Ask The Players: Will changing fixtures suit dual players?

The CPA and the GPA want to separate the club and the county season. This has pleased players across Ulster but what about those who play both codes?

We asked three players to tell us what they think of the changes and how they will affect Dual players.

Deaglan Murphy Rossa footballer and hurler

What is your opinion of the current proposals for changes to the GAA season, precisely the CPA’s suggestion to split club and county?

I totally agree with the proposals. I am coming from a background of being a county hurler and a club hurler. When you are with the county you can begin to feel like you’re out of the loop within the club set up. The lads are all putting in the hard graft during pre-season and you aren’t there for that. Then you come back and just play matches, that doesn’t sit well with some people. The split would also allow you to give 100 per cent to both set ups. At the end of the day the club is the lifeblood of the GAA and I know a lot of county players feel like they aren’t able to give their all for the club and people that made them the players they are.

What are the current challenges facing dual players?

This year has been one of the toughest to be a dual player, and I think that dual clubs in Antrim have been let down massively by the county. We are competing in both Senior Hurling and Football championship. October 14th is the cut-off date for club championship, yet the county is looking to have both championships done by 20th of September? They could have spread the fixtures out over them extra three and a half weeks which would have been the sensible decision but they have now run the risk of increased injury and burn out to the players that they have a duty of care to. Take us for example, we trained hurling on Tuesday night, we had 15 lads training and 15 lads sitting in the stand watching as we had a crunch clash with St John’s in football in a winner-takes-all game on the Wednesday. We now have three days to recover and refuel before another winner-takes-all game away to Ballycastle. It doesn’t make any sense. But anyway we are enjoying ourselves, and giving a good account of the club and I guess that’s the most important thing.

How will new proposals affect dual players, for club and county?

If the proposals come into effect it can be nothing but good for the players. This will allow them to dedicate themselves fully to both the county set up and their club set up instead of toing and froing between the both of them.

Is it possible to have fixture schedule effectively help dual players?

Absolutely, you look at our championship lay out for example, in hurling we are in a group where you are guaranteed three games and in football we are guaranteed four. Why not run the three hurling group games the first weekend in May, June and July and then the football the third week of them months. Club provincial championship doesn’t start until roughly October so that would leave you with August, September and October to run off the remaining 1/4,1/2 and finals. No one would complain with seven games in 12 weeks (referring to spacing out of group championship games). This would leave dual players and clubs with plenty of time for recovery and sport specific training.

What does the future look like for dual players?

It’s an ever shrinking pool of players. Without the right guidance and support from the boards this could slowly dwindle to only a handful. When you think of it, it’s a very tough thing to do. You’re essentially playing two different sports and you’re expected to train and play every match at 100 per cent. Me and one of the lads were chatting about our schedule the other day and between hurling training and matches, football training and matches and recovery sessions we have been out everyday for the past two weeks. This is not only physically draining with a massive increase in potential injury risk but also mentally draining.

Ryan Gaffney Middletown hurler and footballers

What is your opinion of the current proposals for changes to the GAA season, precisely the CPA’s suggestion to split club and county?

I think it’s great to see people are eager to tackle the fixture problem we currently have and it can only be a positive that these discussions are taking place. Splitting club and county will help improve things for inter county players, allowing them to focus solely on their county season rather than having to commit to their club as well. As we know a recent ESRI study found that on average county players currently give 36 hours of their week to the GAA. This clearly has an impact on their personal life and work life which is something that’s a bit worrying considering that the GAA has a duty to prepare these athletes for the future. We have to ensure that there is a balance that caters for all their needs on and off the pitch. So, splitting the season and condensing it down to 23 weeks (February-July) will grant them more time to focus on other aspects of their life.

On the other hand, I am unsure from the proposal of what it means for club scene. Does this mean that Club players will have to wait until August before they can start their league? I know as a player I would find it hard to wait that long on a game and would prefer not to be playing championship during winter months. As anyone who has been lucky enough to be involved in championship during winter will tell you, it’s a nightmare for players and managers to properly prepare for games. Simple things that we take for granted during the summer, like finding a pitch to train on becomes a massive task and expense to clubs. My own club have had to travel to pitches an hour away two or three times a week just to get a pitch with flood lights. A lot of the time having to turn the cars around and head home just because the pitch wasn’t playable due to bad weather. So, to me it’s not really ideal. Would it be better to play the club season from January to July and then County afterwards? Most counties have great training facilities which are perfectly set up to cater for the winter training and games so maybe that would be a better idea.

