On last nights Off the Ball, Colm Parkinson spoke to Joe about his proposal to restructure the Football Championship. Billy Joe Padden, who has played for Mayo and Armagh joined Colm on the line to react to the proposals.
"You cannot look at the Championship as a whole, without looking at the calender and I think he has done that" was his initial reaction to Colm's ideas.
"I think that top level sport is served best in a league format, because the teams get into a bit of a rhythm. You can learn what works for you and what doesn't week to week."
"I would have no problem if the Provincials worked as a competition in your own right, hand in hand with what Colm is proposing."
Padden feels that players would be delighted to play week after week, because they would get to play in more meaningful games on a regular basis. "We have seen it so often over the last number of years that a team can make dramatic improvements from the first round of the Championship, when they go through a back door, because they are playing week after week. They are learning something about themselves every week".
When asked by Joe about having the conversation in five years time, Padden responded; "I would say they are pretty good. I think it will take time." He said the main obstacle to change will be the GAA willing to change traditional calendar dates.
You can hear Colm and Billy Joe speak about the proposals and see the layout of Colm's proposal below:
A basic layout of The @Woolberto Plan: pic.twitter.com/GOEg3Ym9pZ
— Off The Ball (@offtheball) June 9, 2015
