Munster GAA’s new football development committee chairman Brian Cuthbert says “everything is on the table” as they look to improve the lot of the game in the province.
The body, which also features Gary Brennan (Clare), John Fintan Daly (Cork), Liam Hassett (Kerry), Stephen Lavin (Limerick), David Power (Tipperary) and Timmy O’Keeffe (Waterford), was rubberstamped by the Munster Council Thursday night. Provincial games manager, Kerry’s 2007 All-Ireland SFC winning manager Pat O’Shea, will be the committee’s servicing officer.
It follows a commitment by Munster chairman Tim Murphy to set up a group with the aim of advancing football at club and county level as competitiveness has dropped across the board.
Former Cork manager Cuthbert says the committee’s terms of reference are broad as they encompass “all elements of football development in the six counties”. He has not ruled out their eventual recommendations extending to the structures of county championships.
“From the discussions I’ve had with the council, there’s a real desire to ensure the committee isn’t going to be just some kind of talking shop,” says the Bishopstown man. “There’s a real desire for development and if there’s changes necessary, they will be supported. In terms of championship structures, the committee hasn’t met yet, but I would say that everything is on the table.”
Cuthbert says the time is right to capitalise on the renewed interest in Gaelic football following last year’s rule changes. “The general objective is that football in each of the six counties will be in a better place through resource support, through targeted support over the next number of years, and basically that the experiences of the people on the ground in each of the counties will be better than what they are today.
“Now, that sounds very fluffy, I know, but I think this project needs to be nuanced. There needs to be extremely actionable, targeted support for counties, because the problems are vast in some senses, and they’re nuanced completely across the geography of the province.
“We have a new game. Everyone’s excited about it. The games have been brilliant over the last number of weeks and months, and it’s a perfect opportunity for Munster GAA to say, ‘We’re in a position where we want to support the game people are excited about and develop it.’”
The committee will initially go about accumulating data about the state of football in each county under headings such as participation and competition in post-primary schools, clubs and academy squads.
They will also be consulting with each county’s coaches about education and what can be shared between them. “I think there’s an urge from the council to see how each county maybe could support each other in terms of collaboration,” says Cuthbert. “What’s working well in one county may possibly be an afforded opportunity in another county.
“Looking at things like maybe the feasibility of new competitions, maybe across the province or across counties, and how these would have to be resourced and planned, and then, obviously, measuring their effectiveness.
“Once all this data is gathered and all the initiatives are examined, each county would have targeted initiatives in their own counties over the next two or three years, and then how the council could support those.”
Cuthbert is certain counties will be willing to lend a hand to each other. “The committee that Tim Murphy and (Munster GAA chief executive) Kieran Leddy have put together is an extremely strong committee in terms of people who have been there and done that in their own counties in terms of football, and I think they’d have a lot of support at home in terms of really driving projects and necessary change.
“I don’t think the six counties of Munster would be slow in sharing what works well in their county and how they could support each other and being open to trying things that may work well in one county that could fit in another county. This can’t be a cut-and-paste exercise – but it’s a huge opportunity for collaboration.”
