All is rosy, Waterford has qualified for their second All Ireland Hurling final in nearly 60 years. The county is on a high; suddenly there is a buzz around, people young and old can put problems to one side because everyone rows in behind the team. People try every avenue possible to get their hands on a ticket for the eagerly anticipated All Ireland Hurling final between Waterford and Galway, A novel pairing.
Yes, it is fantastic that Waterford has got to the final but underneath, the 12 Senior Clubs in Waterford have played a total of 2 championship games dating back to the 23rd of April. So, my club team Passage have trained all summer with no competitive game of note. Although we beat local rivals Ballygunner in a Sargent Cup Final, it’s not the same as championship action. As a member of the Passage panel said to me that" it was awkward to win the competition because it had no significant purpose.
Another point worth mentioning is playing for a second team in a club which has another team doesn’t have to be Senior can be very disheartening, every ounce is sucked into the first team and your left to feed off scraps. My 2017 season consisted of 8 matches, yes eight whole matches, two challenge games and six league/championship games and naturally enough we didn't qualify for any knock out games. The reason we only played two challenge games was that the Senior team had first preference on players so the Junior A management couldn’t plan for any games. Half the team didn't bother training, and the other half do which just left me thinking where can we possibly go in this environment. This links into the main topic of are it all worth it? Some of us like to participate, and others want to win which I did but just wasn't happening for numerous reasons.
How much does the G.A.A care about club teams and players? If there were no club teams, we wouldn't have the spectacle of an intercounty scene. The GAA has a special congress meeting coming up, and off the 22 motions being put forward, 21 are linked to the inter-county scene. They obviously feel the club scene is in a healthy state? I beg to differ, it starts with the county board with the planning of fixtures, two rounds of club championship could have been played back in April, but it’s evident that the Waterford Management didn't want this.
Just recently the Waterford County board came out and said that the winners of the Senior Football championship would not be able to compete as Waterford's representatives in the Munster Championship because the local competition will not be finished in time. The reason for this is the Hurling championship is being played off right through to the final. After the All Ireland final, the hurling club championship is currently being played off over six weeks. For club players now at least, they know when they are going to be playing, my problem with this is injuries, yes anyone can get injured at any time be it a match or training, but if a player gets injured in this six weeks block, he is likely to miss the remainder of the championship. After training all year and for this to happen any player would be very disheartening.
The issue here is fixture planning and the total disrespect for the club player. For a county player, the club is where it all starts for them and its where it will finish also. Without club teams, there would be no county teams. The club players association was set up to give club players a voice regarding fixture planning. Currently, minimal progress has been made. From now 2018 to 2020 the Munster hurling championship format is changing to a league championship style format. Proposed is, a total clear month in April for club fixtures, but my argument here is county teams must plan for their games with tactics etc. Will managers release players back to the clubs only time will tell?
Potentially what could happen down the line clubs might have to play championship games without their county players. It happens in some counties but not here in Waterford yet. With the All Ireland hurling club pencilled in from the middle of August 2018, it does free up from September on with club fixtures. Are we facing a scenario of zero Club games during the summer months of June, July and August in most counties? As we all know hurling is a Summer sport designed for the perfect pitches and long bright evenings. Perhaps, a blanket ban will be put on club hurling in the summer and players then know where they instead of waiting around no knowing when they might be playing.
There are so many issues that need strategies and planning, all a club player wants to know is when are they going to be playing matches, but the intercounty scene puts this on the back burner, dates may change, players are frustrated and potentially players will drop out of the game, especially players who wouldn’t be certain starters on their Senior team.
Recently our Senior team defeated Dungarvan in the Senior Hurling Championship Quarter Final. The team faces into the Semi Final the Following Sunday if they are successful in this game the County Final is the following weekend after that. Sounds very intense to me, players recovery is key, bodies will be tired because this is there 4th weekend in a row out, this plays into hands of club with big panels. Winning championship games gives you a great feeling, its winning with your friends that you have trained all year with and in most cases, all their life. Socially Passage could not enjoy their victory over Dungarvan and if they beat Delasalle it will be the same story, players can’t saviour the victories and have a few pints together because they have a match the following week. I am not promoting drinking here, but the G.A.A. is an amateur organisation and I just feel the enjoyment is slowly slipping out of the game. Realistically at county level the G.A.A is touching professionalism and at Senior Club level it’s not too far off it.
To sum up, club players need a definitive fixture plan that must be adhered to. The C.P.A has been set up but hasn’t made many inroads so far. The most worrying aspect of all this can be potential drop out from the game, it’s very hard to keep everyone happy, but if the scenario came about that club players went through the summer with no game then you couldn’t disagree that they would be pissed off. There is no easy solution to this problem but the top officials in Croke Park must see reality here, more has to be done at club level regarding fixtures, at the rate its going it’s just not sustainable and to me more problems will be forecast down the line. A proper balance has to be struck between club and county level.
Author - Nicholas Barry
4th Year Recreation and Sport Management Student