Cork AUL 2025/26

[Jason Bourne]

To be honest, the Premier Division has been the weakest league over the past fiftheen years, regardless of how strong Coachford or other AUL teams may have appeared in comparison.

This season however, the standard has declined even further.

If Coachford were not competing, it is likely that a total of around 20 points would be enough to win the league.

The remaining teams are quite poor and would simply take points off one another.

It highlights just how low the overall quality of AUL football has become.

Iv just cleared that up an added a few full stops,articulated it a small bit.

[Harsh ref]

I thought your first one was better small and tidy like yourself wink wink

[Bowser]

I am watching AUL football a long time and any fella saying the standards have dropped is being unfair IMO - there used to be a handful of top top players in the AUL, nowadays the leagues are littered with fellas who could be playing Senior no problem. I think we should stop AUL bashing, in terms of the clubs and players I mean, the organisation itself needs root and branch reform. And fair play to Coachford, maintaining that level of consistency should be celebrated and not bashed- up to the rest to close the gap with some clubs trying to make that happen

[fruice]

Absolutely one team running away with it spoils it to a certain degree but that doesn’t mean the rest are poor.

Coachford are one of the best junior sides in the country.

It’s a long time since there has been a team as strong as them in the AUL.

[Ballwasthere]

Well on that point I’d like to use teams that have left in the last 10 years as an example, Park, Inishvilla, Pearse, Killreen, Macroom, Kanturk would all be a lot stronger than the likes of village, Castleview, UCC, wanderers

Bohs were another solid side in the premier before folding, even down the divisions the likes of Dillon’s cross, crescent etc would have been a lot better than what’s in those leagues now

The teams still there Knocka, Village, Grattan I think we would all admit were a lot stronger a few years ago than now, knocka were far and away the best side in the league before folding, not as strong now, village for a year or two after getting promoted were a very strong side, they’re poor now, Grattan will always be Grattan but I think the likes of the3 o Sullivan brothers would be an upgrade on what they have now, the standard has definitely dropped and coachford are the exception, not the rule, Glenthorn another side who were very strong 10 years ago nearly winning the premier and now they’re being saved by there not being relegation in the premier A.

There is 100% a drop in standard apart from the team that’s currently hitting every team they play for at least 4 every week

[Waterloo]

Well on that point I’d like to use teams that have left in the last 10 years as an example, Park, Inishvilla, Pearse, Killreen, Macroom, Kanturk would all be a lot stronger than the likes of village, Castleview, UCC, wanderers

Bohs were another solid side in the premier before folding, even down the divisions the likes of Dillon’s cross, crescent etc would have been a lot better than what’s in those leagues now

The teams still there Knocka, Village, Grattan I think we would all admit were a lot stronger a few years ago than now, knocka were far and away the best side in the league before folding, not as strong now, village for a year or two after getting promoted were a very strong side, they’re poor now, Grattan will always be Grattan but I think the likes of the3 o Sullivan brothers would be an upgrade on what they have now, the standard has definitely dropped and coachford are the exception, not the rule, Glenthorn another side who were very strong 10 years ago nearly winning the premier and now they’re being saved by there not being relegation in the premier A.

There is 100% a drop in standard apart from the team that’s currently hitting every team they play for at least 4 every week

You have obviously not watched the senior 2nd division as village ucc Castleview and wanderers would beat any of those teams you have mentioned . Some who aren’t even senior anymore and have dropped out of that league.
Aul bashing at its finest from someone who knows not a lot

[Ballwasthere]

You have obviously not watched the senior 2nd division as village ucc Castleview and wanderers would beat any of those teams you have mentioned . Some who aren’t even senior anymore and have dropped out of that league.
Aul bashing at its finest from someone who knows not a lot

Well lad if you read what I posted properly, I was saying those teams, when they left the league, were better stronger teams than what I mentioned is there now, and I think anybody who has been around the league longer than 5 years will tell you the same, including players currently still playing in the league, I’ve played in the league for long enough and have been watching it regularly ever since I stopped, the standard is very low compared to 10 years ago, argue with a wall if you like

