National Forum

Provincial Championships 2024

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Replying To legendzxix:  "Crossover games are unlikely to be considered. A previous hurling league format had Division 1A and 1B with 6 teams each, 5 games each. The top 3 from each went into Group 1. The bottom 3 from each went into Group 2. The groups had 6 teams each, 3 games each. There was no crossover games from the division phase. Teams who didn't play each other in the division phase played each other in the group phase. If they didn't use crossover of games then in the group phase, it is unlikely there will ever be an appetite for that format."
Precedence is not a reliable predictor of future actions - if so, the Champions League 2024/25 structural change would not have occurred, or indeed - closer to home - the GAA's Super 8 or initial Qualifiers would have been impossible.

omahant (USA) - Posts: 2632 - 27/01/2024 14:07:24    2522376

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Nothing will come of this, HQ doesnt read this, doesnt care and wont care. enough winging and just get out and win games minus excuses

Whestofthewest (Clare) - Posts: 152 - 27/01/2024 14:12:47    2522380

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Seems to be a couple of lads here engaged in a competition to see who can come up with the most convoluted bucked up daftest new version of a Football Championship.

Give it a break, enjoy the League and then get ready for the Championships.

Seanfanbocht (Roscommon) - Posts: 1451 - 27/01/2024 15:24:11    2522396

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I see a lot more head-in-the-sand stuff that is an end in itself.

omahant (USA) - Posts: 2632 - 27/01/2024 17:19:55    2522422

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Replying To Seanfanbocht:  "Seems to be a couple of lads here engaged in a competition to see who can come up with the most convoluted bucked up daftest new version of a Football Championship.

Give it a break, enjoy the League and then get ready for the Championships."
To be fair if you wrote the current Championship system down here it'd be pretty convoluted also.

Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4244 - 28/01/2024 12:39:35    2522622

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Replying To Seanfanbocht:  "Seems to be a couple of lads here engaged in a competition to see who can come up with the most convoluted bucked up daftest new version of a Football Championship.

Give it a break, enjoy the League and then get ready for the Championships."
Changes have been pushed through in hurling that people on here have suggested. The McDonagh winner determining the province with 6 teams. Five divisions of 7 in the hurling league from next year.
The GAA have suggested themselves that there will be tweaks to the current football structure. It's not harming anyone that potential improvements are being discussed.
People should enjoy the football league, it is a balanced format. People should enjoy the championship as well. There are changes for the better to be made however. There is something broken if Clare just have to beat division 4 opposition to make a provincial final and secure a place in the All-Ireland series.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 7889 - 28/01/2024 13:39:18    2522633

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Even if nobody is watching, what's wrong with teasing out a few ideas - when a few strangers have a chat over a pint in a pub, is it ok if they enjoy the chat, or is it just a waste of time? Life is to be enjoyed, however one defines it - some will still opt for head in the sand.

omahant (USA) - Posts: 2632 - 28/01/2024 17:12:44    2522733

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The All Ireland Championship [AIC] and Tailteann Cup [T.C] group stages have a split of 16 teams in each[4 groups of 4 in each] . An argument could be made for a split of 20 teams [5 groups of 4] in AIC and 12 teams [3 groups of 4] in the T.C. The thinking behind this goes back to Meath[a traditional strong county and a not too distant winner of the AIC] winning last years T.C.This year another traditional strong county Cork who currently sit bottom of division 2 and are on the side of the draw as Kerry in the Munster Championship are looking like heading for the T.C. I do not think the T.C cup was introduced for teams like these. Having 12 teams in the T.C Cup would make this less likely to occur and give the lesser lights a chance of glory. Incidentally if this was in place last year the 4 extra teams playing in the AIC would have have been Meath Cavan Fermanagh and Limerick .

edu (Mayo) - Posts: 34 - 12/02/2024 21:22:27    2525758

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Replying To edu:  "The All Ireland Championship [AIC
and Tailteann Cup [T.C] group stages have a split of 16 teams in each[4 groups of 4 in each] . An argument could be made for a split of 20 teams [5 groups of 4] in AIC and 12 teams [3 groups of 4] in the T.C. The thinking behind this goes back to Meath[a traditional strong county and a not too distant winner of the AIC] winning last years T.C.This year another traditional strong county Cork who currently sit bottom of division 2 and are on the side of the draw as Kerry in the Munster Championship are looking like heading for the T.C. I do not think the T.C cup was introduced for teams like these. Having 12 teams in the T.C Cup would make this less likely to occur and give the lesser lights a chance of glory. Incidentally if this was in place last year the 4 extra teams playing in the AIC would have have been Meath Cavan Fermanagh and Limerick ."]Would you not just be saying the same thing about Down being in the Tailteann then.

