Football

Majority of members in favour of a tiered football Championship say GPA

GPA CEO and Dublin footballer Paul Flynn Picture by Hugh Russell
GPA CEO and Dublin footballer Paul Flynn Picture by Hugh Russell GPA CEO and Dublin footballer Paul Flynn Picture by Hugh Russell

THE CEO of the Gaelic Players’ Association has said the findings of an extensive survey of its membership in favour of a tiered football Championship represents “a significant shift in player opinion”.

Paul Flynn was speaking on the same day the GPA released the findings of its membership consultation, which was conducted as part of the overall GAA fixtures review.

According to the GPA, the player consultation was carried out through membership surveys, player focus groups, feedback from player representatives around the country and discussions at its recent AGM.

The finding sure to raise the most eyebrows is that 60 per cent of the organisation’s footballing members are now in favour of a move towards a tiered Championship. In 2016, when such a move was mooted, panels from Division Four counties agreed to boycott any ‘B championship’.

“While the GPA’s previous proposal for reform for football competitions was rejected by GAA Central Council in December 2015, it is interesting to note many elements of that proposal such as the group-style format, bringing forward the All Ireland finals and a more condensed season, have since been adopted,” said six-time All-Ireland winner Flynn.

“This shows the importance of having players involved in developing proposals to change the game.”

One concern raised during the consultation was the lack of actual Championship games for many counties, with some being restricted to two games, one in their provincial Championship and the other in the Qualifiers, before their summer is brought to an end.

Among the other findings of the GPA’s consultation were that almost three-quarters of players were satisfied that the new competition format allowed for a sufficient number of games against teams of equal standard. However, satisfaction was greater among hurlers (90 per cent) than footballers (53 per cent); while there is a lack of any meaningful off season for players, echoing the recent ESRI report findings.

In relation to feedback on ‘April Club Month’, players had differing views and each county seems to interpret it differently. Over 50 squads said they were expected to train with their county as well as club in April.

Last week, the GPA presented these findings to the Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) and made the following recommendations: A task force to be set up to with all relevant bodies with the aim of delivering effective change. This group should have an urgent mandate to deliver change quickly; in advance of any future change to the football Championships, there must be consultation with the GPA; there should be an urgent review of the closed-season policies in the GAA to address the issues of players having little or no time off.

Dublin forward Flynn added: “The fixtures conversation is an important one and players are at the heart of it.

“We wanted to hear the players’ experience of the 2018 season so that we could bring it to the attention of the GAA and push hard for player-centred change. We now have a strong mandate from our members to demand real and meaningful change to the fixtures schedule to allow players to better manage the intense demands of the modern game.

“We all want to ensure that the game flourishes into the future. It’s essential that the players voice is heard and respected by the decision makers in the GAA and the GPA will be focused hard on ensuring that this happens.”