GAA Task Force to give counties option of reverting to even-numbered underage grades

The Task Force charged with finding a resolution to the vexed issue of underage grades and decoupling are recommending giving three different choices to counties as to how to arrange their underage games in relation to adult fixtures.

It is expected that the proposals will be adopted as Central Council policy at the January meeting and will come into force in 2024. In that scenario, no Congress approval will be required.

But there will be a number of guardrails associated with that proposal that is likely to find favour with a number of counties, predominantly in Ulster, which have yearned for a return to even numbered underage competition with decoupling at U-17. They are adamant that switching to U-17 as the last underage grade has been detrimental and that players in their 18th year were being lost to the Association because the leap to adult was too great for most of them.

Under this proposal a player in his 18th year would not be permitted to play adult games until after March 1 to avoid clashes with schools games.

The Task Force, which has been working towards a solution since Congress on this issue, recommends that with this proposal there would be at least 60 hours between an adult and underage game that a player is being asked to play in, if this proposal is adopted as national policy. It would be down to local Competition Controls Committees to ensure this happens.

A consent form will also be mandatory under this proposal "to alert those involved to the risks around burnout/overtraining/overuse injuries for players in their 18th year playing with and training for multiple teams across the Youth and Adult games programmes," the Task Force spells out in a note ahead of Saturday's Central Council meeting.

The Task Force have put forward two other proposals for consideration, one which maintains the current status quo of underage games at U-17/15/13 with decoupling at U-17. Galway are among the counties keen to continue with this format.

A third proposal allows for games to be organised at U-18/16/14/12 with decoupling at U-18 which would preclude players in their 18th year from playing adult games completely.

The Task Force has been engaged with counties on the matter for some months now and taken feedback which, in the most recent note to Central Council delegates for consideration says "as expected highlighted a variety of desired practice.

"Some of these fell within the parameters of the options the Task Force had put forward; however many expressed a desire to be allowed to return to even age grades (U12/14/16/18) while retaining decoupling at 17," it reads.

At inter-county level, the Task Force is recommending that Central Council sponsors a motion to Congress to have All-Ireland U-19 inter-county championship in hurling and football instead of U-20 while maintaining minor as U-17.

The Task Force set out their reasons for this recommendation that

- the change would be consistent with the findings of the Talent Academy and other reports, that U-19 at inter county will mean less crossover for players at that age group with third level games programmes than U-20

- it will mean less crossover with senior inter-county panels (approximately 5pc of senior panels are U-19 annually as opposed to 10pc being U-20)

- Allows for U-19 inter-county to be played alongside senior inter-county championships if desired.

- the Task Force noted "significant support", some 55pc at Congress earlier this year for this change.