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Páraic Duffy: 'We are very open to looking at the hurling structure'

Paraic Duffy

Paraic Duffy

By John Harrington

Ard Stiúrthóir Páraic Duffy says he is ‘very open’ to the prospect of restructuring the All-Ireland hurling championship if there is a mood to do so.

There has been concern expressed in some quarters that hurling will be put in the shade from next year by changes to the structure of the All-Ireland Football Championship that were passed at Saturday’s Annual Congress.

But Duffy is determined that hurling will not be ‘dwarfed’ and is keen to do something to ‘accommodate Galway and Antrim’ even if the hurling community doesn't want any major change to the championship structures.

“The Uachtarán and I have discussed this, we are very strong on this,” said Duffy. “We are very open to looking at the hurling structure, very open.

"There are actually some good suggestions out there, it’s not for me to put them out here today, but if the hurling community – and this is really important to us – if they wish to look at their championship in terms of the number of games they have and so on then we’ll look at that.

“But I wouldn’t try to force that. We looked at football because the demand was there, the Uachtarán stated this when he came into office.

“There was a very loud cry that we do something with the football championship. If the hurling counties would like us to look at hurling then we will do that.

“But no matter what happens, even if there is no change in hurling in the next couple of years and there will have to be something to accommodate Galway and Antrim, we will design a fixtures programme that reflects the needs of both sports, club and inter-county. We will make sure that hurling is not dwarfed.”

Saturday’s Annual Congress voted to shorten the inter-county season by stipulating the All-Ireland Football and Hurling Championship must be played by or on the final Sunday in August.

Ard Stiúrthóir Páraic Duffy pictured at the 2017 GAA Congress at Croke Park.

Ard Stiúrthóir Páraic Duffy pictured at the 2017 GAA Congress at Croke Park.

That will create more time in the calendar for the playing of club games, and the Ard Stiúrthóir believe even more can be done on that front by putting in place the best possible template of inter-county fixtures.

“The next task we have to do, and I'm looking forward to this, is we've now made a decision the inter-county starts on the 1st of January to the 31st of August,” he says.

“We're going to work with the National CCC, the Central Fixtures Analysis Committee, the provincial councils and some great people in counties.

“For example, people like Stephen Barker in Derry, Hugh Kelly in Fermanagh. People like this who put forward good ideas. We're going to produce the best possible fixtures template we can between now and September before next year's championship draws take place.

“And I believe we can produce the best possible template. We’ll work that and see where that takes us.”

The Ard Stiúrthoir was asked after Saturday’s Congress whether he was concerned there was a growing divide between administrators and players.

He believes that narrative is being driven by others and is happy that all of the motions passed at Congress were done in the most democratic way possible.

“It’s been driven,” said Duffy. “I met with the CPA (Club Players Association) four times and the first two meetings were extremely positive meetings.

“We didn’t change the narrative - I have never said one negative thing about the CPA. The strongest thing I said was that I was disappointed they rejected the proposals out of hand. I think the people that are writing those things (that there is a growing divide between administrators and players) need to look at themselves.

“I met them four times and I’m happy to meet them again - the GAA wants to engage. Michael Higgins is a national executive member of the CPA - Michael Higgins is a member appointed by Aogán (Ó Fearghail) and I two years ago of the central fixtures analysis committee.

“What are we supposed to do? It’s not being driven by us. You saw at Congress - the GAA aren’t looking for a row here.

“The GPA took their position. That's their right. I can't answer for the GPA. They took their views. I'm only repeating what you heard today. Jarlath Burns put it very well - 'We're all members of GAA clubs in the first instance.'

“We spent the whole of the afternoon to date debating motions that were sent in by clubs. That's how the GAA works. Players are all members of clubs.

“They have the same rights as I have or Aogán has or anybody else to bring motions to their own club. I think the process we saw today was extremely democratic.

“We're members of the GAA. We operate in accordance with the rules of the GAA. I can't emphasise that enough.”