Cork GAA set to run U18 competitions in 2023 after meeting of clubs

CORK County Board secretary Kevin O’Donovan has said that it is “imperative” that an U18 club competition is run in 2023, but without denying smaller clubs the use of 18-year-olds at adult level.

On Tuesday night, a special meeting of the county’s clubs was held at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in a bid to find consensus as to what the future of the minor grade should be. 

While there was a near-unanimous feeling that the age should return to U18 from U17, there was a split in opinion – along playing population lines – as to whether or not minor should be fully decoupled from adult competitions.

With a lack of a united opinion, O’Donovan proposed the holding pattern of U18 coming back but with decoupling postponed until 2024 as the county awaits decisions at national level.

“We all know the U18 grade is an absolute cornerstone of the GAA. We do need an U18 competition [in 2023],” O’Donovan said.

“It will be a hybrid version – it might have to be short, it might have to be knockout. It can’t be a full programme of meaningful games without decoupling, it just can’t. However, I do think there should be a moratorium on decoupling for the full year of 2023.

“I support decoupling, despite all the reservations I see from a small-club perspective. For us [Kilmeen, O’Donovan’s native club] to survive as a club in the long run, we must have a good minor team on an annual basis. 

The years we can’t field, we’ll join up with someone else and still give them games.

“The moratorium in 2023 would give that breathing space for the county board and clubs to look at this issue for the 10 to 15 percent of clubs that are going to be challenged by decoupling.

“I am still in favour of it, but postpone it until 2024 to allow for a bridging competition next year and work towards solutions.”

NUMBERS

Cork chairperson Marc Sheehan said that the board would do what it could to help clubs that might be struggling in terms of numbers.

“It not a surprise what is coming out of the meeting in terms of the decoupling question and the implications of that for the smaller clubs,” he said.

“That has to be taken on board. We are amenable to a derogation. We are amenable to an accommodation in as much as we would be allowed to do that.

“But there is the bigger national picture which we are not clear on. This conversation is taking place in every other county at present. The concerns around decoupling are in other counties, as well, so I would expect there will be possibilities for derogation or some deviation. Precisely what they are, I don’t know at this point in time.

“But as an executive, we are not in the business of putting any club out of business. We are amenable in as much as we are permitted.”