Former Mayo GAA Chairman calls for week-on-week club championship games

A former Mayo GAA Chairman has called for the club championship fixtures schedule to be tweaked to allow supporters to attend championship games week-on-week. 

Mike Connelly, Hollymount-Carramore’s county board delegate, said playing the Mayo senior and intermediate championships on alternate weekends would give all supporters the chance to see games every weekend. 

Mayo’s premier and second-tier club championships are run concurrently every fortnight, with junior championship taking place on some weekends in between. 

“I think there’s an opportunity in a lot of ways; financially, and, I suppose, from an attendance point of view, for people who would like to see some games but are not able because senior and intermediate is all put together,” said Connelly.

“I know there is quite possibly a small issue there in relation to hurling, but I’m sure there’s an opportunity there that we could have games every weekend. All they’ll have this weekend is to watch English soccer. I think we’re missing an opportunity.”

Mayo GAA Chairman, Séamus Tuohy, said he agreed with Connelly’s point and referred to the CCC’s decision to run this year’s junior championship on weekends where no senior or intermediate games were taking place.

“We do have ten clubs involved in the hurling championship at this stage, and there is often an overlap of players, I suppose that’s where the challenge is,” added Tuohy.

Connelly suggested that there were windows earlier in the year where hurling championship games could be played before the start of the football season.

Tuohy said he would bring Connelly’s points to the CCC.