GAA Special Congress: All you need to know about Proposal B and the Football Championship restructure vote
The format of the All-Ireland Football Championship could be set for a significant change on Saturday afternoon at the GAA's Special Congress. Here is everything you need to know about the crucial decision
Friday 22 October 2021 14:48, UK
Saturday afternoon sees a defining vote which will shape the future of the All-Ireland Football Championship.
GAA delegates will gather at Croke Park between 11am and 2pm to consider three options.
The motions explained
The three options on the table are dubbed Proposal A, Proposal B, and the 'status quo'.
Should the 'status quo' prevail, or indeed either of the reforms fail to achieve a vote of 60 per cent, the championship will revert to the system last seen in 2017, with qualifiers and quarter-finals, but no Super 8s.
How does the voting work?
Various delegates from different sectors of the GAA make up the 183 votes.
Each county will have between two and five votes, proportionate to the number of clubs they have. The 32 counties account for 86 of the electorate.
The GAA's Central Council (52), overseas bodies (38) and past presidents of the association (7) make up the remainder.
A majority of 60 per cent, or 110 votes, will be needed for a proposal to be carried.
It will be a secret ballot.
Who will be voting for change?
Various county delegates have been mandated by their clubs which way to vote. At least 15 counties are supporting Proposal B; Cork, Tipperary, Clare, Wexford, Carlow, Kildare, Meath, Louth, Longford, Westmeath, Offaly, Sligo, Roscommon, Leitrim and Down.
Meanwhile Mayo, Galway, Fermanagh, Armagh and Derry are set to favour the 'status quo' option.
The representatives from Kerry, Limerick, Laois and Waterford have been empowered to use their own judgement on the day, listening to the debate before making up their minds.
What are people saying?
Former Mayo star and Gaelic Players Association chief executive Tom Parsons said Proposal B would 'end brutal mismatches' frequently seen in the championship.
He was flanked by Tyrone's Niall Morgan and Clare's Podge Collins at a GPA event.
"This is an opportunity for something new, which people have been crying out for," said the All-Ireland winning goalkeeper.
"The more that I thought about it, the status quo is broken. It doesn't work.
"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results.
"The league has been the best competition over the last number of years, and now it [would be] the championship.
"It means more development. It gives huge clarity on the fixtures, which in turn helps the club player, knowing when the county men are going to return."
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results.
"The league for a lot of teams unfortunately, for 25 or 26 teams, it's their championship, it's their most important thing, because as soon as that ends the likelihood of winning Sam for a lot of teams - it's just not there," added Collins.
"So you are playing a competition where it would be over in one game, it's cut-throat.
"But with this format that is being proposed (Proposal B), you just don't have that, it's a completely different mindset."
Jim McGuinness fears for the Ulster Championship should its link to the All-Ireland series be removed, as is suggested under Proposal B.
"I think the provincial championships are being totally devalued here, they are basically going to be a pre-season tournament," said the former Donegal boss in July.
"The provincial championships that Peter [Canavan] has won, that I won, are you happy to put them up in the same light as a pre-season tournament that does not have an impact on the championship? So I do not agree with that at all.
"The Railway Cup does not exist anymore. There used to be 60,000 at the games. But it's gone! And once it's gone, it's gone. Once the provincial championships are gone, that we fought all our life to try and win, once it's gone, it's not coming back again.
"History is gone, it's washed away. Maybe it's ok for teams in other provinces because it does not mean the very same as nine counties in Ulster, but you still have to try and protect that history."
Meanwhile, GAA president Larry McCarthy and the association's director general Tom Ryan expressed their personal support.
How is it likely to go?
With 'Proposal A' widely considered to be a non-runner, Proposal B is anticipated to receive significant support. However, it remains to be seen if it can achieve the high bar of 60 per cent.
Much will depend on the overseas vote, which could prove crucial.
Expect it to go down to the wire.
