Queen's GAA

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Club Season Overview

To ensure a club season of at least equal duration to the county season, elements of competition will have to be progressed without the participation of county players.
The CCC in each county are required that club games are set (offset from own county fixture) weekly and maintained in the overwhelming majority of circumstances
It is incumbant upon the CCC in each county to ensure that leagues are structured to ensure that a club’s league status cannot be compromised without their county playersIt is incumbant upon the CCC in each county to ensure that clubs never field in championship games without adequate preparation with county players
This proposal will use the example of Armagh as a typical season structure fit with the proposed overall national calendar and which can be adapted whole or in part for this purpose

Preseason Competition

This will be used by clubs to prepare for approaching leagues and may integrate neighbouring county clubs
County panellists will be unavailable for this competition

All County Leagues

This competition will start on the grace week following the completion of the Intercounty All Ireland League series and a week before the beginning of provincial championships
County panellists will be unavailable for the opening weekend and thereafter only if not included in match day 24 each weekend
Leagues are scheduled to last 3 months. The majority of clubs will be without county players for less than a month
Counties reaching an All Ireland final will have players available for the final 1/3 of all county leagues and play offs

County Championships

This competition is scheduled to begin in late August and counties will have 8 weeks to run off their preferred format
Club provincial and All Ireland series will begin in mid October and have 8 weeks to complete
December will be a closed month for competition with the exception of the All Ireland club final on the opening weekend
All Ireland Club championships are complete in the same calendar year

Club Season

Notes

1. Players included in the county panel are unavailable for subsiduary club competition
2. Four weekends of competition to prepare for the beginning of All County Leagues
3. Two teams move between Junior, Intermediate and Senior – one each via league and championship

League

1. Leagues reduced to 12 teams (Junior B 13teams) with eleven (12) league fixtures
2. league winners determined by a final between position one and two in the final standings
3. League relegation determined by a play off between position eleven and twelve in the final standings
4. Junior A teams positioned 1 – 8 seeded for Junior championship
5. Relegated teams are those losing league and championship relegation play off finals
6. In the event of a team relegated via the league winning the championship, the winning league relegation playoff final is relegated
7. In the event of the league winning team also winning the championship, the league runners up are promoted
8. Seeding for Championship groups determined by final league positions
9. Positions 1 – 4 top seeds, 5 – 8 second seeds and 9 -12 third seeds
10. Championship draws take place weekend of 10th August
11. Club fixtures should be offset from county team fixtures until county season complete
12. CCC may identify 2 weekends to use “slippage” dates and promoted as such to accommodate holidays

Championship

1. Senior and Intermediate Championships consist of 4 groups of three seeded teams
2. Three group games determine quarter final and relegation play off positions
3. Quarter finals consist of 4 group winners drawn against runners up
4. Relegation semi finals populated by the bottom team in each of the four groups

Club Championship Structure – Armagh

Senior league & championship – 12 teams
Intermediate league & championship – 12 teams
Junior A league – 12 teams (8 seeded for Junior Championship)
Junior B league – 13 teams (unseeded for Junior Championship)
Junior championship 25 teams

Senior and Intermediate Championship structure

Game 1 – Seed 1 Vs Seed 2
Game 2 – Winner Game 1 Vs Seed 3
Game 3 – Loser Game 1 Vs Seed 3

* This strcture ensures that none of the three teams can qualify for the 1/4 finals before game 3

1/4 finals: Group winners drawn against Group runners up
Relegation 1/2 finals populated by bottom team in each group
Losers of relegation final are relegated along with team who loses league play off

Junior Championship Structure

Preliminary  round – 2 unseeded teams
1st Round -remaining unseeded 16 teams open draw
2nd round – 1st round winners Vs 8 seeds
Quarter finals
Semi finals
Final

Overall Summary

This is a proposed overall calendar using 2018 dates to achieve an arbitrary working document
County fixtures are marked for a Sunday but may take place anywhere across that weekend
Club fixtures are marked for a Friday but may take place from Wednesday – Sunday at each county CCC’s discretion

Combined Calendar Summary

Season Flow

Highlights of the system for County Football

The All Ireland leagues and Championships are directly linked
County football will mirror club football in producing Senior, intermediate and Junior league and championship winners
Every league and championship game will be against similar standard teams and carry meaning
Every team in the country has a route to winning the Senior All Ireland Championship each year
The provincial championships regain a coveted status and offer a route to the Sam Maguire
Each province is guaranteed at least one Senior All Ireland ¼ finalist
There are 10 meaningful intercounty trophies on offer every season
The county season runs a minimum of 4 and ½ months and 13 meaningful matches
The county season runs a maximum of 6 months and 19 meaningful matches
More matches and less training

Highlights of the system for Club Football

The club season in each county should have a similar pattern and three distinct phases of competition: Preseason, County Leagues and County Championships
Club competition will span a minimum of five months in each county – with at least one fixture each week unless otherwise determined within each county
Championship winning teams in each county will have a 7 month season while an All Ireland tile will take 9 months of competition (4 months of championship)
County players will be available intermittently for the first 3 months of competition but for the majority of county league fixtures and well in advance of the start of club championships
Players will have a competitive game to participate in every weekend from April – October, including county players not included in match day 24 panels
Each county will have flexibility to determine agreed “Holiday” weeks within the overall national structure
All Ireland club championships will be complete within the calendar year

Prioritising Players

It is proposed that County competition adapt a match day squad of 23 players and an interchange substitution policy.
All players not named in a match day 23 plus 1 reserve must be released for club duty on that weekend
Counties are obliged to name this 23 + 1 by Friday at noon before any weekend games.