Cork County Football Championship - Proposal for change

1.       Overview:

Currently, there are 65 teams eligible to compete across three tiers in Cork football with 30 in senior, 14 in premier intermediate and 21 in intermediate. The current league and championship structure have led to numerous un-competitive matches, fixture congestion and uncertainty, falling attendances at games due to their unattractive nature, declining numbers playing football in the county as well as unfulfilled/meaningless league and championship encounters throughout the year.

This culmination of all of this has impacted greatly on the competitiveness of the Cork inter-county football set-up. I have looked at one proposal of how this could be solved commencing from 2019 with significant planning required from the end of the current campaigns to influence badly needed change.

A lot has been spoken about other issues relating to football in teh county but I am just going to focus on the current league and championship structures. 

2.       The aim of Proposal:

I have created a proposal keeping the following 5 aims in mind throughout:

1)      A County Championship where there is an approx. 16 teams in each grade to improve the competitiveness of the grade and in turn, increase the attractiveness of the competition;

2)      Certainty around championship and league fixtures for all players;

3)      A competitive and meaningful league and championship campaigns all the way to completion for both inter-county and non-inter-county players;

4)      A window for a Round Robin championship format in late spring/early summer with a competitive knockout competition for all clubs/players post All-Ireland series; and

5)      The introduction of countywide Premier-Junior competition administered by the county board.   

3.       The Pillars for Restructuring:

The following 4 pillars are the building blocks to the achieving the aims of this proposal. Launching straight into a restructure, without providing clubs/colleges/divisions with the appropriate opportunity to play for their grading and status, would be wholly unfair.

Therefore the changes I am proposing take place over the 2019 league and championship season.  

                    I.            County Championship 2019

-          Minor, but necessary, changes required to the 2019 senior football championship. These changes should focus on fixture certainty, ensuring proper planning and games played in the late spring / early summer and should ensure that they allow inter-county players an opportunity to get 2 competitive championship games in before the commencement of the inter-county championship.

-          Lengthily delays between rounds are unavoidable under the current structure but more needs to be done to provide certainty to all concerned re timing of fixtures/rounds.

-          Promotion and relegation for the 2020 championship to be determined from final positions in the county league program for 2019. See pillar 2 for more details.

                  II.            County League 2019

-          Seven county leagues to be created in 2019, based on the grade that you finish up in at the end of the 2018 championship program.

-          The league would be split up as follows:
   o    Senior – 3 county leagues - 1A (10 club teams), 1B (10 club teams) & 1C (10 divisions/colleges);

o  Premier Intermediate – 2 county leagues - 2A (7 teams) & 2B (7 teams)

o   Intermediate – 2 county leagues - 3A (11 teams) & 3B (10 teams)

-         It should be noted that Division 1C (Colleges and divisions) would be played on Wednesday evenings during the spring of 2019. The top 2 colleges/divisions would make it into the 2019 senior county championship and represent the colleges and divisions rather than the current knock out format.

-       The finishing position will be crucial to your clubs grading for the 2020 championship and will provide an additional incentive to win each encounter - an incentive that perhaps wained for many clubs under the current structure.  

                III.            County Championship 2020

Senior:

-          The top 13 teams from 1A and 1B of the 2019 league campaign as well as the top 2 from 1C would make up 15 of the 16 teams in the hat at the start of the 2020 senior county championship. The final place would go to the winner of the 2019 premier intermediate championship.

-          One team will be relegated at the end of the campaign.

Premier Intermediate:

-          The bottom 6 teams from 1A and 1B as well as the top 9 teams from 2A and 2B would make up 15 of the 16 teams in the hat for the start of the 2020 premier intermediate championship. The final place would go to the winner of the 2019 intermediate championship.

-          One team will be relegated and one team will be promoted at the end of the campaign.

Intermediate:

-          The bottom 4 teams from 2A and 2B as well as the top 11 teams from 3A and 3B would make up 15 of the 16 teams in the hat for the start of the 2020 intermediate championship. The final place would go to the winner of the 2019 Junior A county championship.

-          One team will be relegated and one team will be promoted at the end of the campaign.

