Having watched the slide of the club scene over the last 20 years to a stage where the GAA clearly sees the club as non-essential and treats the club game as a joke, I have to say I am very sad. Without getting into the reasons, political and financial, why the county game is treated so well and the club game so shabbily, I have a proposal I'd like to hear your feedback on.

Play the club championship in each county concurrent with the county games, meaning that county players do not play club championship in their own county until they are made available.

I'm sure a lot of you will disagree, but I do not see another way. It breaks my heart to watch county semi-finals and finals, never mind provincial club championship games, played in wind and rain on mudbath pitches. Games cancelled because of the weather, some club championship games being played after the calendar year has ended. Club players waiting and waiting all summer, not knowing when they will have a game or can book a holiday. Play the games anyway. Without the county men. They haven't trained with their club. They haven't played league matches. It is a level playing field as every club will be in the same boat, and will even be a leveller against the big town sides whose teams are stacked with county men due to playing numbers and who breeze club championships in so many counties. Put the club game first and stop treating club players like rubbish. Play the games anyway.

icehonesty (Wexford) - Posts: 2550 - 11/12/2015 11:57:32    1812635

I think dates should be set throughout the summer for club championship matches to be played. Be it a week before or a week after an Inter county championship match.
Inter county managers cannot request a county board to postpone championship matches.
The fixture list is known for the championship and a county board should arrange games for at least the beginning of the summer when they know the county team will not be playing on a certain week end.

County players should be released to there club for at least one training session a week

Southsham (Limerick) - Posts: 738 - 11/12/2015 12:10:46    1812646

Also what will happen is that players will stop playing for there counties if they can't play for there clubs as only a few counties can win all ireland. The club championship is better watching i fine the all ireland boring because its not competitive till semi finals ( ulster apart ) play club championship in summer and stick inter county football in depths of winter.

Yourjoking (USA) - Posts: 705 - 11/12/2015 13:41:53    1812658

If players stopped playing at county level, which I doubt they would, I wouldn't mind one bit. Players' priority should be their club side.

icehonesty (Wexford) - Posts: 2550 - 12/12/2015 10:48:25    1812726

Icehonesty excellent post, but according to Padriac Duffys latest interview on Newstalk, it will never happen. The County Board delegates are out of touch with reality. Padriac Duffys stated in the same interview how much of a joy club players get from playing with county players, and used it a reason to justify the status quo.

As an ex player who gave up in frustration about a lack of games, this is really sad. The only solution is for club players to set up a local organisation and demand to their county board, the changes necessary. There are infinite changes that can be made, but one simple one would be for 21 players to be on a match day squad, and the rest play in the club competitions every weekend. Club and county competitions should be on every weekend, and clubs should have their county players back for the county quarter finals on for the August - September time, the provincial club championships should be over by the October bank holiday weekend, with the All Irelands the first few weeks of November, with the club scene starting again in February or March. Rugby do it well with the AIL and Pro12 running concurrently.

galwaydublin (Galway) - Posts: 226 - 12/12/2015 12:00:51    1812736

Club is priority in my own county, no question there.

SaffronDon (Antrim) - Posts: 2385 - 12/12/2015 15:53:47    1812755

Something needs to be done. The best solution I can come up with is to decrease the length of the inter-county season. Play the season starting on St Patricks day. End it August bank holiday weekend both hurling and football, same weekend. It would make a really great weekend of sport, fans of both games down enjoying the craic over the whole weekend.

All club leagues get played during inter-county championship season without county players. Doesn't affect promotion/relegation for championship. Play club league games on Saturday evenings to not hit county attendances, also gives club players the chance to go out and socialise after their games. Club leagues played March, April, May, June and first week in July, have games almost every week. Next 2 weeks in July is holiday break. After that 2-3 weeks of championship prep time before every championship starts 2nd week of August. All club league and championships scheduled right at the start of the season.

All club championship finals to be played by the last week in September. 8 weeks devoted to club championship should be enough.

Provincial and All Ireland club played over 9 weeks. London joins Connacht means a max of 6 rounds get scheduled. No games played in December, except of course Kerry divisional league games but I mean those guys are a different animal altogether.

Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4226 - 12/12/2015 16:13:06    1812758

decreasing the length of the inter county season is a non starter for me. thats where the money is and thats where many people discover the games and with so much competition from rugby and soccer if anything we need more inter county games.
For me its simple, play the club games con currently with the inter county season and fine counties (or even ban them) who force their players to ignore their clubs. This would help reduce the amount of training that players do nowadays too.

joncarter (Galway) - Posts: 2692 - 12/12/2015 16:39:10    1812761

decreasing the length of the inter county season is a non starter for me. thats where the money is and thats where many people discover the games and with so much competition from rugby and soccer if anything we need more inter county games. For me its simple, play the club games con currently with the inter county season and fine counties (or even ban them) who force their players to ignore their clubs. This would help reduce the amount of training that players do nowadays too.

joncarter (Galway) - 12/12/2015 16:39:10


Completely disagree about not being able to reduce the length of the county season. Dublin played 16 games in league and championship last season. That started in the first week of Feb and finished near the end of September. That was 16 matches over 34 weeks. It's not especially difficult to come up with ways to reduce the county season whilst keeping the number of games played at least at the same level. It shouldn't take 11 weeks to play the Ulster championship for starters. Get rid of the break between league and championship too, bang we've just saved at least 6 weeks by doing those2 things.

Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4226 - 13/12/2015 09:53:06    1812808

Club over county every day for me, as a former club player and now supporter. County is a nice distraction now and then but heart is always with the club. Cant stand the so called county "die hard" supporters will apparently go to every county game around the country(mostly for the piss up) and never be seen inside the gates of their own club! And then call others band wagon jumpers who go to watch their own club players playing county, hypocrites!

cuttothebone (Kildare) - Posts: 163 - 14/12/2015 15:27:42    1812918

I think the length of time between county matches is madness. There should only be 2 weeks between provincial matches. The players are fit enough and most would prefer to be playing matches regularly than training like mad eejits as is the current norm. That would free up some weekends for club football when it's meant to be played - in the summer months.

Laughably in Donegal, Bundoran play Four Masters this Sunday, December 20th in the Div 1 promotion/relegation playoff. Great craic for all concerned to be playing such an important fixture the weekend before Christmas. I'm sure both panels had earmarked the date and have been feverishly training accordingly!!

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9136 - 14/12/2015 16:13:53    1812924