National Forum

All Ireland Finals Staying In July

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Replying To Monaghansclown:  "It's the certainty around the split season that makes it work. The master fixture calendar is released by the GAA at the start of the year and everyone knows what weekends are free for holidays, stags, long walks on the beach, anniversary mass, romantic nights away etc. etc.

The Monaghan championship starts the first weekend of August but everybody knows this in January so there is CERTAINTY for players both at club and county level! Before the split season, the club championship started 'whenever the county are put out' which as a Monaghan person could have been anywhere from June to September. You've obviously never had the misfortune of telling herself the week before Lanzarote that we have to cancel because the county board have set up championship fixtures for next weekend.

But hey once the fellas sitting on their **** in their favourite arm chair (not saying you are one by the way) at home have something to watch on the box on the 3rd weekend of September, who cares about the players?"
Well said regarding CERTAINTY!!
The major plus of the system.
Also Club Championship games in August and September don't have to try and live with major Inter County games on TV taking up Sunday afternoons.

Seanfanbocht (Roscommon) - Posts: 2293 - 13/09/2023 15:11:45    2504169

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Replying To Monaghansclown:  "It's the certainty around the split season that makes it work. The master fixture calendar is released by the GAA at the start of the year and everyone knows what weekends are free for holidays, stags, long walks on the beach, anniversary mass, romantic nights away etc. etc.

The Monaghan championship starts the first weekend of August but everybody knows this in January so there is CERTAINTY for players both at club and county level! Before the split season, the club championship started 'whenever the county are put out' which as a Monaghan person could have been anywhere from June to September. You've obviously never had the misfortune of telling herself the week before Lanzarote that we have to cancel because the county board have set up championship fixtures for next weekend.

But hey once the fellas sitting on their **** in their favourite arm chair (not saying you are one by the way) at home have something to watch on the box on the 3rd weekend of September, who cares about the players?"
100% this. Applies to Wexford hurling every bit as much as Monaghan football!

The old way, all that a club player here would know is that there'd be the first two rounds of hurling & football during the "club month" of April, and then the club championships would resume a week or two after Wexford were beaten in the inter-county championship. And that could be any time from the middle of June to the middle of August.

Unfortunately, we never really had to worry too much about September. But if you don't mind me saying, I don't think Monaghan had too many Septembers to worry about either?? ;-)

But the certainty that club players now have is what makes all the diffference.

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 2856 - 13/09/2023 15:49:44    2504177

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Replying To Pikeman96:  "100% this. Applies to Wexford hurling every bit as much as Monaghan football!

The old way, all that a club player here would know is that there'd be the first two rounds of hurling & football during the "club month" of April, and then the club championships would resume a week or two after Wexford were beaten in the inter-county championship. And that could be any time from the middle of June to the middle of August.

Unfortunately, we never really had to worry too much about September. But if you don't mind me saying, I don't think Monaghan had too many Septembers to worry about either?? ;-)

But the certainty that club players now have is what makes all the diffference."
I remember in the bad old days too having to play meaningless league games in October and even into November in horrible weather just to finish out the leagues. I'd say from a player's perspective it's far better now. You know you'll have your league games from April through to July, albeit without county players.

Championship action starts in August once the county stuff is done. It allows teams and players to plan their fitness and conditioning better, which of course has become far more important in recent years.

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9754 - 13/09/2023 16:35:11    2504183

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Replying To Pikeman96:  "100% this. Applies to Wexford hurling every bit as much as Monaghan football!

The old way, all that a club player here would know is that there'd be the first two rounds of hurling & football during the "club month" of April, and then the club championships would resume a week or two after Wexford were beaten in the inter-county championship. And that could be any time from the middle of June to the middle of August.

Unfortunately, we never really had to worry too much about September. But if you don't mind me saying, I don't think Monaghan had too many Septembers to worry about either?? ;-)

But the certainty that club players now have is what makes all the diffference."
Haha Monaghan haven't played senior championship football in September since 1930

LilywhiteGael (Kildare) - Posts: 118 - 13/09/2023 17:15:13    2504187

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Replying To TerribleFootwork:  "Happy with the way it is, players on the whole are in favour and there the most important stakeholder in all of this."
well put

Stmunnsriver (Wexford) - Posts: 2971 - 13/09/2023 18:16:24    2504199

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Replying To Pikeman96:  "100% this. Applies to Wexford hurling every bit as much as Monaghan football!

The old way, all that a club player here would know is that there'd be the first two rounds of hurling & football during the "club month" of April, and then the club championships would resume a week or two after Wexford were beaten in the inter-county championship. And that could be any time from the middle of June to the middle of August.

Unfortunately, we never really had to worry too much about September. But if you don't mind me saying, I don't think Monaghan had too many Septembers to worry about either?? ;-)

But the certainty that club players now have is what makes all the diffference."
Fair enough it's a stretch but you get my point :)

Monaghansclown (Monaghan) - Posts: 189 - 13/09/2023 19:40:41    2504206

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https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/arid-41226604.html

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 15680 - 15/09/2023 07:24:03    2504305

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Well I was on holidays the week of the All-Ireland and by the crowd at the airport, I can hazard a guess half the country was too.
The idea of designated club weeks throughout the summer as a thread here had before has so much more merit than a rushed and hurried championship as if it is something to be gotten over and done with.

ExiledInWex (Dublin) - Posts: 1336 - 15/09/2023 14:54:00    2504367

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Replying To ExiledInWex:  "Well I was on holidays the week of the All-Ireland and by the crowd at the airport, I can hazard a guess half the country was too.
The idea of designated club weeks throughout the summer as a thread here had before has so much more merit than a rushed and hurried championship as if it is something to be gotten over and done with."
Designated Club weeks interspersed among County games?
No chance.
Club Championships need exclusive time slot with no other focus interfering.

