Longford GAA player Mickey Quinn wants to see change in the GAA structure.
The change didn't come on Saturday as the GAA congress voted against the proposals to make changes to the GAA Championship structure.
Proposal B, which had the backing of a majority of the Gaelic Players Association needed 60% of the vote to be passed, however, it only received 50.6%. If passed, Proposal B would have seen the football championship revert to a league-based format. It had the backing of GAA president Larry McCarthy, as well as former president John Horan.
85 of the delegates present voted for Proposal B with 83 delegates voting against the motion.
Proposal A, which would see the format change to four provincial groups of 8 was widely rejected with 90% of delegates voting against this motion.
This means that the football championship will revert to the format last seen in 2017, whereby there will be a qualifier system with the Tailteann Cup added. There will be two rounds of qualifiers rather than four.
Longford player Mickey Quinn was left disappointed at the result of the vote and he believes that without change, more players like himself will leave the game sooner than they would have if the structure was changed.
"I think one thing that COVID has taught us it that there's more to life than football", Quinn told Off The Ball.
"There's a balance between what the players are giving up and what they're getting out of it. Because of the structure at the moment, not just your over 30's, your mid-20's, they're going to reconsider things going forward."
"For me personally, if it came in, I'm thinking that we have a chance for possible two, maybe three titles that might be more achievable than what it is in the current system. As a result of that change, I'd be willing to hold on and give it a crack for two-three more years"
"Whereas, you go back to the old system again, it's going to be hard to motivate myself and other players, in other counties to offer that commitment."
The weeks preceding the vote saw many differing opinions. GPA CEO Tom Parsons had argued that Proposal B benefitted the players as it offered the chance for every inter-county side to play more competitive games.
"This guarantees seven competitive championship games in the Spring or Summer for all teams," Parsons said earlier this month.
"Games develop teams. Games develop players. So development is really important.
"Competitive balance with that as well. If you're playing games, you need to be playing against teams at your own levels.
"It's fair. Fairness is really important because we want to end these brutal mismatches we're getting at the height of the summer."
Offaly GAA chairperson, Michale Duignan had argued for Proposal B earlier on in the day, imploring the GAA to embrace the changes that were put forward in that motion.
"Players throughout Ireland are crying out for change," Duignan said.
They are putting in huge time and sacrifices to play one or two championship matches in a year which is not satisfactory.
"If we do not pass this motion today I'd have serious concerns many of our own footballers will walk away from the inter-county game.
"It is time for a change. Today is the start of that change. We have to be brave and I think we have to be revolutionary."
For more GAA news and reaction to the Special Congress vote follow the Off The Ball social channels.
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