National Forum

Late County Finals - Split Season

(Oldest Posts First) - Go To The Latest Post


Replying To Viking66:  "Not at all. The Provincial club championships could be put back a few weeks."
Halfway through his term Jarlath has taken up from where he was forced to stop shooting from the hip this time last year.

Seanfanbocht (Roscommon) - Posts: 2408 - 11/06/2025 16:29:58    2616721

Link

Replying To Viking66:  "Not at all. The Provincial club championships could be put back a few weeks."
In some cases you would need to push the conclusion of the provincial championships back to close to Christmas or worse January, I doubt few wants that.

Gaa_lover (USA) - Posts: 3653 - 11/06/2025 16:33:59    2616723

Link

The inter county season could extend by two weeks with low impact. Would have to mean hurling and football All Ireland club series on weekends 1 and 3 in January.
The All Ireland football 2026 format will take 6 rounds for 16 teams. It should be possible for county championships to have a national timescale of 12 weeks. If counties want to fit more rounds in that time or start earlier, that should be their choice.
Extending by two weeks would have the hurling final on the August Bank Holiday weekend. That mightn't be favoured. If August weekends 2 and 3 is pushed by Croke Park for the hurling and football finals, finding a third weekend will be more tricky. Might have to rely on leeway around county champions of All Ireland finalists entering their provincial club championship at the latest stage possible and agreeable.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 8934 - 11/06/2025 16:55:54    2616733

Link

Replying To legendzxix:  "The inter county season could extend by two weeks with low impact. Would have to mean hurling and football All Ireland club series on weekends 1 and 3 in January.
The All Ireland football 2026 format will take 6 rounds for 16 teams. It should be possible for county championships to have a national timescale of 12 weeks. If counties want to fit more rounds in that time or start earlier, that should be their choice.
Extending by two weeks would have the hurling final on the August Bank Holiday weekend. That mightn't be favoured. If August weekends 2 and 3 is pushed by Croke Park for the hurling and football finals, finding a third weekend will be more tricky. Might have to rely on leeway around county champions of All Ireland finalists entering their provincial club championship at the latest stage possible and agreeable."
If the season was to be extended then a drawn final would really put a spanner in the works of the club championship of the counties involved.

edu (Mayo) - Posts: 114 - 11/06/2025 19:22:07    2616775

Link

Replying To Gaa_lover:  "If he gets his way and HQ normally do then most of the round Robin club formats will need to be scrapped and replaced with a sigerson cup type format."
Can assure he wont be getting his way. The GPA and if necessary a resurrected CPA will make sure of that and rightly so.

ORIELMAN85 (Monaghan) - Posts: 609 - 11/06/2025 20:23:48    2616780

Link

Replying To Gaa_lover:  "In some cases you would need to push the conclusion of the provincial championships back to close to Christmas or worse January, I doubt few wants that."
I wouldn't mind it.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 16305 - 11/06/2025 22:56:51    2616804

Link

Replying To ORIELMAN85:  "Can assure he wont be getting his way. The GPA and if necessary a resurrected CPA will make sure of that and rightly so."
Not just a he though, It's clearly discussed behind the scenes with those in power such as Tom Ryan. Next step is to get enough delegates on their side for the congress vote whenever that does happen.

Gaa_lover (USA) - Posts: 3653 - 11/06/2025 23:24:10    2616808

Link

Replying To Gaa_lover:  "Not just a he though, It's clearly discussed behind the scenes with those in power such as Tom Ryan. Next step is to get enough delegates on their side for the congress vote whenever that does happen."
And then it'll be "penalties are no way to decide All Ireland semi finals", then Qtr Finals and we're back to September Finals and a whole mess of club championships fixtures and Club players not knowing when, where or in what their next match will be.

Seanfanbocht (Roscommon) - Posts: 2408 - 12/06/2025 09:23:53    2616846

Link

Replying To Gaa_lover:  "In some cases you would need to push the conclusion of the provincial championships back to close to Christmas or worse January, I doubt few wants that."
Why?

The provincial club championship finals will involve 24 clubs per code. That leaves over 2100 clubs that won't be affected by it.

And I've yet to hear any club I know who've gone on a run in the provincial bemoaning the fact.

We keep hearing about favouring the majority and ignoring the minority when it comes to the split season yet now it's the opposite!

