The Gaelic Players Association today unveiled its Football Competitions Proposal which has been submitted to the GAA as part of the Association’s competition structures review.
The position document was produced following a lengthy consultative process with all players and county football squads. A working group was established to oversee the process.
Speaking about the Proposal, GPA Chief Executive Dessie Farrell commented: “The structure of the inter-county football competition has been a burning issue for several years and this Proposal, developed in consultation with players, aims to tackle the concerns raised in relation to the current structure. These changes will improve the welfare of the player by tightening the competition calendar, improving the games to training ratio and enhancing the playing experience at club and county level. This Proposal can help unlock the potential of our inter-county football competition from a number of important perspectives."
The Proposal positions the views of a majority of county players and the GPA believes it is a catalyst for a productive debate regarding the restructuring of the football season.
The GPA specifically questioned counties from the lower Divisions regarding a new structure and the majority of counties rejected the inclusion of a secondary competition in any proposal.
The principal component of the format proposed in the model is the addition to the League and Provincial Championships of a new All-Ireland Series – a 32-team series of eight groups with seedings determined by NFL standings and Provincial Championships.
The GPA working group believes the inclusion of this new series will provide a serious impetus for inter-county football competition while facilitating an improvement in the club fixture schedule.
Some of the other key points contained in the Proposal include:
- Better playing experience
- A fairer and more equitable competition structure
- Increased number of high profile games for all counties
- Pre-determined closed and pre seasons
- An increase in the games to training ratio
- More structure to county and club championships
- League and Provincial Championships directly linked to new All-Ireland Series
- Improved experience for supporters of game
- Enhanced commercial revenue for the GAA at central and county level
- High profile games in regional venues boosting local economies
An overwhelming number of county squads have favoured the GPA Proposal over the current system and the players’ body is recommending that the system be trialled over a two-year period and then reviewed.
Alternative competition models have been developed by former players in recent years and while elements of these models were favoured by current players, in particular the inclusion of an eight-group series, the retention of some of the traditional structures remained important for a number of counties.
Current GPA Chief Executive Dessie Farrell spoke to Newstalk Sport's Oisin Langan earlier today about the proposed changes.
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