COULD THE ALL-Ireland hurling final be played after the football final?
That prospect has been raised by Paraic Duffy as he seeks to address the concerns in hurling circles over his proposals to revamp the All-Ireland football championship.
The GAA Director General – writing in his annual report today – has responded to the criticism from hurling counties.
“Two specific concerns have been expressed: (i) that the addition of eight competitive matches contested by the country’s best football teams will overshadow the hurling championship; and (ii), that bringing forward the major hurling championship games will diminish the relative importance of hurling.”
Duffy insists that the alternative fixtures schedule that he presented was simply to demonstrate a way in which the championships can be completed by the end of August.
“The motion on the timing of the All-Ireland finals that will go before Congress will ask that both All-Ireland senior finals be played on or before the last Sunday in August, on dates determined by Central Congress.
“It does not specify a particular Sunday, nor the order in which the finals would be played. There is absolutely no reason, therefore, why Central Council could not decide to play the hurling final after the football final, if it was concerned that there would be too few major hurling games in July or August.”
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