Positive reaction to minor change, insists head of review committee

The man who recommended the change for minor from U18 to U17 insists the decision has been a major positive for the GAA.

Micheál Martin was head of the minor review committee which succeeded in convincing Congress three years ago to reduce both minor and U21 to U20 as well as preventing U17s from playing for their adult club teams.

That latter point was raised by Valentia Young Islanders chairman Deirdre Lyne over the weekend when she decried that the rule was “crippling rural clubs”, while there is anecdotal evidence of clubs not being able to field adult teams because they are denied their younger players.

“The overwhelming feedback we have got has been positive,” maintained Martin.

“Depopulation, particularly along the western seaboard, is a factor but where do you stop to accommodate for that. Do you allow U16s to play for the adult teams as was the case a couple of years ago if this continues?

But in terms of inter-county level, has changing the ages helped club fixtures? I would say, ‘Definitely’. Decoupling the competitions has helped and a number of counties have moved the under-age competitions to U17. Because of the weather this year, we in Wexford would have struggled to get games completed - and I know other counties have said the same - if it were still U18.

With the exception of the ESRI report, Martin has noticed how player welfare and burnout were the hot topics. “They’re not anymore. The hot topic now is fixtures.” Outgoing Cork secretary Frank Murphy has spoken about the unsuitability of U17 finals being played as the warm-up matches to All-Ireland senior finals - “We’re against the tide, but a wrong decision was made,” he said last month. “The minor grade now is not the same in terms of intensity, physicality or interest, as it was when it was U18.”

Martin returned: “I saw some inter-county U17 games this year and you would not know the difference from last year. I know there’s a debate about whether it’s an appropriate curtain-raisers to All-Ireland finals but the debate has always been there in one way.”