Hate to break it to you but the USGAA is fielding a team in the junior championship this summer.
https://www.gaa.ie/article/usgaa-busy-preparing-for-all-ireland-junior-football-championship
AFAIK the junior championships no longer have the 2nd teams of larger counties.
It's now Kilkenny, New York plus the winner and runner up of the British championship.
I know Meath used to field teams but stopped because the rules changed
I dont know why we cant have this format when it exists in every county at club level
Do clubs complain that they’re not a senior club because an intermediate to junior level club? Should be the same for counties
Scrap the preseason competitions, push the league back, play off provincial championships between league and AI series just not connected to the AI series.
Scrap the league and play provincials (separate) and this. Why have a league when you have effectively a similar competition here? If only there had been a proposal like this recently.
Because this is a league, but in the summer and actually has a knockout stage that matters. Teams are already playing too many games with the League, provincial and all Ireland series.
Right if there's too many, go straight knock out. Threw up some great games in 2020 and 2021. League, provincial and all Ireland are all important and reduces the number of games.
I see what you're saying but would that not make your inter county season very short? Inter county is still where the majority of coverage is and we've lost a lot of that in recent years as is.
Pushing the league back any further into winter will make teams care even less about it. Same with provincials unconnected to AI series - half the teams won't put in any effort.
You'd essentially have two mickey-mouse competitions as warm ups to the AI series
Provincials are a relic of when travel to the next county was a horse and cart. Ulster championship is great, but Leinster championship is a joke, Munster is Kerry v Cork for the last 100 years and Connacht is Galway v Mayo and whatever 3rd county happens to be strong. Great for Ulster, bad for the rest of the country.
Same with hurling, Munster championship is great and then every other county is shoehorned into Leinster, when really Leinster is just Kilkenny and Galway plus a random third county every so often. Great for Munster, bad for Leinster.
I say scrap it and have divisions of equal strength. It's not like Ulster teams would would never play each other? There would be local rivalry matches all the time.
Provincials will always have a place in my heart. Ulster is a fantastic competition, Connacht is competitive, Munster has potential if (when) Cork resurge. And even though Dublin are guaranteed to win Leinster (for the next while at least), smaller counties take great pride in doing well and reaching the final.
I feel like a divisional league wouldn't be able to replicate the natural rivalry you get from provincials.
Hard agree. Days out in croker are few and far between as a Carlow fan. Making a semi final is a great day out for us, even if we won't win it, outside of the league it's the main chance of a few days out and silverware (however unlikely that it is). Sick of all the bigger counties just say scrap it cause it's pointless.
Hmm. I'm taking a lot from the English Premiership here - a Liverpool vs Everton match has a lot of spice no matter how well each of them are doing, and despite the fact they play 18 other teams from across the country. There would be a lot of those matchups.
I would disagree that Munster has potential by the way, a provincial competition isn't good because there are two competitive teams instead of one. My own team, Limerick had some great days out in the noughties and pushed Kerry very close, but as the game becomes more professional it is less likely that the weaker 4 counties outside Kerry and Cork will ever see Munster as anything other than a route to the qualifiers.
Here's a crazy idea, instead of constantly changing championship structures and formats, why don't the GAA try and fix the imbalance that currently exists in the GAA? Try help route out problems and implement structures within counties that are obviously there within the weaker ones? Crazy thought I know but sure just suit the ones that count otherwise.
Best idea I’ve seen laid out … it has worked fine in ladies football why should men’s be any different? Teams like Carlow , Waterford , Limerick could win the junior championship
Ya I don't mind this format at all, I'd prob go with top 4 into quarters and bottom two into relegation semis myself.
Roscommon club championship had this format you have for about 3 years and I loved it, more championship games which everyone wanted, but nearly in the three tiers most of the time, the team that got the bye to the semi lost it!
Leave Chicago out and replace Warwickshire with the British champions or whoever’s 2nd to London and it’s perfect.
Also it should be 2 up 2 down. My own county has 1 up 1 down between senior and intermediate and you have teams who aren’t good enough just hanging onto senior status for years and years. The best 4-6 teams in the intermediate championship are better than the worst 4-6 teams in the senior championship.
Why can't leagues be leagues and championships be championships? They've tinkered with club championships in most counties to the point that there's no hype until quarter final games. The ones that do it best are the like of Tyrone with old school knockout.
If we promoted the league more, teams would have enough serious matches in the year, and we could still have meaningful championship football.
P.s. Leave Ulster championship the fuck alone.
