Hurling counties unite in anger

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Hurling counties unite in anger
A group of annoyed hurling counties are urgently seeking a meeting with GAA President Christy Cooney and Director General Paraic Duffy about the new Allianz Hurling League structure.

At a meeting in Thurles’ Anner Hotel on Wednesday night, the counties expressed their vehement opposition to the 2012 set-up which was passed by Central Council last month. The gathering, called by Limerick, was attended by the chairmen and secretaries of the county as well as Cork, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Waterford and Wexford.

As they were holding a board meeting themselves, Galway forwarded their apologies for their absence but signalled their support in principle.

It’s unclear where Dublin stand on the matter. Manager Anthony Daly was in the National Hurling Development Work Group who proposed the alterations.

It is understood the ‘Anner Alliance’ also appointed a chairman as well as a secretary.

"Basically, we have issues with what has been done to the league," explained one county official who was in attendance.

Another official revealed feelings are so strong about the changes to the league, which now sees Division 1A reduced to six teams, that some counties are prepared to withdraw from the competition next year. The prevailing sentiment is the change to the structure, which was endorsed 28 votes to 16, was primarily voted in by football counties.

"There are no semi-finals either, which were supposed to be brought in," said an official.

"It’s not going to help either the counties or Croke Park financially. Teams who lose their first two games are out of it. You’re gone."

With Central Council endorsing the development group’s proposals, this year’s four divisions have been split into five groups of six with Wexford and Limerick playing in Division 1B despite Wexford avoiding relegation and Limerick earning promotion this year.

Speaking on Wednesday, Cooney pointed out it would need a two-third majority vote at Central Council to overturn the original result.

"Central Council have made that decision," said Cooney. "As it stands, there’s no change envisaged. Central Council made their decision at the last meeting what they wanted, hurling and football. I’ve heard rumours of counties meeting to look to change it but they’ll have to bring a motion to Central Council. That will require two thirds majority to change a decision that’s already made."

Speaking on Live95FM radio yesterday, outgoing Limerick manager Donal O’Grady slammed the new league structures.

"It’s a crazy decision by the GAA, really. How you can tell a team in 2011 that they’re playing for promotion in 2012 which was won it fair and square by Limerick.

"If they had said that in 2011 they could have saved a lot of anguish."

This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Friday, September 09, 2011

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'Gang of eight' to meet Duffy over league row
By Colm Keys

Representatives of the eight counties who were originally due to compete in Division 1 of the Allianz Hurling League next season will meet with the GAA's director-general Paraic Duffy in Croke Park tomorrow to discuss their opposition to the changes passed by Central Council.
Kilkenny, Tipperary, Cork, Galway, Waterford, Limerick, Wexford and Dublin were to have played in an eight-team Division 1 in 2012 until proposals from the hurling work group to increase the division to 12 teams and then split it into two groups of six were passed at the August meeting of Central Council.
Most of the eight counties were in Thurles last Wednesday for a meeting to pool their opposition to the change in the league format. They sought a meeting with Duffy and that is now scheduled to go ahead tomorrow at Croke Park.
In the meantime, GAA president Christy Cooney has stressed that there will be no change to the 12-team, two-group Division 1.
The counties are concerned that fewer games played in the league is not in the interests of inter-county hurling and revenues will also take a hammering. In Limerick's case, promotion to Division 1 has been essentially rendered futile, while Wexford's brave fight to avoid relegation has also been in vain.
Wexford and Limerick will join Offaly, Antrim, Laois and Clare in what is essentially Division 2.
Limerick chief executive Mike O'Riordan recently estimated that the cost of the change to his county would be in the region of €100,000 when gate receipts and falling advertising revenues were factored in.
What action is open to the eight counties remains to be seen as it will take a two-thirds majority to reverse the 28-16 vote decision in August. Some counties have floated the idea of withdrawing from the league if the situation is not resolved to their satisfaction.

Irish Independent
Monday September 12 2011

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Dublin board joins opponents to new hurling league structure
By John Fogarty

Dublin have done a U-turn on their support for the new Allianz Hurling League structure and are now prepared to go against it.

The county board will meet GAA Director General Páraic Duffy in Croke Park today, along with the seven other counties who would have made up Division 1 next year had this season’s format been retained.

Explaining Dublin’s decision, chairman Andy Kettle pointed out their Central Council delegate had voted in favour of the new six-team divisional system without semi-finals last month on the assumption it would mean more free weekends for club games.

However, after learning the league will conclude on the May Bank Holiday weekend, the board executive changed their opinion.

"Initially, Dublin’s stance was with the successful option as the less games there are, the better it is for us to play club games," explained Dublin chairman Andy Kettle.

"However, we later learned the finish date is not going to change whereas the start date is [from February to March]. At that time of the year, that’s not much leeway for clubs to work with."

