FLY BY NIGHT
Sigerson Cup final to be played midweek (Wednesday, February 20).
Allianz Football League finals on March 30/31 Connacht SFC final on Sunday, June 16.
Ulster and Leinster SFC finals on Sunday, June 23.
All-ireland SHC final on Sunday, August 18. FEARGAL MCGILL has defended Central Council’s decision not to back a Roscommon motion calling for a ‘blank canvas’ around fixture-making.
The Roscommon branch of the Club Players Association has come out strongly on the matter saying that they “are utterly disgusted and disappointed at what we believe is a clear sign of contempt by our main governing THE GAA’S Feargal Mcgill admits staging games in Sydney and Boston of late weakens efforts to enforce the winter training ban.
Earlier this month, Galway hurlers played Kilkenny for the Wild Geese Trophy as part of the Sydney Irish Festival, while the ‘Super 11s’, a much criticised goals-only form of hurling championed by the GPA but sanctioned by the GAA, took place at Fenway Park on November 20.
Limerick, Cork, Clare and Wexford all took part in Boston and the games were given the go-ahead despite counties not being permitted to be back in full training, leaving the GAA hierarchy open to accusations of hypocrisy.
“It certainly doesn’t help, I have to accept that,” said Mcgill, GAA director of player, club and games administration. “I could give you all kinds of arguments that teams aren’t training for Sydney or whatever and that we have a promotional responsibility to the Irish in Australia and so on but on the surface, it doesn’t help. I think body for a motion deliberated, discussed and passed by the clubs of Roscommon at a time of great concern over the GAA’S fixtures crises”.
The statement, issued by former Roscommon county board chairman Tommy Kenoy, went on to list a number of grievances about how the motion was distributed ahead of last Saturday’s Central Council gathering and claimed that the that’s something we need to get a better handle on and be more strategic about.”
With the O’byrne and Walsh Cups and Munster SHL to get underway next month, Mcgill added that he wasn’t in favour of preseason competitions being staged in December.
“Wearing the player welfare hat, I would be strongly of the opinion that there shouldn’t be any inter-county games in December. I don’t think the provincial competitions should start until January.
“But then again, it is easy for me to say that; I’m not trying to fit the competition into the window the provinces have to fit it into so we have to take that on board.
“We haven’t had good habits in this regard as an association. What we do is we design a competition then see how it fits into the calendar.
“We really have to start doing it the other way around and see what time is available in the calendar and design a competition to fit that space.”
Mcgill unveiled the GAA’S master fixtures plan for 2019 yesterday and it GAA “is fast becoming a corporate elitist body whose leaders have lost sight of the GAA’S central ethos; a community based Gaelic games and culture organization with the club at its very core”.
Speaking before the statement was released, Mcgill (left), the GAA’S director of player, club and games administration, said: “What I would say is we’re in the middle runs along broadly similar lines to this year’s.
Despite a 2017 Congress motion supporting moving both All-ireland finals into August, something which couldn’t be done this year owing to the papal visit, the football decider will again take place in early September.
Mcgill explained: “Really, what the Association wanted was the 35th Sunday (for the All-ireland football final).
“It’s difficult to explain but if you do it the other way in a seven-year cycle on three occasions your final will be on September 1, 2 and 3 and the other four occasions it’ll be in the last four days of August.
“So essentially you would be losing a weekend if you stuck with it having to be in the last weekend of August.
“That’s ultimately where the Association is going. The 2020 final will be on August 30 as it’s the 35th Sunday of the year.”
Despite weather conditions severely disrupting this year’s Allianz Leagues, the 2019 schedule remains much the same with April left free for club activity. of a three-year experiment. First and foremost, it would be naive to think that we have never looked at it from a blank canvas point of view.
“The main analysis of this three-year period will probably begin next August and that has been known for a period of time.
“I would be confident that we are on the right road. I’ve said this consistently that things won’t change overnight.” They don’t have kids or businesses, so I need to be able to make space in my life to make sure that I can compete with them.
“Walking into the Mayo dressing-room a few weeks ago was probably the most intimidated I was walking into any Mayo dressingroom. It’s a funny one, it probably goes full circle,” added the father-of-two from Ballaghaderreen.
“You start off being really intimidated, then the chest is out for a few years, and then you end up being really intimidated again.
“So it’s a difficult position, but I would love to think that I could help some of these young lads to move forward.
“I think we haven’t won a trophy for a long time so we need to concentrate on the FBD, and that’s not breaking it down into silly stuff. That’s being serious,” he explained. “Last year is parked.”