|
https://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2020/0807/1157916-gpa-proposal-would-see-inter-county-season-end-by-july/
Rolo2010 (Donegal) - Posts: 738 - 07/08/2020 18:17:42
2286788
Link
0
|
|
Replying To Rolo2010: "https://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2020/0807/1157916-gpa-proposal-would-see-inter-county-season-end-by-july/" Really would be a hugely positive development for the game.
Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4210 - 07/08/2020 23:40:03
2286820
Link
10
|
|
It would be great. April is a joke to be honest, it suits nobody.
If club players knew club was starting on the first weekend in July (instead of "yeah, if Wexford are knocked out it might be....this weekend, otherwise....), it would appease a lot of fed-up club players.
It would be great to think that, for example, the weekend of Electric Picnic the club matches could be played on Thursday to allow lads to head off on Friday.
If the GAA can get the calendar right, I think a lot of players who have quit might be tempted back. I have graduated from college last year and am a trainee in my field, and the only reason I played this year was because I am around and there is a definite club season.
StoreysTash (Wexford) - Posts: 1732 - 08/08/2020 16:28:30
2286882
Link
1
|
|
Replying To Whammo86: "Really would be a hugely positive development for the game." I think a shorter season will require radical change. It would mean sacrificing a competition. Shane Dowling on RTE said he would prefer the GPA proposal to be flipped. Clubs should get the first part of the year. A shorter intercounty season played across the summer with one premier competition and a preseason window for challenge games would work. A bit like the NFL but no where near as complicated.
Rolo2010 (Donegal) - Posts: 738 - 08/08/2020 19:30:08
2286890
Link
0
|
|
here is that url with a clickable link for those who do not want to be copying and pasting.
gpa-proposal
s goldrick (Cavan) - Posts: 5518 - 08/08/2020 23:40:54
2286928
Link
0
|
|
Replying To Rolo2010: "I think a shorter season will require radical change. It would mean sacrificing a competition. Shane Dowling on RTE said he would prefer the GPA proposal to be flipped. Clubs should get the first part of the year. A shorter intercounty season played across the summer with one premier competition and a preseason window for challenge games would work. A bit like the NFL but no where near as complicated." club and intercounty with proper structures in place should be able to intertwine.
Pre season shouldnt have competitions and should be friendlies only.
you dont have to sacrifice any competition if you structure games better. play more inter county games on same weekends in championship cuts plenty of weekends out for rest and or club games
KillingFields (Limerick) - Posts: 3496 - 08/08/2020 23:51:54
2286931
Link
0
|
|
Replying To Rolo2010: "I think a shorter season will require radical change. It would mean sacrificing a competition. Shane Dowling on RTE said he would prefer the GPA proposal to be flipped. Clubs should get the first part of the year. A shorter intercounty season played across the summer with one premier competition and a preseason window for challenge games would work. A bit like the NFL but no where near as complicated." If thats what he said then he clearly hasn't much between the ears. With clubs you are talking about 95% of the players, every single pitch in the country and he wants to think that it would run during winter and spring?
Its really the best idea that has come forward yet. It won't happen but the provincial championships should be flipped and end with the final in each and then the All Ireland Championship effectively becomes the league. In Hurling at the moment there are two almost identical competitions - Football could go the same way. Do away with all the pre season stuff and allow the colleges their couple of months.
zinny (Wexford) - Posts: 1800 - 09/08/2020 02:38:46
2286940
Link
0
|
|
Replying To zinny: "If thats what he said then he clearly hasn't much between the ears. With clubs you are talking about 95% of the players, every single pitch in the country and he wants to think that it would run during winter and spring?
Its really the best idea that has come forward yet. It won't happen but the provincial championships should be flipped and end with the final in each and then the All Ireland Championship effectively becomes the league. In Hurling at the moment there are two almost identical competitions - Football could go the same way. Do away with all the pre season stuff and allow the colleges their couple of months." There'll probably be very little competitive sport in colleges for '20/'21. Between some students deciding to defer and blended live lectures / online there will be a lot less students going to lectures in the colleges and living close by. Unfortunate for the students, the local landlords and the local economy. That's assuming there will be any students on campuses at all!
GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7337 - 09/08/2020 10:45:02
2286958
Link
11
|
|
If every county had more 4G pitches (not cheap I am sure) then all these problems would go away. The issue of playing matches in October and November is lessened.
In Wexford, even if the All-Ireland was on 1st Sunday in July, in a typical year with no break for a week it would still take take 8 weekends to play each championship. So no matter what you do, a county final is being played around Halloween. Not the end of the world admittedly, and if that is what it takes to have a proper calendar so be it, but still at least one of the clubs flagship games are being played on wet mucky pitches.
There is no easy answer but if this is the only way a definite season can be played, so be it.
