Club Football 2026

[Offaly Hero]

Ballycommons achievements are exceptional. And unstainable. But imagine a Ballycommon, Cappincur team. Now that could be more competitive. Ballingar + Raheen. Kilclonfert + St Brigids. A Walsh Island + Clonbullogue + Bracknagh team could be exceptional. Ballycumber + Erin Rovers. I could go on.

Kilclonfert + St Brigids ??, St Brigids would be with Rhode surely

Its all hypothetical. But Rhode would have no need or interest in an amalgamation and wouldn't dissolve their club to form a new one. Whereas both St Brigids and Kilclonfert are the two smallest clubs in the county on the basis of demographics, are right beside each other and would be far more more likely to have an equal amalgamation - see Ballyskenagh/Killavilla as an example.

[faithfulfanatic]

Ballycommons achievements are exceptional. And unstainable. But imagine a Ballycommon, Cappincur team. Now that could be more competitive. Ballingar + Raheen. Kilclonfert + St Brigids. A Walsh Island + Clonbullogue + Bracknagh team could be exceptional. Ballycumber + Erin Rovers. I could go on.

Kilclonfert + St Brigids ??, St Brigids would be with Rhode surely

Its all hypothetical. But Rhode would have no need or interest in an amalgamation and wouldn't dissolve their club to form a new one. Whereas both St Brigids and Kilclonfert are the two smallest clubs in the county on the basis of demographics, are right beside each other and would be far more more likely to have an equal amalgamation - see Ballyskenagh/Killavilla as an example.

I believe Clareen and Lusmagh are both smaller than St Brigids but your point still stands. Although I can't see St Brigids wanting to amalgamate, having just gone senior B. Competing and winning at your own standard/raising your standard is every club's aim.
I think Shannonbridge is 5th smallest with Ballycommon 6th smallest.
That is 4 of the 6 smallest clubs in the county who are competing at Senior B or higher - an example for those in the middle/top tier of populations who are making a lot less use of far bigger numbers.

Although I do know that the recently disposed Offaly manager is keen for Kilclonfert to amalgamate with someone and it didn't go down very well at their last AGM.

[Offaly Hero]

Kilclonfert + St Brigids ??, St Brigids would be with Rhode surely

Its all hypothetical. But Rhode would have no need or interest in an amalgamation and wouldn't dissolve their club to form a new one. Whereas both St Brigids and Kilclonfert are the two smallest clubs in the county on the basis of demographics, are right beside each other and would be far more more likely to have an equal amalgamation - see Ballyskenagh/Killavilla as an example.

I believe Clareen and Lusmagh are both smaller than St Brigids but your point still stands. Although I can't see St Brigids wanting to amalgamate, having just gone senior B. Competing and winning at your own standard/raising your standard is every club's aim.
I think Shannonbridge is 5th smallest with Ballycommon 6th smallest.
That is 4 of the 6 smallest clubs in the county who are competing at Senior B or higher - an example for those in the middle/top tier of populations who are making a lot less use of far bigger numbers.

Although I do know that the recently disposed Offaly manager is keen for Kilclonfert to amalgamate with someone and it didn't go down very well at their last AGM.

Well given Kilclonfert had to conceed matches in Junior A this year due to inability to field a team, I feel he has a point. Time will tell.

[Anon444]

My argument to the above would be that it would reduce your playing numbers even more. If you wanted to take a St. Vincent’s adult team for example, you are taken 3/4 clubs with an average adult playing population of 25 or so and reducing it into probably one 30 man panel. I know it would be great for the top end talent, but what about young players coming through, they would struggle to see many minutes unless they are exceptional.

It’s hard to know what an alternative is though, because the system now isn’t going to lead to a winner outside Tullamore and maybe Ferbane. I often look at clubs like Ballycommon, Bracknagh, Clonbulloge, Ballinagar, Daingean, Raheen, St. Brigids, etc and wonder what is their ceiling; to just get to Senior A and compete? Eventually, players get sick of the same yoyo and the motivation will disappear. Unfortunately, this is common in all counties.

