1,835 matches played in 10-week window in Munster 

ACTION PACKED: Analysis done by the Munster Council found there were 1,835 adult club championship games played in the province between the end of July and start of October this year. Pic:Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Analysis done by the Munster Council found there were 1,835 adult club championship games played in the province between the end of July and start of October this year.

In a 10-week window from July 24, the day of the All-Ireland senior hurling final, to October 1, it was discovered 1,021 hurling and 814 football fixtures were staged in Munster. Breaking those figures down, 1,051 were junior football and hurling affairs, 433 intermediate games and 351 senior.

The peak weekend for matches came between August 7 and 13 when 242 were played. Naturally enough as the championships progressed to knockout stages the number of games reduced from mid-September onwards with 132 occurring between September 24 and October 1.

Not surprisingly, Cork recorded the highest number of games and their peak periods came in that August 7-13 week (hurling) with 79 fixtures and September 4-10 (football) when it rose to 86.

Those same weeks were the busiest ones for Clare too. However, September 4-10 was the quietest for Kerry, Tipperary and Waterford. Kerry were at the semi-final stages of their intermediate, premier junior and junior club football semi-finals, the majority of both football and hurling championship round-robins had finished in Tipperary, while Waterford’s hurling championships concluded on September 9 and 10.

Tipperary’s busiest week was July 24-30 with almost 40 fixtures. Kerry’s club championship shot into action on the August 14-20 week with 31 and hit a similar figure between September 11 and 17.

After winning the All-Ireland final on July 24, Limerick’s hurling championships commenced at the start of August and for the first two weeks of that month they were reaching the mid-20s before hitting them again in early September when the competition resumed.

Munster GAA leadership remains a strong supporter of the split season and they believe the findings illustrate the importance of August to the club championship window. Of the 1,835 matches, approximately 807 games (43.9%) were played on weekends in August compared to roughly 726 (39.5%) in September.

In his last annual report, provincial chief executive Kieran Leddy acknowledged the split season calendar greatly condenses the inter-county season but there were more benefits to the exclusive championship periods for county but particularly club than disadvantages.” 

“The Munster Council lobbied for the split season before it was fashionable. Of course, it has its drawbacks. I have yet to meet a club player or an inter-county player that doesn’t like the new system. Players really enjoy being together as a group for an uninterrupted period of time and having an uninterrupted schedule of championship games.

“It is what players were seeking for many years. Yes, there are downsides in terms of the intercounty championship season being over so early, but in my view, the positives outweigh the negatives.” 

Writing in this newspaper last month, Tipperary’s two-time All-Ireland SHC winning manager Liam Sheedy questioned the split season. “The inter-county hurling championship is run off too quickly. We need to showcase our best players and our most compelling product over a longer period while accommodating a proper club schedule of games.

“A split season of six months is of little relevance to a club that is finished playing championship hurling after two games in 14 days.”