GPA backing of FRC proposals may fall on deaf ears

Inter-county footballers have given the thumbs-up to the majority of the Football Review Committee’s second report to be voted on at Central Council today.

Their GPA representative at today’s meeting in Dublin’s CityWest Hotel will be mandated to voted in favour of 13 of the 15 proposals, including the four eight-team province blueprint for the Championship, with 55% of respondents to a survey backing it.

That would see the four opening round losers in Leinster and Ulster, three from the former and one from the northern province, enter Munster and Connacht to make up four groups of eight. However, the majority of counties are expected to go against the idea.

The only recommendations the players opposed were those calling for minor and U21 grades be changed to U17 and U19 respectively.

County footballers are keen to see something done to assist the club schedule, with 74% of them agreeing clubs merit at least one championship game in each of May, June and July.

However, they believe club championship programmes can be run off quicker, with 69% agreeing counties should have senior and intermediate semi-finals done and dusted by early August.

They also believe firmly in the FRC’s proposal for the All-Ireland club championships to be completed in the calendar year as opposed to spilling over into January, February and March.

As a means of ensuring the above, they would like to see the GAA’s Central Competitions Control Committee handed overall responsibility for the co-ordination of fixtures at all levels.

That comes in the wake of counties such as Donegal postponing their club championships until after the county’s interest in the All-Ireland SFC has finished.

There were also strong calls for the International Rules to continue, providing both teams field their strongest teams.

While there is support among counties for the club championships finishing in the one year, the GPA are likely to find themselves in the minority in backing several of the FRC’s suggestions.

The International Rules concept is set to get short shrift from counties, while the majority of the provincial councils as well as several counties including the likes of Cork, Tipperary, Mayo and Donegal are against the Championship alternative.

There remains the possibility of a Special Congress later this year as those proposals which receive Central Council support would likely have to be in place prior to next season’s fixture planning so as to come into effect for 2015.

GPA on FRC recommendations

• Giving CCCC responsibility for overall responsibility in fixture-making at all levels - Yes 65%

• Counties to have senior and intermediate football championship semi-finals finished by early August - Yes 69%

• Clubs to have at least one championship game in each of May, June and July? - Yes 74%

• All-Ireland club championships finished in calendar year with provincial semi-finals played by early November and finals in mid/late November - 79%

• Start All-Ireland senior championship with four eight team provinces — Yes 55%

• Play the 16 provincial quarter-finals over two successive weekends, the eight semi-finals over back-to-back weekends and the four provincial finals in same schedule with All-Ireland quarter-finals in early August - Yes 82%

• Under proposed system, 16 beaten provincial teams enter qualifiers - Yes 94%

• Get rid of Division 1 semi-finals and return to format of final played between top two teams - Yes 69%

• The establishment of a national strategy for less successful counties - Yes 80%

• Railway Cup should be played as two-day festival in a GAA town or city with free admission - Yes 94%

• Lowering the minor age from U18 to U17 - No 68%

• Lowering U21 level to U19 - No 77%

• Review of “two academic course” (Aidan Walsh) eligibility rule at third level colleges - Yes 79%

• Continuation of International Rules with each country fielding strongest possible side - Yes 88%

• Strict sanctions on counties who breach closed season rule on collective training - Yes 68%