Well did anyone listen to our own Anthony Moyles speaking about this on Off the Ball last night? It's about time something like this was created to give the club players a voice. Club players are being neglected every year by county boards. Club players can realistically only take a holiday in Oct - Dec. It'll be very hard for the CPA to make an impact but I for one am behind anything that helps out the club player

VernonSmith (Meath) - Posts: 112 - 19/10/2016 10:10:14    1927469

Royal_Gunner (Meath) - Posts: 534 - 19/10/2016 10:28:56    1927476

As was mentioned last night, the GAA delegates wouldn't even move the AIFs forward by 2 weeks at congress. Meath voted last year to overhaul the club champ system earlier this year - which would have streamlined things a little - and that was then reversed. So to expect a huge change is totally unrealistic, as depressing as that is. The democracy of the GAA, which is a strength in some ways, is also a huge drawback when looking to make common-sense changes.

Until clubs come together as one and start working for change in a coherent, straregic way, nothing will improve. And the mé féiner attitude still prevails when it comes to club delegates so I am not confident of anything really changing. I really hope it does, but decades of evidence would suggest that it won't.

BarneysTie (Meath) - Posts: 258 - 19/10/2016 13:11:14    1927557

It's a nice idea but I think it's probably unworkable. The "club player" could mean the members of Dublin superclubs, or the likes of Castlebar, Crossmaglen, Dr. Crokes etc. who aren't far off an inter county setup and regularly reach the AI club championship. It could also mean the portly junior E sub who was never blessed with any skill or fitness, never trains and is dragged out of the pub to play maybe 5 matches a year.

Then you have the many many levels in between. I think there's too much variety in the GAA for them to find a common cause. It's like having a trade union consisting of surgeons and fruit pickers. At least with the GPA everyone is technically the same-a senior intercounty hurler or footballer.

CastleBravo (Meath) - Posts: 1644 - 19/10/2016 13:39:38    1927574

BarneysTie (Meath) - Posts: 258 - 19/10/2016 15:01:00    1927607

It is a good idea and should have happened at the same time as the GPA was set up. After all the club players represent the mass of GAA players and if operated properly would have a greater influence than the GPA. Now of course their are different counties and big clubs and small rural clubs. In the county setup there are also many gaps - what suits Carlow or Leitrim may be different than what suits Dublin yet it operates quite effectively. I think if you sit back and do nothing then nothing happens. I hope it gets off the ground and I have no doubt that over time its influence can be greater than the association of county players. One must not forget that all players are club players (including the ones representing the counties). One of the first problems I would try to solve is to reduce the amount of free Sundays given to county teams prior to Provincial finals and All-Ireland semi-finals and that is one way of ensuring that every county plans 1 weeks holidays for club players/teams so that the can plan a life.

browncows (Meath) - Posts: 2342 - 19/10/2016 15:16:02    1927610

Brownepat (Meath) - Posts: 532 - 19/10/2016 16:17:47    1927628

rightthere (Meath) - Posts: 128 - 19/10/2016 16:47:08    1927641

The inter county season is fairly condensed as it is, Meath have played past the first weekend of August twice in the last 15 years.

If you ignore relegation playoffs. A dual club would have to fit in at a minimum 13 rounds of football league, 7 rounds of hurling league, 5 rounds of football championship, 5 rounds of hurling championship, and 2 cup games. Even if you aren't a dual club you've to play by the same fixture schedule. That's 32 matches before you try to fit in finals, knockout rounds, relegation playoffs, inter county senior and U21 matches postponements, replays etc. I'm all ears as for when you propose they fit these fixtures in and still allow lads to go on holidays without missing a single match.

CastleBravo (Meath) - Posts: 1644 - 19/10/2016 17:22:10    1927651

Brownepat (Meath) - Posts: 532 - 19/10/2016 18:42:21    1927679