Club Championships to be completed in calendar year from 2016

KevIRL

http://livegaelic.com/news/central-council-complete-club-championships-calendar-year/

Be a pity to lose the St Patricks Day finals, gonna take a bit of sorting to get the whole thing run off in one year though, and could end up farcical if the All Ireland finals are played on a bog in December

Figsy32

Great idea in theory but the practicalities are going to make it very difficult.

Dirty Dingus McGee

Terrible idea.Having the finals on St Patricks day was a great tradition .Expect a massive drop in attendance figures for the club finals going forward and they will become less of an important fixture in the minds of people in the country.the club finals and St Patricks day fitted very well together and this tradition on our national holiday should have been maintained.

If they want the AI club championship played in one year why not play them from January onwards and give clubs a break in the run up to Christmas.

Boom__Boom

The fact that they haven't actually said what sort of schedule they expect this to work on is a very bad sign in my opinion. If they had a better idea of when to schedule the competition they would surely have said. Instead the Ard Comhairle has come out and said -it's all got to be played in the one calendar year and turned around and dumped the whole mess as regards scheduling in the CCCC's lap. To add insult to injury they rejected the FRC's proposals for the 4 groups of 8 and for getting rid of league semi-finals which would have made things easier as regards fixtures.

Expect lots of fun from the various county boards when they are told when they have to have games played by.

I can see a lot of problems ahead as regards this.

No change to the Championship and no change to the league but the club championship has to be completed in less time.

Piece of caca.

Boom__Boom

Dirty Dingus McGee wrote: »

Terrible idea.Having the finals on St Patricks day was a great tradition .Expect a massive drop in attendance figures for the club finals going forward and they will become less of an important fixture in the minds of people in the country.the club finals and St Patricks day fitted very well together and this tradition on our national holiday should have been maintained.

Bet they will put the inter-provincials on Paddy's Day and be utterly baffled when no-one turns up.

Clareman

Silly idea, just makes county board's lives a bit easier. Simply solution would be to have the provisional championships start the first week in October to be finished by the first week of December, All Ireland semi-final in February and the final on St. Patrick's day. It's up to each county board to get their house in order and get their county championship played off in time, if they don't get it played off in time they can either nominate a team or forfeit the first round.

Syferus

Practicalities? Do most of you jet off for two month holidays in Feb-March? The difference between weather in November/December and Feb/March is negligible. The Sun ain't coming out to play either way.

The rest of the later end of the club championships are played at that time of the year anyways so the objections are pretty weak in all honesty.

This is a very good move and one that for once isn't hostile to club players or county teams.

Everyone involved in the GAA knows that the entire calendar is a mess and this was an absolutely necessary and enviable change. Waiting four months to play two games is the height of stupidity.

Clareman

Syferus wrote: »

Practicalities? Do most of you jet off for two month holidays in Feb-March? The difference between weather in November/December and Feb/March is negligible. The Sun ain't coming out to play either way.

The rest of the later end of the club championships are played at that time of the year anyways so the objections are pretty weak in all honesty.

This is a very good move and one that for once isn't hostile to club players or county teams.

Everyone involved in the GAA knows that the entire calendar is a mess and this was an absolutely necessary and enviable change. Waiting four months to play two games is the height of stupidity.

But it's only 4 months wait for 4 teams not the whole country, personally I like the idea of the provincial club champions opening up the season

nice_guy80

Clareman wrote: »

But it's only 4 months wait for 4 teams not the whole country, personally I like the idea of the provincial club champions opening up the season

It can have a huge impact on certain counties when their club champions go all the way to the final, leaving the county team short for the National League and pre season

eg Roscommon when Brigids got to finals, St Galls for Antrim, Mount Leinster Rangers for Carlow,

The Lost Sheep

Excellent idea. Clubs after winning their provincial title wait weeks+ for the 1/2 games in all Ireland series. Gives clubs who get to that level a decent break as well by playing finals in december

adrian522

Great idea, should have been done years ago.

