THE GAA’S MINOR review workgroup issued their report this morning in Croke Park with plenty proposals and recommendations for the grade.
Here’s 10 key proposals that emerged in terms of player eligibility, scheduling of competitions and the competition format.
Player Eligibility
1. The key proposal is that a player can only play in adult competition (i.e. over the U21 grade) when they reach their last year of minor. This is to protect players from physical injury, reduce the risk of burnout and the number of teams a player is eligible for.
2. A player who is eligible for minor should not play at senior inter-county level. This scenario has cropped up in recent years through players like Donegal’s Patrick McBrearty, Wexford’s Conor McDonald and Louth’s Ryan Burns.
3. A players who is eligible for minor should also not play at U21 inter-county level.
4. The committee discovered there was little appetite for the minor grade to be changed to U17 level. Instead they’re recommending a three-year pilot programme at club level which would see four counties (one per province) introducing amended age grades at U13, U15, U17 and U19 at club level.
Scheduling Of Competitions
5. Club minor competitions should be completed no later than the second weekend in October to facilitate the commencement of post-primary schools competitions.
6. Senior post-primary schools competitions commencing no earlier than the second weekend in October with All-Ireland finals to be played no later than the weekend closest to March 31st.
7. Inter-county minor finals should only be played as a curtain-raiser to adult games where this is in the best interest of player welfare. Provinces/counties should trial the playing of minor finals as a standalone fixture.
Competition Format
8. All-Ireland minor football quarter-finals should be discontinued from 2016.
9. Each provincial inter-county minor championship competition should be run using the same format. This should facilitate a second chance for those defeated in their first game thereby ensuring all minor teams get two championship games.
10. The hurling development committee should develop proposals regarding All-Ireland minor competitions and the accommodation of Galway and Antrim in an equitable system which promotes best practice in a development context.
