Armagh Club football & hurling

[Armagh18]

A really disappointing motion from Éire Óg, bordering on idiotic, but it seems to have got majority support which is even more disheartening.

I read someone from Éire Óg over on the Armagh forum try to justify it by saying they're "protecting" Junior football. Near spat my coffee out. In the 100+ year history of the Junior championship it's only been won three times by a seconds team.

It was never an issue until Clann Éireann won the JFC two years ago despite numerous clubs entering IIs teams over the last 25 years, and now after CÉ II got relegated it's suddenly sparked this great crusade to protect a competition that already limits the number of IIs team able to participate.

I can tell you as someone from one of the clubs affected that all this motion serves to do is penalise clubs who have put in the hard yards developing their youth and wanting a solid platform to develop players that are not yet ready or just not good enough for senior football.

Aside from the fact it will more than likely be CÉ and Cross battling it out for honours while the rest have nada to play for; there is the added administration required to run this new league - have new referees been sourced or will it be shoehorned in on Wednesday nights with the rest of reserve leagues?

If its on Friday nights would those teams not have been playing that?

Wouldn't think it would be on Friday nights, as some of the clubs with less playing numbers would have players playing in the traditional reserve games on Wednesday night that are often used by their senior team on a Friday night. 

That's where there'll be an argument, the bigger clubs with full on seconds teams will want games played on the weekend whereas the smaller clubs will obviously want it on the Wednesday for lads that maybe move up and down. 

[ranch]

I do agree that reserve teams should compete in a separate reserve championship rather than the junior or intermediate championship. What purpose does it serve having Clann Eireann  II winning the junior championship again next year yet they're unable to compete in Ulster?

However, I don't agree with barring them from the All County League system. It provides regular and consistent football.

Yeah that would be ideal, but with the way our leagues are tied to championship would it be workable?

Probably wouldn't be workable in the current system. Hence why I've always believed we should have unlinked league and championship. If they were unlinked I doubt many junior clubs would object to reserve teams taking part in the league.

[Armagh18]

I do agree that reserve teams should compete in a separate reserve championship rather than the junior or intermediate championship. What purpose does it serve having Clann Eireann  II winning the junior championship again next year yet they're unable to compete in Ulster?

However, I don't agree with barring them from the All County League system. It provides regular and consistent football.

Yeah that would be ideal, but with the way our leagues are tied to championship would it be workable?

Probably wouldn't be workable in the current system. Hence why I've always believed we should have unlinked league and championship. If they were unlinked I doubt many junior clubs would object to reserve teams taking part in the league.

Would be a serious upheavel from what I think is a seriously good system, not sure there is the appetite for it to accommodate seconds teams.

[general_lee]

It's a real backward step for Armagh club football. Junior clubs will now have less football (maybe they're happy with that?).

I wonder how Mullabrack and Killean will get on, assuming the 3A/3B are done away with. Will they be playing Collegeland, Ballyhegan, Middletown etc? Whose interest does that serve?

[tonto1888]

It's very short sighted

[Armagh18]

It's a real backward step for Armagh club football. Junior clubs will now have less football (maybe they're happy with that?).

I wonder how Mullabrack and Killean will get on, assuming the 3A/3B are done away with. Will they be playing Collegeland, Ballyhegan, Middletown etc? Whose interest does that serve?

Killean would be as well in the b team league.

[ranch]

I do agree that reserve teams should compete in a separate reserve championship rather than the junior or intermediate championship. What purpose does it serve having Clann Eireann  II winning the junior championship again next year yet they're unable to compete in Ulster?

However, I don't agree with barring them from the All County League system. It provides regular and consistent football.

Yeah that would be ideal, but with the way our leagues are tied to championship would it be workable?

Probably wouldn't be workable in the current system. Hence why I've always believed we should have unlinked league and championship. If they were unlinked I doubt many junior clubs would object to reserve teams taking part in the league.

Would be a serious upheavel from what I think is a seriously good system, not sure there is the appetite for it to accommodate seconds teams.

It's an okay system in my opinion but it has its flaws which many people seem determined to ignore no matter what. It's also a bit of an outlier in that the majority of counties don't link league and championship. It isn't likely to change anytime soon though. I'd be interested to know how the vote went-was it overwhelming or was it a close run thing?