Seán Moran looks at the newest proposals aimed at reviving the Railway Cup

A final attempt to salvage the Railway Cup will be made at tomorrow's Central Council meeting. GAA trustee Noel Walsh, a long-time supporter of the inter-provincial matches, will make a presentation of his proposals to move the competition onto a firmer footing.

Several attempts have been made in recent years - including a special committee report - to revive the once famous event, but a number of factors, including player availability, public indifference and no fixed place in the games calendar, ensured a downward spiral in its fortunes.

According to Walsh, the causes of the current situation are as follows: poor marketing and promotion, thoughtless fixture-making and no imagination in the selection of venues.

In order to remedy these failings, he proposes that matches should be played on a Sunday with no competing major fixtures and at medium-sized venues accommodating a few thousand spectators, located within easy reach of both competing provinces.

His choice of semi-final dates - the first two weekends in October - will cause some surprise as it clashes with the now established dates for the International Rules series.

It is proposed to play the football and hurling finals on the last weekend in October at overseas venues, New York for football and a European city for hurling.

Walsh believes that the host county and province should play a major role in the marketing and promotion of the events. In addition, he argues that a strong sponsorship deal would considerably enhance the profile of the matches and their media coverage.

To this end he has negotiated the support of two as yet unnamed parties: one a company with a "strong previous record of GAA sponsorship" and the other a national daily newspaper, which has agreed "to work in conjunction with the sponsors in the promotion of the recommendations put forward here and are quite enthusiastic about the future success of the competition".

The concept of playing Railway Cup finals overseas has been floated before but failed to attract the support of the GAA's Management Committee.

Tomorrow's Central Council meeting is not making a final decision on the future of the inter-provincial competitions, but it will respond to the proposals drawn up by Walsh.

The Players Committee, chaired by Jarlath Burns, conducted a recent survey that indicated strong support from players for the retention of the inter-provincial competitions.