National Forum

Late County Finals - Split Season

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Replying To Drax_the_destroyer:  "It does suit them and indeed suits HQ to have big money making concerts in Croke Park. The majority of county finals across the county are still played in October and provincial finals in all types of weather in November,December as was the case before any "split season" was brought in."
You are still missing the point why the split season was brought in.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 16529 - 03/07/2025 21:40:37    2623518

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Replying To tirawleybaron:  "Everyone likes the split season - there is no going back.

Another alternative is
January pre -season
February, March - provincial & All ireland club championships, Sigerson Cup & Interprovincials/International rules
Prelim provincial round on St Brigit's weekend (Ulster & Leinster)
Provincial Club Finals on St Patricks weekend
All Ireland finals in Mid April.

Intercounty National Leagues
Start in March - 8 groups or 4 (like Covid league)
League semi finals, relegation play offs and finals in April.

Provincial Championships (May to mid june)

Knock out All Ireland series ( mid June to end August)

County Club Championships
Weaker football counties - Mid August to end November (14 weekends)
Strong football counties - September to end November (12 weekends)
Dual Counties - September to end November (12 weekends)

16 team championships - 4 groups of 4 - 6 rounds of matches
12 team championships - 4 groups of 3 - 5 rounds of matches (will be the death of Wexfords over elaborate championship)

I still think playing the interprovincial & All Ireland club championships at the same time as the county club championships is the best option.
looking at the above - curtailing the intercounty national league is the best method of gaining weekends in the season overall"
If you are wanting to find extra weekends why are you persisting with the farce that is League finals? You are even wanting to introduce League semi finals now FFS. And why do we need 11 weekends to play a knockout All Ireland County Championship?

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 16529 - 03/07/2025 21:44:45    2623519

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Replying To tirawleybaron:  "Everyone likes the split season - there is no going back.

Another alternative is
January pre -season
February, March - provincial & All ireland club championships, Sigerson Cup & Interprovincials/International rules
Prelim provincial round on St Brigit's weekend (Ulster & Leinster)
Provincial Club Finals on St Patricks weekend
All Ireland finals in Mid April.

Intercounty National Leagues
Start in March - 8 groups or 4 (like Covid league)
League semi finals, relegation play offs and finals in April.

Provincial Championships (May to mid june)

Knock out All Ireland series ( mid June to end August)

County Club Championships
Weaker football counties - Mid August to end November (14 weekends)
Strong football counties - September to end November (12 weekends)
Dual Counties - September to end November (12 weekends)

16 team championships - 4 groups of 4 - 6 rounds of matches
12 team championships - 4 groups of 3 - 5 rounds of matches (will be the death of Wexfords over elaborate championship)

I still think playing the interprovincial & All Ireland club championships at the same time as the county club championships is the best option.
looking at the above - curtailing the intercounty national league is the best method of gaining weekends in the season overall"
"Everyone likes the club championship ". That's a lie if I ever heard one.
A large portion of gaa people see numerous problems with it.

richiepmurphy (Kilkenny) - Posts: 10 - 04/07/2025 11:46:05    2623572

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Replying To richiepmurphy:  ""Everyone likes the club championship ". That's a lie if I ever heard one.
A large portion of gaa people see numerous problems with it."
Has that "large proportion of gaa people" -
Listed their problems
Proposed any alternatives
Put a motion to their Club/County convention

Seanfanbocht (Roscommon) - Posts: 2530 - 04/07/2025 12:28:50    2623578

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Replying To Seanfanbocht:  "Has that "large proportion of gaa people" -
Listed their problems
Proposed any alternatives
Put a motion to their Club/County convention"
https://amp.rte.ie/amp/1485571/

The specifics of this Dublin motion weren't really workable but it does display descent towards the current set up. It did pass through the Dublin convention, not a small constituency by any means.

Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4607 - 04/07/2025 14:31:23    2623613

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Replying To Whammo86:  "https://amp.rte.ie/amp/1485571/

The specifics of this Dublin motion weren't really workable but it does display descent towards the current set up. It did pass through the Dublin convention, not a small constituency by any means."
And the other 31 Counties?

Seanfanbocht (Roscommon) - Posts: 2530 - 04/07/2025 15:57:01    2623630

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Replying To Viking66:  "You are still missing the point why the split season was brought in."
Am I now? Pretty much covered by me and Yee_tree who I replied too.

Drax_the_destroyer (UK) - Posts: 528 - 04/07/2025 18:13:46    2623649

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Replying To Seanfanbocht:  "And the other 31 Counties?"
You don't think there's valid criticism there coming out of Dublin?

Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4607 - 04/07/2025 19:54:16    2623653

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It is achievable to extend the inter county season by 3 weeks. How that can fit in with Croke Park concerts is for Croke Park to figure out! It will take a bit of joined up thinking then between county boards and provincial councils to complete their championships from the end of August until the end of the year.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 8994 - 04/07/2025 20:30:39    2623655

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The "Split Season" is as "Pointless as"......?????

Onion_Sack (Dublin) - Posts: 333 - 04/07/2025 20:48:21    2623656

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Replying To Drax_the_destroyer:  "Am I now? Pretty much covered by me and Yee_tree who I replied too."
The split season was wanted by the players so they could actually do other things other than be in top championship form for 7 or 8 months.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 16529 - 04/07/2025 21:35:48    2623664

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Replying To Viking66:  "The split season was wanted by the players so they could actually do other things other than be in top championship form for 7 or 8 months."
Already covered not missed. And other things for some will include attending the upcoming Oasis gigs in Croke Park.

Drax_the_destroyer (UK) - Posts: 528 - 04/07/2025 21:53:14    2623670

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Replying To legendzxix:  "It is achievable to extend the inter county season by 3 weeks. How that can fit in with Croke Park concerts is for Croke Park to figure out! It will take a bit of joined up thinking then between county boards and provincial councils to complete their championships from the end of August until the end of the year."
But the players are more than happy with the way it is. Why would they opt to change. I don't believe there is any indication that the would, in fact the opposite, they are determined to stay with the new season.

sligo joe (Dublin) - Posts: 968 - 05/07/2025 08:34:38    2623703

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Split season is a load of nonsense…. Club and county games should precede side by side… It's time to cut out this 2 tier system of club v county… Highly paid county managers and coaches have the whole thing ruined… County managers are holding every club to ransom with their unwillingness to all players back to their clubs for most of the season… Players should be playing with their clubs up to 10 days before a county game and this would allow county championships to proceed and get finished up in good weather conditions which would suit everyone especially the players instead of flogging them in the dead of winter… What's the point in this rushed through Championship when clubs are waiting months for their championship to start..? Nonsense stuff.. Get the All Ireland over as quickly as possible to get the concerts started…! All money and nothing else on their minds… certainly not the clubs or players

ForeverBlue2 (Cavan) - Posts: 4243 - 05/07/2025 08:44:08    2623704

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Replying To Viking66:  "If you are wanting to find extra weekends why are you persisting with the farce that is League finals? You are even wanting to introduce League semi finals now FFS. And why do we need 11 weekends to play a knockout All Ireland County Championship?"
@Viking66
If the league was groups of 4, you need semis and finals
Current league has 7+1 games
an 8x4team league would be 3+2 games - that's 3 less for your information

You could rattle off the senior all Ireland in 6 weeks but I was thinking of football 1 week, then hurling the next.
Ramming through the senior football championships in 6 weeks will also result in small crowds as most people can't afford to stump up for a match every weekend.

Also, to be fair to the players, a hamstring injury would rule you out of a 6 week championship - hardly fair on a guy who has committed so much time to play at that level.

