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Junior B is gone now, and all first teams who played Junior A and B in 2019 (bar Clann na nGael and Moylough who are promoted to Intermediate) will play in the single Junior grade in 2020. All 2nd/3rd teams are removed to their own championships now. CastleBravo (Meath) - Posts: 1664 - 12/01/2020 13:26:47 2259067 Link 17 |
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Is there no under 21 competition this year? head4dblackspot (Meath) - Posts: 513 - 14/01/2020 09:38:17 2259622 Link 1 |
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Is there a u19 competition this year does anyone know? bobjaffacake (Meath) - Posts: 1400 - 14/01/2020 10:19:23 2259637 Link 0 |
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Confirmed that u21 has been changed to u19, so that means that players born in 2000 missed out on a minor year when it was changed to u17, and not miss out on two more years at u21 level... hardly ideal for lads who are trying to step up to the adult football grade
bendigo0 (Meath) - Posts: 4 - 14/01/2020 10:42:59 2259648 Link 1 |
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Overall, I think that this is a correct move.
oldsam_newsam (Meath) - Posts: 638 - 14/01/2020 10:47:01 2259651 Link 0 |
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It's a done deal so I won't labour the point, but I disagree for 2 reasons: 1. Removing 2nd teams wasn't done for any reason other than political, and can only make the standard of junior football worse. Our performance at Leinster Junior Club level fell off a cliff when we started moving junior teams up to intermediate and senior, again for political reasons. We'd 8 winners and 1 finalist in the 10 years before our last Championship restructuring, but we've had 1 winner and 1 finalist in the 8 years since. 2. There are several teams who struggled to compete in Junior B who are now pretty much damned to spend forever at the bottom of Junior, with no hope of winning anything. Clubs like Boardsmill or St. Mary's will never win the junior proper and can't be relegated, so have little to play for. CastleBravo (Meath) - Posts: 1664 - 14/01/2020 12:04:46 2259676 Link 17 |
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I agree that it doesn't offer much hope for the weaker teams in junior b of been competitive in the new junior championship this year. However the overall structure changes were badly needed. I would hope that more changes will be made to these structures over the coming years to keep improving these competitions. One change I would like to see is to reduce the intermediate back to 16 teams which will add 4 more teams to the junior. Then there might be an option to split the junior into A and B grades to give the likes of St Mary's and Boardsmill a realistic opportunity to compete. Another change I would like to see implemented is that certain league rounds are starred so county players are available to play. From next year there will be 12 teams in division 1 and 2 of the a leagues so 11 rounds of games. You would think that 6 of those rounds should be starred. mightymhi (Meath) - Posts: 11 - 14/01/2020 22:13:42 2259831 Link 0 |
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That's correct, my son was one of them, hasn't played underage football since 16. Minor went to u19 then there was no u19 when eligible last year. Now no u21 for him. How is he supposed to develop. Try to break into the adult team. Is this Kavanagh's development strategy. Just looking at the committee announcement. The captain has changed but the ship is still on course the iceberg is getting closer.
latouche25 (Meath) - Posts: 532 - 15/01/2020 01:02:09 2259871 Link 1 |
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A bit disingenuous to clubs like Boardsmill and St Mary's with those comments about having no hope and nothing to play for. Lads forget the cyclical nature of football. Boardsmill won Junior B a few years ago and compete in the senior hurling championship. St Mary's seem to have a good underage setup so in a few years could be competing for Junior honors. Clubs like Curraha had mediocre performances in Junior and then got a burst of talent coming up and shot through the divisions and they are a very small club compared to the neighbours in Ratoath, Ashbourne Duleek and Seneschalstown. Royal_Gunner (Meath) - Posts: 534 - 15/01/2020 08:34:04 2259885 Link 0 |
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Yes I agree football is cyclical so a lot can change in just a few years so no disrespect to the couple of teams mentioned. With the amount of first teams in Meath football (think its 53 including St Paul's) I'm of the opinion though that there is room for 4 adult grades. This I feel would ensure more evenly balanced and competitive championships. I'm looking forward though to this year's championships as the new structures are a massive step in the right direction. mightymhi (Meath) - Posts: 11 - 15/01/2020 09:59:24 2259913 Link 0 |
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Are you saying Boardsmill might compete in the Junior A because they won the Junior B 5 years ago and went straight back down? They are where they are, but at least with the old system they could aim for some silverware. Their hurlers are in a similar boat really. I wasn't alive in the 70s for their heyday so as long as I can remember, Boardsmill have been a bottom half senior team, occasionally getting relegated and (almost) immediately winning intermediate. CastleBravo (Meath) - Posts: 1664 - 15/01/2020 13:35:33 2259978 Link 17 |
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Boardsmill will play intermediate hurling this year , club is sinking and lose alot of players , very sad to see hurlit (Meath) - Posts: 424 - 15/01/2020 14:20:46 2260002 Link 0 |
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That's rural GAA for you. I fear for the game especially among areas like north meath. While areas close to Dublin like Ratoath, Ashbourne, Dunboyne Etc will continue to boom and develop over the coming decades, the reverse process will occur with many rural clubs struggling to field as people get pulled away from their parishes towards Dublin for multiple reasons. We could face a similar club problem that we are witnessing with the county game now, in that the gulf of class between large Dublin Border town teams and the rest will become too extreme, and the whole thing may become unbalanced. It was fine back thirty years ago when most young men worked in labour and lived at home, but more men now are heading to college, and deciding to base and live in Dublin which results in a loss of playing numbers in rural clubs.
