The split season

The GPA wanted the intercounty season confined to 30 weekends. Their wish was granted at GAA Congress 2026. These 30 weekends currently include 3 weekends in January that overlap with the All Ireland club championships, the 3 weekends that are used for the pre-league provincial competitions.

If the pre-league provincial competitions were scrapped, these 3 weekends could be used to give the national league and inter county championships more breathing space.

This can be workable for hurling that doesn't have league connected to championship. Football might want to loosen the link from league to championship so that county players are not under pressure to be rushed back for the national league after All Ireland club finals. A compromise option there could be using the league for seeding qualifiers - non provincial finalists playing for 7 league qualifier spots. Those failing to qualify entering the Tailteann Cup. The Tailteann Cup could be straight knockout as all would have played at least 1 provincial round and 1 qualifier round.

The national leagues could start at the beginning of January, in parallel with the All Ireland club championships. By my back of a pack of cigarettes calculations - the national league would never have more than 2 consecutive weekends. Championship games would be every second weekend. The only exception being football rounds 2A & 2B, 3 and quarter finals where the reward of winning round 2A is the weekend off before the quarter finals.

i dont but you have to realise these are the people that will desert the games whenever it suits , cork football is a perfect example , they struggle to gain a few thousand supporters nowadays , but could have filled croke park twice in 2010 when they beat down in the all ireland final

what kept the game going when all them supporters deserted them

no but my point is what happens when the supporters desert the team , they only wanted to follow a wining team rather then support the team every county has them you cant relay on such jekyll and hyde supporters alone ,

currently thousands of clubs around the are struggling especially from rural depopulation if for example clubs start to die while all the focus is on the intercounty scene then in ten years time you have no inter county scene

Split season has to stay. The club month in April that was introduced was abused by most inter County managers and was the final nail in the coffin of the old way.

The concerns of overload on the inter County players is genuine. I would limit the leagues to 7 teams max per division in in football like in hurling. It gives one free week for all squads to lighten the load.

The removal of the preliminary 1/4 final round in hurling also helps giving another free weekend in the hurling calendar

yeah but what about poor joanne cantwell, des cahill and pat spillane and martin breheny that dont know who the clubs and players are in carlow senior football final or laois senior hurling final?

The challenge for the national media really is to focus on a few county championships. I appreciate that will be contentious but they usually like to build a story.

With Croke Park warning to restrict club streaming coverage if club games aren't available for RTE and TG4 - there might to be some cross county collaboration with broadcasters on how to have a fair balance of live terrestrial and club streaming coverage.

You're obviously not as smart as you think. Des cahill is a member of cuala for many years and was involved with clubs in kerry and carlow when his work took him . Pat spillane always talks about his own club templenoe as well as other club championships across the country.

Infuriating to hear keyboard warriors like you and the disrespect you have for people who have gave their whole life to the association. When you have achieved what pat spillane has achieved come back and spell it out.

Who said i agreed with that ? I don't.

What were bellews details and research? That they've more teams now than before the split season? How does know this is down to the split season? Is he guessing?

Also worth noting that Paul bellew is not universally popular with the clubs in Galway. One former co hurlers was scathing of his decision to hold the Galway hurling final under lights on a Saturday night.

As another poster said, tge season now is like a box ticking exercise. Get these games played this weekend, next set next weekend etc. Can't even make room for a replay, one of the great traditions of the gaa. No extra time it has to be. lads barely able to walk by the end of it lot of cases.

If co boards and chairmen like Paul bellew had actually stood up to the inter-county manager in the first place and not let them walk all over them , we wouldn't be in this situation now

Well, when you post something like this -

When you have achieved what pat spillane has achieved come back and spell it out

Surely you can see how you appear to be saying 'we should listen to what Spillane has to say'.

But clearly, what Spillane has to say as regards a 'solution' is unworkable nonsense, and even you don't agree with him. Strange then that you hold him up in the first place as one who should be listened to.

My post was in response to a sly sarcastic comment from another poster who seemed to imply that pat spillane or des cahill have no involvement with any gaa club , we anyone with a bit of knowledge would see that's clearly not the case. That simple really!!

Yes there was alot wrong, if you can't see the issue with a gap of around 10 weeks between a provincial final and All Ireland semi final then that speaks volumes.

But club championships are the lifeblood of the GAA, intercounty is the cherry on the cake. I think that's a championship structure issue as much a calendar issue, agree regarding Jan and Feb there treading to even wetter months than Nov/ Dec.

A bit dramatic there to say the least, if they've abandoned the sport I don't think Munster championship tickets would be so hard to get, Leinster championship issues are nothing to do with the calendar it's simply Galway, Wexford and Dublin have been relatively poor the last couple of years aside from Dublin shocking Limerick. As a said on another thread August is now probably the busiest month of the calendar in terms of participation.