Calendar year?

[Johnnie C]

Kevin Doyle mentioned on tv the other night that calendar year soccer was coming in the future for adult sides. Is this true, first I heard of it? Would be the death knell for many sides if so, particularly in rural areas.

[CBL20]

Have you been living under a rock the last few months?

New football plan for the next 12 years announced, including plan for calendar football.

https://m.independent.ie/sport/soccer/international-soccer/all-senior-and-underage-football-to-be-aligned-to-same-calendar-year-under-new-fai-plan/a1362480465.html

https://www.fai.ie/play-and-participate/football-pathways-plan/

[Buckett]

Mayo is a rural area and they have had a calendar season for decades now, football is thriving there.
If a team wins a league then they should move up to the next level. The days of having several separate league systems in relatively small areas needs to end imo.

[Elfman]

Keen to hear your take on this Johnnie, especially after the recent vote to move everyone to the summer calendar year. Every suggestion has pros and cons but the arguments against (see the link below) amounted to "it denys us the choice to play when it suits". Can you expand why this is important or what other problems you see for rural clubs that are forced to move to a summer season?

https://m.independent.ie/sport/soccer/you-have-changed-the-face-of-irish-football-fai-give-green-light-to-aligned-calendar-year-schedule/a2134249540.html

[Round Tower]

]Mayo is a rural area and they have had a calendar season for decades now, football is thriving there.[/B]
If a team wins a league then they should move up to the next level. The days of having several separate league systems in relatively small areas needs to end imo.


We have summer soccer since the mid 90's, we have 39 junior teams in the junior league, with Conn Rangers a rural club between Ballina and Castlebar has 3 junior teams, even some of the big GAA teams like Castlebar Mitchels have playerswho play both football and soccer. At youth levels boys and girls plays both up to around U16's level.

[Buckett]

Ya, that's what I was saying. If calendar football works in a Gaelic football stronghold, it should work anywhere

[fruice]

Great to hear it works in Mayo.

But i think it would put huge strain on junior clubs in our county of cork.


GAA championship runs effectively each weekend from the end of July to late September and longer for more successful clubs with football and hurling alternating weekends.


Where do you fit “Summer Soccer” in?

[Round Tower]

Great to hear it works in Mayo.

But i think it would put huge strain on junior clubs in our county of cork.


GAA championship runs effectively each weekend from the end of July to late September and longer for more successful clubs with football and hurling alternating weekends.


Where do you fit “Summer Soccer” in?

We this year began our league in the first week in Feburary, so we will be playing our 6th round this weekend, so our leagues as over last year by the start of September, the GAA leagues in Mayo start this weekend. Last season we had 3 players who played both, 2 witj one GAA club and they clashed only 3 times and on one of hem ocasions the GAA match was switched to the Sunday.
This season we have 6 players out of a suad of 40 who plays both, i know 2 of them who has said they will be playing the GAA, 3 others i don't know, as they clash.

[Round Tower]

Ya, that's what I was saying. If calendar football works in a Gaelic football stronghold, it should work anywhere

At the start the Mayo league stipulated that all pitches would be football pitches, enclosed on all sides, dugouts and changing rooms, gone were the days of rental a field off a local farmer with a pitch in it, toging in/out in the car, washing done in a drain or a stream. Clubs were encouraged to developing their pitches to having some of the best facilities in the country, many now has allso has astroturf pitches with the help of national lottery funding.

[fruice]

We this year began our league in the first week in Feburary, so we will be playing our 6th round this weekend, so our leagues as over last year by the start of September, the GAA leagues in Mayo start this weekend. Last season we had 3 players who played both, 2 witj one GAA club and they clashed only 3 times and on one of hem ocasions the GAA match was switched to the Sunday.
This season we have 6 players out of a suad of 40 who plays both, i know 2 of them who has said they will be playing the GAA, 3 others i don't know, as they clash.

That’s a about 15% of your panel that play Gaa

And plenty more to cover their absence.

Most rural Cork Clubs would be closer to 50%

And a squad of 30 max.

And it’s great to say swap days but player injuries will be a significant issue


I know of an under 17 player who this week alone has a game 6 out of the 7 days.

That’s madness.