ColeTrain

Dirty Dingus McGee wrote: »

Terrible idea.Having the finals on St Patricks day was a great tradition .Expect a massive drop in attendance figures for the club finals going forward and they will become less of an important fixture in the minds of people in the country.the club finals and St Patricks day fitted very well together and this tradition on our national holiday should have been maintained.

A massive drop in attendance? Lol sure who was at the games anyway?

Grats

The Lost Sheep wrote: »

Excellent idea. Clubs after winning their provincial title wait weeks+ for the 1/2 games in all Ireland series. Gives clubs who get to that level a decent break as well by playing finals in december

Agree. Hurling Club teams in Leinster and Munster have to peak to win their provincial final, then come down with the Christmas break and try to peak again in Feb. This will create a level playing field with regards to the Galway champions who have had the luxury of taking it handy until after Christmas up to now.

It will be very interesting to see where the champions come from over the next five to ten years. We're unlikely to see Galway clubs win so many titles in future.

Dirty Dingus McGee

ColeTrain wrote: »

A massive drop in attendance? Lol sure who was at the games anyway?

The club finals get around 30000 per year.I would say half of the fans were neutrals and a lot would go on a annual basis on St Patricks day.The neutral support is going to drop significantly with the finals not being on St Patricks day

Santa Cruz

nice_guy80 wrote: »

It can have a huge impact on certain counties when their club champions go all the way to the final, leaving the county team short for the National League and pre season

eg Roscommon when Brigids got to finals, St Galls for Antrim, Mount Leinster Rangers for Carlow,

Right there. Counties have lost out on promotion or being relegated where a point gained would have made the difference. Roscommon in 2013 was perfect example. Drew and lost games where the St. Brigid players would have made the difference

Prop Joe

Wonder would it make sense now to run the U21 competitions off early in the year and have the finals as a double header in Croker on Paddy's day

KevIRL

Prop Joe wrote: »

Wonder would it make sense now to run the U21 competitions off early in the year and have the finals as a double header in Croker on Paddy's day

Wouldn't there be a fair bit of conflict between them and the 3rd level (sigerson and fitzgibbon) competitions then?

donnem33

Grats wrote: »

Agree. Hurling Club teams in Leinster and Munster have to peak to win their provincial final, then come down with the Christmas break and try to peak again in Feb. This will create a level playing field with regards to the Galway champions who have had the luxury of taking it handy until after Christmas up to now.

It will be very interesting to see where the champions come from over the next five to ten years. We're unlikely to see Galway clubs win so many titles in future.

What makes you say it ll be unlikely Galway clubs will win less under the new format? Maybe they will, maybe they won't but that's a ridiculous statement to make declaring that they won't!

I think whenever a Galway club hurling team does win they will be a even bigger outcry from people complaining that they had no provincial championship under the new format declaring tiredness as a reason for being beaten. Yet when they got a break until February the excuse used was they already had to peak a few months previous for provincial. There is no pleasing some people. Perhaps, they werent good enough anyway!!

Grats

donnem33 wrote: »

What makes you say it ll be unlikely Galway clubs will win less under the new format? Maybe they will, maybe they won't but that's a ridiculous statement to make declaring that they won't!

I think whenever a Galway club hurling team does win they will be a even bigger outcry from people complaining that they had no provincial championship under the new format declaring tiredness as a reason for being beaten. Yet when they got a break until February the excuse used was they already had to peak a few months previous for provincial. There is no pleasing some people. Perhaps, they werent good enough anyway!!

Well I can't be sure but it remains to be seen. I do think that the Munster and. Leinster champions do build up a head of steam in winning their provincial final and just might carry that into the All Ireland series rather than having a disruptive break.

Pete_Cavan

This is back on the table again along with the possibility of playing All Ireland finals in August;

http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/oneill-all-ireland-finals-may-switch-to-august-293436.html

Personally, I wouldn’t have an issue with either. Although Paddys Day makes a great event of the club finals, it cant be easy for players and wrapping it up before the end of the year makes sense. I also thinking having the AI finals in August is a great idea and should be done regardless of if they move the club finals, the club scene misses too much of the summer which is not right. In any event, whatever decision is made should be on the basis of both AI county and club finals, no point in moving one if the other stays the same.

