Wexford rue league ‘disaster’
Under the alternative format put forward by the GAA’s management committee, Limerick and Cork would be parachuted back into Division 1A, with the second tier comprising of Offaly, Wexford, Antrim, Carlow, Laois and Westmeath.
Devereux claimed it would represent an “absolute disaster” for Wexford hurling should the competition’s restructuring receive the green light on Saturday week.
“The proposal smacks of an arbitrary decision, a reactionary move motivated by the prominence of Limerick and Cork in the latter stages of the championship,” he fumed.
“Is it all about the big teams now or have we lost the concept of a competitive league with decent attendances, bringing 10,000 into Wexford Park to see the stars of the game? Why when Cork were relegated was the whole thing changed again? If Wexford had been relegated would it have been changed?
“Our clear understanding was that the format for 2013 would remain for next year and we were planning around that. We were planning from a marketing and financial point of view of having the likes of Cork and Limerick coming to Wexford Park, allowing the young people of Wexford see the stars of the game so that they can get up from their television sets and not have to watch Barcelona or some obscure soccer club in England to have heroes to watch.”
Wexford’s coffers have suffered as a result of their participation in Division 1B and Devereux said the proposed elevation of Limerick and Cork robs them of the opportunity to attract sizeable crowds for home fixtures.
“Unless the people of Wexford get to see the stars of the game they will continue to vote with their feet,” he said. “We had only two league games in 12 months where we welcomed Antrim and Dublin. The attendance at the Antrim game was the lowest ever recorded in Wexford for a National League game. Our return from those two games was €6,000. We would have spent around a quarter of a million preparing the team. No county can be expected to sustain that kind of a blow.
“It is years since a Wexford child saw a red and white jersey or a Kilkenny jersey in a league game at Wexford Park. We have a stadium that can hold 10 times what is passing through the turnstiles for league games in recent years. I am arranging one minute for a league format on the basis that Limerick and Cork will be competing against Wexford. On Tuesday I hear on the radio that is not going to be the case.”
Wexford survived relegation from the top tier in 2011, but a restructuring of the league the ensuing winter saw the Model County plunged into the second division.
“We were told at that time that when the next assessment took place that we would be taken into account. We were obviously forgotten.
“If you bring the top eight counties together it is great for them. But what about counties left behind?
“I am stunned by this. From a hurling point of view I cannot figure this out. The motivation behind this has to be re-examined. There is nothing in it for Wexford. If it passed does that we mean we regard hurling as having only eight counties. Is hurling going to become a minority sport?”
Meanwhile, former county hurler Daithí Regan believes the vacant manager’s position in Offaly now carries much less appeal.
“If you were somebody who was interested in the Offaly job,” he said, “are you now going to look at it and think that it’s not as attractive?
“At least with Cork and Limerick there in Division 1B, you’d be getting the benefit of playing two of the top teams in the country.
“Now, Offaly and Wexford will probably be the top dogs in the division, but even if they do get promoted it wouldn’t be as good preparation for the championship.
“You’re neglecting the rest of the teams in Division 1B too; Carlow, Antrim, Westmeath and Laois. What we’re left with now is a clearly defined two-tier league, and any of the realistic candidates to win the All-Ireland are in Division 1A, which obviously wasn’t the case this year.”
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