Radical overhaul called for

Competition structuresGAA games development manager Pat Daly has called for a radical overhaul in the current championship and national league structures in his report to next month's annual Congress.

Daly suggests a Champions League-style format, where teams play on a home and away basis right up to the final, with both hurling and football broken into three-tier systems. The seedings would be decided by each county's national league position.

He also reopens the thorny issue of dividing Dublin into subsections. However, the Dublin football and hurling panels would be maintained and given selection priority over three additional regional sections from Dublin west, north and south.

"The Dubs would keep first pick on all their players but you would have three other entities as well," explained Daly.

"If you are pumping the kind of money into Dublin that we are at the moment these kind of outlets have to be provided for, otherwise an awful lot of money is being wasted."

Under the Daly report, the football championship would become a 36-team format with the top 24 in the national league going into four groups of six, loosely based on a provincial basis. Each county would be guaranteed five games on a home and away basis. The three new Dublin teams would compete in division four of the league.

Tier one of hurling, the Liam MacCarthy Cup, would see 12 counties split into two groups of six with one group remaining as the Munster championship.

The system would ensure an increased number of predetermined dates in the championship calendar, which would have its natural financial benefits.

Daly suggests condensing the championship, with the All-Ireland finals taking place in late August and early September, in order to provide more time for the club championships.

"This is the biggest issue facing the association at the moment. Somebody is going to have to look at devising a system that is not failing clubs if they are, supposedly, the backbone of the association.

"What I have tried to do is come up with a balanced system which has regard for clubs and counties, hurling and football, in terms of getting the most effective balance we can possibly get."

Daly admits the chances of his report becoming a reality via the traditional motions to Congress route are negligible. "I'd say the chances of it happening are zero. Somebody within the association needs to say 'look, we have to sit down on a strategic basis, have regard for where we are, where we are going and what we need to be doing in terms of the changing demographics in the country'."

Daly was a vocal supporter of last year's experimental rules, which included the sinbin, and still feels the disciplinary playing structures need to be reviewed. He seeks the addition of the following paragraph in the association rulebook: "The Rules of Hurling and Gaelic football serve to (i) Ensure that the games are played in a fair manner and in a spirit of true sportsmanship. (ii) Reward players who make the ball the focal point of their attention. (iii) Make provision for physical contact while minimising the potential for foul play, injury and gamesmanship. (iv) Facilitate the development and display of skills in a safe playing environment".

The report also suggests the introduction of a draft for weaker panels to utilise the talent pool of more successful counties and a bonus-point system, similar to that which operates in rugby, for teams scoring two goals during the league or group stages.