Down Club Hurling & Football

[yewtree]

Down v Monaghan Ulster SFC

Smyth

Collins
McArdle
Aaron Brannigan

D Brannigan
McParland
D O'Hagan

Murdock
Mooney

B O'Hagan
J Johnston
McGovern

Shea McCartan
Kerr
Ryan Johnston

This is the team that Down are hoping to put out in Championship.
Already there has been talk to try and get the money together to buy out the soccer contracts and wages.
Lots of talk about scholarships and other ways to compensate the players if this can be done within GAA rules.
At the minute QUB GAA have scholarships but talk is they don't want to offer any more scholarships if players aren't playing for club and counties .Mc Govern has GAA scholarship there for this year, be great if QUB, Harps and Down could facilitate.
The Shea McCartan situation could be harder with Glens.
It would be some addition to Down if this can happen.Lots of potential benefactors out there to get this over the line.

[Truth hurts]

CCC Proposal

The CCC proposal is that in 2022 we would have Three Divisions in Down, Division One would have 16 Teams, Division Two 18 Teams and Division Three Nine Teams. This would be for one season only and would provide us with a mechanism to reach a solution in 2023 where we would have Division One with 10 Teams, Division Two with 10 Teams, Division Three with 10 Teams and Division 4A and 4B to be made up of potentially 7 teams each or if additional teams were to be admitted we could have 10 teams in each.

Benefits

· Division One would have 15 games, Division Two 17 Games and Division Three 16 games.

· Flexibility in the Calendar if postponements were needed.

· County Players and Successful Clubs would not then have a huge burden of Club Fixtures.

· Better Schedule for players and Clubs, in each month there is a free week including July.

· All Matters are then resolved for 2023, when normal Home and Away structures would return, and teams would have 18 League Games.

· Top Nine Teams in Division One at end of 2022 constitute new Division One in 2023.

· 10th Team in Division One at end of 2022 plays the Top placed Team in Division Two at end of 2022 to decide final spot in Division One for 2023.

· Top Team in Division One wins the League.

· Bottom Six Teams in Division One at end of 2022 plus Top Three Teams in Division Two at end of 2022 and loser of the Play Off Game (Above) make up new Division Two in 2023

· Next Ten Teams in Division Two Make up New Division Three for 2023

· Remaining Four Teams in Division Two plus Top Three Teams in Division Three make up Division Four A in 2023

· Remaining Six Teams in Division Three Make up Division 4B in 2023

[Truth hurts]

What are everyone's views on the proposals? Do you think clubs will accept them or will they have a choice? There is no other proposal on the table.

[meatsy86]

Two options and a CCC Proposal have been received by all clubs.

[Truth hurts]

apologies I have more text now.
What are peoples opinions on the 3 options, it's a tough one

[thewobbler]

The worst one is the CCC proposal as all it would do is hammer home the gap in standards between the divisions. A 16 team D1 is a horrible thought, and an 18 team D2 worse again. Top v bottom clashes would be like the Rugby World Cup group stages.

League football will never be as important as Championship. But it has a serious USP in that it is evenly-matched, competitive football. If we take that away, we take everything away.

[east down gael]

The worst one is the CCC proposal as all it would do is hammer home the gap in standards between the divisions. A 16 team D1 is a horrible thought, and an 18 team D2 worse again. Top v bottom clashes would be like the Rugby World Cup group stages.

League football will never be as important as Championship. But it has a serious USP in that it is evenly-matched, competitive football. If we take that away, we take everything away.

I wouldn't  be in favour of the CCC proposal but reading the problems with the first two options I can't see a better way to get back to ten team leagues.

[SamFever]

 Another option would be to change the Championship for one year only to straight knock-out and allow for the extra games in the League.

[Johnnysboys]

Another option would be to change the Championship for one year only to straight knock-out and allow for the extra games in the League.

Straight knockout cship would be absolutely shit.. possibility of one or two big games in early rounds but most would be mismatches and the lesser teams learn feck all getting tanked by Burren/Kilcoo/Clonduff/CPN..
our Championship is quality at the minute and generally the top 6 teams get to the quarter final and the other 2 are teams on form at that time..

A bigger issue here could be running an u19 competition when the county u20 are preparing for their championship. Will clubs field without their county players - I wouldn't think so..
whatever way the leagues are worked this year is irrelevant as it's not going to be competitive until we are back to ten team formations in each league. So proposal A or B or whatever they are called can run away. The top 8 clubs in down will be in division 1 in 2023 and A N Other x2. Then the leagues will tighten up.

[Back2Winning]

What is the rush to get back to 10 teams per division???
We currently have 43 teams in the county and if Ballykinlar return it will be 44.
Is there anything wrong with have 4 x 11 team divisions with the odd team getting a bye each week?
Forget about taking a break in July and play twice a week if required.

[supersub]

What is the rush to get back to 10 teams per division???
We currently have 43 teams in the county and if Ballykinlar return it will be 44.
Is there anything wrong with have 4 x 11 team divisions with the odd team getting a bye each week?
Forget about taking a break in July and play twice a week if required.

You can't go changing league structures every 5 minutes. The leagues were set to 10 teams a few years ago and the only reason we have this situation is due to Covid. As with everything in the world, completely out of the ordinary and may take something uncomfortable or extraordinary to resolve the issue. Never going to suit everyone.

[Back2Winning]

What is the rush to get back to 10 teams per division???
We currently have 43 teams in the county and if Ballykinlar return it will be 44.
Is there anything wrong with have 4 x 11 team divisions with the odd team getting a bye each week?
Forget about taking a break in July and play twice a week if required.

You can't go changing league structures every 5 minutes. The leagues were set to 10 teams a few years ago and the only reason we have this situation is due to Covid. As with everything in the world, completely out of the ordinary and may take something uncomfortable or extraordinary to resolve the issue. Never going to suit everyone.

It was just a question! Keep your hair on! 
Seems like the Down leagues have been chopped and changed plenty over the years and now the idea of a Div 4a and 4b would appear to be a back handed attempt to shoehorn Premier Reserve teams into the ACFL. 

[thewobbler]

I'm a little gobsmacked that after two years of watching non-competitive D1 football, that anyone would want to see this continue for another season.

I mean is it more important to say "we are in division one" or to actually play and watch genuine division one football.

Give me the latter any day.

[east down gael]

I think everyone agrees that ten teams in divisions one and two is the ideal. But how do you get there for the start of the 2023 season? Playing home and away this year isn't feasible. One set of fixtures is too little games,so they've come up with this plan.for one year only.

[thebar]

I'm a little gobsmacked that after two years of watching non-competitive D1 football, that anyone would want to see this continue for another season.

I mean is it more important to say "we are in division one" or to actually play and watch genuine division one football.

Give me the latter any day.

100% agree - competitive football is all we want.