I know this is going to open a serious can of worms but moving the date for the club finals would also probably involve moving the venue. Croker Park would probably be too big and a county ground would suffice.

Prop Joe

Pete_Cavan wrote: »

Personally, I wouldn’t have an issue with either. Although Paddys Day makes a great event of the club finals, it cant be easy for players and wrapping it up before the end of the year makes sense. I also thinking having the AI finals in August is a great idea and should be done regardless of if they move the club finals, the club scene misses too much of the summer which is not right. In any event, whatever decision is made should be on the basis of both AI county and club finals, no point in moving one if the other stays the same.

Don't think i would be in favour of moving the finals from September.

It ensures the GAA is headline news right up until October which is good for promotion of the games also it really only affects 4 counties.

Pete_Cavan wrote: »

I know this is going to open a serious can of worms but moving the date for the club finals would also probably involve moving the venue. Croker Park would probably be too big and a county ground would suffice.

Have to disagree with this one,I know where you are coming from with terms of atmosphere and the viability of opening Croker BUT The AI club finals across all grades are massive and in particular the Junior & Intermediate playing in Croke park is nearly as big as winning it IMO

Boom__Boom

Prop Joe wrote: »

Have to disagree with this one,I know where you are coming from with terms of atmosphere and the viability of opening Croker BUT The AI club finals across all grades are massive and in particular the Junior & Intermediate playing in Croke park is nearly as big as winning it IMO

Totally agree - for lads from the small clubs playing in Croker from their clubs is absolutely massive - once in a lifetime experience. Would be a massive shame if the games were moved out of Croker. It's a huge reward for ordinary club players.

The crowds might not be massive but the atmosphere when I've been there has been fairly decent.

Iecrawfc

Boom__Boom wrote: »

Totally agree - for lads from the small clubs playing in Croker from their clubs is absolutely massive - once in a lifetime experience. Would be a massive shame if the games were moved out of Croker. It's a huge reward for ordinary club players.

The crowds might not be massive but the atmosphere when I've been there has been fairly decent.

Absolutely, all club finals should be played in croke park, the way some people talk croke park would be used twice a year for gaa matches and the rest for concerts...

KrustyUCC

can't see this working out

On one hand GAA want All Ireland club done in a calender year

On other they are trying to stop all leaving certs from playing league or challenge games until after LC

"Inter-county minors, as well as Leaving Cert and A-level students, will be prevented from playing league and challenge games for their club’s adult sides"

so all club teams will be potentially without starters for until after LC which is late June at minimum

http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/review-group-seeks-to-save-minor-players-from-burnout-293425.html

Gaa would want to be careful not to change too much too quickly

ProudDUB

Great idea. Taking 10 1/2 months to run off the the club championship is madness imo.

This year, Vincents played their last game of the 2013 club season on March 17th. They played their first game of the 2014 club season 6 weeks later on May 4th. Same with Ballymun Kickhams last year. That is utter madness imo.

Ok, so only a handful of teams are still playing games in March, or February. It's not exactly the whole country, but the point still stands....taking over 10 months to play the club champo is madness imo. Get it all done and dusted in the one calender year and be done with it.

I don't agree that not having it on St Patricks Day will affect attendances. The die hard followers of the competing clubs will travel regardless. But there would probably be a fairly sizable number of people (both Dubs and non Dubs) who won't go near the game, or travel up for it, due to the madness of Dublin on St Patricks Day itself & all the parade crowds. Town is packed, the pubs are a mess, hotels and restaurants are fully booked, packed buses, Luas trams & Darts, drunken tourists puking everywhere, no parking within an arses roar of Croker, due to all the parade crowds dumping their cars before heading into town.

I can see plenty of people staying away from Croker on March 17th, because of all that messiness & drama. Not so, if the club final was on a stand alone day by itself. The idea of having our club finals on our national holiday is a lovely idea, but it is very impractical from a logical point of view imo.

homerjay2005

great idea, its madness drawing the season out for 3 more months, just for the shi*s and giggles of playing the game on paddys day.

