Club players will be left in limbo again after this weekend
AN ASTONISHING statistic has emerged in that Wexford is one of the few counties where three rounds of county championship games, football and hurling, will have been completed in the month of April, a period designated by Croke Park for club activity.
While the clubs are enjoying an unprecedented period of action, following this weekend’s opening round hurling games they will be offered the annual farewell, with the ‘see you in a few months’ time’d vibe, possibly towards late July depending on inter-county activity.
Some day soon the clubs will reflect back, and no doubt come to a conclusion as to what is best, whether to have this mix of games packed into three weekends or commence the championship at July’s end and play it right through to completion.
While one admires the efforts to have club activity, the wayward fixing of games, constant changing of venues and times, and changing of dates, has led to a nightmare for players and officials, which in the end only led to the diminishing of the county championships.
The lure of going back to the clubs is always attractive for inter-county players, but the manner in which Wexford football games were thrown around suggests that the allocation of the month of April for club activity was just a token gesture.
The games did little for the enhancement of the club championship, as following two weekends of confusion many clubs now find themselves in difficulty, battling to avoid relegation play-offs even at this early stage.
While the playing of the games may have been significant, the Wexford fixture schedule left much to be desired, with the result that only sparse attendances were present for games, leaving players in action in important ties before a handful of spectators.
Two Senior football championship games were initially scheduled for Innovate Wexford Park on Sunday afternoon, and listed in the official fixtures as such, but they were brought forward to Saturday at the same venue and times late Monday afternoon, several hours after this newspaper’s deadline.
Nothing was down to advertise the change as far as I could see, with the result that few inside, let alone outside, the clubs were familiarised with it. It was an insult to our premier grade of football, with two important second round games played out before little more than one hundred supporters,.
The playing of the championship games created quite a stir for all the wrong reasons. While it was hoped that it would help diminish the negativity towards clubs, the timing has only added to the frustration, with inter-county over-lapping into April.
The clubs have once again lost out, with some forced to play without inter-county players who opted out through injury, and some clubs will now feel that following two frustrating weekends their season is already in difficulty, and this is only April.
Wexford may have played two rounds of football, with some first round games still to be completed, while there will just be a single round of hurling championship games.
No Senior contests are scheduled for next Sunday, but amazingly two huge games have been scheduled for Bellefield this Friday evening.
Even more bizarre is asking two adjoining south county parishes, reigning champions St. Martin’s and St. Anne’s, to make the trek to Bellefield this Friday evening, with Innovate Wexford Park vacant on Sunday afternoon and evening.
It seems Wexford’s C.C.C.C. are quite happy to schedule games for various dates irrespective of the demands it places on clubs, but also with little consideration to the paying public. The day is fast arriving when someone will have to put their hand up and say enough is enough.
The clubs deserve better since it’s no longer a case of trying to appease the Croke Park hierarchy, fulfillin g the April commitment at whatever cost to the grassroots.
This weekend will bring the curtain down on club championship activity for a long time. The ordinary club players will now see out the best months of the year for hurling and football, having played through the muck, wind and rain of recent weekends, left wondering when they will have further championship activity.
It can safely be said at this stage that May-June and practically all of July will be available for the summer holidays. So much for the ordinary club player.