PLAYERS across the board have been left “short-changed” because the GAA “didn’t throw a punch at all for our members” over the lack of elite status, says Oisin McConville.
Inter-county games are set to return in two weeks’ time having not been allowed under the government’s restrictions around Covid-19.
Other sporting organisations were able to continue but the GAA was informed earlier this year that it had lost its elite status, which they didn’t subsequently take the Irish government to task over.
That has contributed to the fact that the inter-county football championship will be a straight knockout competition again in 2021, in order to accommodate as much club activity as possible afterwards.
“I think players at inter-county level have definitely been short-changed and the reason I think that is because of the level of commitment and level of training that they've already done, whether that be individually or collectively,” says McConville.
“I hope next season is going to bring a lot more normality but I think they've been short changed because you would think at the very, very least that we would have went back to a back-door system.
"I understand what we're saying about our hands being tied but that goes back to another argument altogether in that we gave in very easily when our elite status was taken away.
“I don't think we threw a punch at all for our members and I think that has continued with no club football being back...even training in pods or whatever, just something to give people something and know that you as an organisation are fighting for what's going on at club level.
“Then obviously, as I say, we accepted the loss of our elite status, I think, way too easily. That's why we've ended up in a situation that we've ended up with, with such a condensed season.
“Look at the difference between the hurlers who are starting in 10 days, when you look at their preparation period, three weeks, they didn't have a problem with that.
“I don't think the footballers would have had either if you'd said, 'Listen, we're going to throw in an extra game' or 'we're going to throw in the backdoor system but your preparation for the league just won't be what you expect it to be or want it to be'.
“I think they'd have been very accepting of that but I just think it goes back to the problem, way back in December or January when we were told our elite status was gone and we didn't throw a punch for our members at all.”
Asked if he believed the GAA’s failure to fight their corner on elite status was related to the need for government funding to run its inter-county championships, McConville replied: “You must think it's funding when you mention funding but I would say that there's a possibility that some of it will have to do with funding but I also think a lot of it is to do with the way we view ourselves.
“When you see the other sports going back and how hard I'm sure they were fighting behind the scenes to make sure they got back, and we were told that from a GAA point of view there was no appetite, and that wasn't the feelings of the membership.
“There was a huge appetite to get back. It's frowned upon if you don't mention the state of the country and the pandemic and all of those things but I don't think the two of those things really correlate when you're talking about what we're talking about, outdoor activity, but again that's a whole different conversation altogether.”
His native Armagh have been handed a relatively favourable Ulster Championship draw, being paired with Antrim in the quarter-final and avoiding the side of the draw that contains Donegal, Tyrone and champions Cavan.
In terms of the grand scheme of things, the Crossmaglen native feels that Ulster has been the worst affected by the move to a knockout system and believes change will not happen in terms of the provincial championships until the four provincial bodies receive financial assurances.
“I think in normal circumstances it is okay but it is a little bit dated. Normally I would say being in the Ulster championship is a little bit unfair, especially if you are a team coming from the preliminary round. A little bit unfair as in you have a lot of football to play by the time you get out of Ulster but the fact there was a backdoor system definitely helped.
“If you ask who does the knock-out system affect most, I think it is the Ulster championship because you look at the likes of definitely Donegal and Tyrone who you would imagine be two of your teams in the quarter-finals and you could probably also, on Cavan’s performance last year - and they will be buoyed by that – they will be a possibility, so will Monaghan and so would Armagh at this stage.
“That is five teams that would have a realistic possibility of getting themselves into a quarter-final and because of that the knock-out system has affected Ulster teams more than anybody.”
