Seán Kelly: GAA's green proposal will deliver a rebirth of championship football
Meath's Cillian O'Sullivan in action against Anthony Doherty, left, and Kevin McKernan of Down during the Allianz Football League Division 2 match at Pairc Táilteann in Navan.
The GAA has been on quite a journey since 2010. We’ve seen the introduction of the black card, the mark and penalty punishing fouls inside the 21, all while the Super-8s rose and fell. Funding models have been overhauled and the underage scene has been reformed. And I believe Saturday 26th February will go down in the history of our association as another key milestone, if Congress approves the Green proposal put before it.
From the moment I took up the role of Uachtarán Chumann Lúthchleas Gael in 2003, to when I handed over to Nicky Brennan in 2006, my vision for the future of the Gaelic Football Championship was always to make it a more appealing, more relevant, and more rewarding game for players and fans alike.
My ambition was driven by the desire to give each county more games and a realistic chance of bringing silverware home. That was the thinking behind the introduction of the Tommy Murphy Cup in 2004, the forerunner to the Tailteann Cup.
As has been documented by several columnists at the Irish Examiner, my blueprint ‘Kelly’ Plan, which was outlined on these very pages over a decade ago, now forms the basis of the Green proposal that will go before the Comhdháil.
The plan has been out there for ten years, subject to tweaks, twists and minor teases along the way. I believe it is now in the best possible place to be implemented for the 2023 season - a great ‘Green Deal’ for all.
As was made clear at the Special Congress in October, change often does not emerge within the GAA until it is rejected on at least one occasion. However, no overhaul of the championship structure will ever garner unanimous support. Indeed, the Green proposal, while largely basing itself on the Kelly plan, does fall short in a number of areas.
As per my original plan, the Green proposal will see the Sam Maguire Cup contested by 16 teams (four by four-team groups): the eight provincial finalists as well as the eight best-placed teams at the end of that year’s Allianz League, with the provincial champions having their first game at home.
It also guarantees that if a Division 3 or 4 team reaches a provincial final, they will enter the Sam Maguire Cup in place of the next lowest-seeded team from Division 2, who will enter the Tailteann Cup. The previous year’s Tailteann Cup winners, if not a Division 2 team, will enter the Sam Maguire competition in place of the next lowest-seeded team from Division 2.
However, the Green proposal diverges from the Kelly plan when it comes to the quarter-final stage, which is an interesting but not a structural deviation. Whereas in my original blueprint, the top two teams in each Sam Maguire Cup group would go directly through to the quarter-finals, the Green plan stipulates that only the last team in each Sam Maguire Cup group will be eliminated after the group stage.
The fact that three counties emerge from each four-team group does not bring with it the same level of jeopardy as per my original plan and so could lead to many dead rubber games - which won’t serve the excitement or drama of championship football well. But, let’s not bite off our noses to spite our faces.
As in my original proposal, the Tailteann Cup will run on a similar format but the top seeds in the groups will be best-placed league finishers, while New York will enter at a preliminary quarter-final stage, replacing the worst of the four third-placed teams.
The Green proposal again veers off-course from the Kelly plan, in that it does not provide the opportunity for the round robin series to be held across a home venue, an away venue, and a neutral ground. This is a significant lost opportunity, particularly for supporters and business sponsors, both in terms of building excitement and providing an economic boost to local communities. Of course, there is also the consideration that many venues will never get to host a neutral game.
Nevertheless, this mixture will guarantee every county a minimum of four championship games – at least one in their provincial series, with three more in the group stages of either the Tailteann Cup or Sam Maguire. All the while, the expected revenue from the Provincial Championships and round-robin series will continue to bolster funding, going towards club grants, scholarships, and coaching.
The Congress will also be a hugely significant moment for Connacht GAA, as the Air Dome at their Centre of Excellence will play host to the event. Indeed, the Connacht Air Dome could pave the way for similar projects across the provinces. Costing just under €3.1 million, the dome is one of the largest indoor venues in the country. It can host not only sporting events but also concerts, conferences and trade exhibitions, for which the visionary Secretary of the Connacht Council, John Prenty, deserves enormous credit. The fact that the smallest and poorest (by far) Provincial Council could pioneer this breath-taking edifice is a monumental achievement for those west of the Shannon.
The facility, 26 metres in height, 150m in length and 100m wide, boasts a 30m running track on one side of the pitch, with capacity to insert seating for 600 people on the opposite side. And that’s not to mention that in the four FBD League games played at the newly opened Air Dome this year, the combined score amounted to 7-142. Rounding it up, that comes to an average of 2-35 per game! Not bad for January football. No wind, no rain, and no need for gloves. It really allows for fast-paced, high intensity encounters and is something which I feel should be explored in each province in greater depth. Connacht paved the way, who will be the first to follow them?
So, what we have on the table in the form of the Green proposal will provide change for the better, while preserving what is good in our current structures, but crucially giving a rebirth to championship football. In the interest of fairness, it will give everybody a chance to start on an equal footing whenever we get to the knock-out stages of the All-Ireland. It is after all, about creating a level playing field across the board.
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