GAA to consider hurling league start in March

CROKE PARK chiefs will give consideration to pushing back the start of the Allianz Hurling League to March in 2012.

As there are two less games for every county in the league proper in 2012, the GAA’s fixture planners have the opportunity to reduce the timeframe of the competition from three whole months to two. Under the previous structure which finished up this year, counties played the first two rounds of the campaign in February.

Croke Park acknowledge hurling counties have regularly pointed out to them that the second month in the calendar year is not an ideal one for hurling. The February 2010 Division 1 opener between Tipperary and Kilkenny in Thurles was postponed twice due to poor weather.