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Would 13 A Side Improve Football?

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I'm talking inter County only here. 4 less players on the pitch is going to seriously open up the game as a spectacle. The footpass would thrive and teams using packed defensive as a tactic will need to rethink their strategy. At least in a scenario where the entirety of both teams are within one teams half you are removing 4 players so naturally there will be more space. Other positive effects would be reducing costs. As you can only start 13 and play 17 with 4 subs a match day squad of 23 will cost less to run. I'm open to correction here but wouldn't 13 a side in theory close the gap between teams. Currently to reach the top you need 13 good players but 6 equally as good subs. That's 21 quality players assuming no injuries. Impossible for most counties to achieve. If this number is reduced to 17 won't it make things easier? To me there are 3 major issues facing modern day GAA. 1. The spectacle of 15 vs 15 2. The dominance of 1 team 3. The lack of development funding allocated outside the capital. I feel my 13v13 solution would go a long way to rectifying issue 1 and will slightly aide issue 2. Jack_Goff (Meath) - Posts: 2920 - 24/06/2019 16:28:13 2200033 Link
I feel this would make Dublin even stronger. They would run you ragged then empty the bench which will be even stronger. A less drastic change would be restricting the number of players you can have inside your own 45. Say you must leave 3 outside your 45 at all times. Simple for a linesman to officiate. Pantani (Dublin) - Posts: 48 - 24/06/2019 16:59:13 2200060 Link
In the 1970's 13 a side was trialled in colleges/secondary schools football. It was a great success but the GAA would not implement it as the administrators of the time felt that club players would not be fit enough for it. A regretable decision. Would be the key to rejuvenating football Ashrules (Dublin) - Posts: 518 - 24/06/2019 17:00:59 2200065 Link
13-a-side is the only way to save the inter-county game, therefore it will never happen, and Dublin will never be split in two. It just makes too much damn sense. SurelyToGod (Donegal) - Posts: 373 - 24/06/2019 17:07:31 2200072 Link
Replying To Pantani: "I feel this would make Dublin even stronger. They would run you ragged then empty the bench which will be even stronger. A less drastic change would be restricting the number of players you can have inside your own 45. Say you must leave 3 outside your 45 at all times. Simple for a linesman to officiate." I completely agree. The likes of Dublin would absolutely destroy teams with less players on the pitch. Their speed, physicality and fitness would stand out even more! Plus, as Dublin showed yesterday and have shown for the last 5 years, they basically overwhelm teams by racking up shot after shot until they have demolished you from a scoring perspective. Open up the pitch and you increase the number of shots they get and therefore statistically increase their scoring even more! In terms of limiting the number of players inside the 45, Im not sure this would be so easy to officiate but its definitely something worth trialing in the O'Byrne cup or Colleges football and study it further. faithful4ever (Offaly) - Posts: 209 - 24/06/2019 17:11:14 2200074 Link
I'm in two minds about if this would close or open the gap between top teams and the lower teams. I think the best solution would be to trial it for 3 years but with the option to pull the trial after year 1 and 2. It's really the only way to find out. I found a club level it really helped the weaker clubs and if you can only play a maximum of 17 players how could it not but help counties who don't have 21 players up to standard. I feel player's might put less emphasis on bulking up and more on fitness in terms of running. Whether it helps or not surely it will no doubt increase the number of kick passes and reduce the number of ultra defensive match ups? Jack_Goff (Meath) - Posts: 2920 - 24/06/2019 17:27:47 2200087 Link
I actually think people have gotten this completely backwards. 13 a side would really hurt the modern game. As others have rightly said if a team doesn't pack the defense Dublin will take them to the cleaners. Teams will likely still pack the defense and just have to break more slowly, it'll be easier to retain possession, there will be less intensity. You'd see a load of keep ball when teams are ahead to play down the clock. I honestly think the Croke Park pitch is too big for the modern game. There's so much space on the pitch where there's no value to the possession. You look at yesterday's game Meath had a decent amount of the ball but it was all wide it was outside of the scoring zone, Dublin didn't actually engage really until Meath got towards the edge of the scoring zone. To have a good game of football now you need 2 teams be prepared to go at each other. With the wide gulf in class between teams that just doesn't happen much now. If attitudes don't change there's not much can be done. Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4210 - 24/06/2019 18:33:22 2200138 Link
For all the talk of encouraging kicking why is the fisted point not way higher up on lis tof thingsto change Breezy (Limerick) - Posts: 1236 - 24/06/2019 19:17:59 2200170 Link
Why does every proposed rule change to football have to be judged on how it might help or hinder Dublin? ballydalane (Kilkenny) - Posts: 1246 - 24/06/2019 19:32:23 2200181 Link
I always thought 4-5 handpasses and then you have to kick pass would help. ChinCanHurl (Wexford) - Posts: 257 - 24/06/2019 19:55:43 2200203 Link
Would 13 A Side Improve Football? Yes, if it only applies to Dublin. Cockney_Cat (UK) - Posts: 2447 - 24/06/2019 20:00:38 2200208 Link
Replying To Breezy: "For all the talk of encouraging kicking why is the fisted point not way higher up on lis tof thingsto change" its the recycling of possession via the handpass that people have an issue with as it can kill the intensity of a game. a fisted point happens of the back of attacking play which should be encouraged, not banned. SaffronDon (Antrim) - Posts: 2385 - 24/06/2019 20:00:45 2200209 Link
Replying To Breezy: "For all the talk of encouraging kicking why is the fisted point not way higher up on lis tof thingsto change" its the recycling of possession via the handpass that people have an issue with as it can kill the intensity of a game. a fisted point happens of the back of attacking play which should be encouraged, not banned. SaffronDon (Antrim) - Posts: 2385 - 24/06/2019 20:00:49 2200211 Link
For God's sake leave the game alone . We have seen much more open football this season . We had three entertaining provincial finals . There were good games in each of the provinces. The Ulster championship was outstanding and was easily the best provincial championship in either hurling or football. A lot of the criticism of football was over the top . What needed to change was the mindset and it looks as if it has changed . Greengrass (Louth) - Posts: 6031 - 24/06/2019 21:26:22 2200295 Link
Replying To Ashrules: "In the 1970's 13 a side was trialled in colleges/secondary schools football. It was a great success but the GAA would not implement it as the administrators of the time felt that club players would not be fit enough for it. A regretable decision. Would be the key to rejuvenating football" It did work for the colleges and schools back then. Allied with it might have to be a return to the three subs rule to prevent the Dubs just running smaller counties into the ground and they wouldn't have as large a pick for their panels. Mayfair (Galway) - Posts: 65 - 24/06/2019 22:46:57 2200354 Link
go back to 15 a side plus 3 subs centerfield (Mayo) - Posts: 360 - 24/06/2019 23:23:04 2200374 Link
Replying To Ashrules: "In the 1970's 13 a side was trialled in colleges/secondary schools football. It was a great success but the GAA would not implement it as the administrators of the time felt that club players would not be fit enough for it. A regretable decision. Would be the key to rejuvenating football" Junior B is tough enough without reducing it to 13 a side. Also my uncle would have to retire as we wouldn't struggle to get 15 anymore. tirawleybaron (Mayo) - Posts: 1105 - 25/06/2019 06:00:01 2200407 Link
Replying To centerfield: "go back to 15 a side plus 3 subs" Then you have a panel of players who have trained all year to get a chance to play who's chances of doing so have decreased. Squad players will make themselves unavailable if they are training all year to sit on the bench. If anything I'd like to see more subs. SaffronDon (Antrim) - Posts: 2385 - 25/06/2019 09:45:31 2200444 Link