I don't know. I think the natural fit is for 2 tiers to just be split evenly.

I found it great that Antrim got a game against Meath and it's not a bad thing to have some bigger names in there for the prestige of the competition.

Having a higher bar for qualifying helps make the Sam Maguire more exciting also.

If there is one thing annoying it is that Sligo we're able to get in via a less rigorous route.

Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4244 - 13/02/2024 15:44:18    2525879

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16:16 probably is a fair split. The All-Ireland is mainly a Division 1 and 2 battle. The Tailteann is mainly a Division 3 and 4 battle.
Provincial winners only should be qualifying from the provinces. Provincial winners should be rewarded as hosts of the All-Ireland group stage with 3 home games. The 12 qualifiers with 1 home game each.
The 5 Tailteann counties who miss out on the preliminary quarter-finals should be given the consolation award of an extra Tailteann home group game in the following year. The remaining extra Tailteann home games can be rewarded to the highest league ranked counties, a consolation award for just missing out on the All-Ireland series.
The Tailteann semi-finals should be curtain raisers to All-Ireland semi-finals. The All-Ireland Junior final and Tailteann finals being played the day before the All-Ireland Senior Football final.
Just small changes to the current structure that can have longevity.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 7889 - 14/02/2024 06:07:07    2525964

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Replying To legendzxix:  "16:16 probably is a fair split. The All-Ireland is mainly a Division 1 and 2 battle. The Tailteann is mainly a Division 3 and 4 battle.
Provincial winners only should be qualifying from the provinces. Provincial winners should be rewarded as hosts of the All-Ireland group stage with 3 home games. The 12 qualifiers with 1 home game each.
The 5 Tailteann counties who miss out on the preliminary quarter-finals should be given the consolation award of an extra Tailteann home group game in the following year. The remaining extra Tailteann home games can be rewarded to the highest league ranked counties, a consolation award for just missing out on the All-Ireland series.
The Tailteann semi-finals should be curtain raisers to All-Ireland semi-finals. The All-Ireland Junior final and Tailteann finals being played the day before the All-Ireland Senior Football final.
Just small changes to the current structure that can have longevity."
I like a lot of your changes.

I do still think there could be a better championship in one based on 2 groups of 8 per tier and with fewer games in the secondary competitions and maybe fewer games overall.

The season still suffers from being overly complex. Having too many low impact games and not being able to give breathing space to any individual part of the season.

Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4244 - 14/02/2024 15:22:21    2526059

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Replying To Whammo86:  "I like a lot of your changes.

I do still think there could be a better championship in one based on 2 groups of 8 per tier and with fewer games in the secondary competitions and maybe fewer games overall.

The season still suffers from being overly complex. Having too many low impact games and not being able to give breathing space to any individual part of the season."
Breathing space can come into the current calendar.

Option 1:
4 league rounds, weekend off, 3 league rounds, league finals, weekend off and start of provincial championships.

Option 2:
The current league fixtures.
Weekend off
1. Connacht and Munster quarter-finals. Leinster and Ulster preliminary round.
2. Leinster and Ulster quarter-finals.
3. Connacht and Munster semi-finals.
4. Leinster and Ulster semi-finals.
5. Connacht, Munster, Leinster and Ulster finals.
Weekend off.
1. Start of All-Ireland group stage and Tailteann group stage.

The choice between Option 1 and Option 2 is 4 league weekends in a row or else Leinster and Ulster having 2 provincial rounds, a break and then 2 more provincial rounds. There will be a weekend off before and after the provincial championships to allow all competitions an opportunity to breathe and people take stock of the results and what is coming next.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 7889 - 15/02/2024 02:29:26    2526138

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Replying To legendzxix:  "Breathing space can come into the current calendar.

