Amendment saves District teams from ‘relegation’ from county championship

Gneeveguilla fail to get free passes for officers

AN amendment to a motion that could have led to the dissolution of a District or Divisional team in the County Senior Football Championship under certain conditions was passed at Monday’s County Committee meeting, which, in effect, has saved the West Kerry team from being put out of next year’s County Championship.

A proposal by the County Committee recommending that if a Divisional/District team is reduced to three clubs or less following the promotion of one of its clubs to Senior that at least one of the remaining teams would have to be playing at Intermediate or playing in Division 1 or 2 of the County League in order for them to continue to participate as a team in the County Championship, was put to club delegates on Monday night, which would have had serious consequences for some Divisional/District teams had it been passed.

The proposal added that ‘if this criterion could not be met the remaining teams would join with a neighbouring Divisional/District team. It would fall to the C.C.C. to liaise with the teams concerned and recommend where they play for County Championship purposes. Upon re-entry to the championship the performance of the district/divisional team over their last five years of playing in either the championship proper or the preliminary round would be used to determine if they enter the preliminary round or the first round proper’.

The ramifications of such a rule would have had dire and immediate consequence for the West Kerry team, who have been reduced to three constituent clubs after the promotion of An Ghaeltacht as a senior club, and because they other three clubs, Annascaul, Castlegregory and Lispole, don’t fulfil the criteria as set out in the proposal.

However, a proposed amendment from the Annascaul club delegate that a Divisional/District team under these circumstances would automatically go into the County SFC Preliminary Round was deemed acceptable to the County Committee and was unanimously carried by the delegates.

With the adoption of two County Committee motions to streamline the playing of the Club Championships and the County SFC in two separate and clearly defined blocks, and a change in format for the Club Football Championships, namely Intermediate and Junior Premier, 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, a number of motions from clubs fell on the back of that, including the Intermediate Football Championship be played in the same format as the Senior County Football Championship (Gneeveguilla and Glenflesk); that the Junior Premier Football Championship 2018 be run off on the same format for the last 16 teams in the Senior County Football Championship (Beaufort); that the Intermediate, Junior Premier and Junior Club Championship be run on “Christy Ring” formula and the CCC examine the possibility that only four rounds of the Intermediate, Junior Premier and Junior Club Championships be played during the inter-county break between National League and start of All-Ireland Championship, taking it to semi-final stage in the period, thus leaving the semi-final and final until after the All Ireland Championship (Fossa); that quarter-finals be included in the Intermediate Championship following the Round Robin Series (Groups of 4 with seeding) (John Mitchels); and that the Club Championship be expanded to include at least three games by having four groups of four, with the first and second team in each group qualifying for Quarter-finals and bottom team in each group playing off for relegation or where it is considered not feasible to have quarter-finals, that the Club Championship be played off in the current senior football championship format, with a losers round in place for teams beaten in their first round game (Listowel Emmets).

A motion from Kerins O’Rahillys that ‘the number of senior club teams in the Senior County Championship is increased from 8 to 12 over the next four years by promoting the intermediate winners, with no relegation during that period’ was defeated, while Renard withdrew their motion that ‘every club (other than Senior & Intermediate) gets a chance to play in the first round of the Junior Premier Club Football Championship’, as was Emmets’ motion that ‘a final be played in each division of the county senior football league’.

Seven motions dealing specificially with hurling matters, including the county leagues and the senior and U21 Championship, were deferred to a special meeting with the hurling clubs.

Gneeveguilla’s motion that ‘club chairpersons and secretaries get an official pass to all club games’ generated a lively debate, with club delegate Bill O’Riordan saying that the least club chairpersons and secretaries deserved for all the work they put in was a pass to give them free entry to all games in the county. County Committee treasurer Dermot ‘Weeshie’ Lynch warned that such a move would adversely affect the Committee’s finances through diminished gate receipts with the warning that the “books will have to be balanced somehow”, a sentiment echoed by chairman Tim Murphy who warned of the “serious ramifications and consequences” if the motion was passed. In the end the motion was withdrawn.

One other motion was passed at the meeting, one submitted by the County Committee, which asked that ‘Kerry County Board establishes a sub-committee to carry out an audit on all County and District Board competitions and make recommendations on what competitions if any could be streamlined, merged, condensed or discarded’.

In other business, chairman Tim Murphy informed delegates that Joe O’Connor will join the Kerry Senior Football team set up as Head of Athletic Development and Spa club man Niall O’Mahony will become the Senior Strength & Conditioning Coach.

Bernie Reen was appointed to continue in her role as Children’s Officer of the County Committee.

Meanwhile, the new Kerry GAA 5-Year Ticket Scheme (2018 – 2022) was launched. Entry to the new scheme, costing €600 per unit, is now open and each scheme member will receive a free Kerry jersey personalised and autographed by a player of choice if desired.

The 5 Year ticket will entitle supporters to purchase stand tickets for an All Ireland Final involving Kerry, the Allianz National League Final involving Kerry, Munster Championship games in Killarney involving Kerry, Munster Championship games in Páirc Uí Chaoimh involving Kerry, other Munster stadia for any Championship games involving Kerry, and a Stand ticket for any All Ireland quarter-finals involving Kerry in Killarney or in Croke Park.