Ball Super 8 unlikely to solve problem of playing club games

THE G.A.A. Congress voted for the re-organisation of the Senior football championship with the introduction of the controversial ‘Super 8’ at the All-Ireland quarter-final stage, while at the same time bringing forward both All-Ireland finals to August.

Under the new format a round robin will take place at the All-Ireland quarter-final stage, with eight teams divided into two groups of four. The top two from each group will progress through to the semi-finals after each team plays three games.

Now will be the time for spin regarding the positives for the G.A.A., with the Dublin army marching down to provincial venues and what home games will mean to local businesses.

And don’t forget the provision of top-class games for T.V. which from a marketing and sporting perspective will be great for the Association, not to mention the commercial value of such games to the G.A.A. itself.

The main benefits of the re-drawn championship will be to smooth out the fixtures plan for the football community, but at what cost to hurling and more importantly the club scene?

Also one has to consider the truncated season for both codes which will diminish the relevance of Gaelic games from a national perspective for some five months of the year, from early September to late January, a period when both rugby and soccer will take over our television screens and the sports pages of the national media.

Rugby is now practically all year round, while soccer in this country can now be viewed over the twelve months with the Irish league played off from February through to October, coupled with the deluge of games screened from across the water.

I think these decisions could have far-reaching consequences for the G.A.A. as we know it. Will it alleviate the fixture problems at club level? No, it won’t.

The games will still be pushed back in the calendar from September onwards. Is it a step towards eliminating the provincial championship and opening up a two-tier championship?

The counties opposed a ‘B’ championship last year for the bottom divisional counties of the National League, but will the glamour of the Super 8 bring a new perspective? I believe it will and will change the whole thinking on the provincial championships.

The postponement of club games to suit inter-county managerial demands is one of the gripes of the recently-formed Club Players’ Association, which incidentally failed to gain recognition from Congress. But are the G.A.A. seeing both sides of the coin, football and hurling, while at the same time leaving the club somewhat in limbo?

While all the emphasis is on the introduction of the Super 8, along with bringing forward the All-Ireland finals, this in itself will leave less time for club activity through the summer months.

One also has the provincial and All-ireland hurling championships to consider along with the qualifiers in both codes, to go hand in hand with the Intermediateand/or Under-25, Junior, Under-21 and Minor championships.

For any club player who wants to put their shoulder to the wheel, the elimination of summer games is not what they deserve. One has to have huge respect for any club player at the moment given the amount of hours that they are putting in, between training in the gym and game time as well. They get none of the rewards bestowed on the inter-county players at the moment.

Wexford is a dual county so what influence will those Congress decisions have on the club scene in the county?

Given the All-Ireland finals being brought forward, the introduction of the Super 8, the qualifiers in both codes, provincial championships in both codes at adult and under-age, how will this impact on Wexford where, at the moment, we run a blitz-style championship, with hurling and football games on consecutive weekends after all inter-county teams depart.

With summer months now practically taken over by inter-county, the club championship will only start in earnest in September. And with both codes to be played one can see little alternative to another blitz-style championship to meet the provincial championship deadlines.

This is only a structural change to meet inter-county demands. Only time will tell if it will impact on solving the crisis facing club players.

I don’t think it will, but we wait in anticipation.