I know ye Wexford lads would like to play 30 games in your club championship if ye could (a championship that has never produced a decent senior club champion - only Kilmeeny have a worse performance record by their football champions).
The above championship, reduces the overall no of intercounty matches for most counties, giving more scope for intercounty players to play for their clubs during the intercounty season.

tirawleybaron (Mayo) - Posts: 1502 - 05/07/2025 08:54:21    2623709

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Replying To sligo joe:  "But the players are more than happy with the way it is. Why would they opt to change. I don't believe there is any indication that the would, in fact the opposite, they are determined to stay with the new season."
Most people I hear moaning are some here, journalists who only see the County game and armchair sports followers.
I haven't heard a single player moan about it.

Seanfanbocht (Roscommon) - Posts: 2530 - 05/07/2025 11:17:53    2623713

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Replying To Seanfanbocht:  "Most people I hear moaning are some here, journalists who only see the County game and armchair sports followers.
I haven't heard a single player moan about it."
Most players are happy to enjoy holidays or play a bit of ball in the US.
No player would want to go back to the intermingled season, where you have no idea what your going to be at over the next few weekends

tirawleybaron (Mayo) - Posts: 1502 - 10/07/2025 14:05:03    2624817

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Replying To tirawleybaron:  "@Viking66
If the league was groups of 4, you need semis and finals
Current league has 7+1 games
an 8x4team league would be 3+2 games - that's 3 less for your information

You could rattle off the senior all Ireland in 6 weeks but I was thinking of football 1 week, then hurling the next.
Ramming through the senior football championships in 6 weeks will also result in small crowds as most people can't afford to stump up for a match every weekend.

Also, to be fair to the players, a hamstring injury would rule you out of a 6 week championship - hardly fair on a guy who has committed so much time to play at that level.

I know ye Wexford lads would like to play 30 games in your club championship if ye could (a championship that has never produced a decent senior club champion - only Kilmeeny have a worse performance record by their football champions).
The above championship, reduces the overall no of intercounty matches for most counties, giving more scope for intercounty players to play for their clubs during the intercounty season."
No intercounty manager is going to be happy releasing players back. And if they do will those players be any good to their clubs with being told don't get injured, and with them not training with their clubmates, etc?
As regards League semi finals and finals you are still missing my point. A League is a League, whoever finishes top of the table should win it. Any other system just makes it a 2nd rate championship, and in that case why bother with it at all?

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 16529 - 10/07/2025 14:32:17    2624821

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Replying To tirawleybaron:  "Most players are happy to enjoy holidays or play a bit of ball in the US.
No player would want to go back to the intermingled season, where you have no idea what your going to be at over the next few weekends"
The intercounty season is too condensed under the so called split season tirawleybaron. Pushing the All Ireland back to the end of August would give players more rest between championship games and let players recover from minor injuries.
The GAA season is still intermingled. Club league games continue throughout the intercounty season.

lilywhite1 (Kildare) - Posts: 3045 - 10/07/2025 14:38:21    2624828

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What other sports has the elite players return to their local club to play games during the year after their elite team has finished up? There's some county players playing way too much football in the one year. Conditioned to get ready for a condensed intercounty football season with the ridiculous extra games of All Ireland/Tailteann groups and less but too many games next year with play off rounds. 16 teams, ideal for win or go home 3 rounds to the final. Less TV revenue in that is my cynical take on these 'sure it's not fair if they've only X amount of games'.Clubs definitely won't like it but losing their county players for the year gives them flexibility to arrange their leagues and championship and intercounty some scope with All Ireland and Tailteann. But only if players would agree to it. Not county boards, delegates, Croke Park etc, just the players. In 2013 Donegal County Board dented their counties chances by scheduling club games but didn't consult McGuinness. I hope when he took the job again that the county board would need to keepnhim informed and in step with his plans. If club and intercounty players are happy with the split season let it roll. We're admiring their skills, aggression, teamwork but not seeing the commitments they're making and their blood sweat and tears to get to that level.

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 8161 - 10/07/2025 15:43:53    2624844

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