[Offaly Hero]

My argument to the above would be that it would reduce your playing numbers even more. If you wanted to take a St. Vincent’s adult team for example, you are taken 3/4 clubs with an average adult playing population of 25 or so and reducing it into probably one 30 man panel. I know it would be great for the top end talent, but what about young players coming through, they would struggle to see many minutes unless they are exceptional.

It’s hard to know what an alternative is though, because the system now isn’t going to lead to a winner outside Tullamore and maybe Ferbane. I often look at clubs like Ballycommon, Bracknagh, Clonbulloge, Ballinagar, Daingean, Raheen, St. Brigids, etc and wonder what is their ceiling; to just get to Senior A and compete? Eventually, players get sick of the same yoyo and the motivation will disappear. Unfortunately, this is common in all counties.

This argument about amalgamations potentially diminishing numbers is complete rubbish. The evidence otherwise is right in front of our eyes. They seem to be doing ok for playing numbers in Kilcormac/Kiloughey, Shamrocks, Clodiagh Gaels (at adult level). The excess numbers go into multiple adult teams at different grades, these players dont just disappear if they are not on the A team.

I would also argue that a bigger club with better chance of success, better facilities, more finance etc is more apealling for player retention, be it as place for bring your child to or for the adult to travel home from Dublin for training.

[Anonymous1]

My argument to the above would be that it would reduce your playing numbers even more. If you wanted to take a St. Vincent’s adult team for example, you are taken 3/4 clubs with an average adult playing population of 25 or so and reducing it into probably one 30 man panel. I know it would be great for the top end talent, but what about young players coming through, they would struggle to see many minutes unless they are exceptional.

It’s hard to know what an alternative is though, because the system now isn’t going to lead to a winner outside Tullamore and maybe Ferbane. I often look at clubs like Ballycommon, Bracknagh, Clonbulloge, Ballinagar, Daingean, Raheen, St. Brigids, etc and wonder what is their ceiling; to just get to Senior A and compete? Eventually, players get sick of the same yoyo and the motivation will disappear. Unfortunately, this is common in all counties.

The Kerry model is available. Each club plays at their own level first and then the amalgamations happen for a second championship.

[Anonymous1]

and while not an excuse in any way the fact that 14 of the ferbane /belmont lads were playing every week for 10 /12 weeks either football or hurling has to have been detrimental to both teams. i dont know what the answer is.

In some counties, the hurling championship is played off first followed by the football or vice versa.

Or, you have two weeks of hurling followed by two weeks of football etc.

The 1 week football, 1 week hurling approach is not conducive to good outcomes for dual clubs. And, three of the four Senior A finalists (Ferbane, Tullamore and Ballinamere) are senior in both codes.

If we want more competitive championships then we need a move away from the 1 week football, 1 week hurling format.

Also, if we're sticking with the strong and weak group format then we should do away with quarter finals which serve no purpose. Have three teams emerge from the strong group and one from the weak group. Inject a bit of jeopardy into the group games and end the shadowboxing once and for all.

Waterford is the only county which now plays off the hurling before the football.
Just this weekend past, John Mullane was scathing in his analysis of this and called for it to be changed.

That's excluding the likes of Kerry and Kilkenny who make a mockery of one sport and play it during Intercounty time.
Kilkenny football championship finished back on the first weekend of May.
Kerry hurling championship is played off while the county footballers are still on the go.

Any county trying to make a fist of dual status (Galway, Cork, Dublin, Tipp, Laois, Wexford, Westmeath, Kildare) is operating on a week on-week off basis.
Some of these might have big clubs with big numbers, but there are plenty of lads playing both.

I wasn't arguing for Offaly to swap to playing the entirety of one championship off first.

However, counties like Wexford play 2 weeks hurling followed by 2 weeks football. That seems a far better system than what we currently have.

[Offaly Hero]

My argument to the above would be that it would reduce your playing numbers even more. If you wanted to take a St. Vincent’s adult team for example, you are taken 3/4 clubs with an average adult playing population of 25 or so and reducing it into probably one 30 man panel. I know it would be great for the top end talent, but what about young players coming through, they would struggle to see many minutes unless they are exceptional.

