison to almost every other country there arent many long journeys you'd have to make.

Is anyone else in favour of having 4 conferences as opposed to the provinces? (not the ones ive listed just the idea of it)

[balladmaker]

I know a way to avoid the vast majority of replays......just introduce the large clock in the stadium, just like the ladies football......and we will all see the exact amount of time left, and not the fabricated time that refs pull out of nowhere so as to contrive a draw.  This would reduce the amount of replays dramatically!

Open draw is the only way to go....

[Hardy]

There's no doubt about that, Balladmaker. If timekeeping is restored to its proper status as a mathematical concept, rather than a creative art as interpreted by referees, the number of draws will decrease dramatically.

[prewtna]

tyrone dreamer

ya this sounds like a reasonable idea. it would balance out the championship. would make the connaught/munster route to the all-ireland a bit longer but no harm in that!

what would you call the 4 new 'provinces'?

conferance - no way.
division - wouldnt be supported - implies league and people dont like that!

would guarantee a decent number of games for everyone and still retain, to an extent, the whole tribal warfare of the current provinces.

if the champo were to be changed its probably the only reasonable change that could be made to the existing structure. having said that, i would leave things alone, i like the way things work now! but good idea none the less.