Football league's working okay . . . leave it alone

On Gaelic Games:But signs are the weekend's congress will extend the league by confirming the introduction of Division One semi-finals

IT’S FUNNY how the football league has changed in character over the past decade. There used to be little interest in the competitions until the knockout stages and, depending on the identity of the contestants, the final itself.

That was hardly unusual or surprising given the early stages of the competition had been played out amidst the tumbleweeds of autumn or winter and been largely forgotten about by the resumption of matches in February let alone by the final.

Since the calendar year was introduced the actual divisional or regulation matches have become more important, as there is a considerable appetite for competition at the start of the year and the fixtures provide far more of a progression to the serious business of the summer.

Various marketing initiatives and the allure of floodlights – which by and large have no role during the championship – have contributed to drawing large crowds on dark nights. The final day of the season has also become a great attraction because of just that, its finality. Unlike in the past there is no recourse to play-offs. Everything is decided on the day and outcomes fluctuate as scores are taken all around the country.

Maybe the actual title matches haven’t caused more of a stir for the reason that apart from in Division One they are something of an irrelevance. Teams set out at the start of the season in a lower division and their ambition is to be promoted and compete at a higher level the following season.

It’s undoubtedly nice for counties unaccustomed to playing in Croke Park to have a spring date and the possibility of raising a trophy but you’d imagine there are few tears shed on the bus bringing home the defeated finalists.

Then again there isn’t quite the same cachet in winning graded titles, as the short-lived Tommy Murphy Cup suggested, and ending up like boxing with four different holders doesn’t compare with Laois 25 years ago winning the only league title there was after campaigning in Division Three.

During his last year in office former director general Liam Mulvihill drew attention to the strange paradox that has become part of the competition. “I just wish we would have a sell-out for the final game of the league,” he said at the 2007 launch.” It has been one of the features of the league that, whereas most competitions start with a whimper and end with a bang, the leagues have tended to start with a bang and end with a whimper. It would be my sincere wish that that wouldn’t happen this year.

“My own opinion is it’s too close to the championship at the moment and people’s focus is on the championship and the launches tend to take place in the weeks leading up to the league finals and people’s thoughts turn to the championship. We need a little bit more time between the conclusion of one and the beginning of the other.”

That’s hard to argue with but signs are that the weekend’s congress will extend the league by confirming the introduction of Division One semi-finals. Consequently there will be less time between the end of the league and the start of the championship. Proponents may say that the extension amounts to just a week but why change the system at all?

Hiving off four teams for semi-finals means half of the division will be guaranteed play-off matches, which will surely undermine the impact of regulation matches. Last Sunday, as Dublin had already qualified for the final there was just one place left but that didn’t prevent an absorbing afternoon unfolding at the two venues where any of three counties, Cork, Kerry or Down were in with a shout of joining Dublin in the final.

Again it will be argued that a close finish isn’t guaranteed every year and 12 months previously the finalists, Cork and Mayo, met in the final afternoon of the divisional schedules with their place in the final largely decided.

But that level of anti-climax isn’t likely to become the norm either.

At last month’s launch of his annual report director general Páraic Duffy sounded reserved on the general issue of taking Sundays away from club fixtures even if the number of counties exposed would be limited. There is probably more of an argument for handing the title to whoever finishes top of the division and rewarding that consistency.

In these cash-strapped times the idea of relinquishing the revenue from a national final might seem irresponsible but with this year as a likely exception because of the rise of Dublin, the final hasn’t been pulling in the crowds in recent years.

Only three years ago the Division One final was held in Dublin’s Parnell Park with an attendance of fewer than 10,000.

The proposed stretching of the league applies for the moment just to the top division so the other three divisions will – even if the system is changed – continue as present.

One of the more interesting indicators to show the efficiency of the hierarchical league structure of the past four seasons is that the standards are settling at gradated levels. In other words it’s hard to survive in a higher division. There have been examples such as Tipperary, Sligo and Antrim, who have climbed two divisions in successive years but all were relegated immediately.

One genuine exception is Down who not alone went from Divisions Three to One in two years but last weekend finished third at the very top of the league.

Far more common is the example of yo-yo teams, moving between divisions. Sligo and Antrim both dropped straight back to Division Three and in that pool it was also the promoted counties from last year, Limerick and Waterford, which were relegated.

It happens the other way too with Roscommon and Westmeath both securing promotion from Divisions Four and Three respectively a year after going down.

The football league’s working reasonably well at the moment. Leave it alone.

* smoran@irishtimes.com