"The 2017 GAA year will be remembered for two Congresses and much change!"
January 22, 2018
Croke Park will play host to two All-Ireland senior and minor football championship double-headers this weekend.
©INPHO/Oisin Keniry.
The Leinster GAA Annual Convention will be held in Midlands Park Hotel, Portlaoise this Friday and secretary Michael Reynolds looks ahead to a 'hectic' year of inter-county fixtures.
Writing in his annual report, Reynolds states: "The 2017 GAA year will be remembered for two Congresses and much change!
"The dye is cast and the months of May, June and July will be hectic with all the Inter-County Fixtures in place for the year.
"The majority of the commentary is focussed on Senior Hurling and Football Championships and the Joe McDonagh Cup.
"We, ourselves, have introduced significant changes to our Minor, Under 20 Football and Under 21 Hurling competitions. Both Minor Championships involve League/Knockout format.
"We are starting approximately four weeks later than in 2017 with the new formats - which include a Shield Competition (K.O.) in Minor Football for counties who finish third and fourth in the respective groups and Hurling teams that do not qualify for the Semi-Finals participate in another competition.
"With the new lower age group I hope that there no longer will be Player of the Match Awards as I have reservations about putting undue pressure on young players.
"With no overlap of players permitted between Under 20 Football and Senior Football, these fixtures can run in tandem.
"Being of a development nature the Under 20 Football Championship has the potential to be very exciting.
"With the addition of Galway and Antrim or Down and that counties can only participate in a Provincial Under 21 Hurling Championship or Richie McElligott Cup we have re-formatted the Championship into a tiered structure.
"I think it is inevitable that Under 21 Hurling will go to Under 20. Realistically the month of May is not a month for Under 20 or Under 21 fixtures thus limiting both June/July (Football) and June/July/August Under 21 (Hurling).
"There is also a significant change to the Provincial Club Championships 2018 i.e. winners on the day including Finals (similar to Under 20 Inter-County Football).
"As a result with the exception of Junior Hurling Round 1, the AIB Leinster Club Championships 2018 begin on the last weekend in October.
"In the overall context of Fixture Planning the use of winner on the day concept in knock out games should be extended to all club games up to and including Under 21, up to and including Quarter-Finals of County Club Championships; all knock out games in subsidiary adult competitions, all knock-out games at juvenile (except, perhaps, Minor Finals) and in the Education Sector."
The full Convention Report and the Leinster GAA annuals accounts for 2017 can be viewed at http://leinstergaa.ie/leins