And Castleview, Village, UCC and wanderers would be in a proper bottom half of the table battle in Senior 2, very poor sides

[goal-achio]

Well on that point I’d like to use teams that have left in the last 10 years as an example, Park, Inishvilla, Pearse, Killreen, Macroom, Kanturk would all be a lot stronger than the likes of village, Castleview, UCC, wanderers

Bohs were another solid side in the premier before folding, even down the divisions the likes of Dillon’s cross, crescent etc would have been a lot better than what’s in those leagues now

The teams still there Knocka, Village, Grattan I think we would all admit were a lot stronger a few years ago than now, knocka were far and away the best side in the league before folding, not as strong now, village for a year or two after getting promoted were a very strong side, they’re poor now, Grattan will always be Grattan but I think the likes of the3 o Sullivan brothers would be an upgrade on what they have now, the standard has definitely dropped and coachford are the exception, not the rule, Glenthorn another side who were very strong 10 years ago nearly winning the premier and now they’re being saved by there not being relegation in the premier A.

There is 100% a drop in standard apart from the team that’s currently hitting every team they play for at least 4 every week

Have glenthorn been relagated already?
I better tell the lads that. We were unaware

[Risteard]

Why haven’t Coachford gone senior? I always thought if Park had left a year or three earlier, they would have had extra momentum to develop the club. I wonder if Coachford will do similar.

[Retired Folk]

I think you're forgetting that UCC and Castleview are actually Senior Clubs already and very sucessful ones at that too. No offense here to the clubs, but Park, Innishvilla, Macroom, Kanturk, and to add more, Wilton, Temple, and Kinsale all went Senior and can't get out of the 2nd Division, which is, in my opinion, similar to Premier AUL.

Wilton folded, Temple have more players suspended than actual points, and all the rest would be thumped out the gate 9 out of 10 times against UCC and the View first sides.

Knocka, Village, Grattan, etc., all great teams, respectively, but wouldn't have a hope in the 1st division Senior. No Bias here iv been to many of games in both leagues and its just my opinion.

Coachford at full strenght would do well in 1st but i wouldnt say they would win it. And it would be alot harder to manage GAA and Snr MSL.

To me there very comfortable were they are and wont move and to be honest why would they. They will surely have a crack off the Jnr Fai and look to retain the Munster.

[latte2012]

It all come in cycles like everything in life. Coachford at this time are in a great place, in a couple of years it will be someone else’s turn, obviously a club doing things right. When park left the AUL to go MSL at that time were in a great cycle and did very well first couple of years MSL until that cycle broke. Players age and stop playing and so on. This current coachford group would do very well at MSL for a couple of years too but if they are thinking long term it’s probably better to stay AUL. Villages and towns like coachford, mitchelstown, buttevant and so on are always going to struggle to get the players that the MSL giants like ringmahon, Douglas,
Rockmount etc… do in MSL so will be just there to take part more that competing most seasons.

[fruice]

Most of the above is correct hence I’d agree with Coachford to stay put.

Yes a move to the MSL well lead to playing on better facilities most weeks.
But after that any club that goes is only adding to the numbers as latte said they might have a cycle where they are better than previously but they can only get so far as they run into the big clubs.
Places like Coachford will never be a big club consistently at senior level.


Plenty decent AUL sides ( and some not so decent)have went and are only playing in the 2nd Division of the Senior ranks.

Lakewood making the best go of it and Kanturk have been to the 1st division and competing well in the second division.

But then you had clubs like Pearse, Innishvilla who are only competing at the lower junior levels after their move.

So a lot hace switched in the last 10 years and the most that have moved at best have had limited success with the most really struggling.

Which begs the question was the move the correct one?

[Retired Folk]

Honestly, I think it was a bad mistake for the clubs, and it hurt the league as well. You need a well-established structure to even get near the Avondales and Corinthians, etc.