It’s hard to know what an alternative is though, because the system now isn’t going to lead to a winner outside Tullamore and maybe Ferbane. I often look at clubs like Ballycommon, Bracknagh, Clonbulloge, Ballinagar, Daingean, Raheen, St. Brigids, etc and wonder what is their ceiling; to just get to Senior A and compete? Eventually, players get sick of the same yoyo and the motivation will disappear. Unfortunately, this is common in all counties.

The Kerry model is available. Each club plays at their own level first and then the amalgamations happen for a second championship.

Lone Shark outlined brilliantly recently on this forum the many multude of reasons why divisonal teams will not and never will work in Offaly. It's a complete non runner and needs to stop being talked about.

And don't take my word for it, clubs in Offaly have actually been allowed by the County Board do divisonal teams since 2022 and not a single club has taken them up on the offer.

[Anonymous1]

My argument to the above would be that it would reduce your playing numbers even more. If you wanted to take a St. Vincent’s adult team for example, you are taken 3/4 clubs with an average adult playing population of 25 or so and reducing it into probably one 30 man panel. I know it would be great for the top end talent, but what about young players coming through, they would struggle to see many minutes unless they are exceptional.

It’s hard to know what an alternative is though, because the system now isn’t going to lead to a winner outside Tullamore and maybe Ferbane. I often look at clubs like Ballycommon, Bracknagh, Clonbulloge, Ballinagar, Daingean, Raheen, St. Brigids, etc and wonder what is their ceiling; to just get to Senior A and compete? Eventually, players get sick of the same yoyo and the motivation will disappear. Unfortunately, this is common in all counties.

The Kerry model is available. Each club plays at their own level first and then the amalgamations happen for a second championship.

Lone Shark outlined brilliantly recently on this forum the many multude of reasons why divisonal teams will not and never will work in Offaly. It's a complete non runner and needs to stop being talked about.

And don't take my word for it, clubs in Offaly have actually been allowed by the County Board do divisonal teams since 2022 and not a single club has taken them up on the offer.

We're destined for eternally lopsided club championships which has a direct knock on effect on the county team if we don't try something big and bold.

[Offaly Hero]

The Kerry model is available. Each club plays at their own level first and then the amalgamations happen for a second championship.

Lone Shark outlined brilliantly recently on this forum the many multude of reasons why divisonal teams will not and never will work in Offaly. It's a complete non runner and needs to stop being talked about.

And don't take my word for it, clubs in Offaly have actually been allowed by the County Board do divisonal teams since 2022 and not a single club has taken them up on the offer.

We're destined for eternally lopsided club championships which has a direct knock on effect on the county team if we don't try something big and bold.

There's 'bold' and then there's wasting time thinking and talking about something that will never happen.

[SearingDrive]

In terms of the population thing, it's like the Dublin versus the rest in Leinster situation. You have the other areas that are big, just not that big (Meath, Kildare, Louth), who need a lot to go right to be able to catch them, which in Offaly terms are Edenderry and Clara, and maybe at a push, Shamrocks.

Once you go into the tier below that again (Westmeath, Offaly, Wexford, or Rhode/Ferbane/Gracefield/Daingean), these clubs need a special crew of players, and the top team to be clearly below par, to win once. To win consistently, as teams like Walsh Island, Ferbane, and indeed Offaly did in the 1970s and 1980s, will never happen again.

Arguably however the bigger problem is not how high Tullamore's ceiling goes, it's how low their floor goes, and what that does to the clubs and counties that are even smaller again. Think of 1968, when Longford won the Leinster SFC and Ballycumber won their only Offaly title. Will we ever see either of those things, or their equivalent, happen again? I can't see it, there's a bit of me thinking that Ballycommon doing what they did this year could be as good as it gets.

We've got to the point that for a real minnow, the level that you need to get to in terms of preparing your team to compete, by which I mean the money and human resource needed to make that happen, and indeed the number of capable players you need to make it happen, has gone through the roof.

It's all very well to say that you can only put 15 players on the field, but when the championship was a straight knockout and you had a game every two or three weeks, it was a lot easier to put pretty close to your best 15 out all the time. Now you will almost always have a couple of lads in bother with soft tissue injuries, and you need to be able to bring on three or four difference-making subs.

