Aogán Ó Fearghail: under-21 grade likely to remain

GAA president Aogán Ó Fearghail has said the likelihood of the under-21 competition being discontinued in order to battle burnout now appears very slim.

The GAA last month published a raft of proposals that included scrapping the All-Ireland U-21 Football Championships and changing the inter-county minor grade to under-17, as part of a discussion paper on player burnout.

While the Cavan native is glad the topic is now at least being discussed, the proposal to scrap the U-21 grade has not proved a popular one.

“We’ve been to the four provinces. There has been a positive discussion. At least now people are thinking of player burn-out. Now addressing issues of fixtures, that clubs need more space,”said Ó Fearghail talking in Austin, Texas, at the Opel GAA/GPA All Stars trip.

“There has been a positive reaction in general to the document. I’d have to take note that there is a strong feeling that the U--21 competition shouldn’t go. I have to be honest and admit that.”

The proposed scrapping of the under-21 championship had been in football, and not in hurling, with the latter being played in the summer months and only requiring 11 games to complete.

The football equivalent is played in the spring, when the Allianz League and university competitions are in full flow.

Major issue

“I’m not so sure it can be retained in its current format, maybe a different time of year. But that is something that both Padraic (Duffy) and I will have to review. We have to take on board the views of counties and I’d say a good number of them wouldn’t like to see the under-21 championship disappear.

“That’s the major issue.The other issue that I have a strong view on, I feel a lot for the international units. I said this before. When Britain said to me that they wouldn’t like to see the junior championship go because they are a part of it, I agree with them. I think they’re right. The counties haven’t a big interest in junior but we could review that, make it a genuine junior championship for 10 or 11 of the weaker counties. With the same standard. At the moment anyone can play junior. It could be the second 15 or it could be the junior clubs. Ulster took the view a few years ago that they don’t even run it.”

Another of the 11 proposals was to discontinue the All-Ireland junior football and intermediate hurling championships, which along with the proposal on the Under-21 competition has proved largely unpopular and will hence he says have to be readdressed.

“We’ll have to re-examine our proposal on that. It should be kept for Britain and the weaker counties.

“The U-21 championship, we’ll have to review that. We’ll have to think that through again. “Other than that, I think the rest of the discussion paper proposals will go to central council and Congress.”

No contact

Meanwhile, Ó Fearghail said there’s yet to be any contact with the UFC over a possible title defence fight for Conor McGregor in Croke Park.

“He won a fight last night. I’m not aware of any application. Croke Park has to be open for our own sports first but we’re also open for business. If an application comes in for anything, it’s looked at. If any application (for McGregor) came in, it would be looked at but I’m not aware of any application.”

Pressed further on whether or not he felt the violent nature of the mixed martial arts sport would be something the GAA would like to be linked with, he added;

“I think it would be unfair, unfair of anyone to make that comment about another sport. I don’t think, I wouldn’t want to cast an aspersion on the players or the followers of any sport really. I don’t think that would be a wise thing to do.”