Club Football

[Superhans75]

I think the county board .by scrapping relegation have made a rod for their own back.
It's about quality not quantity and actual entertainment.
Some of the games this season have been like saying the rosary for 100 times in a row.
I was in the faithful Fields on Friday evening
For a junior C game it was actually very entertaining and a bit of passion .
Is it me but have Gracefields fallen of a cliff
Since faithful Fields has opened they know longer get any of the county night games ?

[faithfulfanatic]

I think the county board .by scrapping relegation have made a rod for their own back.
It's about quality not quantity and actual entertainment.
Some of the games this season have been like saying the rosary for 100 times in a row.
I was in the faithful Fields on Friday evening
For a junior C game it was actually very entertaining and a bit of passion .
Is it me but have Gracefields fallen of a cliff
Since faithful Fields has opened they know longer get any of the county night games ?

Jesus Hans, I don’t care what anyone says about you, you’re a fierce storyteller. More twists and turns and storylines in one of your posts than any soap opera on the telly.

[Anonymous1]

Number of things:

8 at Senior is really too few and at least there is a carrot for clubs to strive to get from Intermediate up in the new structure.
Senior B with 6 will be a transition point for clubs on the way up or down in the coming years and clibs may work harder to stay in that bracket or move up.
Intermediate is really then the new Junior and a decent level of football.

My concern also is the decline of Pollagh, Rynaghs, Doon , Shannonbridge. Throw in Kilclonfert, Clonmore Harps, Ballyfore, and Gracefield and that around 25% of our clubs in bother. Now 5 clubs operating below Junior really when the Junior level in the county is Intermediate? Throw in Clara and the fact that even if they win the Senior B, they really won't threaten the status quo at senior as hurling has taken over to a large degree and they are not producing the standard of footballer that they did.
it may just be cyclical or may be more a reality of possible decline in West Offaly. No football in the South of the county and falling contiobution in the West.
How can quality players in those crucial areas be nurtured for county beyond minor? I am not talking amalgamations really but there has to be some solution, Parish rule is a challenge and parish teams wont work unless players are exclusive to the parish teams. It is a concern though and one to be aware of.
On the other hand areas like Daingean, Ballycommon, Ballinagar and Raheen have benefited from location and decent underage structure plus coaching, with improvement in Durrow. Bracknagh, Clonbullogue have seen benefits too.

Is it swings or roundabouts or a trend thats emerging.

But back to the point, I agree with LS's view, it is important that a change was made and I think that the suggested change makes sense.
Relegation is happening this year for Senior B and other grades below which arguably has bigger consequences than from Senior A.

It’s a simple fact of population change.

Shannonbridge, Doon, Pullough, Rynaghs are all either junior or just about hanging in at intermediate.

You can even extend to it to Ballycumber, Tubber and Clara who are all Senior B but are closer to intermediate than Senior A.

The one exception is Ferbane but they’re by no means immune from this problem either and have been struggling at underage for a number of years, once the stalwarts on the current team go they’ll find themselves falling back too.

The reality is if you’re a young person now in an area like West Offaly you have three prospects to further your career:

1. Move to Dublin, Galway, Limerick for study and stay there for work thereafter.

2. Move to Dublin, Galway, Limerick for study and then go abroad after.

3. Move to Dublin, Galway, Limerick for study and then move into a commuter town.

The effect of 1 and 2 has been to decimate clubs in West Offaly in particular but 3 has worked to the benefit of clubs in the Tullamore-Edenderry commuter belt area.

Durrow, Ballycommon, Bracknagh, Clonbullogue, Daingean etc are all now either Senior or on the brink of making a senior breakthrough.

It’s a vicious cycle to be on though as it’s not just the current day players but the children of those who have moved will be lost to the clubs forever.

The ESB-BNM axis probably only delayed the inevitable in West Offaly but now that it’s here I’m not sure what the solution is.

Maybe it’s in creating divisional teams like they do in Kerry where intermediate or junior teams combine to take on the senior teams but that would require plenty of ego’s being damaged so it’s a long shot.

[jimbob17]

Could West Offaly lads not work in Galway or Athlone and live or commute. That isnt far. It isnt a huge distance to Limerick either from West Offaly - and both Galway and Limerick are as close to West Offaly as Dublin is to Tullamore. Id accept there is an element of rural depopulation but there is also work opportunities nearby in Athlone that may be greater than work opportunities in Tullamore given Athlone is much bigger than Tullamore and has more industry.

[Lone Shark]

Of course you can commute - but the issue is not the lads that grow up playing for Ferbane, the issue is that if these lads are travelling to Dublin, or Galway, or Limerick for work, then they don't get married and settle down to bring up the next generation here. The Ferbane club does an excellent job of keeping lads involved and there isn't the same existential threat that faces clubs like Shannonbridge or Erin Rovers, who might only have three or four boys born in their parish/catchment area in a given year.

