Proposed changes to championship structures

Proposed changes to regulations for 2025 GAA club competitions will be voted on at a meeting next Wednesday, 20th November.

The submissions for the proposed changes were discussed at last Monday night's Co Board meeting in Dunganny and chairman of the Football Development Committee Conor O'Donoghue gave a presentation.

Six of the submissions from clubs related to the format of the hurling championship, in particular the senior grade which had a new format in 2024, including a new Senior B championship.

Chairman Jason Plunkett said they hoped that with the consent of the clubs involved the submissions could be narrowed down to two or three.

The Dunderry club expressed the hope that the championship would revert to the format in 2023 as there were too many one-sided games in this year’s senior grade.

Other delegates also expressed alarm at the one-sidedness of some game with one team suffering defeat by 34 points, there were two matches where the margin at the finish was 32 points and another ended with 30 points between the teams.

The Boardsmill club proposed that the present format continue for 2025 and that for 2026 just six teams compete for the Senior A and six for the Senior B with the winners of the B championship representing the county in the Leinster Junior HC, instead of the winners of the intermediate grade.

Two the proposals dealing with the football championships came from Rathkenny and Seneschalstown who both want only the bottom teams in each group to be involved in the relegation playoff as opposed to the present system where the bottom two in each group are involved in the relegation battle.

It was pointed out that removing the third placed finishers from the relegation play-offs would result in 12 less games across the three championship grades, and a subsequent loss in revenue of around €20,000.

However, there would be a way of maintaining this games if the second and third placed teams in the groups played in a preliminary quarter-final with the group winners going directly to the last eight.

The main stumbling block to that suggestion would be the extra week needed in the calander to play preliminary quarter-finals, but there is no denying clubs finishing third might be more open to having a slightly more congested fixtures calander than facing the prospect of relegation despite having possibily finished on the same number of points as the second placed team.

The Donaghmore/Ashbourne club want the championship draws to be seeded based on the previous year’ results instead of the present open draw system.

A submission from Walterstown that underage competitions, primarily under-13, under-14, under-16 and under-18 (minor), and that minor competitions decouple at under-18 for senior football and hurling clubs only created plenty of debate. Walterstown said this would improve retention and development of players.

Minor chairman Ray Finnegan and Conor O’Donoghue pointed out a number of pitfalls regarding the running of the minor championship as well as fixtures in general.

The Premier Football Championship is set to be rebranded to the All County Football Championship. A number of delegates felt that wasn’t getting the recognition it deserved under its present name.

Clubs who give a walk over in the A FL Div 1 to Div 5 are likely to face a sanction of a four point deduction while the team that finishes bottom in any of those divisions will be automatically relegated with the third and second from bottom involved in a play-off to decide the other relegation spot.

It is also proposed that there be no extra-time in any championship final and that ‘winner on the day’ only applies to replays.