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Oisin McConville Criticises GAA & LGFA For Crazy Scheduling Blunders

Oisin McConville Criticises GAA & LGFA For Crazy Scheduling Blunders
Eoin Harrington
By Eoin Harrington
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News filtered through on Tuesday morning which confirmed that the GAA, LGFA, and Camogie Association aim to complete their integration by 2027.

It is a long-awaited move, with protests last year among female players over the conditions under which many panels have suffered in recent seasons.

At Tuesday's press conference confirming the timeframe of integration, it was confirmed that the three associations would come under the GAA umbrella, with unified approaches to injury benefits, membership, facilities and fixtures.

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The last of those is particularly topical, after a weekend of disastrous scheduling clashes between the GAA's Allianz Leagues and the LGFA's National League.

Saturday saw Kerry face Mayo in a packed-out Austin Stack Park in Tralee in the Allianz League - but the clash between the counties' women's teams had concluded in Fitzgerald Stadium in Killarney little over three hours prior, making it impossible for fans to attend both games.

David Clifford Mayo Kerry GAA

17 February 2024; David Clifford of Kerry in action against Sam Callinan an Rory Brickenden of Mayo during the Allianz Football League Division 1 match between Kerry and Mayo at Austin Stack Park in Tralee, Kerry. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

An alternative but similarly egregious issue popped up in Belfast, where Antrim's men's and women's teams played simultaneously in venues which practically neighbour each other.

These are farcical issues which the integration movement will seek to amend - and Armagh legend Oisin McConville sees it as coming not a moment too soon.

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READ HERE: Lee Keegan 'Disappointed' By Mayo Defence For Epic Clifford Winner In Tralee

READ HERE: Pat Spillane Claims Jim McGuinness Donegal 'Innovation' Has Been Around Since 1970s

Oisin McConville welcomes move for GAA integration

McConville was quizzed on this week's GAA Social Podcast from the BBC on whether last weekend's scheduling clashes were a "bad look" for the sport's governing bodies.

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Wicklow men's team boss McConville pointed out that his side had played back-to-back with the county women's team in Aughrim on Sunday, saying he could not fathom why more counties did not follow suit:

I couldn't agree more [that it is a bad look]. It's the second time already this year that the Wicklow ladies have played on the same programme as ourselves. They played after us against Carlow yesterday. It just seems like the right thing to do. People going in to watch two matches are going to see a quality product.

I also think that it seems like we as an organisation - and I know we're not under the same umbrella yet - have this tendency to overthink things. Some joined up thinking would be lovely when it comes to this sort of thing. It's a no-brainer to have both of these games [in the same venue].

McConville went on to acknowledge that some counties had expressed concerns over their pitches taking the strain of consecutive matches, but largely refuted that as an argument against back-to-back games.

I get the pitch thing, but it's not as if these games were fixed for the same pitch and then adverse weather conditions caused them to be changed. In a case like that, people would understand that one game has to take precedence over the other.

But I don't see why there wouldn't be a little bit more joined up thinking on this. Wouldn't it be a lot more enticing to go and watch two games than one?

As much as we can bemoan football - and we have done! - it is so well supported right now...people are coming out to support the game, and I think a lot of those people are families. This is the perfect opportunity and the perfect window.

It's hard to argue with McConville, and one can only hope that such changes are made as part of the growing cooperation between Gaelic Games' three governing bodies ahead of the 2027 merger.

SEE ALSO: Sam Maguire Power Rankings: Gaelic Football's Top 10 After Three Rounds Of The League

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