But in the long run, it's always a numbers game to a certain extent, and I'm not even talking about the likes of Tullamore and Edenderry here. As ye say, clubs like Daingean, Raheen, Durrow, none of them have the type of history Ferbane do, but history and tradition can't compensate for the simple reality of having two or three times as big of a player pool.

[Anonymous1]

Could West Offaly lads not work in Galway or Athlone and live or commute. That isnt far. It isnt a huge distance to Limerick either from West Offaly - and both Galway and Limerick are as close to West Offaly as Dublin is to Tullamore. Id accept there is an element of rural depopulation but there is also work opportunities nearby in Athlone that may be greater than work opportunities in Tullamore given Athlone is much bigger than Tullamore and has more industry.

The top paying jobs aren’t in Athlone or Tullamore unfortunately, they’re in the cities.

It’s still a 2-3 hour round trip 2-3 times every week for 8-9 months, it’s a massive commitment. Some will love the sport and their clubs enough to do so but others won’t and in clubs where numbers are tight and every player matters, that can be the difference between being a senior club and an intermediate one.

You’re also missing the key point that people are actively moving into areas in and around Tullamore and Edenderry where they can buy cheaper homes and travel to wherever it is they work in Dublin. Very few new people are moving into rural towns in west Offaly.

[Anonymous1]

On the games today there was very little to like.

Both were poor quality and both outcomes were never really in doubt.

Shamrocks at least posed some threat, the same cannot be said for Edenderry who put in a pathetic performance. Given it’s now going on a decade since they’ve made a county final I don’t think they should be classed as one of the “big four” anymore.

Tullamore will be favourites in the final, they’ve not lost a game in the championship since the 2022 final. Ferbane will need everything to go right for them on the day but they have a chance.

[kingscounty]

Don’t think there is a big four anymore, tullamore ahead for now but as far as the rest they’re all on an equal setting.
Rhode so dominant in senior football for the last 25 years, hung on against Ballycommon in the relegation semi, failing to score in the second half if I read rightly.
Tullamore rightly favourites after they brushed aside a poor Edenderry performance, who in the group stages drew with Ferbane.

[Anonymous1]

Don’t think there is a big four anymore, tullamore ahead for now but as far as the rest they’re all on an equal setting.
Rhode so dominant in senior football for the last 25 years, hung on against Ballycommon in the relegation semi, failing to score in the second half if I read rightly.
Tullamore rightly favourites after they brushed aside a poor Edenderry performance, who in the group stages drew with Ferbane.

I would caution against using the group stages as a barometer in any year but especially so this year.

Shamrocks beat Ferbane in the group but never looked like winning yesterday aside from the first few minutes.

[private joker]

Is there relegation this year in senior football?

[kingscounty]

Don’t think there is a big four anymore, tullamore ahead for now but as far as the rest they’re all on an equal setting.
Rhode so dominant in senior football for the last 25 years, hung on against Ballycommon in the relegation semi, failing to score in the second half if I read rightly.
Tullamore rightly favourites after they brushed aside a poor Edenderry performance, who in the group stages drew with Ferbane.

I would caution against using the group stages as a barometer in any year but especially so this year.

Shamrocks beat Ferbane in the group but never looked like winning yesterday aside from the first few minutes.

You did you the last 10 years to discredit Edenderry as a ‘big four’, what if we go back 30 years, Ferbane won one championship in that time! Finals not easily won, il go for a draw and tullamore to win in extra time

[Anonymous1]

Don’t think there is a big four anymore, tullamore ahead for now but as far as the rest they’re all on an equal setting.
Rhode so dominant in senior football for the last 25 years, hung on against Ballycommon in the relegation semi, failing to score in the second half if I read rightly.
Tullamore rightly favourites after they brushed aside a poor Edenderry performance, who in the group stages drew with Ferbane.

I would caution against using the group stages as a barometer in any year but especially so this year.

Shamrocks beat Ferbane in the group but never looked like winning yesterday aside from the first few minutes.

You did you the last 10 years to discredit Edenderry as a ‘big four’, what if we go back 30 years, Ferbane won one championship in that time! Finals not easily won, il go for a draw and tullamore to win in extra time

10 years of “knockout” football as opposed to group games in the most meaningless system we’ve ever seen.

I’m aware finals are not easily won and Tullamore are too given they haven’t won back to back titles since 1926!

[Anonymous1]

Is there relegation this year in senior football?

There was originally supposed to be.

Bracknagh vs Ballycommon is the relegation final but with the new format set to move to 10 teams nobody will be getting relegated.

[private joker]

So why are they playing these games?

[Anonymous1]

So why are they playing these games?

New format won’t be ratified until January so they have to play it just in case it doesn’t pass…