Premier Junior:

-          The remaining 8-10 intermediate teams combined with the winning club from the 7 junior A divisional winners (excl. county winners) would comprise the 16-18 teams that would in the hat for the start of the 2020 Premier Junior championship.

-          One team will be relegated and one team will be promoted at the end of the campaign.

Other Points on new 2020 championship format:

-          Each grade to be split into 4 Groups of 4 teams with initial round robin games to be played in April – June 2020.

-          Top 2 teams from each Group go to a QF which will start 2 weeks after completion of the All Ireland football championship (providing fixture certainty to all players/management and supporters) .

-          The bottom 2 teams in each group will fight it out until one remaining team is left who will be relegated to the next grade.

                IV.            County Leagues 2020

-          There would be 6 County league divisions for club teams in 2020.

-          Division 6 would in the winners of the 8 junior A divisional titles together with the poorest performing intermediate clubs from the 2019 league campaign.   

-          Promotion and relegation of three teams would commence from this year with the top 2 fighting it out in the league finals.

-          The colleges/divisions would have their own divisional structure as set out in pillar 2 and would continue to provide 2 teams to the senior football championship.

4.       Conclusion

The above proposal should deliver the following for players, management and supporters:

-          Increased attractiveness of fixtures;

-          Competitive fixtures all year around;

-          Certainty for players/management and supporters;

-          Scope for additional competitive game time for inter-county players at all grades;

-          Opportunity for inter-county management to follow the form of players through competitive club matches;

2019 – Championship break-down	Club teams	Colleges/ Divisions	2018 Total	Proposed 2010 Total
Senior	20	10	30	16
Premier Intermediate	14	0	14	16
Intermediate	21	0	21	16
Premier Junior	-	-	-	17
Total	55	10	65	65

ENDS

GAME OVER BALL BURST

DEFLATION - PERSPECTIVE - NOSTALGIA - OPPORTUNITIES

This isn't a retirement statement per se. Writing this started off as my way of coping. It was my way of expressing my emotions to myself. But I realised pretty quickly that there were some pretty important messages worth sharing. We hear about inter-county retirements all the time and in the modern day game, the support network through many organisations such as the GPA is being built up to assist these individuals post their playing days. This is only too right. But, what about the majority who are not at that level and either through old age, simply just falling out of love with the game or in my case through injury have to leave the world of playing GAA. What are we going through and how do we cope with a pretty significant change in our lifestyle? I'd like to share how my first week has gone since finding out I will no longer be able to play football.  

A week is a long time in sport. This time last week I was after receiving the news that I had to hang up my shiny white football boots and fluorescent pink gloves after playing the game I love for the past 30+ years (I'm told I was doing a lot of kicking in the womb pre-birth so that counts right?). I have just turned 31 and had what I believed to be at least 10-15 good years left in me as a nippy corner forward. Was it tough to take.....you bet! 

The reason, well, in short, irreparable damage has been done to my cartilage around both my hips as a result of constant waring from playing football since day dot. Continuing to play could, and probably would, require me to have a hip replacement before my next birthday. As a result of this risk, and based on the surgeon's (Dr Patrick Carton in Whitfield clinic, Waterford) strong recommendations, I have been left with little option but to retire with immediate effect. It also means the official end of my hurling career but that isn't really news to anyone who ever saw me trying to catch a hurley! 

This isn't just my retirement, no, it also spells the end of the line for my mother Ann and my aunt Mary, who together kicked every single ball with me over the years!! People often forget the supporting cast but I never will. You could be down in Castletownbere for a challenge game on a Saturday afternoon and there would be mammy Sheehan and aunty Mary, after finding a local topaz to grab a take away tea to stay warm, cheering like it was an All-Ireland final. I always thought I was playing firstly for myself, but the reality was that I was also playing for my family. Hearing them talk and reminisce about my career this week, albeit like I was after passing to the next life and not just sitting at the other end of the kitchen table, was pretty heartwarming. Knowing I made them proud was my greatest achievement. 

While I have been down and a bit deflated this last week, I have always been one to look at the bigger picture to put things into perspective. I still have an ability to look after my own health, I have an amazing, supportive and beautiful fiancée who I can't wait to marry later this year and I still have a chance to throw my hand at some new challenge before I become a grumpy old man. There are far too many people, in our community and in society as a whole, who do not have this chance that I have and would be grateful to experience even a small portion of the opportunities & challenges that lie ahead of me. 

