Laois Senior Football Championship 2016

[High Fielder]

Genuinely can't see how its good for Ballyfin Football not to participate in the League or for the players.  I do realize they have hurling with a small base of players however lets be honest they are getting success in Football I just wonder why it's not the priority.

I don't think if they win Div 2B and win semi and final they automatically go to Div 1 B.

The league is a busted flush. That is why. It means nothing and Ballyfin have proven that point. The winners of it are in a relegation final. In the main, people like the championship and league format, but it does zilch for the development of players in the county. Two early rounds of the championship are needed badly.

[Timmy]

Two early rounds when? you're talking April if you want to do it before Laois begin championship. So play two rounds and you'll have four teams out of the championship by the end of April?

[High Fielder]

Maybe any teams who fall by the wayside in those two rounds could come back into the Intermediate Championship. Most counties have early rounds of the championship. Squashing it into a two month period is only asking for mediocrity, and that's what we're getting.

[Giovanni]

Very good idea in my opinion.

Not sure how easy it would be to get the clubs to agree.

[Cruella De Vil]

Don't think the suggestion of losers going back into intermediate championship would be fair. Not fair on teams in the intermediate championship to have perceived stronger outfits bounced in on them mid competition, I think it'd be crazy.
I believe the problem with the league is there are simply too many games, playing a dozen or so games, starting lads back around February drags out the whole year too long, 5/6 league games starting in May, split divisions smaller, winners of say A & B contest a final, losers play relegation final, no semis etc, should give lads more interest, towards slogging away for 3 months with it.

Fair play to Graigue on a big performance, a lot of credit must go to them for producing their best showing of the championship, whilst under the most pressure. The Heath vs Emo will be very tight, and probably the best remaining spectacle of this years championship!!

[Don Draper]

Very good idea in my opinion.

Not sure how easy it would be to get the clubs to agree.

An awful idea imo, and shocking unfair on the Intermediate Clubs.

[High Fielder]

We're trying to raise the standard here. The 4 worst teams in Senior would hardly do the world of damage in Intermediate. If anything, I'd fancy Portlaoise Intermediates and O Dempseys to beat any of them. There is no huge gap so don't be trying to make out they are powerhouses. There's an imbalance there anyway with 16 Senior teams and 8 Intermediate. Some Senior teams are Senior only in name, and exist only to keep that status. That doesn't interest me at all and so what if a few Intermediate teams are found out? There is always Junior A. This is Laois all over.

[Don Draper]

We're trying to raise the standard here. The 4 worst teams in Senior would hardly do the world of damage in Intermediate. If anything, I'd fancy Portlaoise Intermediates and O Dempseys to beat any of them. There is no huge gap so don't be trying to make out they are powerhouses. There's an imbalance there anyway with 16 Senior teams and 8 Intermediate. Some Senior teams are Senior only in name, and exist only to keep that status. That doesn't interest me at all and so what if a few Intermediate teams are found out? There is always Junior A. This is Laois all over.

No its not f**king Laois all over, its railroading Intermediate Clubs to try and solve a problem in Senior. If you want to put Senior Clubs down Intermediate, then f**king relegate them properly, and restructure the Championships and now be acting the shite with f**king band aids over a gaping wound!

[High Fielder]

Railroading? You actually said railroading. Bringing the 4 worst teams out of Senior into Intermediate, which if restructured anyway would only address the imbalance. Railroading.

[Don Draper]

Railroading? You actually said railroading. Bringing the 4 worst teams out of Senior into Intermediate, which if restructured anyway would only address the imbalance. Railroading.

No, I said restructure it properly at the start of the year. Instead of letting the Intermediate start, and then drop 4 new teams into it just because you want to suit the Senior teams. If you want to put them down, do it f**king right. Do it at this years convention. Propose it now.

[High Fielder]

There is no one single, right or wrong way. No club wants to drop to Intermediate overnight so just picking 4 clubs couldn't work. What I have suggested is probably no more or less than will be proposed at inter county level where eventually, teams will play in A and B championships. It happens in soccer too. Champions League non qualification and you drop into the Europa.

I would like to see 2 rounds of the Senior Championship played before any other grade, not just for the above reasons, but also to negate the possibility of clubs playing lads at a much inferior grade

[BallyroanAbu]

Personally I don't like this idea but we should be open to ideas.  A lot of talk about amalgamations however if 4-5 amalgamations happen then the benefit of amalgamations is nullified ie. it becomes hard to win.  Thus why amalgamate, clubs are only going to amalgamate to win stuff not for the good of the overall standard of football in the county.  Personally the league I feel should be the major tournament with the top four of div 1(A) playing in semi-finals, can't see it happening. 

[oneflewoverthecuckoonest]

yes perhaps it is time to address the numbers of clubs at senior level.

if we want to make it 12 senior and 12 intermediate in perhaps 2 years times...here is the way to do it.


next year, 2017, we will have 16 senior clubs.

revert to 4 groups of 4.
group winners to quarters.
group 2nd and 3rds into a play off for the 4 other quarter spots.#
bottom of each group relegated.

to make it fair, at draw stage...the 4 semi finalists from 2016 would be seeded, one into each group and the remaining places randomly drawn.

an idea.....sure to be shot down!.

[High Fielder]

Turkeys will never vote for Christmas cuskoo, but going as we are is not getting us anywhere. I personally have no problem with 16 Senior clubs but adding and subtracting one each year dilutes any ambition some clubs have. Staying Senior is everything. Grand, but some clubs bring nothing to the table either for the Championship or themselves. I see no problem asking 4 clubs to play Intermediate football if they couldn't cut it at Senior. It would never pass because clubs look after their own interests and would vote it down, but they can't in all seriousness expect to find a good Laois team out of the shite that we're looking at

[Timmy]

A good Laois team will not be a product of a competitive senior championship. They are two separate issues. Anyone who has, or potentially has the ability to play with Laois should be picked up by development squads.