The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
County Championships set for significant change
SIGNIFICANT changes to the timing and structure of the club and county football championships in Kerry have been given the go ahead by delegates, which will see the County Senior Football Championship start after the county team has finished its involvement in the All-Ireland Championship.
A serious of proposals by the County Championship Review Committee, along with 27 motions from the County Committee and the clubs, were debated at Monday night’s monthly meeting of Coiste Chiarraí at what was at times a lively and heated meeting.
After almost three and a half hours of discussion the main changes agreed on are to play the Club Football Championships (Senior, Intermediate, Junior Premier, and Junior) to a conclusion in one block during April and early May; to play the County SFC in one block during September and October (not including any qualifier game), and to play the County Senior Hurling Championship within the period of June, July and August.
While delegates agreed to continue with the existing format for the County SFC by a sizeable majority, it was further agreed that first round games would see ‘extra’ extra-time of two five-minute periods played, if necessary, to improve the likelihood of getting a result on the day.
A significant change to the structure of the Intermediate, Junior Premier and Junior Club Championships was agreed on, whereby those competitions will be played in a league format with four groups of four, with the top team in each group playing in the semi-finals and the bottom team in each group entering a relegation play-off.
The Senior clubs have the option to play the Senior Club Championship in its current format or switch to a group / round robin style format the same as the Intermediate & Junior Premier.
A number of motions from the clubs proposing changes to the structures of the Club Championship fell on the basis of the County Committee’s proposal being passed into operation.
A motion by Kerins O’Rahillys to increase the number of senior club teams in the County SFC from eight to 12 over the next four years was defeated by 44 votes to 25, while two motions, from Valentia and Rathmore, taken together, and proposing the abolition of promotion and relegation play-offs, where applicable, in the County Football Leagues, were defeated by 49 votes to 25.
A County Committee motion to have the age level for minor club games dropped from U-18 to U-17 was defeated, with a counter-motion from five clubs - that the Minor County League and Minor County Championship be retained for 2018 and that the migration to the new structures, if applicable, takes place during next year for the 2019 season - was passed.