StoreysTash (Wexford) - Posts: 1732 - 10/08/2020 20:03:01
2287168
Link
0
|
|
Replying To StoreysTash: "If every county had more 4G pitches (not cheap I am sure) then all these problems would go away. The issue of playing matches in October and November is lessened.
In Wexford, even if the All-Ireland was on 1st Sunday in July, in a typical year with no break for a week it would still take take 8 weekends to play each championship. So no matter what you do, a county final is being played around Halloween. Not the end of the world admittedly, and if that is what it takes to have a proper calendar so be it, but still at least one of the clubs flagship games are being played on wet mucky pitches.
There is no easy answer but if this is the only way a definite season can be played, so be it." I mean your post highlights something.
There needs to be give and take from county boards also to have sensible formats for their competitions.
It's very hard for the GAA to budget more than 12 free weekends to counties for club championships.
In Meath our club championships used to take 9 weekends in football and 8 in hurling.
We had to change our formats to get them down to 6 weekends each.
In Antrim we've groups of 6 in our intermediate football championship (groups of 3 in senior playing a double round robin for some reason). We're playing hurling and football on both weekends and mid weekend to fit the fixtures in. County boards have to make some decisions themselves as to how they run their competitions.
With the number of other games that need to be accommodated the competitions in duel counties need to be run off in 6 weekends in each code or they need to be playing championship games mid week. The choice is there's but I don't think more can be done to accommodate every club championship format going on out there.
Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4210 - 12/08/2020 13:18:44
2287360
Link
8
|
|
well the situation where inter county managers want their players until they are done and that is it has to change.either a shorter season or defined club windows,not just a month in april and then good luck until we are beaten
perfect10 (Wexford) - Posts: 3929 - 13/08/2020 11:36:26
2287419
Link
0
|
|
Replying To perfect10: "well the situation where inter county managers want their players until they are done and that is it has to change.either a shorter season or defined club windows,not just a month in april and then good luck until we are beaten" Agreed. I think its time to scrap the national league's and just have championship. Then let the rest of time be for club only.
Bon (Kildare) - Posts: 1898 - 13/08/2020 14:23:38
2287433
Link
0
|
|
Replying To Bon: "Agreed. I think its time to scrap the national league's and just have championship. Then let the rest of time be for club only." No chance can that or should that happen.
I suppose you want straight knockout championship as well?
What replaces all that income from inter county games?
What else would give GAA media attention apart from the championship?
KillingFields (Limerick) - Posts: 3496 - 13/08/2020 14:42:56
2287436
Link
0
|
|
Replying To KillingFields: "No chance can that or should that happen.
I suppose you want straight knockout championship as well?
What replaces all that income from inter county games?
What else would give GAA media attention apart from the championship?" Have you learned nothing over the last few weeks? The appetite for club GAA is much bigger than anybody knew, in Wexford anyway.
Nobody is proposing less games, people are just proposing a defined and condensed season. A few less games, e.g. scrapping the Jan competitions, and letting the league replace it as the warm-up tournament every team knows it is, is the way forward.
StoreysTash (Wexford) - Posts: 1732 - 13/08/2020 16:00:45
2287442
Link
2
|
|
The big problem the GAA have is that the intercounty season is the 'cash cow' but only caters for 10% of the playing population while on the other hand, the club has 90% of the playing population but brings in pittance in monetary terms. The GAA go on about the club being the heartbeat of the organisation which was true previously but no longer as the GAA has gone down the corporate route. The strategy is to have an elite few playing each other and generating the same amount of revenue that can be run in a short period time.
I can see a situation whereby there will only be a 8-10 teams competing for the All Ireland in football like currently exists in hurling and the rest of the counties will struggle to field a team due to the cost, being so far behind and player turnover as they aren't willing to put in the effort.
This will allow the GPA and GAA to get what they want ultimately, an elite group compromising a small number of counties playing over a shorter season against each other like the champions league and generates the same amount of revenue.
People may think I am mad to suggest this but I believe that this is where the GAA is heading. About 8 teams can legitimately say they have a chance of winning the All Ireland currently - this is the case in both codes. Some traditionally strong counties in football are losing players as they no longer believe they can compete.
wicklowsupport (Wicklow) - Posts: 1909 - 13/08/2020 16:18:44
2287443
Link
2
|
|
This will allow the GPA and GAA to get what they want ultimately, an elite group compromising a small number of counties playing over a shorter season against each other like the champions league and generates the same amount of revenue.
I'm not sure the GAA itself would want this to ultimately happen. Think they might still like the old romance of every team competing, and the gap between top and bottom (or even top and middle) not being so huge that there wasn't always at least some chance of an upset, or at least the underdog getting a good run at it.
But it wouldn't surprise me if the GPA would be okay with that state of affairs. I reckon that over the years, they've become more and more about the elite players, and that would be the next step in that process.
