Galway GAA 'heartened' by increasing opposition to inter-county season extension

A motion to extend the inter-county season by a fortnight will be debated at GAA Congress

Galway GAA chairperson Paul Bellew said extending the inter-county season would be the "death knell of the dual club and the dual player". Pic: ©INPHO/Laszlo Geczo

Galway GAA chairperson Paul Bellew said the county is "heartened" by growing opposition to the proposed extension of the inter-county season. At GAA Congress later this month, a motion to extend the season by two weeks will be debated. It would move the All-Ireland hurling final to the last week of July and the football decider to the second week of August. 

At a Cork county board meeting on Tuesday night, club delegates voted against the changes while Kerry GAA secretary Peter Twiss told The Kerryman that the Kingdom will also vote against the motion unless they get assurances there will be a 16-week window after the finals in which they can complete their club and county championships. 

"I think it was taken for granted almost in the last few weeks that this was a fait accompli and that it would happen," Bellew told Galway Bay FM, "but there's a significant amount of flaws in extending this and some of the caveats around it. Galway's position has always been consistent.

"It comes from our clubs, it comes from our players, it comes from everyone that plays the game in a dual county, that this would just be the death knell of the dual club and the dual player.

"We wouldn't be able to run our championships, we wouldn't be able to guarantee our players games at all levels. It would affect down to under 19 or 20 competition and to senior.

"If we were to play our current senior championship in this guise, we wouldn't be playing the county football final until the 30th of November, which is the same weekend as the Connacht finals do be penciled in for. So all in all, I think it's not a good move. We're heartened by the amount of counties that are realising this.

"We've been doing a significant amount of work to have this motion opposed, but there's still a long way to go on it and the next 10 days will tell a lot, but Galway GAA are completely opposed to this motion."