Scrapping U21 football would hurt Tipperary

Tipperary football board chairman Joe Hannigan believes the proposal to abolish the U21 football grade would significantly hurt the development of football in the Premier County.

GAA director general Páraic Duffy, in a bid to tackle player burnout, overtraining and the fixtures calendar, called for the discontinuation of the All-Ireland U21 football championship on Tuesday, but Hannigan is not convinced that axing the U21 football grade at inter-county level is part of the solution.

Tipperary captured only their second Munster U21 title back in April, reaching a first All-Ireland decider when overcoming Dublin in the semi-final.

“To sacrifice the U21 football championship wouldn’t be the way forward, as far as I would be concerned,” remarked Hannigan.

“We here in Tipperary have used the U21 football championship as a stepping stone to progress our players. It has been ideal and has worked very well for us.

“U21 football is a must have for counties to progress players from minor to senior.

“You have a lad who could come out of minor at 18, he mightn’t be good enough for senior, but at least if he is good enough he has a chance to make the U21 squad and then improve himself as a player while part of that squad for the next three-years. Where does he go if there is no U21 squad?

“We played four matches this year and that brought us within a kick of the ball of winning an All-Ireland. Two of them were mid-week where lads were able to go back out the following weekend and play for their club. There are no All-Ireland quarter-finals. Why sacrifice a competition that doesn’t take a massive amount of time to run off.” Hannigan reckons streamlining the All-Ireland senior hurling and football championships would free up far more weekends than discontinuing the U21 football competition.

“Instead of having the Tipperary senior hurlers out one weekend for championship and then putting out the footballers the weekend after, why not put both teams out on the one weekend. There are several weekends to be picked up through this approach. We are a dual county and club fixtures is becoming a big issue here.”

Kilkenny football manager Christy Walsh, meanwhile, has expressed disappointment at the proposal to scrap the All-Ireland junior football championship.

Such a move would permanently exile the Kilkenny footballers to the All-Britain junior championship where they have competed for the past three years — the county opted to withdraw from Division 4 of the national league and the Leinster junior championship at the end of 2012.

“I’d be disappointed from a Kilkenny perspective, but nothing surprises me with the GAA,” remarked Walsh.

“Doing away with the junior championship might finish [football] all together in Kilkenny. We won the All-Britain championship this year and advanced to play in the All-Ireland semi-final against Mayo. That was a significant step for us.”