Around 20 years ago, as the GPA was being founded, I was knocking around the fringes of our county senior panel myself (hurling). I remember going to a meeting in Enniscorthy when Dessie Farrell came to Co. Wexford as part of an information campaign and recruitment drive. Somebody there asked was it true that the GPA would be for elite county players only, and he said no, it was a stated aim of the GPA to represent all players equally, club and county.
Yet over the years, they moved so far from that ideal, that when club players wanted representation, they decided to set up their own organisation rather than even ask the GPA to go back to its original intention of representing the club player too.
I reckon that in itself is proof of what I'm saying, that over the years they've become more and more concerned with the elite players only, and that the next step might be just be mainly concerned with looking after only the elite of the elite.
Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 2229 - 13/08/2020 17:12:54
2287447
Link
0
|
|
Have you learned nothing over the last few weeks? The appetite for club GAA is much bigger than anybody knew, in Wexford anyway.
Nobody is proposing less games, people are just proposing a defined and condensed season. A few less games, e.g. scrapping the Jan competitions, and letting the league replace it as the warm-up tournament every team knows it is, is the way forward.
StoreysTash (Wexford) - Posts: 739 - 13/08/2020 16:00:45 You can have a defined season for clubs with clubs and club players just not accepting having to wait for ages to play club championship games or even clubs playing championship games same weekends as inter county games where possible.
you dont need to condense the inter county championship that much to help clubs.
i do agree the january competitions should be scrapped. teams are playing friendlies anyway.
But disagree with treating the league as a warm up competition.
how many other sports treat the competition you play most of your games of the year as a warm up for a straight knock out?
KillingFields (Limerick) - Posts: 3496 - 13/08/2020 17:32:33
2287451
Link
0
|
|
Replying To KillingFields: "No chance can that or should that happen.
I suppose you want straight knockout championship as well?
What replaces all that income from inter county games?
What else would give GAA media attention apart from the championship?" I never said anything about straight knockout championship where ever you got that from my post.
All I'm saying that if the league was gone you'd have a shorter season. This might have more leeway for club games.
Bon (Kildare) - Posts: 1898 - 13/08/2020 17:33:06
2287452
Link
1
|
|
Replying To wicklowsupport: "The big problem the GAA have is that the intercounty season is the 'cash cow' but only caters for 10% of the playing population while on the other hand, the club has 90% of the playing population but brings in pittance in monetary terms. The GAA go on about the club being the heartbeat of the organisation which was true previously but no longer as the GAA has gone down the corporate route. The strategy is to have an elite few playing each other and generating the same amount of revenue that can be run in a short period time.
I can see a situation whereby there will only be a 8-10 teams competing for the All Ireland in football like currently exists in hurling and the rest of the counties will struggle to field a team due to the cost, being so far behind and player turnover as they aren't willing to put in the effort.
This will allow the GPA and GAA to get what they want ultimately, an elite group compromising a small number of counties playing over a shorter season against each other like the champions league and generates the same amount of revenue.
People may think I am mad to suggest this but I believe that this is where the GAA is heading. About 8 teams can legitimately say they have a chance of winning the All Ireland currently - this is the case in both codes. Some traditionally strong counties in football are losing players as they no longer believe they can compete." "This will allow the GPA and GAA to get what they want ultimately, an elite group compromising a small number of counties playing over a shorter season against each other like the champions league and generates the same amount of revenue."
Comparing the GAA to the Champions League is nonsense.
Teams playing in the Champions League do not play a "shorter season" They also play in their national leagues. which makes up the the vast majority of games they play in a season. In fact playing in the CL increases the amount of games a team plays in a season; not less as you suggest.
Cockney_Cat (UK) - Posts: 2447 - 13/08/2020 21:01:34
2287468
Link
0
|
|
Replying To KillingFields: "Have you learned nothing over the last few weeks? The appetite for club GAA is much bigger than anybody knew, in Wexford anyway.
Nobody is proposing less games, people are just proposing a defined and condensed season. A few less games, e.g. scrapping the Jan competitions, and letting the league replace it as the warm-up tournament every team knows it is, is the way forward.
StoreysTash (Wexford) - Posts: 739 - 13/08/2020 16:00:45 You can have a defined season for clubs with clubs and club players just not accepting having to wait for ages to play club championship games or even clubs playing championship games same weekends as inter county games where possible.
you dont need to condense the inter county championship that much to help clubs.
i do agree the january competitions should be scrapped. teams are playing friendlies anyway.
But disagree with treating the league as a warm up competition.
how many other sports treat the competition you play most of your games of the year as a warm up for a straight knock out?" Well in the current arrangement (with exception of this year) club season is from August, or whenever the county team is knocked out, until December, with the exception of April. So when is your proposal for a defined season?
This summer has been a wake-up call for the GAA I hope. The clubs are buzzing, players are committed.
The league is a warm-up competition at the moment, if it wasn't why do so many teams give fringe players game time throughout it?
StoreysTash (Wexford) - Posts: 1732 - 13/08/2020 21:23:37
2287471
Link
1
|