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The GAA's national fixture planning committee is at an advanced stage with plans to fine-tune the championship fixtures that would reduce waiting times between provincial matches and qualifiers -- and lead to the dreaded six-day turnaround for beaten provincial finalists being avoided.
The group have focused on a number of recurring issues that surround fixtures each summer and are hopeful that their plans, which are still a work in progress, can resolve many of those issues.
They have put together a series of proposals that would align championship matches and ensure that there would be complete co-ordination between provincial championships and qualifiers.
The provincial championships and the four-round qualifier structure would not be affected in any way.
It is the most sustained effort yet to iron out the anomalies that exist under the current championship systems, with the committee hoping that delegates can embrace small change to make a big impact.
In essence, teams beaten in the provincial championships would know the dates and the pathway through the qualifiers that they are likely to face as a consequence of the changes in the pipeline.
It would mean the end of the almost weekly Sunday evening qualifier draws in June and July.
Instead there would be one pre-championship draw each year, with the provincial championship draws determining what 'side' of the qualifier draw a team would find itself on.
With some counties starting championship campaigns much earlier than others -- five weeks in some cases between Ulster and Connacht teams -- the waiting period for entry into qualifiers varies greatly.
The benefits are: no team will have to play within one week of losing a provincial match; three to four weeks will be the maximum a beaten provincial team will have to wait before playing their first qualifier; and a more even spread of games would evolve, with the potential for increased media coverage, avoiding the late June/early July rush where up to half of the championship teams make their exit over three successive weekends.
The knock-on effect would be much more positive on club fixture scheduling, with counties clearer on when they would be playing.
One of the main reasons behind the group's work was the impact that the current structures can have on club fixtures.
The proposal received a very favourable reception when presented to Central Council in February, and it will be presented to delegates at a Congress workshop on Friday, April 13.
The committee accepts that the plans are still a work in progress, and they will be seeking further analysis and feedback from delegates.
If what they have in mind receives a warm reception at Congress, it is likely that the fixture planning committee will seek to bring motions to the 2013 Congress, with the possibility of the introduction of the tweaked system for the 2014 championships.
Brainchild
The proposal is largely the brainchild of Michael Burns (Monaghan) and Tony Cunningham (Meath), who have been on the committee for the last three years.
The committee is chaired by Longford's John Greene and also includes former Central Competition Controls Committee chairman Jimmy Dunne, former Leitrim secretary Declan Bohan, Tyrone secretary Dominic McCaughey, Seamus O Beirne (Wexford), committee secretary Bernard Smyth and the GAA's head of games administration Feargal McGill.
The issue of a team playing a qualifier six days after a provincial final has been a concern since the inception of the 'back door' in 2001.
Dublin are the only team to have won a third/fourth-round qualifier after losing a provincial final six or seven days earlier. They did that in '01 when they beat Sligo after losing to Meath seven days earlier.
Since then Cork ('01), Tipperary ('02), Down, Limerick and Kildare ('03), Limerick and Laois ('04), Galway and Antrim ('09), Sligo and Monaghan (2010) and Derry (2011) have all lost their next qualifier game six or seven days after losing a provincial final.
Monaghan sought to introduce a 13-day rule at the 2010 Congress and had 60pc approval for the vote but it fell short of the two-thirds majority.
