Mulvihill hints at radical changes

Liam Mulvihill has hinted at radical change in the football and hurling fixtures' schedule. The GAA's director general was launching his annual report, which will be delivered to next month's Annual Congress in Dublin, at Croke Park yesterday. In it he has referred to the state of the National Leagues and also the desirability of staging matches, including championship fixtures, under floodlights.

His comments also referred to the fact that the Football Development Committee may be about to advance proposals for a calendar-year National Football League and the introduction of a format similar to that in use for the hurling championship over the past two years.

"It has to come," he said in relation to rationalising the football league, "either as a calendar-year like in hurling or by staging the hurling and football leagues at different ends of the year."

In his report he referred to the current National Football League season as a problem still remaining. "The football league still commences in October where it clashes with unfinished county championships, the AIB club championships and other games that may from time to time require to be included in the year's calendar. This problem is being examined."

He was hopeful that changes to the league formats and the televising of the finals - expected to be confirmed shortly - would lead to "growth in the importance of both competitions".

Under the heading `Live Television Coverage', he says: "More use of Friday nights and Saturdays will have to become the norm while we must initiate experiments with regard to floodlit games." In response to a query, Mulvihill indicated that he was referring to both winter and summer matches.

On the question of sponsorship, he says that an extension of the Bank of Ireland's sponsorship of the All-Ireland football championship is being negotiated "at the time of writing".

In relation to Guinness, whose sponsorship of the All-Ireland hurling championship is up this year, there is a slightly querulous tone. "It is hoped to commence negotiations with regard to the future almost immediately. Most would agree that hurling has had a glorious period but it is not so easy to estimate the extent to which the Guinness sponsorship revitalised and re-invigorated the game."

He does go on to say that the Guinness involvement "has been very positive and beneficial for the Association while the company has been most accommodating to any concerns expressed by us."

In relation to discipline and refereeing, Mulvihill has a number of criticisms. Last year, he says, was not a good one for discipline.

There were, for example: "Several serious cases of indiscipline in club and county games; the events in the Munster hurling final replay leading to suspensions, a challenge in the High Court and prolonged acrimony; unprecedented allegations against a provincial council and its officers; two county team managers replaced due to player agitation; a sit-down protest in Croke Park by `supporters' which led to a scheduled game having to be deferred; too many incursions on to the field by non-playing personnel at our major games."

The above cases refer mostly to Clare's controversial summer which encompassed a fracas at the beginning of the Munster final replay, followed by Colin Lynch's suspension despite his attempt to secure an injunction against the Munster Council and manager Ger Loughnane's interview on Clare FM.

In relation to refereeing, he cites instances of dangerous play being overlooked "in hurling in particular", umpiring mistakes and inconsistency in application of the rules.

Amongst the other topics raised was Croke Park's insurance initiative to protect club property around the country - much of which is vested in the GAA. According to Mulvihill: "The extent to which GAA property was under-insured shocked us so we decided to organise a blanket scheme."

He also announced plans for the Millennium. Central Council has approved a five-year plan, "Towards the Millennium and Beyond" which suggests a few targets.

That a national open-draw competition be organised for 2000 and 2001 and that details be worked out by the Games Administration Committee. This is a similar project to the Centenary Cup which was staged in 1984, the year of the GAA's centenary, as well as in 1985.

A special congress of all the clubs is to be held on a national basis if possible - but otherwise in the provinces - to recognise the contribution of the clubs. Mulvihill said that this was a favourite idea of his and he pointed out that it was roughly 100 years since the GAA's Annual Congress was last organised on the basis of two delegates per affiliated club - a procedure which became unworkable as the number of clubs grew.

He rounds off his report by expressing concern that the Association had "become soft and complacent due to the success of recent years" and that it needed "to re-kindle the type of enthusiasm and dedication which will be necessary to strengthen the growth of our Association in a period of enormous change and of increasing competition."