Football League finals get a reprieve
THE football League finals have survived and will be played in 2023, as attempts to free up space in a tight calendar were rejected yesterday.
The GAA’s Árd Comhairle rejected a proposal from the Central Competitions Control Committee to remove finals from the four football divisions, thereby freeing up additional dates.
There was reported to be particularly strong resistance to the idea from the Gaelic Players Association.
Smaller counties were also resistant to the idea of removing one of the rare ways they get to play in
Croke Park. The meeting also
confirmed that this year’s football final will be played on July 30, a week later than this year, which will also see the hurling final move back a week.
In another significant move, it was revealed that Mary McAleese, the former President of Ireland, has been appointed independent chairperson of the process to integrate the GAA, the Ladies Football Association, and the Camogie Association.
No target date has been set for the completion of this, but a statement issued jointly by the three bodies said that ‘A timeline on discussions between Chairperson McAleese and the three associations will be agreed in the coming weeks to advance the project’.
Resolution of this process would be an important milestone, and could have far-reaching consequences in terms of the use of facilities at club level, but also the support and promotion of ladies football and camogie nationally.