Galway will 'vigorously oppose' inter-county season extension

"If you actually read the document, it is a full justification not to extend the season, bar a couple of lines about exposure that have no basis in fact."

Mon, 03 Nov, 2025 - 15:52

Eoghan Cormican

Galway will “vigorously oppose” the proposed two-week extension to the inter-county season, with county chairman Paul Bellew insisting that “no evidence” exists to support the calendar shift.

Central Council, at their September meeting, referred to next year's Congress the proposal of a high-powered sub-committee to move the All-Ireland finals to either side of the August Bank Holiday weekend from 2027 onward.

As has been the case since 2022, and as will be the case again next year, the All-Ireland finals are staged one week apart on the final two Sundays of July.

If the two-week extension to the inter-county season is passed, a stipulating measure of the committee is a five-year moratorium on discussion around All-Ireland final dates.

Bellew is adamant that the report produced by the sub-committee, which was chaired by former director general Páraic Duffy, provides full justification not to extend the inter-county season.

“There is an assault on the split season that we will be vigorously opposing,” the Galway GAA chairman told the Examiner.

“I have read the document that was put together by the relevant Croke Park committee, it was excellently done, and there are some brilliant people on that committee.

“But if you actually read the document, it is a full justification not to extend the season, bar a couple of lines about exposure that have no basis in fact. That is not criticism of the committee that did it, it is basically what was coming in on certain sides.

“It is very simple; you look at the related GPA survey, you look at the stories coming out of the club season at the moment, and we are still bending to a lot of people with a lot to say but with no evidence to back it up. The more I have looked at it, it would be a terrible, terrible thing to do to club players to extend the inter-county season by even two weeks.”

A GPA survey published last month showed 92% of players want the inter-county season to run for a maximum of seven months from the first collective training session to the last game of the year.

If the two-week extension is greenlighted at Congress, the 2027 All-Ireland football final will be played on Sunday, August 8. Factoring in the players’ season-length preference would mean collective training of football panels not commencing until January 10 for that '27 season.

Cork chairman Pat Horgan revealed to the Irish Examiner in September that the county will support the proposal to extend the inter-county season by two weeks from 2027 onwards, but only on the grounds that there is no further encroachment into August in the years after. Cork support is also conditional on there being no return to collective training until December, at the earliest.

Bellew disagrees with such an approach.

“I understand the argument on the other side that extending it by two weeks might put the calendar debate to bed, but I don't believe that is a sufficient argument,” Bellew continued.

“I actually believe there is a bit of a wind blowing the other way now, that people realise that what we have is excellent and that there is no loss to the game.

“I have said it 100 times that adult participation in the game has grown by 20% in Galway when you manage your season properly.

“All the side issues associated with the arguments around the split season are competition structure issues, they are not length of season issues.”