This last week has also confirmed to me that it's good to cry. I cried. I cried when I thought about what I was going to tell my family and my fiancée. I cried when I was writing down what I was going to tell my friends and teammates. I cried when telling them. I cried an awful lot when I came home that night after telling them. But, I feel much better for doing so and letting my emotions spill out. Yes, I tried to hold it in initially but quickly thought 'why would I leave an archaic ideology about cave man manliness dictate to me that I needed to be strong'. It really is good to cry and its certainly just as good, if not better, to talk. I would implore everyone to talk about your emotions and your feelings when feeling down. I am not a robot. A big part of my life had been taken away from me for good earlier than I had hoped and I was glad that I had people around me that I could talk to. 

I have had the pleasure of playing the beautiful game of football at under-age, Junior, Intermediate and Senior level for the past 22 years with both Glanworth and also Avondhu. I remember like it was only yesterday that my grandfather Jim Quirke brought me to my first underage training session in Glanworth aged 9 where I was met by 3 club legends in Ollier Ryan (RIP), Thomas Brennan (RIP) and Noel Sheehan. I remember every minor detail of that day from the kit I wore to the boots I donned, to the weather and even to the drills we did. Even from that age, I knew all I ever wanted to do was play football. 

The years literally flew by until I broke into the big boy's team. My career could have very easily taken a different direction though. My uncle Pat dropped me for a North Cork QF v Kildorrery in 2005. I found out at training the Thursday night before the Saturday evening game. It was a game which I almost didn't bother turning up for as I was so angry. It was a good job it rained that evening and I was sent home early from my summer job as I was planned on staying at work with McDonnell and drying the remaining grain. I was literally sprung from the bench at halftime as I had no interest in the kick around. We won and I scored three points. That night he rang me at 10pm asking where I was as the whole team were waiting for me to watch the DVD of the game in the local pub. I was in bed and refused to go down as I had minor training at 11am the next morning. I was still angry! 

I was lucky to have some success while playing with the club. We won a county title in 2009. I have never once in my life taken drugs but the feeling that day after winning a title like that has to be worth more than any sort of narcotic fuelled high could ever give a person. I am often reminded of this feeling by my good friend and mentor James Condon who I described this week when talking to him as a person who would sell his grandmother to win another one to bring back that feeling..........he didn't disagree and that's why we got on so well!  

The lasting effects of that day though were massive for my mental health. There is an unproven myth that men think about sex every three seconds, well if that's true then I used to think about GAA in all seconds in between. I now live at home and work in Cork. I spend hours in the car each week. Over the years I have found myself on a regular basis switching off from the harsh reality of 'grown-up' life and going back to that day in my mind. I'd apply it to whatever team or set-up I was involved with. The memories are right there at the front of my mind and the craving to get that drug back one last time was one of the key factors in what used to drive me on. It never materialised unfortunately but in my head, I was a county champion with my teammates hundreds of times. You should have seen the celebrations that followed!!!

As I got older I used to get my buzz, my adrenaline rush, not from going to the pub or on a mad drinking session at the weekend, but from coming up to the GAA field, meeting up with my friends, playing a bit of ball and going home fitter, healthier and happier. This satisfied my social needs in a way that is hard to explain. 

The messages of support that I have received since I started to tell people during the week have been a massive source of comfort and are worth more than they will ever know. GAA has provided me with more than just teammates, it has provided me with many many friends. This, combined with the incredible support of my family and friends over the last week, is something I am ever so grateful for. 

I would, however, like to take this opportunity to warn parents of younger players and kids that burn out and over training & playing is a very real risk. I couldn't be taken away from a pitch when I was growing up but this constant desire to be running around after a bag of air is what finally caught up with me. There are many examples of what I have out there in the public domain these days and I have attached the link to one very public one for your perusal -> https://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2017/1025/915248-honanif-i-kept-hurling-id-need-a-hip-replacement/ 

What GAA has given me over all these years is simply unquantifiable. I owe an awful lot for the life lessons and skills I picked up over the years while on the football field. The value of hard work and dedication, the results to be gained from digging deep when in the trenches, the responsibility required from captaincy, the meaning of friendship and teamwork, the unbridled joy of winning and the ability to cope with losing, the business like assets of communication & confidence and the sheer adrenaline rush of doing something that puts a smile on the faces of all those who spent the time to watch you and support you. 