Even clubs like Castleview and Marys hop up and down for years from Prem to Div 1, and Rockmount looks like they will be in a relegation mix this year as well.

The league is in freefall in terms of decline and loss of teams. And not to bash them, but the Committee isn't great either. Social media, structure of leagues, etc., are all poor and very slow.

This Astro Project, to me, is their last hope to boost the league or at the least the only thing they seem to be doing to improve it. They could attract more teams that can use it as a home if that's what they can do with the astro when its done.

[Harsh ref]

I think if Coachford want to challenge themselves then they’ll have to move cause as long as they stay in Aul they’ll be no one to compete with them where at a stage now where teams won’t go premier if offered cause they no they won’t pick up silverware and we seen that this season with 2 premier A teams that refused to step up

[fruice]

Honestly, I think it was a bad mistake for the clubs, and it hurt the league as well. You need a well-established structure to even get near the Avondales and Corinthians, etc.

Even clubs like Castleview and Marys hop up and down for years from Prem to Div 1, and Rockmount looks like they will be in a relegation mix this year as well.

The league is in freefall in terms of decline and loss of teams. And not to bash them, but the Committee isn't great either. Social media, structure of leagues, etc., are all poor and very slow.

This Astro Project, to me, is their last hope to boost the league or at the least the only thing they seem to be doing to improve it. They could attract more teams that can use it as a home if that's what they can do with the astro when its done.

It’s hard to beat the sheer numbers that clubs like Corinthians, Douglas Hall, Avondale and Carrigaline have to work with. When you’re competing with that level of player base, it naturally creates a gap. Yes, they run into a different issue where their very top talent inevitably moves on to bigger and better things, which brings its own challenges, but even with that, a club with a decent structure simply can’t compete with those setups consistently.

Maybe the expansion of steps in the LOI pyramid will help balance things out over time, but at the moment the disparity is very real.

As for the AUL, I do think a lot of clubs—especially those on the junior side—made the wrong call moving across. One or two of them would absolutely have been better off staying put. I’d agree that the freefall seems to have stopped, but the league structures are still totally off. To be fair, they have started putting steps in place to address this, but it’s a long road back.

The biggest issue for me is that the top division just isn’t competitive. Coachford are miles ahead; they have their house in order from top to bottom. The rest of the Premier looks completely structureless—clubs are scrambling around trying to pick up players from here and there. That’s grand in the short term, but there’s only so many of those available, and if you’re not producing your own, you will always hit a ceiling with that approach.

Even if a club manages to piece together a decent team and gets a bit of success, it’s usually short-lived. If the lads were willing to jump ship at the start, they’ll jump ship again the second something better comes along. To catch Coachford, you need a club with real structure coming up through the ranks. Watergrasshill made a good effort and still reached their limit. Mallow Town might be one to watch if they stick at it—they’ve huge numbers underage, so the potential is there.

Social media could be better, but realistically, doing it right is a full-time job. You’d need someone actively around the grounds, and given the geographic spread of the league, that becomes an expensive venture very quickly.

The Astro project will be a massive boost once it’s finished. But if the plan is to use it mainly as a home for the homeless clubs, then yes, numbers will go up—but will the quality of the league actually rise? That’s the real question.

[Harsh ref]

For me to many clubs up Northside trying to grab same players Grattan Knocka castleview temple all a stone throw from each other so it will be hard for any of them clubs to be strong for years so many players jumping around to each club for me Coachford or just the same as kinsale leeside and park not much around um class wise so they’ll always attract best players in the Area and

[CBL20]

It’s hard to beat the sheer numbers that clubs like Corinthians, Douglas Hall, Avondale and Carrigaline have to work with. When you’re competing with that level of player base, it naturally creates a gap. Yes, they run into a different issue where their very top talent inevitably moves on to bigger and better things, which brings its own challenges, but even with that, a club with a decent structure simply can’t compete with those setups consistently.

