Delegates choose option 1 for club leagues structure

DELEGATES voted overwhelmingly in favour of continuing with the current all-county leagues format in Darver on Tuesday night.

Option 1 – as it was termed – received 69 of the 88 votes cast, ensuring the schedule will again have two 12-team divisions and a pair of third tiers, split into A and B.

There will be a slight alteration to the present format in Division 3 with two groups of seven as opposed to the current 6/8 arrangement.

This will involve two clubs being automatically promoted from 3B this season and third facing second from bottom in 3A in a play-off.

Option 2 received the favour of 13 ballots, option 3 got none, option 4 won five votes and the outstanding paper was spoiled.

Of course, options 2 and 3 involved cutting the number in Divisions 1 and 2 from 12 teams to 10 while boosting the participant complement in the lower leagues. Option 4 would have meant a return to the old format of three divisions of 12, 12 and 14.

Ardee St Marys’ tabled a motion for option 2 to be brought in but over a two-year period. Representatives from Sean O’Mahony’s, Hunterstown Rovers, St Joseph’s, St Patrick’s and Glyde Rangers spoke on the matter, though it was decided to proceed with the proposals as they appeared on the clár.

Speaking after the outcome, chairman Seán McClean accepted the current system was “not perfect” and suggested “a steering committee of two senior, two intermediate and two junior club representatives” be formed to assemble “concrete, solid proposals on potential league structures before the end of the year”.