I previously spoke publically in Glanworth church, around the time of the gathering celebrations, about the rollercoaster of emotions that I went through after losing a county semi-final in 2013. This last week has mirrored that but in the opposite way. That day we started well, faded and we lost. This last week started poorly with the news but when I consider all of the above, the perspective, the emotions, the nostalgia and the opportunities that lie ahead of me I think I can bless my lucky stars that I have been one of the lucky ones that had the chance to experience all of the above and done it with a big smile on my face. I have been able to play with so many great players (admittedly, some dodgy ones too) and teams over the years at so many different levels and age groups. I got to represent the club I love, my community and my family for so many years and those memories, those moments and even the odd medal or two can never be taken away from me. 

That's about it really. The Glanworth lads and management will have my full support for the years ahead and I will be there to assist in whatever capacity I can. They have a fantastic management team led by local lads who have a real passion and drive for success and should they go on to lift silverware at the end of the season you won't find many happier people than me in this neck of the woods! 

#HarbourAbu

#HipsDontLie

#WhiteBootsDOMakeYouRunFaster

Divisional Involvement in the Senior Ranks.........It’s worth giving it socks

"Fair play for turning up tonight lads"

Who the hell praises senior footballers for simply 'turning up'? This was my first thought as I packed away my well-worn black and amber socks for another year. I might just get next year out of them too I mused after we were handed a tonking by neighbours Duhallow that allowed us to exit the 2015 championship at just the right time…….the start!!!

A lot of things irked me greatly as I drove home from Banteer that night. ‘Turning up’…….an embarrassingly low accolade for any senior footballer. Who in their right mind could be happy with just ‘turning up’? What irked me more was the fact that we barely managed to field a team and up until 20 minutes before throw-in we were still a few cards short of the full deck. We hadn’t once trained together and I won't lie, on the night in question, I didn't even know the names of some of the lads I was playing with. This was senior championship, the pinnacle competition in Cork for footballers, and here we were reduced to being happy with a warm dinner and a thank you. What a load of rubbish.

Thankfully, it wasn’t just me who thought this wasn’t right. Thankfully there were others. Thankfully, they would do something about it.

In the twilight of 2015, talks had commenced with a view of formulating a plan which would allow the division go and compete in the 2016 championship. In fairness to Martin (Crummy) he was doing a stellar job in making all the right soundings when chatting to players. I wasn’t holding my breath. Ever before our first gathering of 2016 it was communicated to ‘the squad’ (still mystical at this point) that Avondhu had a full management team in place. Jesus, a team of people willing to bear the wrath of the clubs of North Cork for taking their players for the odd mid-week challenge game and a beating in championship - brave men. 

That all changed on a cold, snowy night at the end of January though. On the drive back to Mallow I had visions of arriving for training and seeing 5/6 lads sitting quietly in the dressing room, all afraid to be the first one to tog off with no one talking to each other. The patterns of the timber benches visible where broken promises of commitment now lay.

18 turned up and trained while 6 more hardy souls watched on. The pitch was a wonderful display of markers, interspersed with cones, poles and ladders. A schedule was presented to each player with the next few months laid out and agreed with clubs and the board. Selectors were all on site – looking resplendid in high-vis and representing a multitude of clubs. Excuses, mostly valid, were provided for those no-shows. As I put on my lycra tights that first night I was simply happy that whatever happens from now until the end of the year we will have already surpassed last year’s miserly efforts. Management had put the structures in place down to a tee, it appeared that players were just required to turn up to the tee box on time. 

The big conundrum for all divisional sides is how you keep 30 club players happy in one squad with only a number between 1 and 15 of interest to each? Each players a senior figure in the local parish but a possibly a junior member in the senior community. A score getter, a ball fetcher, a tight marker but when it came to the division they could be relegated to onlooker. This is where management needed to excel and did. As the weeks and months rolled by and the evenings stretched out the level of enthusiasm remained constant. Challenge games, intense sessions, lengthy emails, text messages, phone calls and even the odd social media interaction kept the show on the road. It even got to the stage where we were wishing each other best of luck in our respective championships!

