A controversial rule proposal is set to go through the GAA Central Council meeting next month, one that could have a major impact on hurling in a number of counties that have struggled with the sport.
Under the proposal, five counties - Cavan, Fermanagh, Leitrim, Louth, and Longford - would be taken out of the National Hurling League in 2025 and be limited to appearances in the Lory Meagher Cup each season. There would be no promotion in place in that competition.
Each of the counties mentioned above fields five or less teams at club level, with their readmission to the league only coming if they managed to surpass that amount for a period of three successive years.
It is said that by limiting the inter-county window for these counties to three months instead of six, they will have resources to put into areas such as underage coaching and improving the infrastructure of the sport.
Many view this as a ridiculous move from the GAA, who are meant to be attempting to grow the game of hurling in all counties.
However, not everyone is against the suggestion.
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Pat Spillane gives controversial take on hurling in weaker counties
Writing in the Sunday World, Pat Spillane has suggested that he would have no issue with some counties not fielding a hurling team at all at inter-county level. He believes that the expenses associated with running such teams would be more beneficial if put into underage coaching.
At next month’s Central Council meeting, delegates will vote on a plan to drop five counties – Cavan, Fermanagh, Leitrim, Louth, and Longford – all of whom have fewer than five adult hurling clubs – from the 2025 league.
The weaker counties are up in arms, but in this case, the GAA might have a point.
Recently, a member of the Waterford GAA Board told me that it costs their board €400,000 to run their senior football team, though, realistically, their chances of making any meaningful progress are slim.
He made the point that Waterford’s next-door neighbours Kilkenny don’t field a football team and nobody in the GAA bats an eyelid. But the money they save can be invested in hurling.
The harsh reality is that fielding senior county teams in hurling is nothing more than a paper-ticking exercise in many counties. Worse still, it is wasting scarce resources. Frankly, it is unsustainable...
The future of hurling in weaker counties lies in investing and coaching at underage level, not in wasting money by fielding a senior inter-county team.
This is an interesting take, although one you get the sense not all that many people will agree with.
An attempt should be made to grow hurling around the country, and by limiting what some inter-county teams can achieve in the game, what message does it send to young players who hold the ambitions of playing at such a level in the future?
Surely the GAA must be able to come up with a better solution than the one currently being suggested.
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