Maybe the expansion of steps in the LOI pyramid will help balance things out over time, but at the moment the disparity is very real.

As for the AUL, I do think a lot of clubs—especially those on the junior side—made the wrong call moving across. One or two of them would absolutely have been better off staying put. I’d agree that the freefall seems to have stopped, but the league structures are still totally off. To be fair, they have started putting steps in place to address this, but it’s a long road back.

The biggest issue for me is that the top division just isn’t competitive. Coachford are miles ahead; they have their house in order from top to bottom. The rest of the Premier looks completely structureless—clubs are scrambling around trying to pick up players from here and there. That’s grand in the short term, but there’s only so many of those available, and if you’re not producing your own, you will always hit a ceiling with that approach.

Even if a club manages to piece together a decent team and gets a bit of success, it’s usually short-lived. If the lads were willing to jump ship at the start, they’ll jump ship again the second something better comes along. To catch Coachford, you need a club with real structure coming up through the ranks. Watergrasshill made a good effort and still reached their limit. Mallow Town might be one to watch if they stick at it—they’ve huge numbers underage, so the potential is there.

Social media could be better, but realistically, doing it right is a full-time job. You’d need someone actively around the grounds, and given the geographic spread of the league, that becomes an expensive venture very quickly.

The Astro project will be a massive boost once it’s finished. But if the plan is to use it mainly as a home for the homeless clubs, then yes, numbers will go up—but will the quality of the league actually rise? That’s the real question.

This was written by AI. Surely deserving of a ban.

[Retired Folk]

For me to many clubs up Northside trying to grab same players Grattan Knocka castleview temple all a stone throw from each other so it will be hard for any of them clubs to be strong for years so many players jumping around to each club for me Coachford or just the same as kinsale leeside and park not much around um class wise so they’ll always attract best players in the Area and

Completely agree with you here. Add in Temple and the Fairfield teams, not to mention Castleview with 4 adult teams its a vicious circle with way to many teams.

[fruice]

This was written by AI. Surely deserving of a ban.

If you saw my spelling tests you would use AI to tidy it up.

Your contribution to discussion is enlightening.


Here’s the other version just for you only managed D in honours English God Bless Ai.



It’s hard to beat numbers Corinthians, Douglas Hall, Avondale & Carrigaline etc have huge numbers.

Yes they encounter a different problem in that their real real top talent move on to bigger and better things and that leads to its own problems.

But for a club even with a decent structure they can’t compete with these clubs consistently.

Maybe the increase in the number of steps in the LOI Pyramid might help to balance this a bit more.


But with regards the AUL I do think clubs made the wrong decision going across especially the clubs in the Junior Section and one or two of the clubs would have been better off staying in the AUL.

I think the freefall has stopped but the league structures are totally off and they have started to put steps forward in place to balance this.

The biggest problem is the top division isn’t competitive Coachford are just too good they have their house in order.

The other teams in premier are structureless they are scavenging around trying to poke out players from other teams.

That’s all well and good but there is only so many of those players around and if you are not producing your own players.
You can only get so far with this type of approach.

And even if against the odds one of these clubs hit on a decent team success will be short lived because ,if the players that were recruited in to gain this success were prepared to jump ship day 1 you can be sure they will jump ship again.

To catch Coachford you need a club with a structure in place to come up through the ranks to rival Coachford.

Watergrasshill tried but could only get so far.
Mallow Town might be a hope in the future if they stick around have huge numbers underage so these might be ones to watch.

Social media isn’t great but ultimately that’s a job in itself if it’s to be done properly and by properly you need to be around the grounds and there is a fair geographical spread to the league it would be a costly venture.

The Astro project will be a huge boost once concluded but if it’s going to be used as home for homeless clubs.

Yes you will increase numbers but will you really increase the overall quality of the league?

[latte2012]

This was written by AI. Surely deserving of a ban.

If ye used AI with your posts it might help you drive some discussion on your forums.