It is worth remembering that the players, by signing up to this project, were now not only giving up their free nights between club sessions, they are also writing off another fraction of their already marginalised social life. The answer to the why here is simple, because of the lure that is the GAA, a drug so to speak. This ‘drug’ is harvested annually, and in perpetuity, by club teams the length and breadth of the country and now us players were being offered a little more. The drug though was not simply just playing football, it was being part of a set-up that allowed us to learn and develop from the standards required at this level.

This level of desire to be involved in a fully functional senior set-up without even the guarantee of first team football reminded me a small bit of Super Mario on the Nintendo 64. A game of moving onto different levels, each more difficult and more challenging than the previous. You were never happy with the level you were on. You always wanted to take the next step up. I for one can never remember being happy with remaining on the same level. A well-structured divisional set up provides players who might have the commitment and ambition of an inter-county player but may not be blessed with the same skill set an opportunity to challenge himself at the highest level. It’s what we all want to do right?

Of course there were obstacles, it would be remiss of me not to mention these. The club championship is the enemy and the nature of the beast dictates that club takes priority for players. Packed club schedules were the nightmare that management lived every weekend and regularly players were being asked to play 2 championship games a weekend. Were there complaints? Of course. Did it have an impact? Certainly. Did it stop anyone playing? No.

Our first victory in the preliminary round showed that we were all justified in taking this approach. I had a great sense of pride that night. Funnily enough, due to the change in structure that actually only put us into the first round of the championship proper. This had now turned into a chase for glory and not just a 'turning up' exercise. That's why the last minute goal that we conceded against Valley hurt more than many of the club defeats I have felt over the last few years. Momentum halted and trying to find the positives were hard but hey, at least we had got new socks out of the year.  

At this juncture the opportunity arose for players to throw in the towel. The excuses were there for everyone, 'club championship', ‘I've too much on my plate', 'I'm not getting any game time', 'invisible niggle is flaring up again', 'festival season upon us'. Take your pick. But not this year. No. We had signed up for this and we were not leaving the trenches until we had to. Management got a crowbar, wedged it under the now static boulder and away we went again. Victories followed against Skibb, Muskerry, Newscestown and Duhallow. Stories of personal sacrifices, usually reserved for the club scene, from both players and management gave you a sense that everyone was pulling in the same direction. A vital ingredient in the success of any division/colleges campaign.

We didn't win the championship, we didn't even make the final in the end. But what we did was restore the Avondhu brand and the pride in playing for the division. A brand that didn't even exist in some bookmakers blackboards when the odds were being computed at the start of the year. From that marketing standpoint alone our efforts have paid dividends. But what it also did, internal to our own division in this case, was show the young playing members across all non-senior clubs in North Cork, was that playing at the highest level (hurling as well as football) should not be out of reach for anyone with the ambition, commitment and dedication.

For me, there was no better feeling than representing your clubs team mates, your family, your parish when putting on a divisional jersey. For many, this is as close to top level as you are you are going to get. So when that opportunity to step out at the highest level comes along you should be willing to take it with both hands. As the year closed out I found myself wishing the Fermoy and Kildorrery lad’s best wishes in the remainder of their championships, this was a previously alien concept but was probably one of the strongest barometers to measure the success of the campaign. 

Could more be done for the colleges/divisions such as a spring league where the 8 divisions/colleges (10 if Imokilly and Carrigdhoun re-entered the fold) were put into two leagues. Games to be played mid-week under lights and a final to be played between the top teams from both sides. At least this way the pressure to find challenge games is reduced and it could be managed under one heading. It might encourage more players to get involved in such set-ups and may help in nurturing and producing young talent who will be experienced in competitive senior action.

Look, the whole system is not without challenges I agree, but any notion of reducing the number of teams in the senior club championship in Cork by ridding itself of the colleges/divisions involvement, now or in the future, should be met with strong resistance. We may not be able to go on the same journey next year, and it may be a few years before it will happen again, but it certainly will happen again of that I’m sure. At the end of 2015 I would not have said this.

