Offaly GAA to support divisional-group teams in 2023 championships

THE Offaly GAA County Board will support clubs who want to come together and form divisional or group teams for the 2023 championships.

The Competitions Control Committee have promised to back applications from clubs who wish to enter a combined team in the senior championships.

They made the pledge in a structures report to the monthly meeting of the Offaly GAA County Board this week. While there is no certainty of clubs coming together to form divisional senior teams, and indeed, it is unlikely to happen, it is clear that the CCC want to give players from junior, intermediate and senior B clubs an opportunity to play their club football and hurling at the highest level.

It is particularly relevant in football where there are big parishes in the footballing heartland of Offaly without a senior club in 2023. Following Cappincur's relegation this year, Daingean parish is now without a senior football club and Cappincur, Ballycommon, Daingean and Kilclonfert could form a senior team. It is the same in Killeigh parish where Ballinagar and Raheen will compete in intermediate football in 2023 while Clodiagh Gaels have been relegated back to junior.

Recent history suggests that there won't be huge appetite in those parishes for a combined team, though you never know and it may be a bigger possibility in Killeigh parish than Daingean, where Ballycommon are now just one step away from the top flight in senior B and both them and Cappincur will be going flat out to get into the top grade.

The recommendation is not confined to parishes, however, and it does allow clubs from different parishes to come together to form a divisional team – this could come into play in hurling where most of the big parishes in the south of the county have a senior team. For example, Lusmagh, Drumcullen and a couple of other junior or intermediate only clubs could come together to form a team – but again, it remains to be seen if there is any appetite for this in hurling and football between clubs who have no historical or real links with each other.

The rule allows divisional teams to compete and those players can still play at their own grade with their own club – however, if a divisional team were to win the championship, they would not be allowed compete in the Leinster club campaign.

The structures will be decided at a full County Board meeting in the coming weeks and clubs will have an opportunity to make proposals.

The CCC have recommended that most of the championships be played on the same format as 2022 – two groups in most cases with the top team going into the semi-finals and the next two meeting in two quarter-finals. The big change recommended is with the U-20 Football and Hurling Championships, which they want to run on a league/knockout basis with a minimum of three games for all teams where possible.

There is obviously a desire among U-20 clubs for more games but there are problems with this: it will mean that more games will have to be fitted into an already packed itinerary but even more importantly, it greatly affects the load on U-20 players. Several of them have picked up bad injuries in the past year plus and player load and burnout is a major issue for Offaly GAA with players who have a huge schedule with club, college/school and county – some of these players could be playing for four to six teams.

CCC chairman James Murphy told the meeting that 17 walkovers were conceded by clubs in the Offaly championships in 2022. This resulted in play offs having to be played to decide group placings as scoring difference could not be used when a walkover has been conceded.

They have come up with a dual solution to the issue of walkovers. One is the imposition of a €200 fine on a club either conceding a walkover or withdrawing from a championship after entering it. The second is aimed at effectively taking out the need for time consuming play offs in groups where a walkover has been conceded: they have recommended that in those groups, where only two teams are involved in a tie, the placing should be determined by: 1 – the result of the match between the two teams; 2 – scoring difference; 3 – highest total score for; 4 – a play off.

In situations where three teams are tied on the same points, play offs will have to happen as scoring difference can't be used if a walkover was conceded in the group.

Clubs have until October 25 to make written submissions and the structures will be decided on at a County Board meeting on November 8.