NEXT SEASON's National Football League may be radically overhauled. A memo has been circulated to county boards in order to take soundings on a reversion to the system of `mixed ability' divisions which was tried with some success five years ago. Nothing will be decided until the counties' responses have been received and considered.
"We've had two two-year cycles since the experiment was last tried," according to a Croke Park source, "and we have asked counties to consider whether \hey, would be in favour of repeating it. We have no view on the matter until we know the views of the counties.
"The last time this was tried, the League threw up fixtures between very strong counties and less successful counties who generally gave them a big reception. We'll see what the county officers say."
The experiment was tried during the 1992-93 season and was immensely successful on a number of levels. Crowds for that competition were significantly up on previous years, even allowing for the fact that the record-breaking final between Donegal and Dublin went to a replay. yielding two attendances of 60,000-plus.
During the regulation divisional matches. crowds also rose as, amongst other fixtures, then All-Ireland champions Donegal travelled to Carlow and received a great welcome as well as a tougher match than they might have expected. Kerry also travelled to Kilkenny, the only non-senior team in the League, who lost heavily but enjoyed the opportunity to play high-class opposition.
In addition to the larger crowds at final attendances were also significantly increased as the best eight teams in the League qualified.
At the end of the season the four divisions were split into four bands. The top two teams in each division qualified for the quarter-finals and also for the following season's Division One. All third and fourth placed teams qualified for Division Two, fifth and sixth for Division Three and seventh and eighth for Division Four.
The format is unlikely to find favour with first-division managers who will view the reduction in quality of the opposition they face as unhelpful to team development. In the other divisions, however, there may well be a majority of counties willing to try their luck in an overhaul of the grading system as well as welcoming the opportunity to take on at least two first-division sides during the regulation matches.
Meanwhile, a number of teams defer selection ahead of the weekend's championship fixtures until later in the week. Armagh, who travel to Omagh to play reigning champions of the past two years Tyrone, leave selection until tomorrow.
John McEntee, one of Crossmaglen's principal contributors in the march to the All-Ireland club title, is the main injury concern, but he is joined in the ranks of the doubtful starters by Neil Smyth, John Rafferty, Mark McNeill and Ger Reid.
In the other Ulster match, Cavan and Fermanagh replay at Clones. Both sides are expected to announce their selections later today.
Finally, Cork's football management has been taken aback to hear that Liam Honohan has informed the county board that he will not be available for the senior panel this summer. Honohan's loss is all the more marked given the serious knee injury suffered by regular centre-fielder Damien O'Neill.