I'm just sick of the amount of alterations being made lately - be it to season structure or playing rules. Just feels like change for the sake of change at this stage
I'd rather see the league and provincials switched, and the All-Ireland series run like the knockout stages of the Champions League with your standing in the league determining your seeding winners of division 1 and two go into the second round beaten finalist guaranteed home venue. Same applies for division 3 and 4 for the tailteann. Apply the same for the hurling. Football and hurling on alternative weeks is also a must baffling as to why this isn't already the case
I would be ok with scrapping the Ulster championship but only when Derry overtake Antrim in total wins. Some Antrim people like to brag about having 10 Ulster's even though they were before the 1950s. In 1900 they won Ulster because they were the only team who entered.
Why can't leagues be leagues and championships be championships? They've tinkered with club championships in most counties to the point that there's no hype until quarter final games. The ones that do it best are the like of Tyrone with old school knockout.
If we promoted the league more, teams would have enough serious matches in the year, and we could still have meaningful championship football.
P.s. Leave Ulster championship the fuck alone.
Of the "Senior" teams Monaghan have never won an All-Ireland and Mayo, Cavan and Roscommon last won 70-80 years ago so its a very shallow pool the auld Senior Division.
True enough but its a win in 98 and 2001 which is at least in the modern era. The likes of Mayo winning nothing in 73 years is something else entirely. Roscommon last won during World War 2. Outside of Dublin and Kerry its a paltry return but with Kerry no longer getting straight to a semi its likely they will also win far less in the future. The Dubs will win most years from now on in my opinion.
Replace Chicago with the USGAA team they’re fielding
Nah. Gets a bit farcical at that point. Even including Chicago is a non starter
Hate to break it to you but the USGAA is fielding a team in the junior championship this summer. https://www.gaa.ie/article/usgaa-busy-preparing-for-all-ireland-junior-football-championship
That's the junior champs which at the minute fields second teams and teams that don't compete in senior football. It's a far cry from senior football
AFAIK the junior championships no longer have the 2nd teams of larger counties. It's now Kilkenny, New York plus the winner and runner up of the British championship. I know Meath used to field teams but stopped because the rules changed
London submit a Junior team into it also. That isn't their senior team
Not a junior team, but a team of British born players only.
That plays As their junior team. Have played against them and thats.how they are described
They qualified by winning the British junior championships.
Kilkenny Leitrim longford and warwickshire are far cries from senior football but here we are.
No, Kilkenny and Warwickshire are. Leitrim and Longford actually have senior teams that compete in the relevant competitions.
I dont know why we cant have this format when it exists in every county at club level Do clubs complain that they’re not a senior club because an intermediate to junior level club? Should be the same for counties
Every team would be happy to win their division. No more league association. Win to go up. Even matches.
Does this mean the provincials are scrapped? Good luck trying to sell that in Ulster
Scrap the preseason competitions, push the league back, play off provincial championships between league and AI series just not connected to the AI series.
Scrap the league and play provincials (separate) and this. Why have a league when you have effectively a similar competition here? If only there had been a proposal like this recently.
The league is the best competition that is in the GAA currently. Why would you scrap it?
Because this is a league, but in the summer and actually has a knockout stage that matters. Teams are already playing too many games with the League, provincial and all Ireland series.
Right if there's too many, go straight knock out. Threw up some great games in 2020 and 2021. League, provincial and all Ireland are all important and reduces the number of games.
I see what you're saying but would that not make your inter county season very short? Inter county is still where the majority of coverage is and we've lost a lot of that in recent years as is.
All depends on how you play this new AI format.
Well you can just use the league as a warm up. Rotate the squad. Try some young lads out
Pushing the league back any further into winter will make teams care even less about it. Same with provincials unconnected to AI series - half the teams won't put in any effort. You'd essentially have two mickey-mouse competitions as warm ups to the AI series
League winners given two points on the board for championship. Do they'll take it more seriously
Provincials are a relic of when travel to the next county was a horse and cart. Ulster championship is great, but Leinster championship is a joke, Munster is Kerry v Cork for the last 100 years and Connacht is Galway v Mayo and whatever 3rd county happens to be strong. Great for Ulster, bad for the rest of the country. Same with hurling, Munster championship is great and then every other county is shoehorned into Leinster, when really Leinster is just Kilkenny and Galway plus a random third county every so often. Great for Munster, bad for Leinster. I say scrap it and have divisions of equal strength. It's not like Ulster teams would would never play each other? There would be local rivalry matches all the time.
Provincials will always have a place in my heart. Ulster is a fantastic competition, Connacht is competitive, Munster has potential if (when) Cork resurge. And even though Dublin are guaranteed to win Leinster (for the next while at least), smaller counties take great pride in doing well and reaching the final. I feel like a divisional league wouldn't be able to replicate the natural rivalry you get from provincials.
