"It's about time somebody at HQ listened"

April 26, 2016

Fermanagh's Ryan McCluskey.
©INPHO/Cathal Noonan.

Ryan McCluskey says the GAA is ignoring players' calls to restructure the championship.

Some of the changes the Fermanagh footballer would like to see introduced included a more condensed intercounty season and an etended winter break:

"There is a lot of commitment. You could nearly say that it is a professional training year when you're involved. Players enjoy that as well and I certainly do," the Enniskillen Gales clubman states in The Irish News.

"But the players now, through the GPA, have voiced their concerns for a considerable length of time. It's about time somebody at HQ listened in terms of the fixture issues and that crisis.

"There has to be an extended break, not just for intercounty senior players, but across the board. Some of the minor and U21 lads are being pulled from pillar to post. They have university football, clubs, counties, maybe U21s and seniors, so I do feel for those lads.

"It doesn't help when you get that little bit older because, by then, there's a lot of miles then on the clock, so to speak. If the GAA took a smarter approach and condense the season, I think the games would be better attended. They're well attended at the moment, but I think they could be better. The games would be more meaningful as well if it was restructured. I know it's a burning issue that nobody has found the cure for yet. They have to sit down with the players and address it because it's something that's badly needed."


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