PoppinPoints (Meath) - Posts: 225 - 15/01/2020 17:33:26 2260048 Link 1 |
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Very interesting point here. The exact same is happening in my own county Kildare where the smaller rural clubs in South Kildare are being left behind by the clubs in the North. Exact replica of what's happening on a national scale with counties around Dublin and Dublin itself obviously booming and those in the west suffering
11jm11 (Kildare) - Posts: 367 - 15/01/2020 19:15:02 2260065 Link 0 |
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I fear for the future of rural clubs. Before christmas an article on the front page of the local paper highlighted a change about to happen in housing policy within the county. The change in effect will make it extremely difficult to get planning for housing in the rural countryside. If this policy comes in one off housing will be a thing of the past, going forward playing numbers in rural clubs will fall as a result. Rural Players when setting up homes will be forced to move to larger towns and urban settings making teams in the urban areas even stronger.
runitoff (Meath) - Posts: 4 - 16/01/2020 10:34:26 2260150 Link 1 |
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Correct and coupled with smaller family sizes and the reduction in the numbers farming rural clubs will all be competing at junior level whilst the larger urban centers will become super clubs. This affect hurling even more due to lower playing numbers to start with.
Foley91 (Meath) - Posts: 418 - 16/01/2020 11:01:26 2260154 Link 0 |
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I think Dunshaughlin Navan Dunboyne Trim Ratoath and Summerhill Ashbourne will dominate football due to their proximity to dublin as commuter towns. Its hard to see any other team win a senior football championship in the next 50 years. Kells will struggle as their are small clubs taking from their resources around the town. 2020Vision (Meath) - Posts: 29 - 16/01/2020 12:01:42 2260164 Link 0 |
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I disagree with you including navan clubs in that list. Maybe I could be wrong and tradition might enable them to maintain a high standard but I think the growth in towns like Ratoath, dunboyne, Ashbourne, Dunshaughlin, and the Colmcilles area will leave the navan clubs in their wake. We are already witnessing a decline in Navan O Mahoneys who don't have the same conveyer belt of talent they once did. Colmcilles is a club who I think will be a superpower of meath football. Have the biggest playing pick available and contest underage division 1 finals annually. Clubs like Kells will be left in their wake, and merely powerless to the whole transition. For this reason alone I think Kells are now in dire needs to win a senior championship or they will never win one. I also had to laugh at comments on social media crediting ratoath for a rapid rise to the top of meath football. Yes, credit must be given to some volunteers who placed hours into coaching kids and developing a lot of them players, but you can't deny their rise was a result of urbanisation and developing as a commuter town to Dublin. More of a success story in my eyes would be a rural club winning a championship, Like Nobber for example. PoppinPoints (Meath) - Posts: 225 - 16/01/2020 16:10:20 2260249 Link 2 |
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I bought the Club+ season ticket for the first time this year. I was just wondering what club games does this get me free entry into? Is it just my own clubs championship games or will it get me entry into A league and Cup games. mightymhi (Meath) - Posts: 11 - 17/01/2020 14:18:48 2260460 Link 0 |
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it will get you into any club match which is run by the Meath CB, so not limited to your own club So the leinster club matches wouldnt be covered by the card. Thats my understanding of it anyway. juicy (Meath) - Posts: 402 - 17/01/2020 14:53:56 2260468 Link 1 |