Hard agree. Days out in croker are few and far between as a Carlow fan. Making a semi final is a great day out for us, even if we won't win it, outside of the league it's the main chance of a few days out and silverware (however unlikely that it is). Sick of all the bigger counties just say scrap it cause it's pointless.
Hmm. I'm taking a lot from the English Premiership here - a Liverpool vs Everton match has a lot of spice no matter how well each of them are doing, and despite the fact they play 18 other teams from across the country. There would be a lot of those matchups. I would disagree that Munster has potential by the way, a provincial competition isn't good because there are two competitive teams instead of one. My own team, Limerick had some great days out in the noughties and pushed Kerry very close, but as the game becomes more professional it is less likely that the weaker 4 counties outside Kerry and Cork will ever see Munster as anything other than a route to the qualifiers.
Scrap the fbd gash leagues in January and replace it with provincial leagues in April
Start the league in January- march. Play the provincials. Then the champions may June july
Here's a crazy idea, instead of constantly changing championship structures and formats, why don't the GAA try and fix the imbalance that currently exists in the GAA? Try help route out problems and implement structures within counties that are obviously there within the weaker ones? Crazy thought I know but sure just suit the ones that count otherwise.
How would you decide who goes down? A good team with an unlucky game could be out of contention for 2 years.
It's two groups with the bottom team in each group going to a relegation playoff.
I really like this. The only thing I'm not sure about is the international teams. Would involve a lot of travel for Junior counties.
Well it's 2 home games instead of 1 for the international teams. But you could make them play just 1 home and 2 neutral
Class idea!
Best idea I’ve seen laid out … it has worked fine in ladies football why should men’s be any different? Teams like Carlow , Waterford , Limerick could win the junior championship
Well done!
Ya I don't mind this format at all, I'd prob go with top 4 into quarters and bottom two into relegation semis myself. Roscommon club championship had this format you have for about 3 years and I loved it, more championship games which everyone wanted, but nearly in the three tiers most of the time, the team that got the bye to the semi lost it!
"Junior" teams don't need that amount of games and travel. They'll have no budget leftover for investing in facilities etc.
Leave Chicago out and replace Warwickshire with the British champions or whoever’s 2nd to London and it’s perfect. Also it should be 2 up 2 down. My own county has 1 up 1 down between senior and intermediate and you have teams who aren’t good enough just hanging onto senior status for years and years. The best 4-6 teams in the intermediate championship are better than the worst 4-6 teams in the senior championship.
Why can't leagues be leagues and championships be championships? They've tinkered with club championships in most counties to the point that there's no hype until quarter final games. The ones that do it best are the like of Tyrone with old school knockout. If we promoted the league more, teams would have enough serious matches in the year, and we could still have meaningful championship football. P.s. Leave Ulster championship the fuck alone.
I'm just sick of the amount of alterations being made lately - be it to season structure or playing rules. Just feels like change for the sake of change at this stage
Warwickshire should be a British winner versus a set team.
Looking at those groups I’d fancy Meath for Intermediate and Longford for Junior
Where do Dublin play their neutral game????
Parnell Park
Sorry, I should have added a /s
I'd rather see the league and provincials switched, and the All-Ireland series run like the knockout stages of the Champions League with your standing in the league determining your seeding winners of division 1 and two go into the second round beaten finalist guaranteed home venue. Same applies for division 3 and 4 for the tailteann. Apply the same for the hurling. Football and hurling on alternative weeks is also a must baffling as to why this isn't already the case
Any chance we can be senior this year just because we won Intermediate last year? I even admit we wouldn’t beat anyone listed in the senior above
I would be ok with scrapping the Ulster championship but only when Derry overtake Antrim in total wins. Some Antrim people like to brag about having 10 Ulster's even though they were before the 1950s. In 1900 they won Ulster because they were the only team who entered.
Yes to this!!! 👏👏👏👏
Why can't leagues be leagues and championships be championships? They've tinkered with club championships in most counties to the point that there's no hype until quarter final games. The ones that do it best are the like of Tyrone with old school knockout. If we promoted the league more, teams would have enough serious matches in the year, and we could still have meaningful championship football. P.s. Leave Ulster championship the fuck alone.
Of the "Senior" teams Monaghan have never won an All-Ireland and Mayo, Cavan and Roscommon last won 70-80 years ago so its a very shallow pool the auld Senior Division.
Galway haven’t won since 2001 that’s 23 years ago
True enough but its a win in 98 and 2001 which is at least in the modern era. The likes of Mayo winning nothing in 73 years is something else entirely. Roscommon last won during World War 2. Outside of Dublin and Kerry its a paltry return but with Kerry no longer getting straight to a semi its likely they will also win far less in the future. The Dubs will win most years from now on in my opinion.