Sport

Clubs fighting a losing battle in football's fixtures balancing act

While it's understandable managers like Mickey Harte wouldn't want county players playing club games too close to an inter-county clash, greater attention must be paid to the fixture disruption being caused for so many club footballers 
While it's understandable managers like Mickey Harte wouldn't want county players playing club games too close to an inter-county clash, greater attention must be paid to the fixture disruption being caused for so many club footballers  While it's understandable managers like Mickey Harte wouldn't want county players playing club games too close to an inter-county clash, greater attention must be paid to the fixture disruption being caused for so many club footballers  (seamus loughran)

EVERY county player looks forward to the summer months. The buzz that comes with playing big games on hard pitches in July and August is what it’s all about.

All the hard grind put in from early in the year is worth it when there is the prospect of playing regular matches. Unfortunately, the majority of footballers play little football at this time of year.

I’ve written before about the plight of club footballers, but I felt the need to re-visit the issue after the events in Tyrone last week. For those from outside the county, league games were fixed for last weekend but were called off after a request from the Tyrone management.

I wasn’t surprised to see the games called off as it is not ideal preparation for the county team going into a knockout Championship match. By the rules, county players are not eligible to play for their clubs within six days of an All-Ireland Qualifier match, while these games were fixed outside of that period.

I totally understand Mickey Harte not wanting his players to play for their clubs. When I was playing I would have agreed with him as it would hinder the county team’s chances of success.

The main issue is that clubs received less than 48 hours notice that the games would not go ahead. It’s the second time this year that matches have been cancelled at such short notice.

A lot of clubs have players working in England and Scotland who fly home every weekend to play. Many players arrange work at weekends around their football commitments. The Tyrone CCC seem oblivious to the sacrifices made by their club players.

One area that I used to praise the fixture-makers on is that they provide players with dates that games will NOT be played in July. That allows players to book holidays knowing they will not miss any games.

However, the games called off last weekend are now re-fixed for July 21, a time when players had booked holidays. This has only added to the frustration of clubs. We have players willing to book holidays to ensure they don’t miss games and then the fixtures get changed.

On top of this, the games on July 21 will be called off if Tyrone reach the All-Ireland quarter-finals. Does a player working in England book flights now in anticipation of Tyrone being knocked out?


Some of the decisions being made really defy logic and all they do is annoy players further.

Unfortunately, uncertainty surrounding club fixtures is a regular occurrence in virtually every county. If I take the example of my own club, they have played eight games to date this year. They are scheduled to play again later this month but, beyond that, no dates are set.

The situation is replicated around the country. We must surely be the only sport that has no set schedule in place for players.

I have said many times that those trying to organise club fixtures will never come up with the perfect solution. Clubs are unwilling to play too many games without their county men. With the overly long county season it is impossible to give club players regular games.

However, county boards need to make the best of the situation they are in. It is impossible to set dates for games when the county team season could end at various stages. All that club players want to know is the different scenarios depending on when the county team is eliminated from the Championship.

The most worrying aspect is that the situation is only getting worse for the average club player. Having played county football I can see both sides of the argument.

County players in Tyrone will play a minimum of 70 per cent of their club’s games in the year. I would suggest that is one of the better ratios in the country.

There is always the argument that players getting little game-time for their county should be allowed to play all the games with their club. However, it would be impossible to maintain harmony within a county squad if different rules were applied to players.

Club players should be treated with the same respect as county players. You would never have a situation where a county team doesn’t know when their next game is, games wouldn’t be called off at short notice, and they wouldn’t accept having minimal preparation for Championship matches.

Much has been made of the increasing demands being put on county players, but the commitment levels of club players continue to increase as well. The ordinary club player organises much of their life around their football commitments; the least they should get in return are dates to organise around.

I’ve no doubt most county managers see club football as a hindrance. County players are caught in the middle. All they want to do is play for both their club and their county.

They don’t want to train for weeks on end without games as the current county season allows. I have no doubt that county players would prefer a shorter season. I never looked forward to the prospect of playing club games in November.

The simple solution is to separate the county and club seasons. A county season lasting nine months is far too long and a compressed season would allow for regular club games within a structured season.

The current situation is putting players off playing county football, certainly amongst those not making the starting team. Tyrone had a number of players who withdrew from the county panel at the end of the National League and I’ve no doubt some of the withdrawals were down to players wanting to play all of their club’s games.

There is huge unhappiness throughout the country amongst club players. There are many talking about the club v county battle. In reality, there isn’t any battle as the clubs are always on the losing side.

It’s time to address the imbalance in the game and make some hard decisions.