GPA links football league to Championship in split plan

Based on the 2021 calendar, they envisage the All-Ireland SHC final taking place on July 25, concluding the inter-county season, a week after the football decider. Picture: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

No provincial football competitions, league-based championship seedings and the All-Ireland SHC final taking place after the football final are all part of the Gaelic Players Association’s (GPA) draft split season proposal.

Based on the shorter timeframe, the official inter-county players body submitted a working document to the GAA’s national fixtures review taskforce last Wednesday which jettisons the provincial competitions in favour of a championship start predicated by league standings.

While the GPA also suggest getting of divisional finals in the Allianz Football League, they have incentivised the league by rewarding the higher-placed finishers and teams in the top two divisions are given two opportunities to make the last 16 of the Sam Maguire Cup.

The top four in Division 1 commence the championship by facing the bottom four in Division 2 with the bottom four in Division 1 drawn against the counties who fill the top four spots in Division 2.

The same cross-divisional draw format also takes place between Division 3 and 4 teams. However, whereas the winners of the Division 1/2 games go through to the last 16 of the Sam Maguire Cup, the losers of the Division 3/4 matches enter the Tailteann Cup.

The GPA are open to the idea of just those eight teams contesting the secondary competition. 

However, for the time being they are electing for the second (qualifier) round to pit the losers of the Division 1/2 games against the Division 3/4 winners with the prizes on offer the remaining eight slots in the last 16 and the beaten teams completing the other half of the Tailteann Cup participants.

The last 16 of both Sam Maguire and Tailteann Cups would be subject to open draws and avoiding repeat pairings. From the quarter-finals onwards, the GPA recommend games from both competitions form double-headers.

Every county starts in the Sam Maguire Cup and for 24 counties there are two guaranteed games in the competition. The 16 Division 1 and 2 teams face a minimum of six matches and a maximum of seven to reach an All-Ireland final. 

Those in Division 3 and 4 face seven. A team must win at least their last five games to claim the title. It is possible that a team from Division 1 or 2 could be demoted to the Tailteann Cup but only after losing two games, one of them to a Division 3 or 4 side.

The GPA would retain promotion and relegation in the football league. In hurling, they would do away with quarter and semi-finals to free up space but retain the finals. 

As regards the hurling championship, the GPA feel the fixtures taskforce should review the structure of the competition in light of a split season.

Based on the 2021 calendar, they envisage the All-Ireland SHC final taking place on July 25, concluding the inter-county season, a week after the football decider. The gap from the Munster and Leinster hurling finals (June 12/13) and All-Ireland semi-finals would remain four weeks.

While the hurling championship would run for 13 weeks (April 25 to July 25), their football championship would take 10, beginning on May 8-9. 

The gap between the hurling league and championship would be two weeks compared to football, which would be three.

Last month, the GPA proposed a 23-week inter-county window from February to July. Having received feedback from members, that period is roughly the same but pre-season training beginning earlier in mid-January and the league commencing in mid to late February.

The GPA emphasise that their split season model is not a complete one as club league matches with county players would be able to continue during the inter-county period.