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All Ireland Finals Staying In July

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Hi, well it has been decided at last. Finals are staying in July. Is this good or bad, I don't know really. I wish it well. On balance I would probably have tried August myself. Anyway it is important GAA sell the games and finals too. galwayford (Galway) - Posts: 2578 - 12/09/2023 10:01:22 2503931 Link
The main tricky part in the calendar is retaining league finals and trying to create a free weekend before the provincial championships. 1) The proposal to add a week to the inter-county calendar by extending the date for the All-Ireland football final to the first weekend in August received just 32% of votes. 2) The option to persist with having no guaranteed gap between league finals and start of provincial championships gained 28%. 3) Starting the football league in 2024 a week earlier (20/21 January) received just 20%. 4) The proposal to discontinue football league finals only received 16% support. 5) Meanwhile, the option to reduce the window for the provincial football championships garnered just 4% support. Central Council agreed to follow the Central Competitions Control Committee recommendation that the status quo be retained for next year. Maybe next year they can bring forward the top 3 options for consideration. For now, it seems fair enough to keep the same as this year. legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 8385 - 12/09/2023 17:40:11 2504033 Link
Replying To galwayford: "Hi, well it has been decided at last. Finals are staying in July. Is this good or bad, I don't know really. I wish it well. On balance I would probably have tried August myself. Anyway it is important GAA sell the games and finals too." I think it's devalued the prestige of the competition's as a whole. This is meant to be the highest level of the game, it's premium brand and most important games. It's all wrapped up very quickly now as if it's an inconvenience, right that's out of the way.. a rush job, and it's diminished the attention and profile of the most important games the GAA can offer. I completely understand the reasons, that doesn't mean it's not hurting something that has a large cultural significance, an AI final in July is just a bit weird and then that's it, I enjoy going to club games but for the large part, they are not well attended and do very little to reach a large audience at a competitive time. Again, it's all a balance act and I can see why it's been done, but has it diminished the AI finals and competitions as a whole, for me anyway it has. All seems very rushed as if it's all just an inconvenience. jimbodub (Dublin) - Posts: 20692 - 12/09/2023 17:56:38 2504037 Link
Replying To galwayford: "Hi, well it has been decided at last. Finals are staying in July. Is this good or bad, I don't know really. I wish it well. On balance I would probably have tried August myself. Anyway it is important GAA sell the games and finals too." Well, they wouldn't want it to interfere with any concerts, soccer matches, religious events, inspirational talks or whatever they might have booked the place out for. BarneyGrant (Dublin) - Posts: 3225 - 12/09/2023 19:29:03 2504048 Link
We're traditionalists here in the GAA, 3rd Sunday in September or nowhere :D realdub (Dublin) - Posts: 8678 - 12/09/2023 19:37:48 2504049 Link
Replying To galwayford: "Hi, well it has been decided at last. Finals are staying in July. Is this good or bad, I don't know really. I wish it well. On balance I would probably have tried August myself. Anyway it is important GAA sell the games and finals too." It looks like July is now the designated finals month, just have to get used to it. It allows counties to complete their club championships in late summer/ autumn. The problem under the old arrangements was that club completions were put on hold in the good weather, because team managers wanted full access to their panel for inter county matches. In Offaly we were gone from the championships in June or July, but county finals were held in October, 3 or 4 months after the end of inter county matches. Keeping panel members, who were just squad members, not County regulars on squads, without club games, never made sense to me. I know some counties played their domestic games while the county side were still in the All Ireland series. thelongridge (Offaly) - Posts: 1879 - 12/09/2023 20:23:56 2504051 Link
Personally I'd prefer to run our club season first, followed by ending the year with inter county fare. In 2020, December All Ireland Finals didn't seem overly out of place. St.Mologga (Cork) - Posts: 121 - 13/09/2023 05:36:08 2504061 Link
Replying To realdub: "We're traditionalists here in the GAA, 3rd Sunday in September or nowhere :D" Only the people like yourself who just follow the boys on the tele and never went to a club game or even know who their local club is has the opinion that it should be 3rd Sunday in September. Anyone involved in the grassroots with their clubs, all players etc. agree that it is find the way it is. Monaghansclown (Monaghan) - Posts: 188 - 13/09/2023 09:19:31 2504076 Link
It's a tricky one. I think most players are happy with the calendar now as it enables them to plan their lives a bit better. But for spectators and traditionalists it isn't so good. Club league football has suffered a lot. In Donegal anyway, league games are lacklustre and are glorified challenge games if we're being honest. Once June comes a lot of teams lose a few young players to the US and it's only in August really that the real bite comes back into it as Championship starts. I don't think there is a solution that will please everyone. I'd be in agreement with jimbo in that there's no need to be rushing it all through. There needs to be a bit of a build up and proper promtion of our biggest games. First thing I'd do is put Up For the Match in the bin. Jesus, no harm to everyone involved but it was brutal. Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9527 - 13/09/2023 10:29:27 2504092 Link
Replying To Monaghansclown: "Only the people like yourself who just follow the boys on the tele and never went to a club game or even know who their local club is has the opinion that it should be 3rd Sunday in September. Anyone involved in the grassroots with their clubs, all players etc. agree that it is find the way it is." You must have never been to involved in the grassroots or played much club football. Makes no sense to have the most amount of players and needing the most amount of pitches at the worst time of year.. if the county was on now would only be small percentage of players and lot less pitches needed. But the people who put in the most effort are left with the wet pitches where we will see more GRASSROOTS than good football Thejampot (Leitrim) - Posts: 351 - 13/09/2023 10:57:41 2504100 Link
