Kerry county chair Seán Walsh has trenchantly criticised the new GAA calendar, agreed at last October's special congress. Designed to give club programmes more space in the season, the proposals provide for a four-week window between the end of the National Leagues and the beginning of the provincial championships. Seán Moranreports

Walsh, who steps down in 12 months after 10 years in the chair, was speaking during his address to last night's Kerry county convention. He said he didn't believe this break in the intercounty schedules would benefit clubs.

"Leaving a month between the end of the National League and the start of the championship will not help club fixtures and serves nobody. Only two teams can get to the final of the leagues and the start of the championship affects all teams," he said.

"That the winners of the Munster football championship do not play again until the (All-Ireland) championship quarter-final, six weeks later, is ridiculous. This will not help the clubs or the county teams. Planning a club fixtures list with this scenario would prove almost impossible, because losing a provincial final or semi-final must also be taken into consideration.

"I contend that the complete intercounty fixture list should be tightened up, with the championship starting in the first week in May and finishing not later than the first week in September - bearing in mind that from the middle of August only two teams will be left in the championship.

"A call for more time to be made available for club championship football during the summer is, I believe, the wrong call. More and more clubs are finding it difficult to field their strongest team during the peak summer months for championship football. This is the time when all club league football should be played.

"With the dramatic rise in interest in the junior and intermediate championships, to go along with the already popular club championship, and with all three competitions now going to All-Ireland level, it is far more practical for a fixtures committee to have more time post-All Ireland than during the summer."

In relation to the International Rules series, Walsh - who was the administrative manager of Ireland during this year's Tests - welcomed last week's Central Council decision to suspend the internationals for at least a year.

"I made the point last year that what happened in Australia during the second Test was unacceptable and if there was any repetition of this behaviour it would be very difficult for the GAA to continue with the series. I believe this year was even worse. I am absolutely convinced what happened in the first 15 minutes of the second Test was pre-meditated by the Australian management."

He went on to express the hope that, for all the difficulties involved in negotiating a new beginning for the series with the AFL, the GAA would be successful in re-establishing an event that has the enthusiastic support of players.

". . . the behaviour of the Australians has now cast a serious doubt about the continuing of the series. Any utterings from the Australian officials about their support for the series and their willingness to have it continue should be seen for the useless rhetoric that it is.

"I wish the officials of Cumann Lúthchleas Gael, who will be negotiating with the Australian officials, the best of luck in their task and hope for the sake of our players, who have indicated a willingness for the series (to continue), that their deliberations will be successful and that the series can be resurrected sometime in the future."

It was also confirmed that Austin Stack Park in Tralee has been the target of interest from developers. This is in keeping with a trend that has seen proposals for GAA grounds in town centres to be acquired in return for state-of-the-art facilities more peripherally situated.

Meanwhile, the secretary of the Fermanagh referees' sub-committee, Emmet Lavelle, has been very critical of attitudes towards match officials. In his annual report, Lavelle says that such behaviour is undermining the future of refereeing.

"These unsavoury incidents do nothing to further the aims of the GAA and, in particular, help to hinder progress being made in the recruiting of referees," he says. "It must be remembered that clubs are responsible for the recruitment of referees. Anyone interested in refereeing and witnessing such spectacles may feel inclined not to take up the task.

"By not condemning such behaviour, are we not giving the green light for it to continue?"