National Forum

Swiss Model For GAA?

(Oldest Posts First)

Given the Champions League 'Swiss model' experiment
and excitement of Matchday 8:

1) What do you all think of it - is the Swiss model a success?
2) Could or should the GAA adopt a variant - in the League, or in combination with the Championship?

omahant (USA) - Posts: 3366 - 02/02/2026 18:07:56    2654640

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Replying To omahant:  "Given the Champions League 'Swiss model' experiment
and excitement of Matchday 8:

1) What do you all think of it - is the Swiss model a success?
2) Could or should the GAA adopt a variant - in the League, or in combination with the Championship?"
Not a bad idea at all. And it would truly be an all Ireland championship

alalalalalum (USA) - Posts: 252 - 03/02/2026 09:53:59    2654709

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Replying To omahant:  "Given the Champions League 'Swiss model' experiment
and excitement of Matchday 8:

1) What do you all think of it - is the Swiss model a success?
2) Could or should the GAA adopt a variant - in the League, or in combination with the Championship?"
why do you love creating new threads to discuss the same thing essentially? competition structures. why not keep it to one thread and discuss all your ideas on competition structures in one place
No i dont think it would work in GAA or is needed.

KillingFields (Limerick) - Posts: 3912 - 03/02/2026 10:26:43    2654725

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Replying To KillingFields:  "why do you love creating new threads to discuss the same thing essentially? competition structures. why not keep it to one thread and discuss all your ideas on competition structures in one place
No i dont think it would work in GAA or is needed."
Well said.
Football League is as near perfect as we're going to get.
My 1 quibble with calendar overall is most Counties will have 2 thirds of their games in the January to March period ( 7 games in 9 weeks) and only 3 or 4 games April to June (13 weeks).

Seanfan (Roscommon) - Posts: 349 - 03/02/2026 11:56:50    2654746

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Champions League plays 144 matches to eliminate 12 teams.

There are more efficient ways of running a championship.

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 3337 - 03/02/2026 12:19:35    2654755

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Replying To omahant:  "Given the Champions League 'Swiss model' experiment
and excitement of Matchday 8:

1) What do you all think of it - is the Swiss model a success?
2) Could or should the GAA adopt a variant - in the League, or in combination with the Championship?"
Stop it, you reply to your own thread agreeing with yourself and expect people to take you seriously. Keep your equation's to yourself.

Saynothing (Tyrone) - Posts: 2552 - 03/02/2026 12:32:50    2654761

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Replying To Pikeman96:  "Champions League plays 144 matches to eliminate 12 teams.

There are more efficient ways of running a championship."
And the GAA league plays 116 matches to promote 6 teams.

The EPL plays 380 games to relegate 3 teams and crown 1 Champ.

Your point is neither here nor there.

The real question - is the UCL better with groups or without and would the GAA benefit from 'cross division' ties to break the glass ceiling?

omahant (USA) - Posts: 3366 - 03/02/2026 14:20:01    2654791

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The reality is the championship format is fixed now for 10 years or so.

The new format is coming in to take away potentially dud games - that swiss style format is a joke for meaningless matches.

The only potential format change will be moving the provincials back to the start of the season to a round robin - getting rid of the pre season competitions completely.

Division 1

Top 4 overall → League semi-finals
Relegated (3 teams): - Bottom of Div 1A, Bottom of Div 1B - Relegation playoff loser (2nd-last 1A vs 2nd-last 1B)

Division 2
Promoted (3 teams): Winner 2A, Winner 2B - Promotion playoff winner (2nd 2A vs 2nd 2B)
Relegated (3 teams): Bottom 2A, Bottom 2B - Relegation playoff loser (2nd-last 2A vs 2nd-last 2B)

Division 3
Top 3 promoted

Groups are redrawn every season with rotation to avoid repeat pairings more than 2 years out of 3.

tirawleybaron (Mayo) - Posts: 1665 - 03/02/2026 15:12:15    2654800

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Replying To omahant:  "And the GAA league plays 116 matches to promote 6 teams.

The EPL plays 380 games to relegate 3 teams and crown 1 Champ.

Your point is neither here nor there.

The real question - is the UCL better with groups or without and would the GAA benefit from 'cross division' ties to break the glass ceiling?"
All right then, I'll give you a different answer.

No. We don't need it, and it wouldn't improve things.

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 3337 - 03/02/2026 15:47:33    2654813

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Replying To tirawleybaron:  "The reality is the championship format is fixed now for 10 years or so.

The new format is coming in to take away potentially dud games - that swiss style format is a joke for meaningless matches.

The only potential format change will be moving the provincials back to the start of the season to a round robin - getting rid of the pre season competitions completely.

Division 1

Top 4 overall → League semi-finals
Relegated (3 teams): - Bottom of Div 1A, Bottom of Div 1B - Relegation playoff loser (2nd-last 1A vs 2nd-last 1B)

Division 2
Promoted (3 teams): Winner 2A, Winner 2B - Promotion playoff winner (2nd 2A vs 2nd 2B)
Relegated (3 teams): Bottom 2A, Bottom 2B - Relegation playoff loser (2nd-last 2A vs 2nd-last 2B)

Division 3
Top 3 promoted

Groups are redrawn every season with rotation to avoid repeat pairings more than 2 years out of 3."
The new format is for television and sponsorship revenue. Making the stronger teams stronger and the weaker teams weaker. Let their be dud games and see if teams can learn from and improve after those defeats. The football championship shouldn't be a product, afraid of any criticism of poor one sided games from an online 'audience'. Games are for intercounty supporters and the weaker counties should be given opportunity to play against a higher standard to strive to improve. Provincials should be standalone competititions with no bearing on All Ireland. How can getting to a Connacht or Munster final give you a similar seeding to reaching a Leinster final? And all three don't compare to reaching an Ulster Final. I have very little hope they will change away from the All Ireland and Tailteann system. The Tailteann only won by teams used to Division 2 and 3 rotation. Achieves nothing.

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 8432 - 03/02/2026 16:14:28    2654825

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