Hurling Calender Format

I personally think european rugby has it correct.you play in your domestic league in our case province which in turn determines if you make it into the a competition or b competition.

I would have 3 groups of 4, top two in each group go to quarter finals, best 2 3rd place teams also making quaters. To go one further i would also have an "A" sheild comp where the other 8 teams play. Same in 2nd tier, 3 groups four. Bottom tier two groups. Make for the normal lesser counties getting more games against big teams at all levels.

For the hurling calender then youd have:

Jan - feb Provincial leagues (replace provincial championsips)
march - april (club fixt only)
May - june (Group stages)
July (club fixt only)
Aug _ Sept (knock out stage and club activity as teams go out)



Football could operate on a similar level, scrap the domestic pre season comps ie walsh cup, also scrap national league and create a season long calender of meaningful fixtures, with proper marketing and promotion it would work well.

Nw stadiums in belfast and cork could in rotation with thurles host the "a" sheild final along with the 2nd tier cup and sheild all in same day. With the 3rd tier cup and sheild being played prior to a A Sheild semi final.

I still believe and take another idea from rugby that the likes of fermanagh, lietrim, donegal and sligo plus other counties should amalgmate to form a second tier team meaning only 2 tiers in hurling.

North Side Gael wrote:I personally think european rugby has it correct.you play in your domestic league in our case province which in turn determines if you make it into the a competition or b competition.

I would have 3 groups of 4, top two in each group go to quarter finals, best 2 3rd place teams also making quaters. To go one further i would also have an "A" sheild comp where the other 8 teams play. Same in 2nd tier, 3 groups four. Bottom tier two groups. Make for the normal lesser counties getting more games against big teams at all levels.

For the hurling calender then youd have:

Jan - feb Provincial leagues (replace provincial championsips)
march - april (club fixt only)
May - june (Group stages)
July (club fixt only)
Aug _ Sept (knock out stage and club activity as teams go out)



Football could operate on a similar level, scrap the domestic pre season comps ie walsh cup, also scrap national league and create a season long calender of meaningful fixtures, with proper marketing and promotion it would work well.

Nw stadiums in belfast and cork could in rotation with thurles host the "a" sheild final along with the 2nd tier cup and sheild all in same day. With the 3rd tier cup and sheild being played prior to a A Sheild semi final.

I still believe and take another idea from rugby that the likes of fermanagh, lietrim, donegal and sligo plus other counties should amalgmate to form a second tier team meaning only 2 tiers in hurling.

I like they way you look for answers NSG, problem is we now don't have that many hurling people on the site to get a good debate going on it which is a real shame.

Provincial leagues wouldn't be a bad idea in Ulster and Connacht, however you will get the silly traditionalists that think the world will stop turning if you get rid of their provincial championships! With Ulster leading the way in county participation in their provincial championship, i feel a 2 tier league there would prove fruitful for county development with perhaps the likes of the other Connacht counties joining in, that way would could help improve other proviences as well.

Personally thinking, the gaa traditionalists are holding the games back in so many ways. They are the ones who want to keep increasing gate prices without marketing the games and so on.

I personally am bit of a traditionalist and have been in contact with croke park regarding my other idea, which is to keep the liam mc carthy format as present, but reactivate ulster and connaught minus galway and antrim plus weak leinster teams and kerry should they wish (possibly antrim and galway intermediate teams too), these provincial winners going straight into christy ring cup semis, with the rest playing a back door qualifier, teams knocked out in first and second round qualifiers playing for nicky rackard.

This system would be close to old system and teach the do or die top level scenario ragarded to play liam mc carthy.

Provinces for 2nd tier

ULSTER
Antrim 2nd
Down
Armagh
Derry
Donegal
Monaghan
Cavan
Fermanagh
Tyrone
Louth


Connaught
Kerry
Mayo
sligo
Lietrim
Roscommon
Kildare
Galway 2nds
Longford
Fingal
Wicklow

I genuinely feel this could work especially in the development of lower tiers, it also introduces more silverware to counties to play for and will make them feel part of the real format.

You've put some serious thought into this NSG. Fair play. I think the Gaa need to do something like this to revive the hurling championship, getting duller by the year. Like the way you have included club fixtures which would keep the club player playing throughout the year. This format would obviously mean the scraping of the Winter training ban which I think is needed. At least reviewed and restricted to maybe November, like the players will be in the gym anyway so whats the difference. Interesting to see if Croke Park will respond, keep us updated.

A call by Galway to scrap the provincial format for the All-Ireland U-21 hurling championships may be a forerunner to a similar proposal at senior level.

Galway will bring a motion to Congress next month, calling for the reorganisation of the U-21 championships on a round-robin basis (four groups of four), with the four winners qualifying for the All-Ireland semi-finals.

Wexford are also in the mood for change at U-21 level, proposing the introduction of All-Ireland quarter-finals, featuring the beaten Leinster and Munster finalists against Galway and the Ulster champions.

Galway's proposal emerged from a report of a review group set up in the county last year. Hurling Board chairman Joe Byrne said that the group recommended that Galway push for a U-21 championship system which would give players more games.

Development

"Galway get either one or two U-21 games every year, depending on how we do in the semi-final. We feel it would be more advantageous for the development of players between minor and senior level if they got more U-21 games," Byrne said.

"In terms of winning U-21 All-Irelands, Galway have done well under the current system but our expert group believe that players would develop more if they were guaranteed some extra games in this grade."

If the system was changed at U-21 level, pressure could mount on calls for an experiment with a similar format at senior grade.

GAA director general Paraic Duffy raised the possibility of scrapping the provincial hurling championships in his annual report this year. He also referred to the possibility of Galway minor and U-21s following the seniors into Leinster. However, there's no great appetite for that in Galway.

A review of the Galway/Antrim involvement in the Leinster SHC will be undertaken at the end of 2013.

- Martin Breheny

Irish Independent

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It would be a travesty if the current format was scrapped, it is the one true intercounty knockout competition and year on year throws up excellent games. Round robin will only lead to a load of meaningless and one sided games. If Galway want more games then a spot should be made in both provincial championships for them and the Ulster winners and there should be an open draw between the two every year to see who joins Leinster and who joins Munster for the coming year. Otherwise leave it be

Would have to agree with you here puke, think the better option would be to put antrim and galway into leinster and munster and go from their.

Have to say i totally disagree with Wexfords idea as it does nothing but disadvantage antrim and galway.