Cooney: Special Congress will help iron out hurling issues

GAA President Christy Cooney has outlined the reasons behind the decision to hold a Special Congress on October 10 at Croke Park.

Delegates will be asked to vote on a motion regarding the GAA All Ireland Hurling Championship in 2010.

Sections A, B and C of the motion - if passed - will set out the template for next year's competition, while the adoption of section D, which deals with promotion and relegation, will depend on the deliberations of next year's Annual Congress in Newcastle, Co Down in April.

Speaking at the launch of the Kilmacud Crokes Meteor Hurling Sevens tournament, he said: "We decided to bring a motion to Central Council last Saturday really to overcome the difficulties we have at the moment and to get things on a level playing pitch, so we know clearly what we are doing.

"What we are going to do - hopefully after Special Congress, which is on the 10th of October - is get this passed and have a structure in place for next year.

"Then over the next couple of months I am going to go through a detailed consultation process with all interested parties in hurling and look into the future (to see) are we going to have promotion and relegation or not.

"If we are, we will put a structure in place that will work and that everyone is happy with. After that, then formulate a motion that will meet that requirement. I wasn't going to put in a stop-gap situation for promotion and relegation and then have difficulties like we had this year."

Cooney added: "We wanted to take some space and some time to give some consideration to the matter and also to consult in a major way, and then make a solid decision.

"I didn't want a sticking plaster job. It's not the intention that anybody would try to do that, but I think there was a little bit of confusion surrounding what Antrim's rights were and what Galway's rights were with regard to the three-year inclusion in Leinster and how the promotion and relegation affected them.

"Maybe everybody didn't see the bigger picture and we are all at fault in that, but all we are trying to do now is overcome the current problem, decide on the promotion and relegation situation.

"If that is to happen next April, then that will give us time to deal with it for 2010, so we will be in a stronger position as to how we will move forward."