Shake-up to allow second chance

After a couple of weeks of rumours and leaks, the GAA yesterday unveiled its proposals for the re-organisation of the football championship. The blend of knock-out and opportunities for defeated teams to re-enter at a variety of levels was the response of a special work group to last April's aborted debate on the more radical plans of the Football Development Committee (FDC).

With its institution of a parallel All-Ireland qualifier competition, the work group's report guarantees at least two matches for all counties while the provincial championships unfold in their traditional way.

Padraig Duffy, who chaired the work group said that the committee had received numerous proposals. "What we have come up with is a national system of entry to the All-Ireland series in addition to the current provincial championships. We have retained the basic knock-out nature. Every single game will be important, there will be no irrelevant games.

"In the past, and at present, if you lose one game in the championship you're out. Now, in most cases, if you lose more than one game you're out. I know some people have difficulties with the concept that if you lose a game in the provincial championship, you can still win the All-Ireland but that's been well debated in terms of hurling.

"I think the committee accept the view that in most of the world's major sports, it's an acceptable feature that a team can lose one match and still win the tournament. This is not a back-door structure, it's a system which provides two routes into the All-Ireland championship."

In a surprise move, the group announced it would advocate the permanent adoption of the plan from the outset. This means that the motion will require a two thirds majority rather than the simple majority needed for an experiment, such as the current hurling championship reforms which are half way through an extended four-year trial period.

Principles Of Inter-County Fixtures' Workgroup

i) The retention of the National Football League as a separate competition.

ii) The playing of all inter-county fixtures in the calendar year.

iii) Provision of at least two championships matches for weaker counties.

iv) Introduction of All-Ireland football quarter-finals.

The rationale behind the move was given as a need for "stability" - presumably in the form of a sizeable majority - in the implementation of the report. Part of the confidence this implies lies in the composition of the group which includes the provincial council secretaries who had opposed the FDC proposals last April.

Given that yesterday's report was unanimously accepted, the chances of its securing the weighted majority must be high. Duffy said that - unlike the FDC and the Hurling Development Committee before it - the group would not tour the country selling the proposals to county boards.

The report's appeal will be enhanced by the undertaking to redistribute "reasonable percentages" of gate receipts from matches up to and including quarter-finals to participating counties and provincial councils as well as Central Council which traditionally takes the income from All-Ireland championship fixtures. The precise dimensions of `reasonable' will be determined by the GAA's Management Committee.

In answer to possible criticisms that the counties might feel their club schedules would suffer, both Duffy and group secretary, Frank Murphy, said they believed there was ample room for county fixtures. According to Duffy, there would be a period of acclimatisation next season before the NFL switched to a calendar-year format. "We'll be able to give it great thought during the coming season. There's lots of room for improvement in how club competitions are run in various counties and I don't see how an average of two extra games should be too much to cope with for any county."

Murphy said the NFL could be streamlined to assist in the process. "There are features of the League which can be improved by introducing extra time. There are possibilities within the system which should not unduly affect clubs."

He said the position concerning clubs had never been one of his objections to the FDC proposals. "I was not in favour of those but I could not have accepted that argument [effect on clubs]against them. The day when counties should be allowed abandon their club competitions in order to pursue inter-county advancement is gone.

"That is not what the association is about. It is quite possible for any county to compete successfully and still provide regular league and championship activity at club level."