McGill: No decision on August All-Ireland finals before 2015

Playing the All-Ireland senior and minor finals in August will be discussed at tomorrow’s Central Council meeting as a potential approach to condensing the club championships into the calendar year.

Central Council agreed in principle at their June meeting to explore the practicality of playing the All-Ireland club finals before Christmas from 2016 onwards and a sub-committee will convene tonight to finalise a list of scheduling options to be debated tomorrow.

The GAA’s head of games administration and sub-committee member Fergal McGill says ending the tradition of September finals is an “obvious discussion point”, but is adamant no decision will be reached until next year.

Addressing the issue in July, president Liam O’Neill conceded certain inter-county competitions will have to be moved to accommodate a condensed club season.

The seven-man sub-committee, which includes O’Neill, Ard-Stiúrthóir Paraic Duffy and Cork’s three-time All-Ireland winning goalkeeper Dónal Óg Cusack, have met on two occasions over the past four months to examine the several scheduling implications of moving the clubs finals from St Patrick’s Day to mid-December.

“At the last Central Council meeting a sub-committee was put together to look at the practicalities of condensing the club championships into a calendar year and charged with coming up with some kind of formula that would enable it to happen,” said McGill.

“We (the sub-committee) will meet again (tonight) and we would hope to have something in front of Central Council on Saturday. There has been discussion on bringing forward the All-Ireland senior and minor finals, but we haven’t decided on our final proposal.”

He added: “Central Council, I don’t imagine, will make a decision on Saturday. The delegates will bring what was discussed back to the various counties to get their views on it. In all likelihood a decision on this will be made at the January Central Council meeting. If it does get the green light it won’t come into effect until 2016 and it mightn’t necessarily have to go to Congress next year. It depends entirely which changes we recommend. If we put forward proposals that don’t require a rule change then it won’t have to go to Congress.”

Top-brass in Cork, Dublin, Galway and Waterford earlier this summed expressed concerns over the move, claiming a shortened club calendar would cause fixture chaos and force dual counties to commence local championships as early as mid-March.

Despite failing to complete their senior football, intermediate football and hurling championships in time for the respective Munster competitions this autumn, Tipperary chairman Sean Nugent yesterday backed the Football Review Committee’s proposal.

Nugent, however, warned against scheduling the All-Ireland senior hurling final in August, insisting GAA coffers would suffer as a result.

“At the moment the provincial club champions are playing into January, February and March of the following year. There is a huge cost associated with that on clubs. For players also there is no break to their season. They are going straight from one season into another with no rest. Some inter-county players are maybe getting a week’s reprieve when their club finishes up in the spring before going back in with the county set-up. That isn’t right.

“It would be highly desirable if we could condense the club championships into the calendar year. I approve of the idea but only if several boxes are ticked. Certain aspects of the inter-county scene must change. We have replays in the provincial championships at present. If we are to condense the club championships into the calendar year then replays in the provincial championships will have to go.

“In the minor championships, second chances at provincial level and All-Ireland quarter-finals will have to go.”

He continued: “The hurling final must remain in September. That cannot be touched. That is tradition. It is very important from a marketing and promotional point of view that the hurling final remains in September.”

Meanwhile, Croke Park yesterday refused to comment on Eugene McGee’s claims in his autobiography that the GAA are ignoring payments to inter-county managers in excess of €50,000.

McGee said GAA authorities are standing by as players accept up to €10,000 for commercial promotions.