Boom__Boom

ProudDUB wrote: »

This year, Vincents played their last game of the 2013 club season on March 17th. They played their first game of the 2015 club season 6 weeks later on May 4th.

Superb typo

When are they going to play in the 2014 season?

ProudDUB

Badum tish !!!

In like Flynn with the sneaky ninja edit.

Dirty Dingus McGee

I don't like the idea of the all ireland finals being played in August.I takes away a full month of massive exposure for the GAA.

Very few counties will benefit from changing the All Ireland final date however the GAA as a whole will lose out.

We have so much fluting around with half arsed measure in the GAA and no real action on real issue and this is another prime example of this.

County boards should just play club championships throughout the inter county championship season and you would have no fixture congestion.If inter county players and manager don't like it tough sh1t.

Grats

Grats wrote: »

Agree. Hurling Club teams in Leinster and Munster have to peak to win their provincial final, then come down with the Christmas break and try to peak again in Feb. This will create a level playing field with regards to the Galway champions who have had the luxury of taking it handy until after Christmas up to now.

It will be very interesting to see where the champions come from over the next five to ten years. We're unlikely to see Galway clubs win so many titles in future.

Galway clubs have been winning AI's as they've had good teams.

Portumna have won the bulk of those because they have Canning x2, Hayes, Smyth along with some other decent players.

That isn't going to change because they've altering the calender, that will change because Portumna are coming to the end of the road anyway.

Galway clubs will still win their fare share though, it's not as if the KK clubs are meeting too much top class competition in Leinster(compared to Munster) anyway so the same applies to them.

Prop Joe

I know in rural Ireland this could cause some problems but what about No Minors allowed play senior?

I am involved in a rural club and a few of our subs would be minors but i'm sure a few of the older lads would of stayed on this year if they were not allowed play Senior.

It would just free up a massive amount of time & also cut down on the burnout issue.

Pete_Cavan

I think all competitions would benefit from having a more defined window, rather than having so much overlap between competitions. Finishing the club competition in the calendar year means it does not happen at the same time as county leagues, National League, U21 football, third level competitions, etc. At least in October/November, club football and hurling would be the main competitions and so would be more in the spotlight and get more exposure.

The finals on Paddys Day is great for casual fans who go for the event rather than having a vested interest in any team. I cant imagine it is ideal for players who could be working the days either side of the final which is not good preparation or for celebrating. It must also be very difficult for managers and players to peak around October, again in March and possibly again during the summer for county. At least finishing the competition in the same year means the club keeps their players together and they can stay focused on their goal. A Saturday night under lights could make for a great atmosphere and probably suit the players/managers/fans of the clubs involved a lot more.

Pete_Cavan

Dirty Dingus McGee wrote: »

I don't like the idea of the all ireland finals being played in August.I takes away a full month of massive exposure for the GAA.

Very few counties will benefit from changing the All Ireland final date however the GAA as a whole will lose out.

Why do you think the GAA would miss out on massive exposure if the AI Finals were moved to August? Is it just that the build up could be shortened or concern over clashing with other sporting events? The later stages of the championships dont have to change but I would prefer to see the provincial championships condensed to give more time to club games - this could be done either by starting later or finishing earlier. There is no need for the Championships to span 5 months - May, June, July, August & September with it only getting interesting in August, 3 months in! I also think it makes sense to complete the club championships in the calendar year (the only argument against seems to be losing the final on Paddys Day) and to facilitate this, the AI Championships would have to finish earlier.

Dirty Dingus McGee

Pete_Cavan wrote: »

Why do you think the GAA would miss out on massive exposure if the AI Finals were moved to August? Is it just that the build up could be shortened or concern over clashing with other sporting events? The later stages of the championships dont have to change but I would prefer to see the provincial championships condensed to give more time to club games - this could be done either by starting later or finishing earlier. There is no need for the Championships to span 5 months - May, June, July, August & September with it only getting interesting in August, 3 months in! I also think it makes sense to complete the club championships in the calendar year (the only argument against seems to be losing the final on Paddys Day) and to facilitate this, the AI Championships would have to finish earlier.

