I'm told the Leagues start in early April, though obviously the County Board meeting next Monday will decide.

Should this not have been decided at the County Board AGM? Put to the clubs to decide?

The way the league was run was fine. Give free weekends on bank holiday weekends, don't play fixtures mid week and there will be no team idle for any length of time.

Also introduce promotion and relegation play offs. It's not rocket science. This thing of delaying the start of the league by 5 or 6 weeks is hair brained.

If Kildare get an early exit this year the League will be a farce.

It started last year at the end of March, so it is only a week or two later anyway. It's not a radical difference.

I'm with Fionn on this one, I can't see any reason why they can't start the league the first week in March or prefarably even earlier?, all the nuisance cups like the Keogh, Aldridge etc can played off under lights midweek.

Common sense would dictate to get the league out of the way before the Championship starts, we have the National Football League starting in February for obvious reasons, so its done and dusted before the Championship proper starts in May.

We were still finishing off the league last year right in the middle of the championship all very rushed, of course Kildare having an extended run meant it became club vs county, the county team will win hands down everytime if last year is anything to go by.

If they insist on their plan to start the league so late, I can only envisage yet another logjam, when this can easily be avoided by engaging BRAIN!!!.

Lots of reasons kc.

1. The pitches are frequently in shite in early March. No guarantees they're better in April but it chances are that they will.

2. Secondly, the League (regulation fixtures) was over by mid-late July last year, certainly no later than the bank holiday weekend in August. There was a 5 week gap to Round 3 of the championship in September. The only overlap was in April (which the clubs voted for).

3. You say the pre-season cups are a nuisance but their existence means the clubs don't have to play pre-season friedlies to get ready for the League.

The only logjam is because the CB insist on running the championship all off in the autumn- it's nothing to do with how the League is run.

The league didn't hold anything up last year-Kildare's progress did.

We can't organise anything properly in Kildare. Look at other counties. They have the league and championship run off regardless of the county teams progress. In Cork last year the quarter finals of the football championship were played 2 weeks before Cork played Dublin. They ae able to organise it and they have more clubs.

I sure we will only know what is going to happen after the county board meeting next week. Last year the league started on the third week in March as fionnmccool said leave bank holidays free no games during the week unless a game had to be called off the Saturday/Sunday. Depends on Kildare teams should know now they might have a month of so from the finishing of the league to the championship and they should have a plan put in place in case this happens. This bulls.ite about the gap between league & championship is boring it happens every year so we should be well used to it.

correct if i am wrong started in march ended in july and league final was on at end of august

Right are fone you think me as well

Rgb the pitches seem to be ok for the inter county teams in feb?

Trying to jog my memory but wasn't the league final played the saturday night (28th) before Kildare played Down?.

We had a case last year when the county championship resumed after Kildare were knocked out. teams were playing every w/end the only two week gap was after the semi's were decided, both Moorefield and Laurences also played a league final the week before the championship resumed.
Surely this situation can easily be prevented from happening again, even if Kildare have another extended championship run?.

the leagues fixtures were more or less finished by the end of july...the finals were delayed by clubs not wanting to play crucial relagation/promotion games without county players...eadstown held up div3 final by calling off fixtures in the hope they mite have bolton for re fixtures.

Lads the last round of the league was played in July and 3rd round of the championship was played at the end of September. there was in fact 10 WEEKS between competitive matches for most clubs!!!!

2 and a half months in the best weather your going to get in this country!!

Anyone who objects to a late start to the league is either not a player / mentor or is a complete gobshite!!!

The average GAA club players training season has become over 10 months long to play about 20 - 25 competitive matches.
If that keeps up most guys will stop playing at 25 or earlier through either injury or due to the fact that you cannot have a life alongside playing!!

mrblobby, your obviously from TMH the club that proposed a later start to the League.

I play club football. I'm against a late start to the league. And I dont like the fact that your calling someone a complete gobshite for not agreeing with your view point. There's enough gobshite from your own clubs declaring for other counties without having to look outside your own dressing room.

The break between the League and Champ was excessively long this year, but I know a lot of people use to use it to go on holidays. When is one suppose to go on hoildays during all this.
March?

Yes they are ok for League fixtures most of the time kc....that's only a few pitches though.

You're missing my main point though- the League wasn't the main reason for the latter part of the championship being compressed into September and October. It wasn't even a minor reason. It had nowt to do with it.

The gap between the end of the League and the restart of the championship was an issue for most clubs last year. Your proposal makes that gap bigger.

Fionn think what you like but I didnt personally attack you or your club. And if you have a problem with players moving to another county to play at a higher level I suppose you should really ask them why they did it rather than personally name calling.

From talking to many players and officers from many different clubs they all agree that a shorter season for club players is an absolute must.

Sure you couldnt even plan a holiday for that gap as you werent even sure form one week to the next when a match would be on, never mind a couple of months in advance.

My proposal is that they have a fixture list at the start of the season for senior football in the county and then we can all book our holidays. In the first two weeks of January it should be decided, the league will start on x and finish 15 weeks later. Then the championship starts and runs to a finish.

Its hardly rocket science lads.

If you start the league on May the 8th and run it playing one match per week it would finish on August 14th.
If you want you could have no matches on a Bank Holiday weekend but play it the wed before or the wed after.