National Forum

County Leagues

(Oldest Posts First)

What's the point in the League in each county? How did they come about anyway? What's the history behind them? I presume championships in each county came into existence first, and then leagues years later. Does anyone even care about the league? Would an extended championship be a better idea?

lerety (Dublin) - Posts: 3 - 28/05/2024 11:09:16    2547866

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Replying To lerety:  "What's the point in the League in each county? How did they come about anyway? What's the history behind them? I presume championships in each county came into existence first, and then leagues years later. Does anyone even care about the league? Would an extended championship be a better idea?"
I'll just answer for Wexford, where we run our County Leagues at this time of year - i.e. during the inter-county part of the split season. Clubs play them without whatever inter-county players they have.

- Point of them is to give games to club players instead of making them just sit around for the first six months of the year.

- They're not taken overly-seriously. Some bit of spice last year and this year following the re-introduction of promotion and relegation between the divisions. Previously, they were just set up each year so that all senior championship clubs played Div. 1, all intermediate played Div. 2, etc. Wouldn't have mattered if you'd lost every Div. 1 match for ten years in a row - you'd still be in Div. 1 so long as you retained your senior status in the championship itself.

- There are constant calls for the leagues to be "jazzed up" and "made more meaningful", but nobody has ever come up with a magic wand to make this happen, despite various things being tried over the years. Personally, I think league matches are best viewed as just a series of organised practice matches against teams of roughly your own standard from within the county, to help you get ready for championship later in the year.

- Wouldn't be possible here to run an extended club championship instead, as then you'd be asking clubs to play championship matches without their inter-county players.


As for the history of them - they were first introduced as a means of providing extra games when championships were mainly run on a knock-out basis. That's still the case in the places where the County League is taken relatively seriously, e.g. Tyrone football. They have 16 teams who play 15 matches each in a League, but then their actual championship is just straight knock-out.

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 2621 - 28/05/2024 12:18:24    2547883

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Replying To lerety:  "What's the point in the League in each county? How did they come about anyway? What's the history behind them? I presume championships in each county came into existence first, and then leagues years later. Does anyone even care about the league? Would an extended championship be a better idea?"
Leagues are for PLAYERS to PLAY matches.
Otherwise they'll all play soccer or rugger.

Seanfanbocht (Roscommon) - Posts: 1955 - 28/05/2024 12:31:55    2547890

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League is practice for championship. You can't have club players sitting waiting for the championship in August/September.

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11409 - 28/05/2024 12:39:42    2547894

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I hope you don't steal my wife as quick, lerety!
https://hoganstand.com/Forum/FindPost?MessageID=2511954

Tacaí Liatroma (Leitrim) - Posts: 1126 - 29/05/2024 11:23:35    2548106

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Replying To yew_tree:  "League is practice for championship. You can't have club players sitting waiting for the championship in August/September."
Sorry, but is it not true to say that the league is the 2nd most important competition in the annual gaelic football calender, it is certainly most important to the weaker counties and a bit above them.

supersub15 (Carlow) - Posts: 3050 - 29/05/2024 13:20:47    2548151

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Replying To Tacaí Liatroma:  "I hope you don't steal my wife as quick, lerety!
https://hoganstand.com/Forum/FindPost?MessageID=2511954"
got you thanks .

lerety (Dublin) - Posts: 3 - 30/05/2024 11:13:37    2548328

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Replying To lerety:  "What's the point in the League in each county? How did they come about anyway? What's the history behind them? I presume championships in each county came into existence first, and then leagues years later. Does anyone even care about the league? Would an extended championship be a better idea?"
For Longford see link

LongfordgaaAbú (Longford) - Posts: 574 - 30/05/2024 11:39:52    2548339

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Replying To supersub15:  "Sorry, but is it not true to say that the league is the 2nd most important competition in the annual gaelic football calender, it is certainly most important to the weaker counties and a bit above them."
We are taking about county club leagues here…read the title.

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11409 - 30/05/2024 12:36:38    2548363

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Replying To yew_tree:  "We are taking about county club leagues here…read the title."
I understand, - what I'm trying to say is whether it's senior county or senior club championship or league if there is a bit of silverware at stake then it's sacrosanct to the weaker counties,

supersub15 (Carlow) - Posts: 3050 - 30/05/2024 18:06:02    2548461

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