With vice-chairman Mike Connelly warning that footballers may start playing other codes to make up for a lack of competitive games, it’s little wonder that changes to club fixtures dominate the motions to be discussed at next Monday’s Mayo GAA County Convention in Claremorris.
Connelly, who is also chairman of Mayo County Board’s Competition Controls Committee, has suggested that “clubs will pay the price” if the status quo remains and that such lengthy breaks to the fixtures calendar remain.
“When you see this year some clubs did not have competitive football from July 22 to October 7, a total of 11 weeks, we can’t be happy with this, the clubs can’t be happy with this either. Players won’t hang around, they will go to other codes to fill their needs if we can’t.
“Inter-county football changes have put more and more pressure on club fixtures. Playing all our national league games in the one calendar year does not help; the back door championship system also brings its own problems. We can make some change to help ourselves but the CCC in Croke Park must also have a closer look at the opportunities to improve our club calendar fixtures,” Connelly will report to convention.
Knockmore GAA Club have submitted a motion that would see the County Senior League restructured into divisions consisting of eight teams. Each division would play seven home games and seven away games with Rounds 1 to 7 being the reverse of Rounds 8 to 14. The club states that the CCC would have the power to designate up to seven of these rounds as starred rounds i.e. where clubs will be required to participate without any player named on the county senior team panel.
Ballintubber GAA Club, however, are opposed to ‘starred games’ for the 2013 season but do submit that in a repeat circumstance of the season just gone, that the option be seriously considered ahead of the 2014 campaign.
Castlebar Mitchels, who were crowned senior league champions last Sunday, want the County Board to ensure that all league fixtures are completed by the date of the county championship final irrespective of the success of the county team. Mitchels have also sought assurances that no club will be penalised in any way to meet the fine of €10,000 imposed by the Connacht Council on the Mayo County Board for its failure to travel to New York for the FBD final.