Player-led GPA proposals face considerable provincial hurdles

On paper it all looks attractive and perfectly workable: a condensed intercounty football season, the addition of a new round-robin All-Ireland series, with, it seems, something for everyone.

It's all coming from the players, too, who according to the Gaelic Players Association (GPA) are the primary proponents of their new football competitions proposal. It's already been submitted to Croke Park for consideration ahead of next month's Central Council meeting and, everything going to plan, could be trialled for two years, starting in 2017.

However there are several stumbling blocks, starting with the provincial councils. While the GPA proposal retains both the football league and provincial championships, they both fall behind the new All-Ireland series – which takes on a champions-league type format, played at the height of summer, featuring an entirely open 32-team series of eight groups of four teams, who would play-off on a home-away basis.

Provincial pre-season

It would also mean scrapping the provincial pre-season competitions (O’Byrne Cup, etc).

Instead, the season would begin in the middle of February, with the NFL run off in eight weeks (the play-offs also being scrapped). After that the provincial championships are condensed into a five-week window in April and May.

Then, after a break for club fixtures, comes the All-Ireland series, with eight groups of four teams, seeded one-through-four, based on their NFL positions, and also how far they advanced into the province.

After they play-off, that would create a preliminary last 16 (second/third teams), before a last 16 (first/preliminary winners) – and from there quarter-finals, semi-finals and the All-Ireland final, which would take place on the first Sunday in September.

"All of this is coming from the players," stressed Dessie Farrell, GPA chief executive. "A very high percentage of the players imputed on this, and the vast majority wanted more games, but in a condensed season. Now, this may not be the silver bullet, but we'd hope it's the catalyst for some serious discussion and debate."

According to Farrell, and based on consultation with a media sponsorship firm, the new format had the potential to add an additional €1.5-€1.7 million in revenue, between extra gate receipts and media/broadcast rights.

“The revenue situation would appeal to provincial councils and county boards. And of course it needs the support of everybody. We’re not saying this proposal has to be the one, but we’ve been talking about it too long and something has to happen, some real change.”

It certainly spreads out the season on more even terms and there are some added novelties too, the last 16 and quarter-finals being played on “sudden death”: if teams are level after extra-time, games would be decided on a shoot-out of 45-metre frees (as opposed to penalties).

Importance of debate

With the majority of players giving the proposal their backing it would appear the only people who need convincing are Croke Park and the various administrators, although again Farrell stressed the importance of debate.

“Players aren’t going to down tools,” said Farrell. “Yeah, we’re adding a new competition, more games, but that’s exactly what the players want. With more games, there’s more rest built into the week, naturally. Because player welfare and burn-out is one of the key principals underpinning these set of proposals.”

The GPA proposal also questioned counties from the lower divisions regarding a new structure, and the majority of those counties rejected any inclusion of a secondary or “two-tier” competition: all counties wanted to be part of the All-Ireland series at the round-robin phase, even if that means some potential mismatches.

Farrell also highlighted the fact that clubs would also be one of the main beneficiaries of the new format, given the designated closed season, plus weekends specially set aside for club fixtures earlier in the calendar year.