Reducing the size of the SFC

[Karate kid]

Even if you leave the county team out of it all, players are bored of 'mid table mediocrity' to use a soccer term. I'll stop ranting and raving but ye will all be sick of me banging this drum over the next few months.

Let's hope we get a good championship this year and I look forward to having the craic discussing it on this but truth be told there will be a lot of bad beatings handed out in this championship that could've been easily avoided with a structure change.

[Laois Rising]

The Heath, Ballylinan, Courtwood, Crettyard-you already have the makings of a decent intermediate championship instead of the current nonsense we have. Senior and Intermediate championships should have 12 teams in each. The intermediate is a joke with usual three of the eight teams in it second teams.   

There's only one second team in the intermediate football, Portlaoise

Read what I said more carefully, I said usual as opposed to this year specifically. Last year 2 of the eight teams were second teams, the year before that we had three second teams and the year before that was 2 as well. I might have embellished my point but the argument is valid. The intermediate championship has been propped up by second teams to make up the eight when a more evenly distributed 12 senior and 12 intermediate would make perfect sense. Some of the intermediate games (I've attended a fair few in recent years) have been ridiculously one sided as well with some very weak teams making up the numbers. An intermediate championship should still be of a good standard with at least half a dozen teams battling it out and in with a realistic shot of winning it. If we went 12 and 12 that would be the reality. I'd enjoy going to see intermediate quarter finals involving e.g. The Heath v Crettyard, Ballylinan v Courtwood, Rosenallis v Arles Kileen, Emo v Mountmellick.

 

[oneshot]

port will walk the SFC again this year.

[Karate kid]

port will walk the SFC again this year.

Don't think portlaoise will be as naive as last year. Young Brennan looks like a good addition to the panel.

[The real town]

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

[The PRO]

The Heath, Ballylinan, Courtwood, Crettyard-you already have the makings of a decent intermediate championship instead of the current nonsense we have. Senior and Intermediate championships should have 12 teams in each. The intermediate is a joke with usual three of the eight teams in it second teams.   

There's only one second team in the intermediate football, Portlaoise

Read what I said more carefully, I said usual as opposed to this year specifically. Last year 2 of the eight teams were second teams, the year before that we had three second teams and the year before that was 2 as well. I might have embellished my point but the argument is valid. The intermediate championship has been propped up by second teams to make up the eight when a more evenly distributed 12 senior and 12 intermediate would make perfect sense. Some of the intermediate games (I've attended a fair few in recent years) have been ridiculously one sided as well with some very weak teams making up the numbers. An intermediate championship should still be of a good standard with at least half a dozen teams battling it out and in with a realistic shot of winning it. If we went 12 and 12 that would be the reality. I'd enjoy going to see intermediate quarter finals involving e.g. The Heath v Crettyard, Ballylinan v Courtwood, Rosenallis v Arles Kileen, Emo v Mountmellick.

 

Fair enough, point taken. Hate second teams in intermediate myself. Think all second and third teams should play separate championships to first teams.
Probably would say we don't really have 12 senior teams. Something between 6 and 8 are decent enough senior teams, then there's a load of middling teams who could have no complaints if they were put into a proper senior B or intermediate championship.
Most of our current intermediate clubs would be junior in Kildare, Offaly etc.

[Jd]

A proposal was put forward by Co Board to all the clubs last year to put 4 teams down this year and not bring anyone up. A bit brutal but made sense. It was voted down by the clubs and not just lower standard senior ones. There was no loopholes just an open vote. There may be a more palatable option coming this year spread over a number of years

[Blueforever]

County boards job is to promote hurling and football in the county and there is nothing to stop them from bringing all clubs to a meeting and thrash out all the issues and get the clubs perspective on the state of Gaa in the county including the amount clubs masquerading as senior teams but have very little hope of anyhelp from that quarter

[SCFC]

A proposal was put forward by Co Board to all the clubs last year to put 4 teams down this year and not bring anyone up. A bit brutal but made sense. It was voted down by the clubs and not just lower standard senior ones. There was no loopholes just an open vote. There may be a more palatable option coming this year spread over a number of years

Makes sense. Get the number down to 12 over the next couple of years.

[Laois Rising]

I would relegate two clubs each year from senior and still allow the intermediate champions play senior the following year. It would take a couple of years to reduce to 12 but definitely the fairest way. Four clubs in one year and no opportunity for promotion from intermediate is a brutal cull and one that no club would support. If you are in the bottom two clubs you have little room to argue against going down to intermediate. You also, if you are good enough, have the opportunity of returning to senior by winning the intermediate championship if you are relegated.

Granted in some years you will have an odd number of clubs playing in the intermediate and senior championship but you can alter the structure of the championship accordingly each year.   

[Karate kid]

Don't think this forum could've aged much better after this weekend. An average winning margin of 11.5 across the matches. This has reached breaking point, think more and more will realise something has to be done.

[Voice of tReason]

The worst thing Laois GAA could do is nothing.

The second worse thing, in my opinion, is try to gradually bring the numbers down.

Be brave. Cut to 12 in one go; if not 8.
It'll hurt one or two clubs for a few weeks but they'll get over it.

Messing about with 15 or 14 team senior championships serves nobody.

[Karate kid]

The worst thing Laois GAA could do is nothing.

The second worse thing, in my opinion, is try to gradually bring the numbers down.

Be brave. Cut to 12 in one go; if not 8.
It'll hurt one or two clubs for a few weeks but they'll get over it.

Messing about with 15 or 14 team senior championships serves nobody.

Totally agree, for example if it was this year 4 losers on next loser round down straight, at least down to 12. If that was this year for example the loser of Emo and Stradbally would be relegated this year and they probably both aren't in the bottom 4 teams, but what harm. If you're good enough you'll get back up senior . If you're not, you don't deserve to be there simple as.

Ripping the bandaid off benefits in the long run because messing around year by year would mean years of odd championships, better off getting loads down now and starting fresh.

[Verbal]

Does anyone know who voted in favour of expanding the hurling championship last year?
It would be interesting to see how many votes were cast in favour by teams ranked around 10-16 in the football. If so, I wonder what was promised in return...

[Laois man]

Alot of talk about 10 senior hurling teams but how about the fball with 16 teams and some of them would struggle in intermediate.