Dublin weren’t represented at last Wednesday’s meeting in Thurles where six of the disaffected top-flight counties (Galway had a board meeting themselves) agreed to seek a meeting with Duffy to express concerns. Kettle said Dublin’s absence was merely due to crossed wires.

"It was down to miscommunication that we hadn’t been in Thurles. We have been in contact with the counties since and Dublin will be at any meeting of the group in the future."

Although a number of the counties are believed to be in support of the Central Competitions Control Committee’s proposal to make Division 1 two groups of six with semi-finals, Dublin favour the outgoing structure.

"We’re very much open to discussion, particularly the reintroduction of this year’s format with eight teams and no semi-finals," stated Kettle.

"To my mind, that should satisfy both Limerick and Wexford who would retain their Division 1 status unlike the new format."

GAA President Christy Cooney pointed out last week it would need a two-thirds majority vote by Central Council to reverse last month’s 28 to 16 vote decision.

However, such is the level of disgruntlement among some of the counties; they are prepared to withdraw from next year’s Allianz Hurling League if it goes ahead as planned.

This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Tuesday, September 13, 2011

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'Big eight' to seek Central Council meeting over NHL
By Martin Breheny

The GAA could be heading for a situation where they rescind a decision on the format of the NHL before it's implemented for even one season.

Representatives of the top eight hurling counties met senior GAA officials on Tuesday night to outline their objections to the new NHL structure, which was voted in by Central Council a few weeks ago.

Cork, Dublin, Galway, Kilkenny, Limerick, Tipperary, Waterford and Wexford told GAA president Christy Cooney, president-elect Liam O'Neill and director general Paraic Duffy they were unhappy with the new format, which splits Division 1 into two groups of six (1A, 1B), thereby guaranteeing each county only five games.

Under the structure which applied for the last few years, Divisions 1 and 2 had eight counties, guaranteeing seven games. Limerick and Wexford were worst hit by the change as they are due to drop to 1B, where they will not play any of the top six. Wexford avoided relegation from Division 1 last spring, while Limerick were to be promoted to the top flight after winning Division 2.

Central Council voted 28-16 to scrap the eight-team Divisions 1 and 2, but the eight top hurling counties later got together to begin a campaign to have the decision rescinded. The mood of Tuesday night's meeting was described as "cordial," with GAA officials pointing out that the decision had been taken democratically and that an immediate change would be impractical.

However, the county representatives argued that hurling was not being well served by the new format. It's likely they will ask for a special meeting of Central Council to review the situation.

The Central Council meeting is not due until November 12, by which stage the master-fixtures plan for 2012 is to be formally ratified. If further change to the NHL is to be considered it would require an earlier Central Council meeting in order to leave time to plan next year's fixtures schedule.

The proposal to change the NHL required a majority only to be passed, but it would take a two-thirds majority to overturn the latest decision. Based on a delegate turn-out of 44, it would require 30 votes to force a change, quite a swing from the original result.

The top hurling powers contend it's unfair to have their section voted on by weaker counties, many of whom are essentially football-dominated.

However, senior Croke Park officials reject that approach on the grounds that the GAA must be run along traditional lines where every county has a vote on both hurling and football issues, irrespective of how strong they are in either code.

Irish Independent
Thursday September 15 2011

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GAA ready to propose NHL compromise
By Martin Breheny

The GAA has called a special meeting of Central Council for next Tuesday to re-examine the format for the 2012 Allianz hurling league.

A major controversy erupted after eight top counties united to oppose the changes which were passed by Central Council some weeks ago. The new system involved scrapping the eight-strong Divisions 1 & 2 and replacing them with a 12-team Division 1, featuring six counties in 1A and 1B.

Despite being passed by Central Council, the new format ran into immediate trouble when most of the top hurling counties objected and sought a return to the eight-strong Divisions. Limerick, who were due to be promoted to Division 1 after winning Division 2 this year, were especially strong in their opposition to the change as it would leave them in 1B next year. Limerick, who are expected to name John Allen as their new manager, have even hinted at boycotting the league if the six-team Divisions 1A and 1B are introduced.

The GAA had planned to discuss the problem at a Central Council meeting on November 12, but it has been brought forward to Tuesday night in order to reach a final conclusion and facilitate the fixture arrangements for the 2012 season.

Most of the major hurling forces will call for a return to the system which applied for the last few years, but the Irish Independent understands that the GAA's Management Committee will propose a compromise deal, involving six-strong Divisions 1A and 1B, with the addition of quarter and semi-finals.

That was one of the proposals which came before the last Central Council meeting, but was rejected in favour of a format which involved straight finals only. If the Management proposal is accepted, Divisions 1A and 1B would feature six teams, thus guaranteeing counties five group games.

