Split club and inter-county season seems best way forward for GAA

Inside Track with John McIntyre

A radical shift in the GAA’s attitude towards its fixtures making could be on the way as a legacy of the coronavirus. With sport still being hugely impacted by the pandemic, the Association has potentially stumbled on a solution to the protracted tug-of-war between the club and inter-county arena.

Look at what’s happening at present. Due to the reduced timeframe available in which to run off the truncated club and inter-county programme, the GAA has already bitten the bullet in trying to get their schedule completed in 2020. Sure, they have been compromises – notably the reduced number of games and the abandoning of the provincial and All-Ireland club campaigns – but at least the matches are taking place.

Of course, the big change was the decision to run off the club campaigns before embarking on the inter-county championships. And apart from the frustrating ban on crowds at matches and all the resulting agitation, you’d have to say that this new schedule – admittedly forced on the GAA – is being enthusiastically received.

Now, the GPA – the body which represents the inter-county players – has floated the plan of having two defined seasons at elite and club level. In a nutshell, their proposal is to complete the inter-county programme between the months of February and July, with the focus then turning exclusively to the club scene.

It would automatically result in those pre-season tournaments like the FBD League and the Walsh Cup falling by the wayside, but that would be no bad thing. Already, there is far too much activity going on in January, with the third level Fitzgibbon and Sigerson Cups being pushed to one side.

Naturally, such a schedule would come with inherent difficulties. For starters, will clubs be content with a few league games to keep them ticking over until August, while the GAA would also run the risk of having few high-profile matches to promote for five months of the year. The value of publicity to any sport should never be under-estimated.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.

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