Aogán Ó Fearghail backs Cork plan for unlimited subs during senior league competitions

The initiative of the Cork County Board to allow “unlimited” substitutions during this year’s senior league competitions has been welcomed by GAA president Aogán Ó Fearghail.

A motion tabled by Ballinhassig at December’s convention to deregulate the six substitutions permitted for all adult league games in the county was green-lighted by Croke Park top-brass last month. Cork chairman Ger Lane is hopeful the initiative will be rolled out in the coming weeks.

The Rochestown Park Hotel Division 1 football league commences this weekend, but Lane explained how “unlimited” substitutions cannot be put into practice until the motion is rubber-stamped by club delegates at the next meeting of the County Board on February 23.

“We hope to implement it after that meeting and will be applicable to all league games in all divisions across both codes,” said Lane.

“Anything that gives players a chance to play or gives everyone the opportunity of game-time during a match can only be a good thing. If you bring 25 to a game, it certainly helps that all 25 can get a game.”

Ó Fearghail’s championing of the initiative comes at a time when 58% of players are lost within Gaelic games between the ages of 12 and 21.

“It is great to see that the value that started out with the Go Games philosophy, where everyone gets to play, is now moving on and one of our county boards at adult level have decided that in their leagues they want to give everyone who turns up on match-day a chance to play.

“We are such a complex organisation with so many things happening at different levels that we can sometimes be in danger of forgetting of what is at the heart of what we do. At the heart of our association are the games. The games are core and they have to remain core.”