This year the GAA moved the All-Ireland Senior Football and Hurling championships forward to benefit club players, hoping it would shorten the club season. The Club Players’ Association (CPA) have fought hard over the last number of years to improve a number of things for club players, including the schedule and length of the season. However, despite the season being brought forward by three weeks the majority of counties are behind schedule. A recent study found that over 50% of County championships were running behind this stage last year.

One example is my own county of Armagh. Despite being knocked out of the All-Ireland football series on the first weekend of July the senior club championship only reached the quarter-finals stage last weekend. In fact, it only started on the last weekend of August. Compare this to our neighbours Monaghan who reached the All-Ireland semi-final and were playing until mid-August. Their senior club championship is now at the final stage. The Fermanagh Championship is also at the final stage despite the fact they were knocked out on the same day as Armagh. Some will point to the fact that both counties have a smaller number of clubs than Armagh; and the Fermanagh and Monaghan champions are set to play each other in the preliminary round of the Ulster club championship, two weeks before the other county champions are set to play. However, I don’t buy that excuse.

Who do I blame? Some main culprits must be the county boards. Many have taken the opportunity to extend their championship formats by including group stages or back door systems. Don’t get me wrong, club players in the most part will be delighted to play more high-profile and competitive games. However, many county boards seem to have either got their scheduling wrong or else seen the pound signs and taken the opportunity to cash in.

Again, looking at the Armagh championship. Last year there was a total of 21 games in the senior championship, this year 35 games were scheduled because they’ve included a group stage and even found time to include a 2nd/3rd place play-off after the group stage for quarter-final qualification. Has the county board restructured the championship structure to offer club players more high-profile games and a second chance of redemption if beaten? Or have they taken advantage of the extended time-frame to benefit from higher gate receipts? I’d love to know real the answer.

From a club player’s perspective, I want to be playing games and training when the weather’s better and evenings are longer. Not all clubs have facilities that enable them to train in the autumn. Personally, it’s a lot less enjoyable coming home from work and going to training when it’s dark and miserable. But sure when was Gaelic ever meant to be enjoyable or convenient?

Having a back door system or league format also kills the romance in the club game. The bigger teams get a second or even sometimes a third bite at the cherry. So even if the less fancied teams do spring a surprise it often has no impact on the overall competition. This means that we often see the same teams reach the later stages of the competitions.

Provincial Councils and the GAA leadership also have questions to answer. Firstly, Provincial councils have played into county boards’ hands by fixing the provincial club championship so late in the year. For example, the Ulster club championship is not expected to finish until early December (all of this is weather permitting). Provincial bodies will say that fixing provincial games later in the year gives counties that have progressed further in the championship time to play off their own county championships. However, I believe that it is up to each county to get their house in order; if they are worried about not having enough time post All-Ireland finals then they need to prepare for this and start their championships earlier in the year.

The London senior football championship is another interesting example. Despite London exiting the football championship in June the championship only started on the first week of September. London is one such county where the vast majority of clubs don’t have facilities or resources to cope with this. Speaking recently to a player at one of the clubs involved, I was told that his team’s last league fixture was at the end of July – they had to wait over six weeks before their next competitive game. As a player this would infuriate me. It meant that this player basically had two pre-seasons this year due to the length of break between league and championship. I do have some sympathy with the London county board’s decision to schedule their championship so late. This year the London champions will compete in the Connaught club championship, which doesn’t start until 4 November. By scheduling the games, it gives the winners the best chance to compete in Connaught. In previous years, London champions have been left at a disadvantage because they haven’t had competitive games in the weeks leading up to the All-Ireland series. This year they hope it will be different.

The GAA Central Council should be criticised for not implementing a 12-month season and properly defining the GAA year. I know we all enjoy having the club championship finals on St Patrick’s Day but is it worth the sacrifice? How many players are being put off by the lengthy seasons and the huge commitment year after year? If the Gaelic football and hurling seasons were reduced to 10 months, finishing with the All-Ireland club finals in October, it’d greatly improve club players’ lives. It would give players a definitive schedule, a proper off season and most games would be played in spring and summer months which would attract higher attendances and boost player interest.

The other knock-on effect of playing championships so late in the year is that a lot of talented younger players often get enticed to America to play for the summer. Who could blame them for taking this opportunity knowing that they’ll be home for the start of their club’s championship campaign? This can often be hugely detrimental to smaller counties who risk losing star players for the summer. This summer the New York and Boston club championships seemed to get more coverage than the race for Sam Maguire. It can also place strain on some squads, where players are sometimes unhappy to lose their place to returning players despite them training hard and playing for the team for the previous two months. I believe that if the GAA took action and ensured that the games are played earlier in the year then the number of players deciding to go to the US for the summer would reduce and we’d get to witness these talented players representing our counties instead of hearing about their exploits stateside.