Mostly positive feedback for new club championship structures

AFTER separate presentations on insurance matters from representatives of Croke Park and Acorn Life, last Monday’s County Meeting dealt mainly with a review of the recent Club Championships that were played to a conclusion over the months of April and May. A feedback sheet of views was presented to the meeting with the view generally positive on their running with items considered for improving them next year.

County Secretary Peter Twiss felt that there was an element of luck with the Championships running off to a finish in the window set out in playing them. However it might be harder in future if Kerry qualify for a National League Football Final which would potentially take away another weekend. Ideally a seven week window would be needed Mr. Twiss felt to play the five rounds associated with the competitions with replays and rest issues also to be factored in. He felt that might become harder in future depending on any changes at national level to the inter-county calendar.

He agreed that it was wrong to fix a round of the County League in-between the Round Robin and the Knockout Stages of the Club Championships and that it wouldn’t happen in future and clarified that the original thinking behind the fixing of Round Three was for it to be on the weekend of the National League Final if Kerry were involved to give club players a meaningful game that weekend. In relation to the Junior Club Championship and the amount of walkovers conceded in it, Mr Twiss said the CCC will consult with the clubs involved in future to see if they would prefer to play a straight knockout format or a Round Robina sit is harder for clubs at that level to field regularly when they generally have smaller playing panels.

The CCC will also review the issue of gate receipts after some clubs took in way less that the amount the CCC had expected them to pay from their collection of same especially from ‘dead rubber’ encounters where there were poor attendances. A request that clubs have access to inter-county players from the Thursday night before a game was not an issue for the CCC Mr. Twiss clarified and that the release of such players was a matter for the Kerry management. Also as part of the CCC Report the format for the County Minor Football Championship was announced.

It will be a 13 team event with a Preliminary Round involving Kerins O’Rahillys who have been granted permission to play by the CCC based on the club’s tradition in the county. One of the other 12 teams will be drawn to play them in the Preliminary and then four groups of three teams will be formed with the top two in each going forward to contest the Quarter-Finals and the Minor Championship straight knock-out from there.

Mr Twiss also reiterated an earlier request to District Boards to consider running meaningful competitions for players not involved in County Championship teams over the months of September and October when that competition will be played.