A brave new fixtures world

Radical changes to season

WICKLOW GAA clubs are in for a dramatically changed fixtures landscape in 2018 after the GAA calendar in the county was fundamentally changed following the first meeting of the fixtures forum.

The headline grabbing alterations to the fixtures calendar include that all leagues will now be completed before the commencement of championship football or hurling, with the football leagues starting on February 17/18 and hurling leagues getting underway on the weekend of March 17. The hurling league will be preceded by the Leinster club hurling leagues on February 24, March 3 and March 10.

Sandwiched in between the league and championship will be a window of opportunity to play the district cup competitions in May and June with small-sided teams introduced if appropriate.

There will also be a club under-20/21 football championship scheduled for October and November within the county.

Championship formats will be altered to keep clubs playing longer in 2018 than they were doing so in 2017 with 20 games in adult football and 15 games in adult hurling being the goal set down by the group tasked with bringing forward a plan for 2018.

Bank Holiday weekends in May and June are to be free from formal league and championship fixtures and there will be new competition regulations for league and championships including regrading of players.

Since the fixtures forum, that group has met on two occasions and they intend to meet all clubs on Thursday, January 18, at 7.30pm in Ballinakill to present a full masters fixture plan with ‘definite dates’.

The group claims to have taken account of the heavy inter-county schedule in May and June which include Leinster and All-Ireland championships, Christy Ring Cup and Leinster under-20 football.

The review group is made up of Liam O’Neill and Shane Flanagan, Hollywood’s Paul Wilson, Kilcoole’s Eamonn Hughes, Ciaran Fleming from Baltinglass and An Tóchar’s Nick Nolan.