http://theviewfromthesideline.wordpress.com/2013/05/20/does-anybody-care/

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4105 - 21/05/2013 12:20:40    1388091

Good article but hurling is dead in most counties. Cavan v Armagh got the full treatment in the football. As did Westmeath and Carlow. In fairness Mayo are all Ireland finalists. Laois/ Antrim and Carlow/ London were nearly forgotten about with 2 mins near the end of an hour and half long show. No analysis and nothin mentioned of the teams. Thought they could have easily got a good story about London. Maybe doin a preview talking about their win in 1901 and maybe talking about the counties where some of their players are from but no. Abslute predjudice against hurling is shocking. I know Iim biased Im from a hurling area but I love Football too. Just hate the absolute disregard the game is takin. In limerick its hangin on as anyone will tell you. And we are considered 'established'. Unless change comes the game all ireland will have benn won by 3 maybe 4 teams in the next 20 years. After which it will slowly die givein way to some more international style of gaelic football.

Fishermantom (Limerick) - Posts: 569 - 21/05/2013 12:55:24    1388132

spot on regrading media coverage, it's terrible.

WillieFrazer (Armagh) - Posts: 38 - 21/05/2013 12:58:14    1388136

Hurling needs to be marketed differently. The smaller counties games could be put on as double or even triple headers with the media covering the games & all games getting a fair billing.

For personal reasons I can't attend these games but I do follow some of the so called weaker counties on twitter & the love & passion they have for the game of hurling is a credit to them. Kildare for example, are top class when it comes to promotion of the game.

But the GAA are failing sides like Kildare by not putting the same effort into Kildare as Kildare put into hurling.

Limerick might be one of the weaker counties at the top tier, but we are passionate hurling folk and I'd love to see more of the weaker counties get coverage like we get. It's the greatest game in the world but it is treated very poorly.

slayer (Limerick) - Posts: 6628 - 21/05/2013 13:08:50    1388151

Not to mention not even a mention of the Ring, Rackard or Meagher Cups. Compare that to the way Sky Sports & the FA have marketed the Championship & Premier League promotion playoffs!!!

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4105 - 21/05/2013 13:16:08    1388157

When the Christy Ring cup started it was played before the All-Ireland semifinals in front of big grounds. I attended one final between Down and Westmeath (2005?-cant remember) and it was very good game being played in front of a big crowd. The next thing, Carlow are playing Westmeath in Tullamore on a Friday night (as if it was some junior B hurling league game).

bennybunny (Cork) - Posts: 3917 - 21/05/2013 14:10:35    1388225

I don't think any meaningful changes will ever take place until we have separate boards for hurling and football in each county. When it comes to voting on new championship structures, league formats etc, the interests of hurling in smaller counties are usually not represented very well by their own county boards, who are usually more interested in football and don't want any distractions from the main sport in the county. We've seen people suggest many viable championship structures on these pages, that would promote hurling in every county. But while the majority of people voting on hurling matters don't really care about hurling, things will never get better for the 'smaller' hurling counties.

Marlon_JD (Tipperary) - Posts: 1823 - 21/05/2013 16:05:18    1388360

Superb article and 100% correct - good to see twitter is giving the GAA and RTE a lashing over the same thing at the minute - not that those two dinosaurs listen to other viewpoints

Tim_Burr (Down) - Posts: 460 - 21/05/2013 16:21:28    1388381

Good article. On the money...

waynoI (Dublin) - Posts: 13659 - 21/05/2013 16:29:16    1388392

Just look at the Tyrone hurlers Nicky Rackard debacle as a case in point:
http://hoganstand.com/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=192791

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4105 - 21/05/2013 17:03:46    1388442

Just read that article there. The Tyrone Manager sounds like a man really struggling for small gains against people who couldn't care less about Hurling.There going for another promotion so there are obviously improving. The way some of these small championships are run is like the Junior b in my own county.

Fishermantom (Limerick) - Posts: 569 - 21/05/2013 21:52:44    1388668

Well said Cormac O'Malley

beir_bua (Kildare) - Posts: 746 - 21/05/2013 21:59:01    1388679

Christy Ring teams are lucky in some respect. Provincial championships are too drawn out, many weeks between some games. What's stopping the non-protected 10 counties lobbying for an All-Ireland B championship anyways?

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 9798 - 22/05/2013 17:27:26    1389199

legendzxix
County: Kerry
What's stopping the non-protected 10 counties lobbying for an All-Ireland B championship anyways?

We already had that, and it rarely got much attention. If you think the Ring/Rackard/Meaghar cups get little attention, a B championship would be completely ignored. The Ring/Rackard/Meaghar were introduced as a 'B' championship was just seen as a shadow of the real thing, whereas the Ring/Rackard/Meaghar cups could be competitions in their own right, and have a lot more prestige. And for the first few years of their existence, I believe that was the case. The problem isn't the competitions, its how they have been promoted. The effectiveness of the competitions has been neutered by taking the finals away from big days (they were initially played before Ai semi-finals), playing them off (usually on Saturdays) before the summer even starts, an generally reducing the status and potential audience for the competitions. So the answer is to go back to the initial approach we had for playing these competitions, or at least have proper promotion and relegation between all tiers, or maybe give the Christy Ring champions a chance to play in the AI qualifiers. Going back to a 'B' competition would be a huge backward step.

