Club Players Association hopeful on fixture calendar reform after discussions with GAA

The Club Players Association (CPA) is cautiously optimistic about recent discussions with the GAA about reforming the fixtures calendar.

Club Players Association hopeful on fixture calendar reform after discussions with GAA

Provisional Allianz League results released earlier this week indicated a similar timeframe to last year with the competitions beginning at the end of January, the Division 1A final taking place on March 24 with the football deciders the following weekend.

Although there is no change per se on that count, hurling’s Division 1 quarter-finals are expected to be jettisoned at the second time of asking, therefore freeing up a weekend, and the CPA are more interested on what can be done to make more space for club players around inter-county championship time.

Upon invitation from GAA president John Horan and director general Tom Ryan, the CPA attended a fixtures discussion group in Croke Park last Wednesday week, where the likes of Brian Cody and Malachy O’Rourke attended as well as other inter-county managers, central fixtures committees, county boards, and Croke Park officials.

The objective of the meeting was to discuss recommendations on how to free up more time for clubs in the national fixtures programme. The supported proposals will be put in front of Central Council and the Central Competitions Control Committee.

The common ground on the day was that club players were clearly without meaningful games in the summer months and it needed to be addressed. The CPA again implored the GAA for the need of a “blank canvas approach” instead of change in stages by agreeing designated periods in the calendar for club and inter-county teams.

There is a understanding across the board that there won’t be significant change to the calendar in 2019 but it is the CPA’s hope major improvements will be brought to Congress next year with a mind to being implemented in 2020.

Speaking on The Sunday Game from Dublin’s Gibson Hotel at the weekend, Horan said of the August 29 meeting:

Meanwhile Munster champions Cork have the biggest representation among the nominees for the Bord Gáis Energy U21 Team of the Year. In total 11 players from the Rebel County make the list while All-Ireland champions Tipperary and Leinster winners Galway both have nine players.

Leinster runners-up Wexford have six on the 45-man shortlist.

GAA Bord Gáis Energy U21 Team of the Year (shortlist)

Goalkeepers:

Billy Nolan (Waterford), Barry Hogan (Tipperary), Ger Collins (Cork);

Right corner back:

Paddy Smyth (Dublin), David Lowney (Cork), Damien Reck (Wexford);

Full Back:

Darren Byrne (Wexford), Jack Fitzpatrick (Galway), Brian McGrath (Tipperary);

Left Corner Back:

Killian O’Dwyer (Tipperary), Shane Bannon (Galway), Niall O’Leary (Cork);

Right Half Back:

Fintan Burke (Galway), Conor Prunty (Waterford), Billy Hennessy (Cork);

Centre Back:

Kyle Hayes (Limerick), Make Coleman (Cork), Robert Byrne (Tipperary);

Left Half Back:

Dylan Quirke (Tipperary), Jack Grealish (Galway), Ian Carty (Wexford);

Midfield:

Darragh Fitzgibbon (Cork), Richie Leahy (Kilkenny), Tom Monaghan (Galway), Seán Loftus (Galway), Ger Browne (Tipperary), Conor Cahalane (Cork);

Right Half Forward:

Brian Ryan (Limerick), Robbie O’Flynn (Cork), Joe O’Connor (Wexford);

Centre Forward:

Jerome Cahill (Tipperary), Rory O’Connor (Wexford), Declan Dalton (Cork);

Left Half Forward:

Killian Doyle (Wesmeath), Cianan Fahy (Galway), Shane Kingston (Cork);

Right Corner Forward:

Jake Morris (Tipperary), Kevin Cooney (Galway), Colin Currie (Dublin);

Full Forward:

Tim O’Mahoney (Cork), John Donnelly (Kilkenny), Mark Kehoe (Tipperary);

Left Corner Forward:

Simon Casey (Wexford), Evan Niland (Galway), Chris Nolan (Carlow)

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