What are the current challenges facing dual players?

One of the challenges facing dual players has to be the congestion of fixtures. The fact is that everyone wants to be playing the business end of their season during July, August and September. This leads to a pile up of fixtures which then makes it a lot harder for dual clubs to prepare properly for their championships. One weekend you could have football championship and the following could be hurling. This will mean that the Hurling management will have to sacrifice a week’s training to allow the football team the space to prepare properly in the week of their game. Obviously, this isn’t ideal preparation.

Another challenge is the commitment that’s needed. A dual club player who is preparing himself correctly will be giving as much time to the GAA as an inter county player. I imagine that lads on the Slaughtneil panel who are well known for their success in both codes, would be preparing at the same level as a lot of inter county players if not more.

So is it the same problem with dual players as there is inter county players regarding time devoted to the GAA? At the end of the day it’s every player’s choice what they do and how much they commit.

How will new proposals affect dual players, for club and county?

I think the proposals will leave it nearly impossible for dual players to give their time to both codes. If the club season runs from August to December then can you imagine how hard its going to be for dual clubs to fulfil their fixtures, let alone have the facilities to cater for them in winter. Boys will be out nearly every night of the week which I suppose you could argue dual players are well used to but you have to think how many years can a player keep that level of commitment up? At the end of the day something will give, either they step away from one code, their commitment levels drop which isn’t ideal, or they step away from both. Goal number one of the GAA strategic plan is to “improve opportunities for participating in Gaelic games” so protecting the dual player should be our priority.

It is possible to have fixture schedule effectively help dual players?

I don’t envy the people who have been tasked with the job of improving the fixture schedule. With so many games to be played between inter county, club, college, secondary schools across both codes it’s almost as if it’s an impossible task. But I am sure it can be improved upon.

One way that might help improve the fixtures for dual players would be that instead of splitting the year for inter county and club season, that it’s split for Hurling and football. I know this might seem like a mad idea but it would definitely give players the opportunity to play our games and allow for a healthy and balanced lifestyle on and off the pitch. This though would not cure the problem of clubs having suitable facilities to cater for games and training in winter months, nor would it solve the problem of inter county players having to devote so much time to the GAA, but would help achieve goal number one and stop players from having to choose between the two codes. If we think of the likes of Fermanagh who only have one club that plays senior Hurling within their county but have seven Juvenile Hurling clubs, what happens to these players when they come out of Juvenile Hurling? Who do they play for? Do they just quit? If so why? Is it because fellas feel they have to commit to their football club and they don’t have the time to continue playing Hurling? Am sure there is loads of reasons but can we really say that we are providing people with the opportunity to play our games?

What does the future look like for dual players?

At the minute, unfortunately the future doesn’t look great for the dual player. With players being expected to devote more and more time to their squads as the years go by it will mean they are left with a decision to make. Sadly, the struggles of dual players and clubs are not granted the attention that is needed. Being a dual player has always been a struggle but one that has in many ways been enjoyable. There is something special about being part of a dual club that I believe other clubs are missing out on. I think it’s great to see clubs promote all the games that fall under the GAA umbrella and am proud to be part of a club that does so. It might mean we have fallen short of the finishing line in certain games due to fatigue or not being able to prepare as well as other teams due to time restraints etc, but there really is nothing better than getting to play games regularly with your club mates across both codes and if the GAA are serious about achieving goal number one of their strategic plan then we all have a duty to protect the dual player and promote all of our games.

Kevin Hinphey Kevin Lynch’s hurlers St Canice’s footballers

What are the current challenges facing dual players?

Busy schedules. Playing two games a week at times, maybe four training sessions too.

How will new proposals affect dual players, for club and county?

Depends on the window available for club and county and how effective CCC are in scheduling/ organising the respective calendars. It is a great opportunity to have a very good system for club and county if they make the right decisions

It is possible to have fixture schedule effectively help dual players?

Yes. If the right people are working on fixtures, it is always possible to get an effective and fair program of games

What does the future look like for dual players?

There will always be dual players. Playing both codes is challenging but the positives far outweigh any negatives. Players should make the most of the window they have and enjoy playing while they can. It is up to GAA officials to ensure players can play both codes by providing a fair and sensible program of games.