Westmeath club championships could be facing major revamp

Significant changes to the format of the Westmeath GAA club championships could be on the way.

Westmeath GAA has invited each of the county's 47 clubs to attend an important meeting tonight (Friday), January 23 in the Mullingar Park Hotel at 7.30pm.

The purpose of this meeting is to facilitate an open discussion and to hear the views of all clubs on a draft document on the championships, along with all motions that were referred back to the planning meeting.

Each football and hurling club is requested to be represented by its chairperson and secretary, along with one player representative.

The meeting will focus on the draft document, with the aim of gathering feedback and views from both club officers and players.

"Given the significance of the issues outlined, it is important that all clubs are represented on the night," said Westmeath GAA secretary Keith Quinn in an email to clubs.

"Please note that this is a discussion evening only, with the objective of gathering feedback and input from clubs. Following this meeting, all feedback will be brought back to the Westmeath Competitions Control Committee (CCC), who will then produce the Fixtures and Competition Regulations for 2026. These will subsequently be submitted to Westmeath GAA Management, and thereafter to the Westmeath GAA County Committee Competition Regulation Meeting 2026 for approval.

"It is essential that all clubs have full representation in attendance to ensure that every club, both hurling and football, has the opportunity to have their views heard as part of this process. We strongly encourage all clubs to attend and engage in this important discussion," he continued.

The Section 'A' and 'B' group structure (with six teams in each group) for the Westmeath senior and intermediate football championships has been in place since 2017 (except for 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic ensured the necessity for a change that year).

There might be some resistance to change in 2026 from clubs who earned places in Section A (of either the Westmeath SFC or IFC) by virtue of their performances last year. But it appears there is an appetite for change among Westmeath GAA officers and possibly some clubs as well.

In setting out the need for a review and for possible alternatives to be considered, the document circulated by Westmeath GAA states that several considerations need to be taken into account. In this regard, the fact that four teams out of six qualify for the knockout stages in the SFC and IFC 'A' groups is an obvious bone of contention.

"In some cases, qualification for the knock-out stage is being achieved by winning one game only out of the five played, and the question as to whether enough 'jeopardy' exists needs to be considered," states the document.

The document also points to the inevitability of 'dead rubber' games in the 'B' groups, where only two clubs from the six qualify.

In addition, it is stated that the six-team groups in both football and hurling are "putting significant pressure on our dual players". The decreasing financial return from the group stages of the football championships is also highlighted.

In asking what is needed in a possible re-structure, the following are considered key factors: easing the pressure on dual players, whilst ensuring that the sole code player is catered for with an adequate number of games; avoiding meaningless games/dead rubbers; and increasing the level of jeopardy. Of course, whatever format is decided upon has to fit into the available timeframe.

In terms of possible changes to the existing structures, there are two main options outlined for the senior and intermediate football championships.

Option 1

Option 1 would see an open draw among the 12 teams in the senior and intermediate championships. The six fixtures would be played as two-legged matches, one home and one away, and the combined score from the two legs would determine the winner of each tie.

The six winners would then form two groups of three teams, with the six losers also drawn into two groups of three. An open draw would apply in terms of forming these groups and the group games would be played on a round robin basis.

The top team in each winners' group would progress straight to the semi-finals, with the second-placed team in each winners' group facing the top team in each losers' group in two quarter-finals.

The bottom team in each losers' group would face a play-off to decide the issue of relegation. This format would provide a minimum of four games per team, with 30 games in total.

There would be a novelty aspect to the two-legged matches and there would be the advantage of each club hosting a championship game at their own grounds.

There would also be some excitement about the draws (for the opening round and the groups), as opposed to the current system where it's known from the previous year who teams will meet, with only the order of games to be decided.

If clubs give their approval to Option 1, it would apply to both the senior and intermediate championships.

But if the two-legged aspect didn't find favour with clubs, a possible tweak would be to play the six first round games as stand-alone fixtures at neutral venues.

Option 2

Option 2 would see an open draw of eight teams (four teams would have a bye in the opening round). The four round 1 winners and the four teams who had a bye would then play four round 2 games. The four round 2 winners would play two games, with the two winners then going into the semi-finals. The other teams would play three rounds of qualifiers to determine the other two semi-finalists.

This system, though involving less games than Option 1, appears more complicated to follow and may not find favour with clubs and indeed the general public.

Other possible structures mentioned include four groups of three; three groups of four (this is the system in Roscommon); and a first round of six games, followed by four groups of three (a tweak of Option 1, referred to above).

The draft document stated that the Junior 1 and 2 championships also "continue to provide a challenge", with a perceived lack of jeopardy in the round-robin stage again highlighted. It was noted that, in 2024, a number of clubs withdrew from the Junior 2 competition, adding to the difficulties involved.