GAA championship season is from May To September.This is the time when our games get the most exposure and are the main sports stories.

We shorten our season from May to August and it means that GAA misses out on 90% of the coverage it gets in September and the amount of exposure the GAA gets in national media is reduced significantly.You can only fit so much news about any sport in the papers,TV etc so decreasing the length of the championship season won't increase exposure in the other months of the championship.

If the GAA want to make a change they should do it properly and completely revamp the structures of the main competitions.A half arsed measure like this well have more negatives then positives.

keane2097

I don't think the number of articles about GAA in the Examiner, Times and Independant over the course of the season is in the top 1,000 of considerations as to why this is a good or bad idea.

Dirty Dingus McGee

keane2097 wrote: »

I don't think the number of articles about GAA in the Examiner, Times and Independant over the course of the season is in the top 1,000 of considerations as to why this is a good or bad idea.

I disagree.

One of the main benefits of Intercounty GAA is that it provides the GAA with nationwide media coverage and acts as a massive advertisement for the games as a whole.

As a result our competitions at Intercounty level should be structured to get as much exposure for the association as possible.If you don't do that then intercounty GAA loses a large part of its purpose.

The simple solution to the club fixtures issue is to play club championships throughout the inter county championship season.If inter county players and managers may not like it but if county boards and club player stand up to them there is nothing they can do.

Sheldons Brain

ProudDUB wrote: »

I don't agree that not having it on St Patricks Day will affect attendances. The die hard followers of the competing clubs will travel regardless. But there would probably be a fairly sizable number of people (both Dubs and non Dubs) who won't go near the game, or travel up for it, due to the madness of Dublin on St Patricks Day itself & all the parade crowds. Town is packed, the pubs are a mess, hotels and restaurants are fully booked, packed buses, Luas trams & Darts, drunken tourists puking everywhere, no parking within an arses roar of Croker, due to all the parade crowds dumping their cars before heading into town.

Most of those puking are not tourists but persons living not far from Nelson's Pillar. The puking dissuades tourists, if anything.

I can see plenty of people staying away from Croker on March 17th, because of all that messiness & drama. Not so, if the club final was on a stand alone day by itself. The idea of having our club finals on our national holiday is a lovely idea, but it is very impractical from a logical point of view imo.

So when would the new final take place? The Sunday before Xmas? No crowds or madness then at all!

The Lost Sheep

Sheldons Brain wrote: »

Most of those puking are not tourists but persons living not far from Nelson's Pillar. The puking dissuades tourists, if anything.



So when would the new final take place? The Sunday before Xmas? No crowds or madness then at all!

Easily set for early-mid December or earlier with strict rules on when club championships have to be finished and if they're not then that county doesn't have a team in provincial championship that year

ProudDUB

Sheldons Brain wrote: »

Most of those puking are not tourists but persons living not far from Nelson's Pillar. The puking dissuades tourists, if anything.

I used to live in the heart of the city centre. In my experience, the majority of people attending the parade, would be tourists.

Anyway, whether they are natives or tourists, you are making my point for me. The over all messiness of St Patrick's Day, stops people from going to the club final. That includes native Dubs, who would avoid town like the plague on St Patricks Day, as well as people living in rural areas, who would love to go to the club final, but they don't want to deal with the Paddys Day messiness either.

munchkin_utd

theres aparantly a meeting tomorrow on the matter so there might be news on whats to happen by the end of the weekend.
(on the other hand, maybe not, knowing the way these things go in the GAA!)

Club changes could lead to August dates for All-Ireland senior finals

Bringing the All-Ireland senior and minor finals forward to August could be necessary if the club deciders are to played before Christmas.
Central Council has already agreed in principle to play the AIB All-Ireland club championships before Christmas in future years.

The sub-committee charged with working out the scheduling details will meet tomorrow night to consider a menu of scheduling options. If agreement is reached on a specific proposal, it will be brought before Central Council on Saturday. Otherwise, a decision will be deferred until January's meeting.

http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/club-changes-could-lead-to-august-dates-for-allireland-senior-finals-30703918.html