Fixtures chaos now at breaking point, warns Derek Kavanagh

Former Cork captain Derek Kavanagh believes the establishment of the Club Players Association (CPA) comes at a time where the fixtures situation is at “breaking point”.

Irish Examiner columnist Kavanagh had previously indicated his hopes of a national organisation being formed to address the concerns of club players. Kavanagh was a driving force behind a successful convention bid in Cork to pass a motion to bring forward the All-Ireland finals for the benefit of club fixtures.

That was defeated at Congress and Kavanagh suggests that was to the detriment of all players, club and inter-county alike.

“Action is being taken to meet the demands of every player. I don’t like saying club players because this group has been put together for the benefit of every Gaelic player.”

The Nemo Rangers man attended a CPA meeting in Croke Park last Saturday along with the likes of former Kerry player Micheál Quirke (Kerins O’Rahillys), ex-Meath captain Anthony Moyles (Blackhall Gaels and St Oliver Plunketts-Eoghan Ruadh) and famed Roscommon goalkeeper Shane Curran (St Brigids).

The organisation and the GAA already struck a conciliatory tone when CPA founder Declan Brennan met with GAA director general Páraic Duffy on Monday before the CPA release a statement tomorrow. Duffy’s plans to condense the length of the inter-county season and reduce the number of championship replays would appear to chime with the CPA’s beliefs but the CPA for now are keeping their powder dry.

“There was a meeting with Páraic Duffy in an attempt to follow proper guidelines and gain advice from the top, really,” says Kavanagh. “There is no agenda here only for players to be represented better. The general tenet of the forthcoming statement will be to seek to register all of the players, take feedback from them so as to get a consensus and then bring that feedback to the GAA.

“We already know the elephant in the room is the fixture chaos, which is at breaking point. The amount of discontent is not just topical in one period of the year but at stages in the calendar now. Time will be needed to co- ordinate all of that and bring it to the association and see what they can do.”