The top two in 1A would qualify automatically for the semi-finals while third and fourth placed would take on the top two in 1B in quarter-finals. The bottom two in Division 1A would play off to decide who would drop down to 1B.

Irish Independent
Thursday October 06 2011

[mrgaa1]

This is all of the GAA's making as they've allowed the elite to create a force strong enough to ensure that they can change or not agree to rules as and when they see fit.

Why don't they put all 12 teams into one division and play the league games through the championship thus giving teams games through out the season. It will mean that each team will play 11 games plus championship games.

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Validity of league revamp called into question
By Seán Moran

The prospects of changing the GAA’s controversial new hurling league structures are believed to be improving because of reservations that have arisen over the validity of last August’s decision to introduce two six-team Division One groups.

Although that decision was taken by a clear majority of Central Council, it triggered a campaign of opposition from the counties most affected – those who would otherwise have made up next season’s Division One under the old format.

Representatives of Dublin, Kilkenny, Galway, Tipperary, Waterford, Cork, Wexford and newly promoted Limerick met with Croke Park officials last week to air their grievances and in an attempt to sort out the controversy, the GAA has fixed an emergency Central Council meeting for next Tuesday.

Delegates will consider two motions – one to maintain the six-team groups but with the addition of quarter- and semi-finals, which is being put forward by the GAA’s Management Committee and the second to revert to last season’s eight-team Divisions One and Two, which is proposed by the eight dissenting counties.

Significantly, it is understood the competing motions may require a simple – rather than a weighted – majority.

Whereas the view up until recently has been that any proposal to change the format accepted just seven weeks ago would have to command the usual two-thirds majority required to overturn a decision already taken, there is now a question mark over the outcome of the August Central Council vote.

It was argued at last week’s meeting that the original proposal should itself have needed a two-thirds majority to be accepted because it was changing a previous Central Council decision from last November, which had sought to introduce semi-finals into the hurling league for 2012.

The decision was subject to congress changing the rules to allow for the additional round. A motion proposing an additional weekend for the league was passed.

Consequently, the argument runs, the format that included semi-finals was accepted last November and any proposal to supersede it should have required a two-thirds majority – the format chosen in August didn’t provide for semi-finals and therefore needed two thirds.

If that position is accepted by Croke Park officials, it means either of the proposals before Central Council next Tuesday would require just a simple majority, as both include semi-finals.

Ironically the controversial format adopted in August – one of three before Central Council – was proposed by the National Coaching and Games Development Committee, which is chaired by Liam O’Neill, the president-elect who takes office next April.

O’Neill is, however, believed to be more interested in seeing the controversy sorted out than pressing the six-team Division One groupings in the teeth of opposition.

It is, however, bizarre that Central Council voted so clearly – between 55 and 60 per cent in favour – to adopt the proposal that within weeks was being contested so vehemently by the top hurling counties, not all of whom opposed it at the time.

The chief complaints concerned loss of revenue with the reduced number of fixtures in six-team – as opposed to eight-team – divisions and also the the case of newly promoted Limerick and Wexford, who would have lost their places in the top division with less box-office opponents.

Irish Times
Friday October 07 2011

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Hurling league tweaks are voted in
By John Fogarty

Next year’s hurling league will retain its six-team divisional format but with league semi-finals involving the Division 1B champions.

Central Council last night voted to back a Management Committee amendment after eight counties’ attempt to rescind the original August decision failed to receive the necessary two-thirds majority.

Following five rounds of games, the top team in Division 1A (Cork, Dublin, Galway, Kilkenny, Tipperary and Waterford) will face the winners of a "quarter-final" play-off between the top two counties in Division 1B (Antrim, Clare, Laois, Limerick, Offaly and Wexford) in one semi-final.

The other semi-final will be contested by the second and third-placed teams in Division 1A.

The bottom two sides in Division 1A will battle it out in a relegation play-off with the losers going down to Division 1B and winners of the top two in Division 1B taking their place in the top-flight.

The system voted in by Central Council in August would have seen the six teams contest the Division 1 title with the top two teams challenging for the title in a final.

The proposal was carried by a large majority.

Cork, Dublin, Galway, Kilkenny, Limerick, Tipperary, Wexford and Waterford, who would have made up the old eight-team Division 1 next year, had organised a committee among themselves to support an eight-team top-flight with semi-finals.

Limerick, who have been the most vocal in their opposition, now stand a chance of winning a Division 1B title, promotion and the overall Division 1 crown.

The development represents better news for new Limerick and Clare managers John Allen and Davy Fitzgerald, both appointed last night, as well as Offaly’s new manager Ollie Baker.

Divisions 2A and 2B will be played off on a different format to Divisions 1A and 1B.