So that's what strips the good out of it - you go into a senior championship where half the teams are beaten before they start, and that reflects how they go about things. And 40 years ago, when club players weren't building their entire life around training, recovery, gym and all the rest of it, a relatively shorter burst of intensity brought you to more or less where you needed to be. Now, you have to life the life of an elite footballer for 12 months of the year, and it's bloody hard to do that when winning the big prize is not realistic.


The irony of all this is that this is not great for Tullamore either, because the bar is higher for them. Of course the current generation is respected and admired in the town, but even locally, there is an understanding that they're doing what you'd expect them to do, rather than doing something special. For a Tullamore player to go down in local folklore in the same vein as those Ballycumber lads of 1968, or Shannonbridge in 1996, or even to be compared with those Ferbane and Walsh Island teams, they're going to have to do something bigger, outside of Offaly. Otherwise they're just going to be remembered as a really good team who came along at a really bad time for Offaly club football.

Well said and I'd agree with much, if not all, of this. It can be easy to be pessimistic now but Portlaois's current travails in Laois show that hard times can come to even the most seemingly demographically dominant teams.

Hard to know what the solution is to a more competitive senior a championship. I do feel structurally, the Offaly football scene is hamstrung by a large number of very small clubs, who have no hope of ever winning a senior a championship (through no fault of their own). Now its one thing when they are competing among themselves in senior B, intermediate and Junor but even the 10 team senior A championship has Ballycommon, Bracknagh, Clonbullogue and Durrow who, lets be real, are never going to win a senior A championship.

Ballycommons achievements are exceptional. And unstainable. But imagine a Ballycommon, Cappincur team. Now that could be more competitive. Ballingar + Raheen. Kilclonfert + St Brigids. A Walsh Island + Clonbullogue + Bracknagh team could be exceptional. Ballycumber + Erin Rovers. I could go on.

I just feel as long as we have this multitude of tiny, tiny teams with limited people and limited resources all playing musical chairs among themselves in the bottom half of senior a, senior B and intermeidate then the top of senior A will remain as it is.

That is correct about the number of weak teams with small numbers competing in the championship. Amalgamations are not considered.
The SF champions will be from the strong group of 4/5 teams for the present.

[SidelineCuts]

[/quote]

I have huge respect for Tullamore as a club. They do what looks like everything perfectly, they have unbelievable coaches from within the club and then go and get a top class coach for their seniors to take them to the next step. Their underage is dominant and their facilities are starting to come on leaps and bounds too.

But I do get the feeling that the other clubs could do everything right and still not be able to get over them. They are a juggernaut and with the endless supply of top level underage footballers coming through, they will eventually get to a stage where the will contest all major championships.
[/quote]

I find it interesting that after Tullamore win 4 in a row this past Sunday, most of the talk in this forum has focused on population, adult playing members, and amalgamations amongst other clubs. Lots of good points made on both sides but reading the posts in the week leading up to the final, every second user was fancying Ferbane to do it on Sunday.

Yes, Tullamore has a larger population than any other town in the county, but before Sunday their average winning margin over Ferbane in the previous 3 finals was only 2.3pts. Are you telling me that "population" is the difference when these games went down to the wire? And where was this population in the 23 years before Tullamore regained the Dowling in 2000? The simple fact is that Tullamore are very beatable, as proven already by Ferbane and Rhode just a matter of weeks ago, but this current Tullamore panel perform better than their Ferbane counterparts when they reach the final hurdle. Tullamore will be beaten at some point in the future, but let's appreciate and recognise the achievement of the current crop as a fantastic Offaly club football team.

I enjoy the work done by Liam White and the Faithful podcast, but this rhetoric "is anyone going to be able to stop Tullamore over the next number of years" is just lazy. He commends the work done at underage but then says its "not possible" for other teams to catch them - they could win 7 or 8 finals in a row apparently. Meanwhile, his own Kilcormac Killoughy are going for 4 in a row on Sunday afternoon - you couldn't write it.

