Fitzgerald ‘happy’

County Chairman pleased with Tier 2

In Cork

WICKLOW GAA Chairman Martin Fitzgerald said this week that he is ‘very happy’ with how the Wicklow motion to implement a two-tiered senior football championship received overwhelming support at the Special Congress in Cork last weekend.

After a lengthy discussion, with opinions from both sides of the debate, a vote showed 75.5 per cent in support of the motion from Central Council, easily clearing the 60 per cent majority needed.

It means a Tier 2 competition will be introduced next year featuring counties from Division 3 and 4 of the National League. The entrants will be based on the final placings in next year’s National League rather than at the outset, after Congress voted in favour of that option based on a motion from Tipperary.

Division 3 and 4 counties will still be allowed participate in their provincial championships but if they fail to make the final, they will enter Tier 2 and not the qualifiers, which will be reduced by two rounds from the current structure. It is proposed that the Tier 2 final will be played as a curtain-raiser before a major fixture in Croke Park such as Super 8 games or an All-Ireland semi-final or final, and be televised live, although the proof of those suggestions will have to be seen to be believed.

Martin Fitzgerald was adamant when contacted on Tuesday that the new competition will have to be shown respect and given suitable and significant coverage and not turn into a ‘Tommy Murphy Cup’ scenario.

The County Chairman also said that the Wicklow players had come out in support of the Wicklow motion for a Tiered championship and a letter from the county’s GPA rep, Mark Jackson, was read aloud at the Special Congress.

‘I am contacting you on behalf of the Wicklow senior football panel. As you will be aware, the GAA’s Central Council has recommended that a proposal for a Tier Two football championship will be put forward for a vote at Special congress on October 19,’ the letter read.

‘The players have met as a group and discussed the proposal, and we would be in favour of this current proposal.

‘Of course we respect the fact our county committee and Congress delegates are free to vote as they deem appropriate. However, as key stakeholders in the GAA and as passionate and committed Wicklow players, we would ask that you and fellow delegates take our views into consideration and in turn support the panel by voting for the Tier 2 proposal.

‘I would be happy to meet you and any other delegates to discuss in more detail if required’. Mark Jackson Wicklow GPA Rep.

Prior to the vote, GAA President John Horan, a key backer of the proposals, revealed a text message from RTÉ Head of Sport

Declan McBennett to a Croke Park staff member, which indicated a confidence that the second-tier competition would receive live coverage.

Opposing the motion, Antrim chairman Ciarán McCavana argued that their experience of hurling’s second tier competition, the Joe McDonagh Cup, was that promises of strong marketing were not delivered on.

Cork’s Tracey Kennedy, and the GPA’s Seamus Hickey, asked if it was wise to vote for the proposal given that a fixtures task force was already finalising proposals. Horan suggested that those proposals would include similar tier two formats and not create conflict or undermine the work of that task force.

Other motions on playing rules sailed through with little opposition. The advanced mark, sin bin and kick out from the 20m line were all passed by delegates. The ten-minute sin bin will replace the current black card penalty, where a player is sent off for the remainder