GAELIC GAMES:THE CHAMPIONSHIP may still be reaching its slow crescendo but a redrafting of next year's league will be the main focus of county delegates attending this Saturday's meeting of Central Council.
Both the hurling and football structures for 2012 and beyond are up for review, and with some change inevitable – at least in hurling – all counties can already look forward to a revised format, and potentially busier schedule.
The GAA yesterday confirmed that three separate proposals for a new hurling league format will be voted on, plus a fresh proposal for the football league format, as an alternative to the status quo. In both cases only a simple majority will be required for the new format to be adopted, with the potential changes set to run for at least two years.
The Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) have drawn up a proposal for both the hurling and football league formats – with the two further proposals for the hurling league format drawn up by the National Hurling Development Work Group (NHD), and also the GAA’s Management Committee.
Extending Division One from eight to 12 teams, and splitting them into Division 1A and 1B, is the main component of both the NHD and CCCC hurling proposals (plus a similar split into Division 2A and 2B), while the Management Committee are proposing to retain the eight-county Division One, while each of them would introduce a new lower division for the developing hurling counties, or bottom nine, which would effectively be run separate to the actual league proper.
In football, the CCCC are proposing the top 16 counties be brought together, effectively having a 16-team Division One – with the remaining counties split between a new Division Two and Division Three. Division One would also be redrawn every two years to ensure further freshness, on top of the promotion and relegation. “The various proposals have been with the counties for the last number of weeks, and they’ve been asked to consider them this Saturday,” says Fergal McGill, the GAA’s head of games administration and player welfare. “What we have in hurling is the HDC proposal, the CCCC proposal, which is a sort of variation on that, plus the third proposal, from management committee, which is more or less the status quo.
“I wouldn’t want to pre-empt what way the voting might go, but effectively there will be some debate, and delegates will then decide which proposal there are in most favour of. It’s a simple vote, and not a question of two-thirds majority. But there’s been quite of bit of thought gone into this, and I think in hurling anyway there have been a lot of calls for a revision of the Division One format. It would also be for a two-year cycle, normally, because it’s not an experiment, but rather if deemed to work out then would carry on for the foreseeable future.”
Based on the final league standings from 2011, the NHD and CCCC proposals would see Division 1A comprise of Kilkenny, Dublin, Waterford, Tipperary, Galway, Cork, while Division 1B would be comprised of Wexford, Offaly, Limerick, Clare, Laois, Antrim.
Likewise, Division 2A would comprise Down, Carlow, Kerry, Westmeath, Wicklow, Derry, and Division 2B of London, Kildare, Meath, Armagh, Mayo, Roscommon. The CCCC are also proposing that hurling quarter-finals and semi-finals to be reintroduced, thereby extending the season further: the NHD, however, are proposing a straight final in each division, and with the reduction in group games, would actually shorten the season.
In football, the CCCC’s proposal to revert to the 1A and 1B format – which had been in existence up until 2008 – would see Tyrone, Kildare, Westmeath, Meath, Louth, Derry, Monaghan and Galway, who are due to play in Division Two next year, now get to join Cork, Dublin, Kerry, Mayo, Armagh, Donegal, Laois and Down in Division One. Division Three and Division Four would effectively become the new Division Two and Division Three. The new format would also see the return of Division One semi-finals, while the bottom team in each of 1A and 1B would be relegated, and replaced by the top two in Division Two, with two teams also promoted/relegated from Division Two and Division Three.
“The feeling in football is that there’s very little difference between the current Division One and Division Two,” says McGill, “but more importantly it addresses the perceived staleness of the football league. It would also give teams in Division Three the chance to move straight up to the top flight, which the new Division 1A and 1B would effectively be. In both football and hurling it is possible for the status quo to continue, but the CCCC have a responsibility to look at the league structures and consider ways to improve them.”
PROPOSED CHANGES
National Hurling League
Extending Division 1 from eight to 12 teams, and splitting them into Division 1A and 1B: Division 1A comprising of Kilkenny, Dublin, Waterford, Tipperary, Galway, Cork, while Division 1B would comprise of Wexford, Offaly, Limerick, Clare, Laois, Antrim. Likewise, Division 2A would comprise of Down, Carlow, Kerry, Westmeath, Wicklow, Derry, and Division 2B of London, Kildare, Meath, Armagh, Mayo and Roscommon. Developing hurling counties, or bottom nine, would effectively be run separate to the actual league proper.
National Football League
Revert to the Division 1A and Division 1B format – where Cork, Dublin, Kerry, Mayo, Armagh, Donegal, Laois and Down, would be joined by Tyrone, Kildare, Westmeath, Meath, Louth, Derry, Monaghan and Galway. Division 3 and Division 4 would effectively become the new Division 2 and Division 3. Plus a return of Division 1 semi-finals and final.
