Farrell: Players want changes to ‘broken’ GAA Championship

Players chief Dessie Farrell says inter-county players have sent him a clear message that the current football Championship structure is "broken".

The Gaelic Players Association held their annual Reps Summit last weekend which was attended by each county’s individual GPA representative.

GPA head Farrell said there were “numerous issues dealt with” on the day in Dublin but reported that most debate was around the current Championship structures.

“There was definitely a sense in the room that day that what we have in place is broken,” said Farrell. “The great challenge is how do you fix that?

“Players have different views on that, depending on the county they play with, depending on their level of ambition.

“But I think there’s an appetite for change there. The question is what that might look like in the future. That’s what we’re hearing from players.”

Various pundits, players and managers have put forward their suggestions for Championship overhaul in recent years. Farrell said the clear split among players is between those who want to retain the provincial championships in some guise and those who want to scrap them altogether.

“For a cohort of players, the provincial championship is very important to them and then for another cohort, they think the provincial championship is broke and that it needs to move to a Champions League-style structure,” continued Farrell.

“The question is, can you combine both? And if you do, what does that new season look like, and how does that impact on the club season as well?

“There possibly is a way to marry the whole lot together. The other question is, if you get a broad consensus among the playing population, will you get it then from the officials and the administrators at provincial level, at central level and from within the GAA itself?

“There are a lot of sacred cows within the GAA, we all know that. I think there’s a challenge there with trying to be innovative and bring about change because there’s a reluctance to embrace change in any organisation. The GAA is no different.

“But I think it’s time for a full and proper debate around the Championship structure. I’m talking about football here at the minute. There are also issues for the players in the Ring, Rackard and Meagher competitions. They wouldn’t be thoroughly satisfied with what’s going on at that level either.”