Option 1:
4 league rounds, weekend off, 3 league rounds, league finals, weekend off and start of provincial championships.

Option 2:
The current league fixtures.
Weekend off
1. Connacht and Munster quarter-finals. Leinster and Ulster preliminary round.
2. Leinster and Ulster quarter-finals.
3. Connacht and Munster semi-finals.
4. Leinster and Ulster semi-finals.
5. Connacht, Munster, Leinster and Ulster finals.
Weekend off.
1. Start of All-Ireland group stage and Tailteann group stage.

The choice between Option 1 and Option 2 is 4 league weekends in a row or else Leinster and Ulster having 2 provincial rounds, a break and then 2 more provincial rounds. There will be a weekend off before and after the provincial championships to allow all competitions an opportunity to breathe and people take stock of the results and what is coming next."
There's not lots of breathing space there either.

It asks the question should teams prioritise getting to a division 1 final if they are playing early in their province.

At least you reward provincial champions with home games to make going for the provincial title meaningful.

I don't know though. The league still annoys me a little. Does Dublin losing games against Monaghan and Mayo move the needle at all in terms of them winning the All Ireland. I'd say not at all. So you've got most of our games between top teams being played at the worst time of year with little at stake. It just seems a waste when we won't really see these top teams playing important matches with one another again until the knockout rounds.

Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4244 - 15/02/2024 11:28:41    2526170

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Replying To Whammo86:  "There's not lots of breathing space there either.

It asks the question should teams prioritise getting to a division 1 final if they are playing early in their province.

At least you reward provincial champions with home games to make going for the provincial title meaningful.

I don't know though. The league still annoys me a little. Does Dublin losing games against Monaghan and Mayo move the needle at all in terms of them winning the All Ireland. I'd say not at all. So you've got most of our games between top teams being played at the worst time of year with little at stake. It just seems a waste when we won't really see these top teams playing important matches with one another again until the knockout rounds."
The league has balanced divisions of 8. It is very unlikely to change when it's consistency and balanced format is highly praised.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 7889 - 15/02/2024 12:16:38    2526177

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Replying To legendzxix:  "16:16 probably is a fair split. The All-Ireland is mainly a Division 1 and 2 battle. The Tailteann is mainly a Division 3 and 4 battle.
Provincial winners only should be qualifying from the provinces. Provincial winners should be rewarded as hosts of the All-Ireland group stage with 3 home games. The 12 qualifiers with 1 home game each.
The 5 Tailteann counties who miss out on the preliminary quarter-finals should be given the consolation award of an extra Tailteann home group game in the following year. The remaining extra Tailteann home games can be rewarded to the highest league ranked counties, a consolation award for just missing out on the All-Ireland series.
The Tailteann semi-finals should be curtain raisers to All-Ireland semi-finals. The All-Ireland Junior final and Tailteann finals being played the day before the All-Ireland Senior Football final.
Just small changes to the current structure that can have longevity."
Last year they made the mistake of putting the Tailteann Cup final as a curtain raiser to Dublin/Monaghan all Ireland Semi, and it was a disaster. A lot of fans couldn't get tickets as there was such a small number allocated.

There are plenty of other games it could be scheduled with, and like you said - An All Ireland Junior Final as curtain raiser to the TC final on a Saturday in Croke Park would be the way to go. I get you're going to have a half empty stadium, but fans deserve the ability to attend, and you get a decent game on paper like last year's final - you could get 20-30k.

hyperache (Meath) - Posts: 208 - 15/02/2024 12:22:31    2526178

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Replying To legendzxix:  "The league has balanced divisions of 8. It is very unlikely to change when it's consistency and balanced format is highly praised."
The Championship should be the priority. It's ridiculous really that it isn't and if I had any hair I'd be pulling it out that others can't see that.

Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4244 - 15/02/2024 13:09:55    2526191

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Replying To edu:  "The All Ireland Championship [AIC
and Tailteann Cup [T.C] group stages have a split of 16 teams in each[4 groups of 4 in each] . An argument could be made for a split of 20 teams [5 groups of 4] in AIC and 12 teams [3 groups of 4] in the T.C. The thinking behind this goes back to Meath[a traditional strong county and a not too distant winner of the AIC] winning last years T.C.This year another traditional strong county Cork who currently sit bottom of division 2 and are on the side of the draw as Kerry in the Munster Championship are looking like heading for the T.C. I do not think the T.C cup was introduced for teams like these. Having 12 teams in the T.C Cup would make this less likely to occur and give the lesser lights a chance of glory. Incidentally if this was in place last year the 4 extra teams playing in the AIC would have have been Meath Cavan Fermanagh and Limerick ."]20 teams in AIC -how would it work?
5 groups of 4. Seeded teams- 4 Provincial Winners + Division 1 winner[or highest placed Division 1 team if the Division 1 winner also wins a provincial title]. All other teams seeded on League finishing positions. Repeat pairings from Provincials to be avoided.
Top 3 teams to advance [as per current 16 team format] 15 teams in total.
1 team gets bye to Quarter Finals. This team to be the Division 1 winner providing of course they finish top of their group[this should be an added incentive for teams to actually target winning the League rather just avoiding relegation].For the team recieving a bye there is also the added bonus of a rest week.
If the Division 1 winner does not top their group the bye goes to the group winner which are a Provincial Winner.More than 1 Provincial Winner tops their group[which is highly likely] then the bye goes to the team which finished highest in League.
Other 14 teams play qualifying round for remaining 7 QF places.
7 highest qualifiers[4 group winners+3 best group runners up] are drawn to play at home against 7 lowest qualifiers[2 worst group runners up+ 5 third placed teams.

edu (Mayo) - Posts: 34 - 15/02/2024 22:06:38    2526286

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Combined Prov Championships, League & AIC.
Prov Draw seeded based on prior year League & AIC.
Season starts with Prov 1st Rd & QF ties.

After Prov QFs:
Draw the 16-team Tier 1 & Tier 2 League/AIC groups.
Tiers based on prior year League & AIC.
Each Prov SF 4 is split, with teams drawn across 4 groups.
Prov QF & 1st Rd losers are split, each to a group different from the teams they played.

Each team plays a combined 12-match season against all 15 'own tier' teams, except the 3 in its own group.

After 12 matches per team in a 16-team 'own tier' table:
Tier 1 top 2 plays a League Final.
League Champ to AIC SFs, losing Finalist to AI QFs.
3rd & 4th to AI QFs.
5th to 10th play 3 AI Prelim QFs.
14th to 16th are relegated (3 down) to Tier 2.

Tier 2 KO is similar to Tier 1, but additionally:
Tier 2 AIC Finalists are promoted, along with the "Promotion Final" winner, contested by the SF losers.
So, 3 go up to Tier 1 for the following year.

Note: If a Tier 2 team unexpectedly wins a Provincial Final, they parachute as the lowest seed into the Tier 1 AIC Prelim QFs.
Also, a modest number of Provincial Championship ties could be inter-tier and cannot 'double up' into the 12-match schedule (and therefore, would need to be played separately).

omahant (USA) - Posts: 2632 - 16/02/2024 02:53:10    2526291

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There's very little wiggle room for change in the football calendar. The league is nearly set in stone over 7 rounds plus finals. Provincials are as they are over 3 or 4 rounds. The All-Ireland series has 7 rounds.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 7889 - 16/02/2024 05:45:35    2526292

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Replying To legendzxix:  "There's very little wiggle room for change in the football calendar. The league is nearly set in stone over 7 rounds plus finals. Provincials are as they are over 3 or 4 rounds. The All-Ireland series has 7 rounds."
Do you not think it bizarre at all the way there's so much deference to the secondary competition at the expense of the championship.

Really there should be Provincials, maybe with group stages moving onto knockout rounds and then move on to an All Ireland of 2 groups of 8 in each tier.

It's just making the championship quite like the way the league used to be. That wasn't the right format for the secondary competition but it would be perfect for the Championship.

Imagine you'd Mayo, Monaghan, Donegal, Galway all in Dublin's group, there's no way they are losing their first 2 matches in that competition and if they did they'd be in serious trouble of not making through to the knockout rounds.

Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4244 - 16/02/2024 12:47:14    2526339

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