When the draw for the 2007 championships takes place in January, the new structures decided at the 2006 convention will come into operation. At the 2005 meeting, newly elected County Chairman, Paddy Oliver advised of his intention to have a committee set up to look at the structure of our leagues and championships, this body came into being in February and set about the task of coming up with proposals to change a system which had come into being in 2000 following a motion passed in 1999 to have sixteen senior clubs who would all play in the Senior championship. For league purposes they would be divided into two groups of eight, each with promotion from Division 1B to Division 1A and demotion from A to B with the bottom two sides in division B losing their senior status and being relegated to Intermediate football. Similarly intermediate grades operated on the same lines. The only exceptions came about if one of the teams finishing in the bottom two of the league won the championship, then the third side from the bottom would be relegated. With sixteen teams competing in Senior and Intermediate grades the remaining seven clubs in the county made up the junior grade, they would also have the championship and league winners promoted to Intermediate status. For some time the feeling existed throughout football circles in the county that sixteen teams in senior and sixteen in intermediate was too many and also with only seven sides in junior competition that this grade was weak. With these facts in mind and the need to create more time to assist the county teams, the newly formed committee set about the task of putting before convention a set of proposals which they hoped would improve the structure of our games. At convention three separate proposals came before the delegates, motions from Sean McDermotts, Roche Emmetts and St. Patricks were debated on 10th January in Clan na Gael clubrooms. After much deliberation Roche Emmetts withdrew their motion. On a vote the motion from St. Patricks was carried. This motion basically requested, Championship and League regulations to be amended in 2006 to regulate Senior, Intermediate and junior grades for 2007 season as follows; The maximum number of clubs in Senior football should not exceed twelve. The maximum number of clubs in Intermediate football should not exceed twelve. The minimum number of clubs in Junior One football should not be less than twelve. The County Chairman helped promote this motion and explained in greater detail what this motion hoped to achieve. However this motion had to be further teased out as to the procedure of promotion and relegation. Clubs were requested to consider whether these issues would be decided through the leagues or the championship. The two alternatives: If relegation through the championship - the bottom side in each group, groups consisting of four each, would play off to determine their fate. If relegation through the league - the eight teams in division one A of the senior would retain their status, the top three in division B and the intermediate championship winners would make up the twelve. Deliberation on this issue took place at the following county board meeting with clubs opting for the league system to determine the status. This system also applies to intermediate where only the champions are promoted to senior the next six sides will be joined by five clubs relegated from senior and the junior champions, the junior grade will thus have five teams demoted from intermediate and all the remaining junior sides. How the league and championships work out in 2007 may come in for further scrutiny and deliberation at the January 2007 convention, which deals with the motions concerning where promotion and relegation issues will be decided. At the time of going to press there seems to be a suggestion that from 2007 only the champions in each grade will be promoted to the higher levels and that relegation will also take place through the championship, further to this situation it seems that each club's championship status will be decided only by these placings. We will still have leagues, but as of this time it has to be fully explained how these competitions are to be structured. Senior grade for 2007: Glyde Rangers; Mattock Rangers; Cooley Kickhams; Newtown Blues; St. Patricks; St. Brides; St. Marys; St. Josephs; Naomh Malachi Naomh Martin; Sean O'Mahonys; Kilkerley Emmetts; Intermediate: Dreadnots, St.Kevins; Clan na Gael; Oliver Plunketts; Roche Emmetts; Geraldines; Dundalk Gaels; Na Piarsagh; O'Raghallaghs; O'Connells; Hunterstown Rovers; and either St. Nicholas; Stabannon Parnells or Sean McDermotts. Junior: Two from the above three clubs plus; Naomh Finbarra; Lannleire; Dowdallshill; St. Mochtas; Glen Emmetts; Dundalk Young Irelands; Westerns; St. Fechins; John Mitchells ; Annaghminnon Rovers; and possibly Cuchulainn Gaels. Tweet

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