John Arnold: The split season in GAA is all wrong and does not suit the majority of players, especially club players

IN my opinion the GAA has got it completely wrong with the introduction of the split season model for the planning of fixtures at inter-county and club level. 

Yes, undoubtedly in the past, especially in the last ten years, there were huge problems with the scheduling of games and conflict between inter-county games and club fixtures throughout the country. 

Before I outline the reasons I am vehemently opposed to this present fixtures model and, before I put forward an alternative, let’s look at what caused the problems. 

Once upon a time the individual GAA club in nearly every parish on this island was truly the cornerstone of the GAA. 

Players played hurling and football for their local club, be it a small rural club, a club in a town or in a big urban centre. 

If players were good enough, they got to play with their county team in one grade or the other. 

Being picked to play for Cork or any other county side was great honour for the player and that player’s home club. 

Remember just about 3% of all hurlers and footballers ever get selected to play for their county, whilst the remaining 97% will always be club players. 

The number of games at club and at inter-county level should reflect those percentages. 

However, in the last few decades, the inter-county programme has become bloated and swollen. 

I agree that no player for club or county should be asked to play in a straight knock-out championship, as it was for decades. 

No, the level of training and commitment warrants more than one chance. 

The problem is we have seen back doors, qualifiers, round-robins and the like, all of which give more and more games at inter-county level but squeeze the clubs. 

Clubs nurture, coach, cajole, train and shape young hurlers and footballers and in my opinion it’s a scandal that under the present system clubs may not see some of their players for seven months of the year. 

The split season means that players on inter-county panels are tied up from December until, possibly July. 

Clubs are told: ‘Ye can play away League games’ for the summer and ‘ye’ll have the inter-county players back’ in the Autumn for a blitz-like club championship season. 

As I said, the postponement of club championship games in recent years because of inter-county activity led to frustration amongst many. Holidays, weddings and other social and family occasions couldn’t be planned because of uncertainty as regards scheduling of fixtures. 

Everyone wanted certainty to be able to make realistic plans. 

Well, we have certainly certainty now under the split season model. 

We can be certain that for April, May, June and July the inter-county scene reigns supreme and no club championships take place. 

Then come the first week of August it's hell for leather. 

Munster club championship deadlines in the Autumn mean a club season of eight weeks, absolutely crazy. 

Here in Cork for instance, senior and intermediate clubs face two championship games in seven or eight days. 

If a club is unlucky enough to lose those two games it’s ‘Goodnight Irene’ as far as winning a county title.

When the GAA Calendar Review Group were formulating the split season layout they asked for submissions. 

I sent in a submission to Cork and Croke Park -I am still awaiting an acknowledgement!

My proposal is basically a hybrid or dual model which would ensure the All-Ireland finals would be in September where they should be and club and inter-county game could be played side by side. 

This dual model of course needs the full co-operation of Croke Park, County Boards and inter-county team managers - if you think that won't happen please stop reading now.

Run the National Leagues in the March/April early May period – oh yes and scrap all those so-called ‘secondary competitions’ in the early Spring. Scrap the round robin Provincial system, go back to championships with a back door, a second chance. 

Start the inter-county championships in May and finish them in September as we always did. 

That gives five months or approximately 22 weeks to complete the inter-county games. 

During that ‘season’ take out four or five one week or ten-day ‘blocks, for club games. 

During these ‘one week time outs’ there would be no inter-county games or training and all players could play with their clubs. 

With this proposal the certainty needed for holidays etc would still be maintained.

Clubs would be able to play summer championship games with full teams and we would still have the promotion value of big hurling and football games in August and September. 

I know there would be issues with dual hurling and football Clubs but at least try this out for a year or two. 

I know full well the inter-county managers -a fairly vocal and powerful group, will probably rant and rave saying my proposal would cause ‘disruption’ to training etc -certainly it will, but if we continue with this split season it will truly split the GAA into a Summer for the 3% and Autumn for the 97% Association.