Hurling proposals to go before special congress in the autumn

Saturday’s meeting of the GAA’s Central Council decided that proposals for change to the hurling championship will be discussed at a special congress in the autumn.

The proposals announced formally in recent weeks envisage a round-robin format for the provincial championships in Leinster and Munster and a developmental group, the winners of which would also proceed to the Liam MacCarthy Cup.

Reservations about the details - but not the broad desirability of the change - have been expressed by some counties, most notably those in the likely developmental group but a month has been allocated to allow any amendments to the proposals to be tabled in advance of the autumn.

The Gaelic Players Association welcomed the outcome of the Central Council deliberations in a statement, which also included details of their consultation with the membership.

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Seventy per cent of players in counties, currently competing for the MacCarthy Cup expressed general support for the proposals but only 50 per cent supported the currently proposed structure of the developmental group. Reservations are strongest among Leinster counties with uncertainty over whether Laois will be in the provincial round-robin or the developmental group.

The GPA survey also revealed that players in the graded Ring, Rackard and Meagher Cups are not in favour of the structure with only 40 per cent supportive.

In another decision, Central Council announced that this year’s All-Ireland hurling quarter-finals will take place at the redeveloped Páirc Uí Chaoimh. The Cork venue had been expected to host a Munster final in football or hurling but with work not complete those deadlines passed and the quarter-finals on 23rd July will be the first championship matches staged there.