Just like that. It’s done. The divisional link looks to be gone. There is still time but as I write this there has currently been no communication between the county board executive and the clubs. One of the most debated issues in the recent history of Tipperary GAA looks to have finally concluded on a whimper.
It was generally accepted in the early to mid 2000s that the Irish government would keep having repeated referendums until the Lisbon treaty was passed. The same method of forceful administration was expected to be used in Tipperary until some day the county board finally reached its Everest and broke the divisional link. What has transpired leaves a sour taste in the mouths of many.
It looks like there will be no meeting between the clubs and the county board in relation to the various motions going forward at Saturdays GAA congress.
Despite no directed mandate from the clubs, the Tipperary executive are voting in favour of motion 13 to limit county championship numbers to 16. This will end the current link that has existed for over 100 years between our divisional and county championships.
It is expected that this motion which has been designed by the central fixtures task force will get through rather easily. That does not mean proper procedures should not be followed in our own county.
The debacle has created a huge sense of anger and frustration among clubs all over the county. What is the current purpose of club delegates working in tandem with our board when they are so blatantly ignored.
How can they do this???
At last years special congress, there were emergency rules granted that gave the county executive special powers during covid. This was understandable during the summer of 2020 when decisions needed to be made.
It now seems the county board are now abusing this power and have not consulted the clubs at all. The only real transparency clubs recieved was the Irish examiner article with Joe Kennedy released on this Tuesday where he was quizzed by Eoghan Cormican.
The Hurler on the ditch questioned the motion initially last Saturday in an article which highlighted the reservations Galway had in relinquishing such power to central council. After all, each county had their own needs, desires, population and a variety of other factors which decide how they run their club championships.
Most would have expected that there would have been discussion between the clubs and county board regarding the motions, with motion 13 in particular being so relevant to club Hurling in the county. If anything was to be presumed it would be our county board should oppose the motion given they would have understood the love of divisional hurling in our county.
The place to abolish this link should be at the Tipperary GAA convention and no where else. As Tipperary men, we should have no input into how other counties run their ship and the same should be the case here.
A communications horror story.
If only the county board had a global PR and communications company as a sponsor. Then they might have dealt with this issue better.
It’s slightly ironic that Teneo sponsor the Tipperary team. One of the worlds leading PR companies and we are left with no interaction between the board and clubs.
In the last week, there was no information sent out by County board secretary Tim Floyd on how Tipperary would be voting. A question on many peoples minds about the Irish examiner article is that if Joe Kennedy had not given that interview then none of this would have came to light.
Although the county board has special powers given to them, the situation has played out much differently in other counties. In another piece penned by Eoghan Cormican in the Irish Examiner it was noted that Galway, Cork and Wexford had carried out votes with clubs on all motions. The question that is on the minds of many in Tipperary GAA is if other counties could seek a mandate from clubs, then why did our county refuse to do so?
It has long been noted that our secretary Tim Floyd, county chairman Joe Kennedy and the majority of the county board executive want to see the divisional link broken to “streamline the championships.” This goes against the majority of clubs who have opposed this motion on a number of occasions in the past.
It looks to be the case that the county board are abusing their new found power. There is no doubt that there should be significant questioning of the overall process going forward.
There has already been major agro in the county in the way the underage age groups were forced through. This is a much much bigger case of the board using their own new found autonomy without any consultation with the very people that elected them, the clubs.
As I pen this article at 8.21 on Thursday the 25th of February there is still an opportunity for our county to right some of the above wrongs.
The disconnect between the normal club people on the ground and our county board has been simmering in the background for a while. These undercurrents could all boil over this Saturday unless something drastically changes.
The clock is ticking…
Hurler on the ditch 