Marlon_JD (Tipperary) - Posts: 1823 - 22/05/2013 18:56:09    1389308

I'm not seeking for a B championship to have any attention. To elaborate briefly on my call for it, it is that the best 3-4 Ring counties would get to take on the 4 lower McCarthy cup teams.

In 2015 the provincial qualifying group will have 4 counties. My call would be that these 4 counties would take on the 4 Ring Cup semi-finalists in a B championship to give these counties some more game time in late June and July. With 8 counties, it'll be 3 games maximum for the finalists, barring any replays. There have been some calls by some managers for an intermediary competition between the mccarthy and ring level, a B championship would be the best fit from what I've seen.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 9798 - 22/05/2013 21:42:51    1389421

legendzxix
County: Kerry
There have been some calls by some managers for an intermediary competition between the mccarthy and ring level, a B championship would be the best fit from what I've seen.

But isn't that essentially what the provincial qualifying group is, an intermediary competition between the mccarthy and ring level?

Marlon_JD (Tipperary) - Posts: 1823 - 22/05/2013 21:53:03    1389433

Marlon_JD
County: Tipperary

But isn't that essentially what the provincial qualifying group is, an intermediary competition between the mccarthy and ring level?

It's an intermediary level more than a competition but I take your point. The provincial qualifiers will be played out before the Leinster championship begins for obvious reasons. The ring winner will get to take on the last team from the qualifier group in a promotion/relegation play-off. That'll probably be about mid-June.

My own preference would be for an intermediary competition like a B championship in July. Meyler was calling for this a few years ago when Kerry won the Ring but the gap to the Munster Championship was too vast. I think he had a fair point. The current Kerry manager is calling for something similar. It must be frustrating for managers of Ring teams who are looking to progress.

A separate B championship in around the month of July would be a good solution. With the provincial qualifiers coming in, the GAA have more or less said there are 10 McCarthy teams at an A level and the rest are at a B level. My own call is for the provincial qualifier group to be only cut to 4 as opposed to 3. Secondly, for the 4 provincial qualifier teams to be drawn against the 4 Ring semi-finals in a separate B championship in July. It would give more progressive teams competive games for a bit longer in the summer.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 9798 - 23/05/2013 09:00:57    1389449

What I don't get at all with the GAA Inter-County structures for both Football and Hurling is the way the competitions are operated. There is more messing, tweeking going on year in year out to the fundemental detriment of the entire sports especially where it is weakest.

Now if people could just swllow their pride a little, and some of the cavemen on here take a sharp intake of breath and look at the strutures used on the ladies side particularly camogie at Inter-county level you get a ready made template.

Counties are graded Senior, Inter, Junior (with some variations in Junior), these three grades play a championship, the All_ireland finals are held on the same day same place. Each grade cherishes their county win with pride because it is afforded EQUAL status. It has invigorated all counties, especially weaker counties and allowed larger counties to compete at different levels raising the standards of the lower grades.
Senior: 9 counties, Clare, Galway, Derry, Kilkenny. Wexford, Dublin, Tipperary, Offaly, Cork.
Inter: 9 Counties, Waterford, Limerick, Kilkenny, Cork, Antrim, Wexford, Tipperary, Galway, Meath
Junior various grades: Offaly, Dublin, Carlow, Cavan, Roscommon, Laois, Kildare, Meath, Armagh, Westmeath, Kerry, Wicklow, Monaghan

So the point is, the above structure is a genuine attempt to develop a sport and afford everyone a fair chance to compete and succeed at their level. Without that goal what exactly is the point in weaker counties spending and wasting money on a sport that is utterly undervalued?
In this structure if they win a section they are promoted to the next level. But the important thing is the competition finals are played on the same day, same place.

More or less ditto for Ladies Football. And before people pick holes in this structure, it is far from perfect But just look at what has happened to Hurling in the weaker counties? how in the name of god under the present GAA championship structure is that going to develop the sport in a weaker county?

arock (Dublin) - Posts: 4968 - 23/05/2013 09:13:40    1389452

Interesting point, arock!

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4105 - 23/05/2013 10:47:37    1389510

arock
County: Dublin
Posts: 1418
Good point, the camogie crew are given much more authority over their own sport and hence use a more democratic method to make deep rooted change rather than superficial changes every few years. In my own counties case there was a big camogie league final played with Limerick versus of all counties Kildare who seem to have a very competitive camogie team. the problem with hurling structures is that the two provincial comps get in the way. When the Normans made our provinces and counties they never really thought about competitive competitions for hurling. and even the football is only a two horse race in Munster

Fishermantom (Limerick) - Posts: 569 - 23/05/2013 11:26:57    1389532