Right now, the GAA season is 16 months long.
Every year, we’re trying to cram 16 months into one season.
From the O’Fiaich Cup in November to the All-Ireland club finals the next March after the next March, it’s the stupidest tradition that exists in the GAA, and that’s saying something.
The football season is a joke at present. Between club players waiting around for months upon end for their county team to lose just so they can play one game, to champions having to play a provincial match the following day after their club final and, all the while, some county teams are given almost two-month breaks in between their fixtures, it all defies logic.
A huge part of the problem is the imbalance in the number of games in each province. A system with 12 teams in Leinster and six teams in Munster all going towards the same quarter-final phase is flawed and it is not one bit fair either.
But the GAA’s answer isn’t to sort out the root of the problem – don’t be silly. Instead, it’s to create a bigger problem – a Super 8 problem that starts a round robin when there are only eight teams remaining. In August.
Jesus Christ, as if the quarter-finals are a problem. The quarter-finals are when the bloody championship starts to pick up at last. They’re when you get clashes like Mayo against Tyrone and Dublin against Donegal.
And, just in case the county season didn’t drag on for long enough – into October last year – the powers that be are seeking to increase the amount of quarter-final games from 4 to 12.
- No consideration for club.
- No consideration for the actual problem – the provincial series.
There’s a better way – it can be done.
But, for this new GAA season to work, a number of things need to happen:
- The championship needs to be restructured into a World Cup-style format.
- The provincial series needs to be played out as a separate cup over four simple weeks.
- The McKenna Cup/O’Byrne Cup, all of those pre-season competitions need to be abolished.
- No more Division One league semi-final. Leagues go straight through to the final.
- Games to be played over Saturday and Sunday and no more dragging out of the one round across a number of weeks.
Then, it’s pretty much plain sailing. Pretty much.
The new championship would have eight groups of four (based on league division).
The top two in each group go through to the last 16 of the Senior Championship.
The bottom two in each group (or 3rd and 4th) go through to the last 16 of the Intermediate Championship.
That paves the way for the championship to start and finish in less than three calendar months and no more of this April to October bullshit.
What it also does is that, every season, every single county comes into the year with a chance of winning Sam Maguire. If they’re not good enough, if they don’t make it, they can harbour realistic ambitions of winning the intermediate championship. But then, with the start of the next season, it gives everyone the same opportunity again – the same level playing field, and the same treatment and it also continues to keep everyone competitive and guarantees at least four championship games for every team in the summer.
Here’s how the GAA football calendar could’ve run off over 2017 with the major events slotted in.
January
1st – BREAK…
National Football League starts.
8th – NFL week 1
15th – NFL week 2
22th – NFL week 3
29th – BREAK…
February
5th – BREAK…
12th – NFL week 4
19th – NFL week 5
26th – NFL week 6
March
5th – NFL week 7
12th – NFL final
National Football League ends.
19th – BREAK…
26th – BREAK…
April
Start of separate provincial championships.
2nd – Provincial championship round 1
9th – Provincial championship quarter-final
16th – Provincial championship semi-final
23rd – Provincial final
End of provincial championships.
30th – BREAK…
May
7th – BREAK…
Start of inter-county football championship.
14th – Championship group game 1
21st – Championship group game 2
28th – Championship group game 3
June
4th – BREAK…
10th – B Championship round of 16 (4 games)
11th – B Championship round of 16 (4 games)
17th – A Championship found of 16 (4 games)
18th – A Championship round of 16 (4 games)
24th – B Championship quarter-final (2 games)
25th – B Championship quarter-final (2 games)
July
1st – A Championship quarter-final (2 games)
2nd – A Championship quarter-final (2 games)
8th – B Championship semi-final
9th – B Championship semi-final
15th – A Championship semi-final
16th – A Championship semi-final
23rd – B Championship final
30th – A Championship final
End of inter-county football championship.
August
Every county has eight full weeks to complete their respective club championships.
6th
13th
20th
27th
September
3rd
10th
17th
24th
October
Start of provincial club championships.
1st – Provincial clubs first round.
8th – Provincial clubs quarter-finals.
15th – Provincial clubs semi-finals.
22nd – BREAK…
29th – Provincial clubs finals.
November
5th – BREAK…
12th – All-Ireland club semi-finals.
19th – BREAK…
26th – All-Ireland club final.
End of football season.
Everyone has December off. A new season begins in January and for most county and club players, it will end in September.
Colm Parkinson is joined by Paul Rouse for a heated debate about Sky Sports’ five-year GAA deal and an exclusive chat with AFL star Zach Tuohy on the new GAA Hour.