Seanfanbocht (Roscommon) - Posts: 2293 - 16/09/2023 12:22:23    2504429

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GAA have made a huge mistake with July finals. Traditional finals were in September, and suspense and excitement around GAA games was maintained much longer. Tradition should never be under estimated.

Ryanteam (Cork) - Posts: 532 - 26/09/2023 14:17:13    2505845

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Replying To Ryanteam:  "GAA have made a huge mistake with July finals. Traditional finals were in September, and suspense and excitement around GAA games was maintained much longer. Tradition should never be under estimated."
A change back to later finals in september should only happen if club games are allowed in summer in far more counties. county manager shouldnt be holding up club games especially championship becuase of the 35 or so players in a county squad

KillingFields (Limerick) - Posts: 3756 - 26/09/2023 14:33:51    2505851

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Replying To Ryanteam:  "GAA have made a huge mistake with July finals. Traditional finals were in September, and suspense and excitement around GAA games was maintained much longer. Tradition should never be under estimated."
Players would have to be released back to the clubs between intercounty championship games for that to work. And there would need to be less intercounty games also. Same way as it was back in the 90s.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 15680 - 26/09/2023 17:25:06    2505887

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Replying To ExiledInWex:  "Well I was on holidays the week of the All-Ireland and by the crowd at the airport, I can hazard a guess half the country was too.
The idea of designated club weeks throughout the summer as a thread here had before has so much more merit than a rushed and hurried championship as if it is something to be gotten over and done with."
I'm for separate inter-county and club windows - but a few adjustments could be made.

Pare back the NFL to 6 games per team (6v6, 12-team Divs 1 & 2, 8-team regional Div 3, North 4/South 4).

Intercounty AI Finals on 2nd/3rd Sunday in August, affecting a limited number of county championships.

Provincial KO matches "double up" as league results, and Provincial Finalists get a bye to SFs in the following year.

omahant (USA) - Posts: 3235 - 27/09/2023 02:37:06    2505923

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Club players should be given matches during the summer, interlinked with the inter county game.
It just cannot and should not be a case of running club championships at break-neck speed (and by all accounts, break-neck was the word in Wexford last weekend) all just to keep a handful of inter county players and managers happy?

StoreysTash (Wexford) - Posts: 1826 - 27/09/2023 09:41:55    2505940

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Are attendances at clubs games down across counties since the split season was introduced? I think the GAA should monitor closely this over the next few years. I think that no national coverage of our games in from Aug on will lead to less interest in club games i.e if All Ireland Final is on Sunday, club games on Saturday evening or Sunday evening would have higher attendances.

journeyman (Limerick) - Posts: 141 - 03/10/2023 10:58:41    2506763

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Replying To journeyman:  "Are attendances at clubs games down across counties since the split season was introduced? I think the GAA should monitor closely this over the next few years. I think that no national coverage of our games in from Aug on will lead to less interest in club games i.e if All Ireland Final is on Sunday, club games on Saturday evening or Sunday evening would have higher attendances."
Fair point. Dunno if club attendances are down compared to days of traditional intercounty championships. I think Smaller Fish is the only national podcast covering club games? Think club games attendances are influenced by local media, radio stations, podcasts and clubs promoting the games.

Always seems a bit of a missed trick for the GAA not to have more national publicity for club games. Plenty of people here know the names of Premier League and Champions League footballers and how their clubs are doing and obviously there's a media machine publicising them games. There are very good footballers playing club games here but unless they're on an RTE live game, play for your county or a prominent other county player, usually for a bigger county, we'll barely have heard of him unkess he makes it later on the intercounty stage.

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7970 - 03/10/2023 12:03:40    2506774

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I'd say they are down. Huge crowd for first round senior football two weeks after the final and real celebratory mood, Pathetic since although picked up a bit for hurling quarter finals. TV looks sparse enough too from what I've seen other than county finals.

BarneyGrant (Dublin) - Posts: 3512 - 03/10/2023 12:03:51    2506775

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Replying To GreenandRed:  "Fair point. Dunno if club attendances are down compared to days of traditional intercounty championships. I think Smaller Fish is the only national podcast covering club games? Think club games attendances are influenced by local media, radio stations, podcasts and clubs promoting the games.

Always seems a bit of a missed trick for the GAA not to have more national publicity for club games. Plenty of people here know the names of Premier League and Champions League footballers and how their clubs are doing and obviously there's a media machine publicising them games. There are very good footballers playing club games here but unless they're on an RTE live game, play for your county or a prominent other county player, usually for a bigger county, we'll barely have heard of him unkess he makes it later on the intercounty stage."
Our game covers the club season too, players generally in favour of split season and ive no issue with it myself.

TerribleFootwork (Wexford) - Posts: 1760 - 03/10/2023 21:54:28    2506869

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I think it was a shocking decision by the GAA and RTE not to show the Munster hurling championship games. The premier event of the hurling calendar. And not on RTE. Yet RTE sport show every game of the Fifa womens world cup in Australia and Rugby world cup in France. Yet no coverage from Thurles or Cork.

galwayford (Galway) - Posts: 2614 - 05/10/2023 13:18:57    2507041

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I also think that Top managment in Croke park have become a bit elitist. A bit out of touch tbh. It started with Covid, and looks a bit like to me they are running the GAA from their kitchen still.

galwayford (Galway) - Posts: 2614 - 05/10/2023 13:20:13    2507042

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