I'm not slamming the Faithful pod, not at all, I really like their work, but it begs the question. KK have won their previous 3 finals with an average margin of 9pts (heavily weighted by the great Shinrone massacre of 23). Despite arguably being more dominant than Tullamore footballers over the same period, none of the talk on the Club Hurling forum is about population, amalgamations in senior or intermediate ranks or condemning the next 4 or 5 championships to being already settled.

Question is - why are Tullamore and KK given different treatment when their accomplishments are so very similar.

[Anonymous1]

I have huge respect for Tullamore as a club. They do what looks like everything perfectly, they have unbelievable coaches from within the club and then go and get a top class coach for their seniors to take them to the next step. Their underage is dominant and their facilities are starting to come on leaps and bounds too.

But I do get the feeling that the other clubs could do everything right and still not be able to get over them. They are a juggernaut and with the endless supply of top level underage footballers coming through, they will eventually get to a stage where the will contest all major championships.
[/quote]

I find it interesting that after Tullamore win 4 in a row this past Sunday, most of the talk in this forum has focused on population, adult playing members, and amalgamations amongst other clubs. Lots of good points made on both sides but reading the posts in the week leading up to the final, every second user was fancying Ferbane to do it on Sunday.

Yes, Tullamore has a larger population than any other town in the county, but before Sunday their average winning margin over Ferbane in the previous 3 finals was only 2.3pts. Are you telling me that "population" is the difference when these games went down to the wire? And where was this population in the 23 years before Tullamore regained the Dowling in 2000? The simple fact is that Tullamore are very beatable, as proven already by Ferbane and Rhode just a matter of weeks ago, but this current Tullamore panel perform better than their Ferbane counterparts when they reach the final hurdle. Tullamore will be beaten at some point in the future, but let's appreciate and recognise the achievement of the current crop as a fantastic Offaly club football team.

I enjoy the work done by Liam White and the Faithful podcast, but this rhetoric "is anyone going to be able to stop Tullamore over the next number of years" is just lazy. He commends the work done at underage but then says its "not possible" for other teams to catch them - they could win 7 or 8 finals in a row apparently. Meanwhile, his own Kilcormac Killoughy are going for 4 in a row on Sunday afternoon - you couldn't write it.

I'm not slamming the Faithful pod, not at all, I really like their work, but it begs the question. KK have won their previous 3 finals with an average margin of 9pts (heavily weighted by the great Shinrone massacre of 23). Despite arguably being more dominant than Tullamore footballers over the same period, none of the talk on the Club Hurling forum is about population, amalgamations in senior or intermediate ranks or condemning the next 4 or 5 championships to being already settled.

Question is - why are Tullamore and KK given different treatment when their accomplishments are so very similar.
[/quote]


It's disingenuous to suggest the discussion around population began on Sunday evening. It has been widely discussed for years at this stage.

What a handful of users predicted in the run up to the game is meaningless. Tullamore were 4/9 on Sunday and the odds were justified.

The argument that "Tullamore weren't winning titles for 23 years" is also a really poor one. That was a failure on their part, the club wasn't being well run, in the same way I'd say Edenderry have been a failure over the last number of years.

The overall point is that a well run Tullamore combined with the population and resource advantages makes it almost impossible for any other club to compete. A small well run club is certainly capable of beating a bigger poorly run one but the biggest club being well run is ominous for the rest.

I'd certainly agree with the sentiment expressed by Liam White. It would be an enormous shock to me if the outcome of the 2027 Offaly SFC isn't Tullamore beating Ferbane in the final.

As for the hurling side of things, it's no different really. The traditional strength of Offaly hurling was in the South, the likes of Seir Kieran, Kinnitty, Coolderry, Drumcullen etc. Those clubs are all slipping back and what has emerged in their place? KK and Ballinamere. Two teams who weren't really a factor until the last decade and a half. I've no doubt both clubs are being well run, but the change doesn't happen without the population either.

Similarly on the football side, the teams competing at senior level have shifted entirely over the last decade from the west (Shannonbridge, Rynaghs, Erin Rovers etc.) to the east (Ballycommon, Bracknagh, Clonbullogue etc.) and next in line will be the likes of Ballinagar or Daingean. It's an undeniable trend.

[frankthetank]

Wait….!! There’s an Offaly GAA podcast!! What!!

Anyone got a link?