The GAA has issued a press release explaining in full the reasons behind the proposed new annual fixture list ...

GAA press release

It was agreed at today's Ard Chomhairle meeting to allow motions from the Hurling 2020 and Minor Review Report that need rule changes to proceed to Congress and leave other non-rule changing amendments to Ard Chomhairle.

At their August 2014 Meeting, Central Council agreed in principle to proposal number 3 from the Football Review Committee's second report that the All Ireland Club Championships should be completed in December.

Ard Chomhairle established a workgroup to conduct an examination of how the motion could best be implemented and asked this group to will revert to Central Council with its proposals.

If approved it was agreed that the calendar year would operate from 2016.

Recommendations:

The work-group makes the following recommendations which it believes will enable Counties and Provinces to complete their competitions in sufficient time for the All Ireland Club Championships in Junior, Intermediate and Senior to be completed in December annually:

The All Ireland Club Championship finals at all grades to be played over a single "Club weekend" each December.

On a two year pilot basis, the All Ireland Hurling and Football Finals should each be brought forward by one week from their current siting in rule (see Appendix I - sample of how the 2016 Master Fixtures inter county Championship programme might work).

All Ireland Final Replays should take place on the Saturday immediately after the drawn game.

Provincial Championship Draws in Football & Hurling should take place in late August of the competition year; these Draws should be structured so that the club champions of counties still involved in the All Ireland semi-finals & finals enter at a later date.

The London Champions in Senior football should be accommodated within the existing Provincial Championship structure thereby abolishing the existing All Ireland Quarter Final.

The British Club Champions who participate in the Intermediate and Junior Hurling and Football Championships should also be accommodated within the existing provincial championship structure.

All Club Championship games to have 2nd period of extra time of 5 minutes a half if required.

CCCC to bring forward a proposal for how the Club Finals on St Patrick's Day could be replaced with league games in Hurling and Football featuring the All Ireland Champions of the previous September.

Reasoning:

Among the positive reasons that the Work Group see for proposing the above 8 actions are the following:

a) Only 4 football and 2 hurling teams will remain in the All Ireland Senior championships by the start of August (31st July 2016); this leaves little excuse for most counties not starting/finishing their club championships in good time.

b) Structuring the Provincial Club Championship draws so that the clubs of those Counties still remaining in the Championships in August are not required in the early rounds of the club competitions, should help address the problems faced by these successful Counties in completing their club programmes.

c) By scheduling All Ireland final replays for the following weekend, a further impediment to a timely completion of county championships by All Ireland finalists will be removed.

d) A calendar-year fixtures schedule would make it easier for counties to schedule their championships on definite dates & encourage counties to play games during the summer months.

e) Completing the club championship within a calendar year would, in turn, allow all counties to field their best teams in the national leagues.

f) It renders unnecessary winter training for clubs that qualify for the semi-finals of the All-Ireland club championships, meaning financial savings as well as being in the best interests of the players themselves.

g) The provision of a break at year-end would be fairer to provincial club champions when they come to defend their county titles.

h) It will be easier to build up and maintain public interest in the club championships with a more compact fixtures schedule, right up to the All-Ireland club finals.

i) There will be greater exposure for the concluding stages of the Club Championships as they will not be competing with the Allianz Leagues.

j) Bringing forward the dates of the All-Ireland finals will mean earlier elimination from the championships and give counties more time to play their championships in better weather.

k) The calendar-year fixtures schedule will ease the fixtures pressure in the busy first quarter of the year.

l) The calendar-year season will provide a more compact, logical and comprehendible schedule consisting of national leagues, inter-county championships and club championships.

m) The only Provincial Club Finals that would have to move from the dates they were played in 2014 would be the Leinster Hurling and Football Finals - all other finals were played within the timeframe being suggested in the new proposal.

n) Essentially we are trying to play TWO rounds of club competition (semi-finals and Finals) in the calendar year to save nearly THREE months.

o) The inclusion of the British Champions in the Provincial Championships means British teams will not have to wait 3 or 4 months to play in an All Ireland quarter final having won their Provincial/County title as they must do presently.

p) We are proposing nothing more radical than the All Irelands moving forward one week as when all of the above and the impact that the other measures we are proposing will have, there is no need for anything more radical than and this proposal will have minimal impact on existing practice.

q) This is being proposed on a 2 year trial basis. It is not irreversible.

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