John Grainger: Fitzgibbon and Sigerson Cups must be rescheduled to November

Competing sports will exploit any dilution of Gaelic games at third level, insists the UCC GAA development officer

As for interest in the games, John Grainger recalls the tens of thousands of hits for Mark Coleman’s winning sideline cut for UCC against DCU in last February’s Fitzgibbon Cup semi-final. Picture: INPHO/Tom O'Hanlon

Competing sports will exploit any dilution of Gaelic games at third level, insists UCC GAA development officer John Grainger.

As the 2021 Fitzgibbon and Sigerson Cups have been cancelled for this academic year, Grainger says the competitions must be rescheduled in November, pending restrictions. That has yet to be confirmed, though, and there is a fear that Croke Park will be loathe to shoehorn the competitions into the calendar at that time of the year.

Grainger remains hopeful they will be rearranged, though, and hopeful the postponement doesn’t provide those in the GAA opposed to the competitions with the ammunition to kill them off.

“The Fitzgibbon and Sigerson go and you’re going to leave a huge void for the GAA at third level. The GAA at third level is more than elite. It would be very shortsighted because the GAA prides itself on volunteers and there are many of them involved at third level. 

“The amount of players who have come through UCC and other colleges who have joined and played with the college club and have gone back to their clubs with a non-parochial outlook because they have come in contact with people from different clubs around the country.

“Do away with these competitions and it leaves a huge void for other sports who will look to take over and you know what, I wouldn’t blame them. 

If the GAA decided to get rid of Fitzgibbon or Sigerson — and this argument has been going on for some time now — it would be disastrous. But I know the idea is being promoted by people who were never at a Fitzgibbon or Sigerson game in their life.”

Grainger knows several county managers support their players lining out at third level but knows there are others who don’t. 

“There are people out there with different agendas who are involved in the game. Some of them know third level games are good for their teams; others see it as a nuisance.

“In my time in UCC, we have always entered discussion with county and club managers about the releasing of players and the majority of relationships are very good. Players always put their hands up to play in them and nobody should care what I or a manager thinks so long as the players are happy.”

When the suggestion was made to rearrange the competition in November, the support for it in UCC was unanimous, Grainger claims.

UCC GAA development officer John Grainger remains hopeful the competitions will be rearranged and hopeful the postponement doesn’t provide those in the GAA opposed to the competitions with the ammunition to kill them off. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

“I got on to the WhatsApp groups and explained it, that some of them might have graduated but would they play in it. I got 100% back saying, ‘Yeah, we want to go for it’. Several prominent county players were behind it. When the players want to play, that’s all that matters.”

In terms of how they are treated in the calendar, comparisons between the college competitions and the now defunct Railway Cup are inaccurate, Grainger argues. 

“The Railway Cup had its days when Ring was playing in it during the 1960s and in recent years it was great when fellas went abroad to play in it. But then the club championships came along and the Railway Cup had served its day.

The players want to play in the club and county championships but after that it’s the colleges. The coaches who were involved these days are top class, inter-county managers. Billy Morgan, Tom Kingston, Eddie Enright, Ger Cunningham, Tomás Ó Sé, Tom Kenny, Seán Óg Ó hAilpín. Where else would you get that?”

As for interest in the games, Grainger recalls the tens of thousands of hits for Mark Coleman’s winning sideline cut for UCC against DCU in last February’s Fitzgibbon Cup semi-final. 

“Thousands upon thousands watched the final that was streamed by Electric Ireland as well.

“There was a huge interest in it but there are those who think if they shout enough to get rid of it then that will happen, but the people who want the competitions will shout back.”

With the national fixtures review taskforce proposing the disbandment of the pre-season provincial competitions, January could, in time, be given over solely to college competitions. Grainger looks at that as a great opportunity.

“If they’re doing away with the likes of the McGrath Cup, the Waterford Crystal, the O’Byrne Cup and those competitions, then there is a chance to showcase the third level even more.

“If this academic year’s games go ahead in November, the inter-county season will be over and the majority of county club championships will be over. That’s assuming there aren’t too many more delays to the season but you’d be going up against the provincial club but hopefully there won’t be too many clashes.

“It will probably be run on a knockout basis or one backdoor because of the time involved but the important thing is to run it and when there is a will there to do it then you can.”