The top two teams from five rounds of games involving Down, Carlow, Kerry, Westmeath, Wicklow and Derry will contest a final with the winners gaining promotion to Division 1B.

The bottom two teams will compete in a relegation decider.

The same structure applies to Division 2B involving London, Kildare, Meath, Armagh, Mayo and Roscommon.

The lowest rung of the Allianz Hurling League, the Táin Division, will take place as a separate entity until a 2013 review.

Louth, Fingal, Donegal, Sligo, Monaghan and Tyrone will take part in five rounds in Section A; with the top two teams contesting the final and the bottom teams going into a relegation play-off.

In Section B, Fermanagh, Longford, Leitrim and Warwickshire will play on a round robin basis with the top two teams contesting a final to win promotion to Section A.

This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Wednesday, October 12, 2011

[Centre Half]

Feisty exchanges at Central Council meeting
Anger over how eight top hurling counties attempted to overturn a decision -- taken less than two months ago -- led to feisty exchanges at Tuesday's Central Council meeting, while it has also emerged that the fear of a challenge to the Disputes Resolution Authority (DRA) played a major role in the addition of semi-finals to the new format.

The 'Gang of Eight' -- comprised of Cork, Dublin, Galway, Kilkenny, Limerick, Tipperary, Waterford and Wexford -- sought the scrapping of the six-team Division 1A and Division 1B format, which had been voted in by Central Council in August, in favour of a return to the system featuring eight teams in both Division 1 and Division 2 that applied for the past few seasons.

However, the 'Gang of Eight' were rebuffed by other counties, who were also critical of them for holding what were termed "caucus meetings". This referred to various get-togethers in recent weeks where strategy was discussed.

Limerick were challenged over a report that they were considering withdrawing from next year's league if, having won promotion to Division 1 this year, they weren't in the top flight for 2012. One delegate claimed that Limerick could be accused of bringing the GAA into disrepute.

"The eight counties involved were looking after their own interests. Some of them voted for the change in August but changed their tune since," said one Central Council delegate.

"The manner the eight went about getting their own way did not go down well with a lot of counties, who regarded it as elitist.

"Nor were they best pleased with having to come to a meeting in Croke Park on a Tuesday night. They had thought they'd settled on the league format in August, only to find it challenged by the so-called superpowers."

There was little support for the 'Gang of Eight', but changes were still made to the format which was accepted in August because of a fear that it could be challenged under rule and brought before the DRA.

The GAA had legal advice that unless they added semi-finals to Division 1 of the NHL, a case might have been sustainable if taken to the DRA. That arose from a Central Council decision last November to make provision for the return of semi-finals to both the hurling and football leagues (straight finals between the top two were played for the last few years).

Central Council voted in August to restore semi-finals to Division 1 of the NFL but opted for a straight final in hurling. It's understood that the 'Gang of Eight' were considering challenging the latter before the DRA if their proposal to restore the format which applied for the last few years was not accepted.

As a compromise, semi-finals will now also apply in hurling (Division 1 only), featuring the top team in 1A against the winners of 1B, while second and third in 1A also meet. That will necessitate the 1B final (winners to be promoted to 1A) playing off before the Division 1 semi-finals.

The unseemly row is one of the most divisive in hurling for a long time and arose following a review of the NHL. Three proposals were put to Congress in August, with two proposing a 12-county Division 1 (six each in 1A and 1B). One proposal included quarter-finals/semi-finals while the other, which was accepted, proposed straight finals.

However, the six Division 1A counties (Cork, Dublin, Galway, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Waterford) plus Limerick and Wexford (1B) subsequently got together to oppose the decision, while calling for a return to the eight-team Divisions 1 and 2 which had applied for a few years.

Wexford were disappointed that, having held onto top-flight status this year, they would be in Division 1B under the new system, while Limerick argued that it was unfair to ask them to remain in the lower grouping after they won the Division 2 title.

The other six complained that the new system cut their guaranteed quota of games from seven to five, contending that it was bad for hurling from a competitive, promotional and financial viewpoint.

However, the 'Gang of Eight' -- not all of whom originally voted against the six-team format -- angered many other counties over their failure to raise their concerns in advance of the August meeting and their subsequent attempt to change a democratic decision.

Reports that they were considering taking a DRA case further alienated them. However, the eventual outcome is something of a compromise.

The new system will mean that one team in Division 1A (fourth-placed) will have only five games but the rest are guaranteed a minimum of six, while two may have seven outings.

The top three counties will be involved in the knockout race for the final, with the bottom two battling it out to decide who drops down into Division 1B.

It remains to be seen how long the new format remains in place but, on the evidence of the last 15 years, the prospects of it surviving for more than two seasons are slim.

Irish Independent
Thursday October 13 2011