The GAA have begun a review of their game's scheduling in an effort to improve the running and timing of club and county competitions.
A special task force appointed by GAA president Seán Kelly met for the first time on Monday evening under the chairmanship of Pauric Duffy, previously the chairman of the Games Administration Committee (GAC).
Included in the group are the chairmen of four main committees currently associated with the scheduling of games: the Hurling Development Committee (HDC); the Club Planning/Development Committee; the weaker counties task force, and the GAC.
It is hoped their initial recommendations can be presented by the end of August, with the intention of then bringing the final recommendations for approval to Congress next year.
One of the main competitions likely to be reviewed for next season is the All-Ireland qualifier series, which has been again criticised this year because of the short interval that some counties must endure between rounds.
"Well I've given the task force a very open agenda," explained the GAA president yesterday. "I want them to look at the various aspects of the scheduling, and how they are impacting on games. We will try to address all the concerns that are out there, and try to come up with some workable solution based on the overall good of the association.
"We know it's not going to be easy, and you're not going to satisfy everybody. But what I wanted to avoid was the situation where one committee is looking at its own brief in isolation, comes up with a wonderful package, but then it cannot be fitted into the overall package. So this is the first time we've looked at things this way."
While Kelly wasn't going as far as to refer to it as an urgent review, there were, he admitted, certain areas that clearly needed addressing sooner rather than later.
"Trying to satisfy everyone is going to be practically impossible.
"We are a huge association and we are trying to keep a lot of balls in the air together, and trying to satisfy the club situation, and county situation, and in two major games. So counties need to be asked for their views, and also the provincial councils.
"But the under-21 competition has to be looked at, especially with the length of time it takes to run. And how a competition can have different starting times in each of the provinces.
"I also have some reservations about having the minor championship the exact same length as the senior competition.
"Getting it over with earlier would give players more time for their clubs. And personally I would consider moving the minor age down to under-17 to allow a little more freedom for the colleges."
Also addressed for the first time on Monday evening were the Strategic Review Committee (SRC) proposals for the development of Gaelic games in the Dublin area, which for several months had been deadlocked over the long-running impasse between the Dublin County Board and the Leinster Council.
"We have gone a long way in resolving many of the problem issues," said Kelly.
"Dublin met Leinster twice over the past month and we have set a process in motion now where we can make progress. So it's the first time I can see real light at the end of the tunnel."
Earlier this year the Leinster Council refused to back the recommendation that Dublin appoint their own co-chairman of the committee (county chairman John Bailey), and the SRC proposals, which have been earmarked a €4.5 million budget, have remained stalled ever since.
For the time being Kelly is acting as chairman, before the actual working document is finalised.
"It's a question now of outlining the priorities," he said, "and dealing with each one of those in turn.
"And there were some different views about what had actually been agreed. But we're not getting bogged down on small issues, when the overall issues are so important."
