Cork to avoid having county league games clash with inter-county fixtures

Cork County Board is to avoid fixing county league games on the same day as inter-county senior hurling and football championship matches.

Due to the compacted nature of the split-season and the heavy programme in the RedFM Hurling Leagues and McCarthy Insurance Group Football Leagues, clashes have occurred this spring and summer.

However, at Tuesday’s monthly board meeting at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, delegates were told that league matches should be moved to alternative dates to ensure that such situations do not materialise again.

Both county teams will be in action on Saturday week, June 15, with Cork footballers taking on Tyrone in their last All-Ireland SFC Group 3 game at 3pm and the hurlers in action against Offaly or Portlaoise in the All-Ireland SHC preliminary quarter-final at 5pm. The games will form a double-header, the venue dependent on which opposition the hurlers face.

If Pat Ryan’s side were to win, they would be in action the following weekend while a defeat for the footballers could mean they finish third in their group and have to face a preliminary quarter-final on the same weekend. That is when the final round of county football league fixtures are set for, possibly resulting in widespread changes.

Also at the meeting, it was decided to hold a special convention next month seeking to align the maximum term limits for officer and management committee roles, among other changes.

Following a consultation at county committee and management level, amendments to current bye-laws are being sought. A special convention is required for such alterations and the board’s executive has the facility to call such gatherings.

Approval to bring the motions to the special convention on Tuesday, July 2 was granted.

The first proposal is that, apart from chairperson and vice-chairperson, the maximum term limits for all officerships would be capped at five years. Chair and vice-chair would remain under a three-year limit. Current restrictions on members moving between officerships would also be removed.

General rule states that a member who has served five years, either consecutively or

cumulatively, in a specific officership shall be ineligible to hold that officership for the five-year period following immediately after serving the fifth year in that office (rule 3.0 (b)).

If passed, the county bye-laws would simply have the addition that a member may not serve for more than three consecutive years as vice-chairperson or as chairperson. Changes would come into effect in November 2025.

It is also proposed to bring the composition of the county competitions control committee (CCC) in line with divisional CCCs. The CCC would be appointed annually, comprising the county board chairperson, vice-chairperson and Secretary, along with between two and five other members of the management committee.

Finally, the composition of the county management committee requires further consideration and consultation, with proposed changes likely to be brought before county convention in December of this year. Proposed amendments to hearings committee and transfer bye-laws (relating to the ‘first club’ of a player’s father) will also come before convention.

Finally, the meeting was told by secretary/CEO Kevin O’Donovan that 16,000 children in Cork have signed up for this summer’s Cúl Camps.

Meanwhile, Cork referee Colm Lyons has been appointed to take charge of this Sunday’s Munster SHC final between Limerick and Clare in Thurles. The Nemo Rangers clubman has refereed the last three round-robin games between the counties while he was also on the whistle for the 2022 All-Ireland final between Limerick and Kilkenny and the 2020 Munster final between Limerick and Waterford.

Waterford referee Thomas Walsh will officiate in Saturday evening’s Leinster SHC final between Kilkenny and Waterford.