GAA set to end ‘six-day turnaround’ issue in qualifiers. By 2014

It has been the reason for many Championship exits over the last decade but now, finally, the GAA are sorting out their calendar to end the dreaded ‘six-day turnaround’ for teams entering the qualifiers. By 2014.

The list of victims is illustrious. According to a report in today’s Irish Independent, Cork ('01), Tipperary ('02), Down, Limerick and Kildare ('03), Limerick and Laois ('04), Galway and Antrim ('09), Sligo and Monaghan (2010) and Derry (2011), pictured above, have all lost a qualifier after losing their provincial final six or seven days beforehand.

Only Dublin in 2001 overcame defeat to Meath to beat Sligo seven days later, and forcing teams to try and lift themselves again so soon was patently unfair.

But according to today’s paper, it is now hoped that these situations will be ended by 2014 as a new calendar is set to be introduced to the Championship form this year. The GAA plan to co-ordinate the provincial championships more with the qualifier structure, ending both the very short gaps we have seen, and also the very long gaps some defeated provincial teams have to face before playing their first qualifier.

The proposal from the fixture planning committee was well received by Central Council last month but the wheels of progress turn slowly at HQ. The plan will be put to Congress in 2013, with the hope being that the 2014 Championship will be the first under the new system.

As well as getting the provincial titles in synch, the proposal also suggests that one pre-Championship draw is held to determine what side of the qualifier draw you are on, setting out a clear roadmap for teams and ending the almost weekly qualifier draws.

The days of the massive glut of qualifiers on some weekends would also be abolished, allowing for more media coverage and less mass exits from the highlight of the GAA year.

The club game would also benefit, with a clear fixture list in place for county organisers to work around.

The change is long overdue, we just wish it could be brought in now as we are sure at least one county will have to deal with this situation this summer and next.