Glen Rovers' motions for convention could have a major impact on divisions and colleges

GLEN ROVERS have proposed two motions for Cork County Board’s annual convention which could see the involvement of divisional and college sides drastically altered.

Convention takes place tomorrow week, December 15, and clubs were furnished with the motions last night. The first motion for discussion will be the Glen’s proposal to delete bye-law 41, which allows the county committee to give permission to divisional committees enter teams in the senior hurling and football championships.

Currently, divisional teams and college sides play off early in the year with two in each code advancing to round three of the senior championship proper. Imokilly have won the last two county championships but their 2017 win bridged a gap going back to 1998, when the East Cork side were also successful, completing a two in a row and following on from Avondhu’s 1996 victory. 

The last divisional team to win the SFC was Carbery in 2004, though Duhallow reached this year’s final and that of 2012, while UCC were the winners in 2011.

In addition to the motion on divisions, Glen Rovers are also seeking a change to the eligibility of non-Cork players for UCC and CIT. Unlike this proposed bye-law change, which would apply immediately in Cork if passed, this is a motion for Congress and would go forward for discussion at national level were it to receive enough votes.

Essentially, it seeks to bar players from senior clubs outside of Cork playing for both their home side and the colleges and the proposal is that only those from intermediate and junior clubs could play, as is the case for players from Cork.

After that 2011 win mentioned above UCC lost Johnny Buckley and Daithí Casey for the Munster club championship as their native club Dr Crokes had won the Kerry title.

St Ita’s also have a Congress motion, one which is in favour of drawn All-Ireland semi-finals in hurling and football going to replays rather than extra time being played. Currently, this is only the case for provincial and All-Ireland finals.

The county board executive will also bring motions regarding transfer bye-laws in the county.

As well as modifying the re-grading of players by clubs, delegates will also vote on changing the phrase “family residence” to “permanent residence”, reducing the 96-week ‘sitting out’ period to 48, allowing players from senior or intermediate clubs transfer to any junior side in the same division and allowing a player to transfer to the first club of his father.