Congested Inter County calendar

billyhead

Just wondering what other people's view are for this? I see DJ Carey is the latest person to be opposed to it. Pat Spillane also had the same opinions in that we should still be seeing Inter County action in the traditional months of August and September. I understand that 99 percent of members are club players only but to not see Inter County action for 6 months after it finishes in July is a long period and for armchair supporters and fans who attend Inter County games only its a disappointing move by the GAA.

Fr Tod Umptious

I'm going to hold judgement until it has run for a few years.

I don't like the idea of the championship finishing so early but I'll wait and see.

C4000

Overall I think the split season and having a defined window for club games is a good thing, but there are some consequences. During the summer months of June, July and August, there will only be a total of 10 hurling matches played at intercounty level. The bulk of the season will be from February to May and several teams will be finished for the year before June. All lower tier hurling competitions will be finished in May.

Uncle Pierre

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058223004/congested-inter-county-calendar

So far as I can see, the main argument for continuing to run inter-county into August and September is for the benefit of armchair supporters and big day bandwagon types. You even refer to it yourself.

I haven't seen anybody dispute the fact that having a defined club season is a massive benefit for club players, who make up some 98 to 99% of the GAA's playing population.

To my mind, the GAA owes more to its players than it does to the armchair types. And so, while I initially had reservations myself about the shortened inter-county season, I'm now 100% in favour of it because of how it's so good for the club game.

Spillane and Carey may have both spoken out against it, but they're both from what are basically single-code counties, where the other one barely gets a look-in. Whatever about Kerry being able to run its football championship "the old way", or Kilkenny its hurling championship, it's different for any county that has the same emphasis or same structures on both its hurling and football club championships.

Fr Tod Umptious

Seems like the Tailteann Cup  is going to get the respect it deserves, i.e. none.

The final will not be the same day as the All Ireland, and it will be started and finished as soon as possible to get players from the competing counties back to their clubs.

The reasoning for it not being on the All Ireland final day is that it would get lost in the publicity because of the the All Ireland final.

Newsflash - It will get lost in the publicity that will surround a SF or QF too.

It's becoming more like the Tommy Murphy Cup everyday, and I don't see how anyone can claim it will be any different or any less unsuccessful.

https://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2021/1221/1268040-no-tailteann-cup-final-on-all-ireland-undercard/

Lost Ormond

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058223004/congested-inter-county-calendar

I think its needed but id have preferred a better change to structure of all ireland competitions and whole season structure ahead of this. Armchair fans and fans who only attend inter county games shouldnt be prioritised ahead of club players and all those who attend and support club games and clubs 12 months of the year.

PTH2009

Not a fan of this

Prefer my late All Ireland finals

Lost Ormond

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118364064#Comment_118364064

why?

Hold up so many clubs championships and everything else for so few counties and so few inter county games? Whats the benefit of later AIFs??

PTH2009

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118364080#Comment_118364080

Tradition

Lost Ormond

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118364246#Comment_118364246

And hold up so many club games to cater for the 1%?

Id rather lot more club players got a better structure to their season. would benefit GAA far more

dobman88

It's a good move. Gives club players a defined season besides waiting and waiting. And then playing into winter when the summer weather is turning to shìte.

If it upsets a few arm chair fans, so be it, the overwhelming majority of players and members will be happy with a split, defined season that let's them plan their lives around the sport they participate in with some degree of certainty.

dobman88

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118364246#Comment_118364246

How backward.

Colm R

Martin Breheny in yesterdays Indo had an article outlining why the new calendar was an admission of failure. It was a very frustrating article to read.

he says "40% of games played in Jan and Feb."

He should have pointed out that under the status quo a significant number Inter county of games already take place in Jan and Feb.

"When the weather isn't exactly inviting"

agree, but 1) its not inviting in Oct through December either and 2) the quality of pitches used for intercounty is better in general than club grounds.

1) The GAA should devise a mixed programme which allowed inter-county and club to co-exist with a degree of harmony.

2) Limiting the amount of training sessions permitted for county squads.

3) Insisting that players are made available to their clubs at every available opportunity.

4) Scrapping the provincial football championship (I would agree with that. )

The above is a bunch of a wishy washy mish mash with nothing meaningful and completely unworkable. People who want to retain the status quo need to either:

- set out proper solutions for the club calendar.

- or admit that they are quite happy to have the club calendar split.

If his ideas have merrit, then he should answer these questions:

1) Do you think John Kiely would allow his players to train football/hurling with clubs 10 to 20 days before an Munster Hurling championship game and play a football club championship match 7 to 14 days before a Munster Hurling Championship game?

(Just an an example using John Kiely, but it would apply to any county manager)

2) Do you think inter county players should be expected to play club (usually both sports) and then intercounty (mostly one sport) in the same part of the year?

3) Do you think club players should have to train in the middle of their championship season, and have key players missing for 50% of those training sessions?

He goes on to talk about marketing. I don't think its an own goal to move the bulk of the games to earlier in the year. Its easier to market to a TV audience in winter months - TV has a much lower viewership in Summer months, so it stands to reason that your major summer games need to be at the top end of the game.

keeponhurling

The issue of Spillane and others is that we won't be seeing high-profile inter-county games for 6 months of the year.

Time will tell, but the hope is that club action simply gets a lot more focus during those 6 months. They will get more coverage as there are no inter-county games, and crowds may increase at the likes of county finals, provincial finals etc.

It also means that the top county players will always be available to represent their club, and it also enables the top managers to also consider managing their clubs are the county season ends.

The likes of, say, Ballyhale or Ballygunner are practically inter-county standard anyways. So there will be high-standard and high-profile matches going on, and more GAA fans will be watching and attending these.

As I said, time will tell, but I do think definitely worth trying it out for a year or two.

PTH2009

The 2022 club championships are still spilling over to 2023 with the Finals taking place in January 2023

Could 2023 be the first year of all games been played in the same calendar year with club finals been played the weekend before or after Xmas eve. Looking at 2023 the last 3 weekends in December are 16th/17th, 23rd/24th and 30th/31st. Very problematic there unless they start everything a week or 2 earlier for the 2023 season