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The thing that stands out to me is a lot of the smaller clubs in laois actually play A championship. Because they are usually amalgamated with 1 or two other clubs and play a good standard of football.would it not be better for them to play another competitive year at minor. They would be physically better off.But when you have a amalgamated team they have a lot more votes than a standalone team when it comes down to that.

I haven't talked to a single person yet that wants the underage championship to remain as is.it makes it very hard for club managers to get challenge games.no one wants to play a friendly against a team you could meet in championship.

The talk of two clubs in portlaoise will always come up as seen in a previous text.but talk it will only ever be unfortunately.while at a underage match in portlaoise recently one thing stuck out was the attendance the away supporters seem to have more.was moving a town club outside the town a big mistake in portlaoise one of the problems.portlaoise is growing the size of any village in Laois every year for past 20 years.portlaoise eventually will be back and Laois needs the town teams to compete.saying all that courtwood were brilliant there forwards look fit and hungry and would match any team in Laois with that performance

I know in Kilkenny there gone back to 18. If it's your last year of 18 you are able to play senior hurling for your club.a young lad that played for Thomastown this year in the country final also played minor in the same year.that could be the way to do it. Also it must be harder for clubs to get challenge games outside the county because the amount of county's that are gone back

There's a good interview on off the ball on how Tyrone develops it's underage they don't do trails they have lads at every underage game coming back with information on how lads are developing.Also bring back 12/16/18 grade see lads playing senior now and another year of minor would really benefit them as player. I think that is going to happen but when who knows.probably when one of the lads on the country boards club have a good team we will go back to the old grade .i think there's over 20 county's gone back to the old grade

The county board did try to reduce the amount of teams. All was going well until there was a few teams that were not expected to be down there. So some loophole was found and we went straight back to 16.so now we have a loser championship is the new thing.There is far to few underage teams playing A football to sustain a 16 team championship.Thats to me is the problem.so going to 12 or under probably would be the best option

IMO it is always far better to have a consistent management team at an age group then one which follows the team up through the ages.
A management team needs to know what it takes to perform at the standard of that age group. To manage a team at say u15, and then step up to u17 with the same group means too big a learning gap for the management. By the time the management figures it out time is up and roulette wheel spins again. Far better to set up long term management teams at each age group (with no parents involved) and have the players move up through the ages with experienced coaches at each level. The same goes for club or county. I don't believe the coaches have to have seen every player since they were kids. A coach who is looking at players and knows what is needed at that level is probably in a better position to judge than the one who still remembers the great goal little Johnny scored at u13 and will be blind to the fact he hasn't progressed since.
From my own observance I have also seen lads who were good enough to be in county squads but who didn't get on for what ever reason with a particular management group and then never went back. While we still rely on parents to manage our county squads, I fear we will never really progress.

i don't think there is a underage team in laois football without a father and son combo.at club level ok not a county.i just wonder is it always the cheapest option in Laois.

The setup in laois is second to none the center of excellence looks super.location in heart of the main town in Laois couldn't be in a better place.everything is in place. Laois has a bigger population than offlay and growing.good coaching right people involved they have the perfect training ground.we should be able to compete but we are not. Our minors footballers are in  bottom tier for the last 2 years. Go to underage games regularly so talking to a lot of people from my club and it's not good what I hear. Still too much politics involved.

With regards to Michael Duignan at the healm in Offaly, He took an holistic approach to everything, especially at underage level, He got Shane Lowry on board, and he and a group of very rich people apparently covered ALL ASPECTS regarding finances ( between 1.5 to 2 million) that took pressure off fundraising and allowed Offaly to get EVERYTHING that was needed, in terms of physio's Doctors and Gym costs, travel, hotels etc. It breaks my heart to admit that Offaly are almost always one or two steps ahead of us, especially when it comes to professionalism at inter county level.

I have never been someone who accepts that Offaly produce more Talent than Laois, but Offaly players are less parochial than Laois when it comes to Club before County. As some of you know, I now live in the UK but I was brought up in the Hurling heartland of Laois ( West and south west Laois) But I have a football question that I hope someone could help me with. Portarlington are Currently by far the best Club Team in the County, please tell me why very few seem to be involved with the County at both underage and Senior level?

The subject of portlaoise have two teams will always be debated and rightly so but the debate should be at country board level.the fastest growing town in the midlands.I can see one problem is that if this ever was going to happen and portlaoise number 2 team was to be a senior team that will take the place of another and is that the fear of some clubs I don't know. We have too  few underage teams playing A football.when a town as big as mouthmellick needs all its neighbours to compete and there a few more with them I see that as the biggest problem.

We cannot compare portlaoise to dublin.you compare portlaoise to newbridge similar populations to Kilkenny city which portlaoise if it keeps growing at the rate it is will soon pass it in population.all have 2 or more senior teams which all have players or had that played with county. has to be a lot of young people in portlaoise that never see a football field. Portlaoise doesn't  want competition for young players in there town which is only natural. But this is up to the county board if you  have to start at underage level out biggest town has to be one of our biggest providers

We have 16 senior clubs in laois probably 8 underage teams playing A football and that's the supply chain for most of these clubs bar a few. That's a major problem but that's been the way for a good number of years and nothing done about it.I agree with a lot off the things said here so if we can see it are they just ignoring it.who would let mouthmellick join with 4 other teams 1 yes but that's a joke.

In Portarlington it's sad to see that we couldn't field a minor team which a town of our size should have no problem it's not all bad over here we have good numbers at other levels and will compete with most teams. I see mouthmellick are now joined up with all there surrounding small clubs which is no good. When I see this happening I feel it's parents and mangers trying to we medals for there kids and  themselves and not  the club.portlaoise is growing every year and it needed a second football club ten years ago.all 3 clubs have one thing in common they are competing with a lot more sports kids have greater choice.yes I believe the county board should do more to promote  the game in the towns because at the end of the day that's where your population is.

Portlaoise and Newbridge are towns of similar size. Where Newbridge has two successful senior football clubs both side have men on kildare panel.it works in Newbridge why not portlaoise. Myself I'm live in a town and everyone thinks because of the population it's easy to raise money but it's not we have a lot of competition from other sports within the town. Soccer swimming rugby tennis golf there just a few clubs I can name more.even outside football clubs.maybe if portlaoise and my own club Portarlington where debt free we would have the money to pay these coaches.for the Likes  of us and portlaoise in order to develop we had to buy  Land or move ground.we All know land in a town is far more expensive that land out in rural areas.

I think this has the making of a good championship if it's run right. The main problem is to many teams are amalgamated form year to year you don't know who's joining with who. The rock with Paul's one year next year it was gone. port beat ballyroan well I think ballyroan  barely had a team. to few underage teams and too many senior teams picking from it.this has to have a long term effect