Leinster Council looking at ways to boost competitiveness of football championship

Leinster Council is to submit a motion to next month's GAA annual congress looking for provinces to be allowed organise their championships as they see fit. The proposal doesn't include senior hurling, which is already governed by rule.

The move follows proposals floated by provincial chair John Horan last autumn, suggesting that the competitive difficulties within the province's senior football championship, which has been dominated in recent years by Dublin, could be tackled by introducing a round-robin format in the preliminary rounds, as is the case with the province's hurling championship.

There was a cool reception for the idea at national level on the grounds that current concerns would tend to support a reduction rather than an increase in the number of dates allocated to intercounty fixtures.

Annual report

The poor competitiveness within the province’s football championship has also been addressed in the annual report of the province’s CEO

Michael Reynolds

, to be delivered to next Friday’s provincial convention in Arklow.

Dublin have won nine of the last 10 Leinster titles, haven’t lost a match in the province for five years.

Reynolds, however, made reference to the standard of competition between other counties when Dublin are stripped out of it and made a passing reference to the province’s motion to congress.

“What is, perhaps, more worrying is the rather poor level of competition among many of the other counties in games not involving Dublin. It is clear that there are now three – if not four – levels of standard in the Leinster senior football championship.

“In fairness, most counties have acknowledged that things are at a low ebb at this level and a number of consultations have taken place with the direct stakeholders. Proposals have been drawn up to address the predicament and we await the outcome of further deliberations.”