Pushing back the all ireland finals makes perfect sense, pair it up with reducing the amlunt of pointless games particularly at intercounty level and at club level, hopefully it comes through and we can reclaim the summer and get to promote our games properly particularly in regards to promoting hurling throughout the country

tearintom (Wexford) - Posts: 1520 - 12/06/2025 10:01:29    2616852

Link

Replying To edu:  "If the season was to be extended then a drawn final would really put a spanner in the works of the club championship of the counties involved."
True. Drawn finals are an exception though. There has to be an agreeable plan B when drawn finals happen.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 8934 - 12/06/2025 10:33:03    2616864

Link

Replying To Seanfanbocht:  "And then it'll be "penalties are no way to decide All Ireland semi finals", then Qtr Finals and we're back to September Finals and a whole mess of club championships fixtures and Club players not knowing when, where or in what their next match will be."
If all County boards ran their internal competitions properly with a publicised fixtures master list then players would always know when their next game is.
The county season is too condensed. It doesn't allow for proper breaks, for players to recover from minor injuries etc. After all one of the reasons for the so called split season was for the interests of player welfare.
Personally I would like to see the All Ireland finals in August. It won't make any difference to the club championships.

lilywhite1 (Kildare) - Posts: 3032 - 12/06/2025 11:02:44    2616876

Link

Replying To legendzxix:  "True. Drawn finals are an exception though. There has to be an agreeable plan B when drawn finals happen."
Penalties!!!!

Seanfanbocht (Roscommon) - Posts: 2408 - 12/06/2025 11:25:56    2616886

Link

Replying To Gaa_lover:  "Not just a he though, It's clearly discussed behind the scenes with those in power such as Tom Ryan. Next step is to get enough delegates on their side for the congress vote whenever that does happen."
Do you really believe a vote to change the finals back against the overwhelmingly expressed wishes of the players, club and county, is a plausible solution. You might get new dates but no games.

sligo joe (Dublin) - Posts: 938 - 12/06/2025 12:04:07    2616897

Link

Replying To tearintom:  "Why?

The provincial club championship finals will involve 24 clubs per code. That leaves over 2100 clubs that won't be affected by it.

And I've yet to hear any club I know who've gone on a run in the provincial bemoaning the fact.

We keep hearing about favouring the majority and ignoring the minority when it comes to the split season yet now it's the opposite!

Pushing back the all ireland finals makes perfect sense, pair it up with reducing the amlunt of pointless games particularly at intercounty level and at club level, hopefully it comes through and we can reclaim the summer and get to promote our games properly particularly in regards to promoting hurling throughout the country"
Best of luck with convincing the players that it makes "perfect sense".
Players, club and county, have very clearly set out their stall on this issue and they're not for moving.

sligo joe (Dublin) - Posts: 938 - 12/06/2025 12:07:10    2616898

Link

Replying To sligo joe:  "Do you really believe a vote to change the finals back against the overwhelmingly expressed wishes of the players, club and county, is a plausible solution. You might get new dates but no games."
Time players/clubs started telling their Co Boards they don't want this change.

Seanfanbocht (Roscommon) - Posts: 2408 - 12/06/2025 12:14:13    2616901

Link

Replying To sligo joe:  "Do you really believe a vote to change the finals back against the overwhelmingly expressed wishes of the players, club and county, is a plausible solution. You might get new dates but no games."
Why are you sure club players won't approve? Club county finals being put back from the beginning to the end of October isn't going to make much difference as regards pitch quality. Players will still have certainty, which was the main issue to start with. Any of the players I know didn't like the club month in April idea, or before that not actually knowing at all when their clubs championship games would be on. And that went for managers and County CCCs/fixtures committees also.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 16305 - 12/06/2025 13:16:10    2616926

Link

Replying To Seanfanbocht:  "Time players/clubs started telling their Co Boards they don't want this change."
I'm sure they will if they are unhappy with any concrete proposal thats made.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 16305 - 12/06/2025 13:19:19    2616927

Link

Replying To sligo joe:  "Best of luck with convincing the players that it makes "perfect sense".
Players, club and county, have very clearly set out their stall on this issue and they're not for moving."
Players are always against change.

Fought changes to the rules of football for years until it finally got so bad it had to change or die.

I've heard plenty of players, club people and county people who were dead against any change to the current system concede that yeah maybe a few more weeks in the championship would make sense.

tearintom (Wexford) - Posts: 1520 - 12/06/2025 13:35:00    2616939

Link

Replying To sligo joe:  "Best of luck with convincing the players that it makes "perfect sense".
Players, club and county, have very clearly set out their stall on this issue and they're not for moving."
Don't worry… they will move

ForeverBlue2 (Cavan) - Posts: 4060 - 12/06/2025 14:15:39    2616947

Link

Replying To Viking66:  "Why are you sure club players won't approve? Club county finals being put back from the beginning to the end of October isn't going to make much difference as regards pitch quality. Players will still have certainty, which was the main issue to start with. Any of the players I know didn't like the club month in April idea, or before that not actually knowing at all when their clubs championship games would be on. And that went for managers and County CCCs/fixtures committees also."
While it's very clear that County players are against any return to later finals I agree it is more difficult to gauge the opinion of club players. However it must be remembered that the current season was very much the achievement of campaigning by club players (CPA). And a recent survey, Nov '24, in Cork had 87% of club players in favour of the current season and wanting no change. While I don't have the figures, there have been polls in other counties and nationally among club players with similar results.

sligo joe (Dublin) - Posts: 938 - 12/06/2025 14:17:05    2616948

Link