Replying To Monaghansclown: "Only the people like yourself who just follow the boys on the tele and never went to a club game or even know who their local club is has the opinion that it should be 3rd Sunday in September. Anyone involved in the grassroots with their clubs, all players etc. agree that it is find the way it is." No offence but I find the above argument silly. People can both think that the split season is a good idea for clubs but also recognise that it has its negatives in terms of the inter-county season and the overall promotion of our games. There are die hard club volunteers who can recognise the shortcomings of the split season, and fair weather inter-county fans that understand the reasoning around the split season. MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13780 - 13/09/2023 11:12:40 2504102 Link
I just can't understand how All Ireland Finals in September had such an affect on all most counties club championships. 80% of counties could still have their club championships played and competed by late summer/early autumn. And this 80% will very rarely change. We all know at least half the counties who will be competing in All Ireland quarter finals each year. Wally (Tyrone) - Posts: 922 - 13/09/2023 11:13:06 2504103 Link
Replying To galwayford: "Hi, well it has been decided at last. Finals are staying in July. Is this good or bad, I don't know really. I wish it well. On balance I would probably have tried August myself. Anyway it is important GAA sell the games and finals too." As far as 2024 is concerned and the retention of the July dates there is only one word……. Coldplay. Greengrass (Louth) - Posts: 6145 - 13/09/2023 11:17:06 2504104 Link
There has to be a 2 to 3 month period exclusively devoted to Club Championships. So do we stick with current timeframes Or Do we go Club Championships March/April/May Do we go NFL/NHL and Club Leagues Feb to April, Club Championships May to July then Inter County Thoughts? Seanfanbocht (Roscommon) - Posts: 2003 - 13/09/2023 11:17:28 2504105 Link
Happy with the way it is, players on the whole are in favour and there the most important stakeholder in all of this. TerribleFootwork (Wexford) - Posts: 1760 - 13/09/2023 11:32:06 2504112 Link
Definitely what we have is probably the best compromise. Should be after all the debate and time it took to reach it too! Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 14123 - 13/09/2023 11:43:54 2504116 Link
No change to club season In donegal still don't start championship until we'll into August, no meaningful club football in June or July when pitches are at their best. Should also bring back minor finals on senior day, it added to the occasion, ticket price remained at 90 euro for only one game, Always enjoyed getting in early to see minor game. totalrecall (Leitrim) - Posts: 998 - 13/09/2023 12:10:08 2504124 Link
Replying To Monaghansclown: "Only the people like yourself who just follow the boys on the tele and never went to a club game or even know who their local club is has the opinion that it should be 3rd Sunday in September. Anyone involved in the grassroots with their clubs, all players etc. agree that it is find the way it is." And how many weeks earlier is the Monaghan championship finishing compared to other years? Dublin will have knocked about two weeks off, Other counties as others have pointed out didn't even begin until well over a month or two after county teams finished up. Of course, one of reasons for that is that county players in some cases did opt for club, but the club was in New York or Boston or Chicago. BarneyGrant (Dublin) - Posts: 3225 - 13/09/2023 12:40:40 2504132 Link
Replying To BarneyGrant: "And how many weeks earlier is the Monaghan championship finishing compared to other years? Dublin will have knocked about two weeks off, Other counties as others have pointed out didn't even begin until well over a month or two after county teams finished up. Of course, one of reasons for that is that county players in some cases did opt for club, but the club was in New York or Boston or Chicago." It's the certainty around the split season that makes it work. The master fixture calendar is released by the GAA at the start of the year and everyone knows what weekends are free for holidays, stags, long walks on the beach, anniversary mass, romantic nights away etc. etc. The Monaghan championship starts the first weekend of August but everybody knows this in January so there is CERTAINTY for players both at club and county level! Before the split season, the club championship started 'whenever the county are put out' which as a Monaghan person could have been anywhere from June to September. You've obviously never had the misfortune of telling herself the week before Lanzarote that we have to cancel because the county board have set up championship fixtures for next weekend. But hey once the fellas sitting on their ** in their favourite arm chair (not saying you are one by the way) at home have something to watch on the box on the 3rd weekend of September, who cares about the players? Monaghansclown (Monaghan)** - Posts: 188 - 13/09/2023 13:46:33 2504147 Link
Replying To Monaghansclown: "It's the certainty around the split season that makes it work. The master fixture calendar is released by the GAA at the start of the year and everyone knows what weekends are free for holidays, stags, long walks on the beach, anniversary mass, romantic nights away etc. etc. The Monaghan championship starts the first weekend of August but everybody knows this in January so there is CERTAINTY for players both at club and county level! Before the split season, the club championship started 'whenever the county are put out' which as a Monaghan person could have been anywhere from June to September. You've obviously never had the misfortune of telling herself the week before Lanzarote that we have to cancel because the county board have set up championship fixtures for next weekend. But hey once the fellas sitting on their ** in their favourite arm chair (not saying you are one by the way) at home have something to watch on the box on the 3rd weekend of September, who cares about the players?" Most players I know are humble oul juniors and I'd say from listening to them they preferred seeing the big county games later in the year. Means nothing to them of course, no more than it does or ever has done to most club players, when the county men are out. BarneyGrant (Dublin)** - Posts: 3225 - 13/09/2023 14:56:16 2504167 Link