If progress was measured in clothing, well, we got more than just new socks out of the year. 

FARMING: When you know Farming isn't for you – STUPIDITY (2/4)

"I was old enough to realise that I was in deep shit, but I was clever enough to leave him sit there"

It was mid June and the year was 2005, making me about 18 years young. This particular day I was struck down with a deep lying and dull toothache - you know the ones where the painkillers numb the pain initially but when they wear off its a pain like no other! I was well able to feel sorry for myself so I was, and so without breaking stride I upped the dramatics a notch or two when I saw the rest of the family preparing for their annual 'spring-clean', usually meaning that the relation from the US/UK were on the way. My appetite for work was never strong and any impediment that could bring me down I usually did my best to fall over it. This time though I would have gladly thrown on the gladrags and put my weight to the wheel because oh man did it hurt!  

After a dinner of flat diet 7-up and occasional groans (to add effect and highlight my plight in front of the workforce) I took my pitiful self to the only man who could save me now.....the dentist. It was actually a simple enough procedure in the end to remove a wisdom tooth that was acting non too wise. I got home to tell the tale to who ever would listen but I was back asleep before that little star Twinkle Twinkle had even got close to being like a diamond in the sky. 

I woke suddenly about 5 hours later (it was actually more like 20 minutes) crouched awkwardly on the sofa with drool everywhere. 'I'll just turn these over and no one will ever know'. But what had brought me to my senses was actually a thunderous and forceful banging noise from the exterior. Dad was at the window crouched down with an apron on (work related apron - dad wasn't one for the cooking apron types) and a face that told a story of a hard days work. COME OUT HERE YOU AND DRIVE THIS TRACTOR FOR ME (Caps locks to identify the urgency and aggression in his delivery). I was a little dazed but at his bequest I wiped away the remaining drool and responded in the affirmative. 

When I made my way out I, like those good detectives I was used to seeing on 'the Bill', surveyed the scene. He was looking to clean the gutters, the ladies of the house could not drive the tractor, I could (barely) so it was my duty to help him reach these sludge filled viaducts and save the day - simple as pie. 

LIFT ME UP THERE as he pointed to the tractor loader and the roof with one shot of his right arm.  I quickly snapped out of detective mode and back into pleb mode as I understood the significance of the cap locks as he waited patiently in the bucket of the loader. In truth I wasn't at the races to be honest and it took me a few goes to turn on the bloody tractor.......ahhh the automatic stop was pulled out, better push that back in. I gave an apologetic look out the window and the response was one of HURRY THE FCUK ON (it is important to note that if I had anything bigger than CAP LOCKS I would be using them right here!!). 

It started well though, and by that I mean I got him high enough to reach into the drainpipe and clear out the horrible stuff. There was loads of it stuck in the drainpipe so we were stuck in the same position for a few minutes at a time. Slow progress but progress none the less as I eeked my way forward, a few slow yards at a time. Disaster was about to strike though. Between the sun pelting down and the local anesthetic not fully wearing off I must have slipped off into the land of nod. Not for very long, but long enough to know that I was in deep shit when I woke up! 

All would have been fine and dandy if I pulled up the handbrake or took the vehicle out of gear but did I? Of course I didn't!!! That would have been far too sensible. So when darkness hit me the tractor sprung into life and the only thing that could stop it was the roof of the porch, which it invariably did......with massive consequences! It wasn't the noise of the impact that woke me though! Nope, not the noise of the tractor pummeling into the porch, nor the noise of the slates smashing off the ground. No, it was the noise of my dad. This time the cap locks dont do justice to the abuse that was hurdling my way. Where do I look? What do I do? Well my sisters and mother were no help as they ran away to laugh out loud (no - they did not LOL as this was still the era of CD's, baggy clothes and text messages) in a location that wasn't in front view of the father. Lord Jesus he was still roaring I thought to myself. 

It the struck me..........I was still in control of the situation. He was up there, I was down here. The only way down was if I let him down. Me. 

We finished the gutter and I finally let him down. We didn't really say much about it at the time but from then on I sensed that my brother, 10 years my junior, was probably now heir to family farm......and could I really have any complaints!?!!