Section 1 – (partially drafted in 1994 with additions in 2003 /4/6)
MAYO ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL LEAGUE
SUMMER SOCCER
In the interests of promoting and developing the game, the Mayo League introduced the concept of Summer Soccer in the season 1994. We are now commencing our 17th season of playing soccer during the period April to September. There have been no requests by the clubs to revert back to the traditional period during the intervening years. Why? Because the Mayo League, and its clubs have made it such a success, that it is now expected as the normal. In other words if people want to make it happen, and if there is a will to make it successful, it can be a vast achievement for all leagues with benefits to players, clubs, referees, administrators and supporters.
Summer soccer was originally introduced by the Mayo League on a three-year trial basis. The first season in 1994 was condensed into a shortened League programme, and one main Cup competition. We have currently 46 teams playing in 5 Divisions, plus 5 Divisional Cup competitions and the Mayo League Challenge Cup. It is expected that our programme will be completed on time. The advantages of playing Summer football are many, but can be broken down into the following categories.
1 Promotion and Development of game.
2 Ease of administration.
3 Financial and fundraising advantages.
4 Benefits to players / clubs.
5 Greater availability of referees.
Promotion & Development.
- Pitches during the Summer months are usually in pristine shape and this leads to better games. This in turn projects a far better image of our game. The standard of the game at junior level throughout the rest of the country has not progressed to the level expected, because of the prolonged adverse weather conditions, and the quality and state of pitches.
- Fixtures Booklet can be planned, and reassurance can be given that games will be played on the appointed date.
- Evening games, both at midweek and weekend will be a huge success. Long evenings can mean K.O.’s at 7.00 or 7.30 pm in evenings.
- The skill aspect of the game improves dramatically.
- Players are better able to display their skills.
- Coaches can work better with players during the Summer. Longer sessions with greater interest from the players.
- Clubs are more inclined to have regular coaching and training sessions during the Summer. - Who wants to train in wet and windy conditions on “cut up” pitches during the Winter?
- Clubs are better able to care for pitches during the Summer, and there is a greater willingness by club officials to maintain high standards during the entire season.
- Because Summer Soccer more or less guarantees all games being played on the appointed dates, this in turn means that no team has an advantage over another, with games in hand at the close of season.
- Leagues could set down pitch criteria for every club. Set a high standard that has every possibility of being maintained.
- Greater spectator support.
- Projecting a better image of our game during Summer months.
- Far greater interest from underage players, both boys and girls. More parent support.
Ease of administration.
- Less hassle for club and League administrators. They know games will be played. No ringing up and trying to make contact with clubs.
- A full fixtures list introduced a t the start of season can be implemented without postponements as pitches will almost certainly be playable. Pre planning will allow players and individuals to arrange holidays etc.
- A fixtures booklet issued to all players at the start of the season, that more or less guarantees games being played on the appointed date, would require less notice to players, and no breakdowns in communication between club officials and players. Outstanding fixtures and replays can be played midweek.
- Caretakers and grounds men would not have to worry about repairing goal- mouth areas or other damaged areas, as no serious damage will occur to playing surface.
- Remove the present uncertainty caused by last minute cancellations. Life would be made much easier for club and League officials along with the referees.
- Easier to wet a pitch than dry one. Have the Winters got wetter in recent years?
Financial and Fundraising advantages.
- More spectator support at games, which will give additional revenue for clubs. (Gate money).
- Less expenses on teams. Games would be played as scheduled, avoiding the perennial problem of postponements week after week.
- Less expenses on players who travel home for matches each week only to discover that the match has been called off when they arrive due to inclement conditions or an unplayable pitch.
- Teams could train outdoors, and thereby reduce costs of renting halls and gymnasiums for indoor training.
- Reduction of electricity charges.
- Referees expenses would be reduced for pitch inspections prior to games.
- Less money to be paid out for pitch marking materials.
- Laundry bills would be reduced.
- Better product to sell to potential sponsor.
Benefits for players.
- Players playing on better surfaces will play to their very best. The emphasis will be on skill rather than on endurance. This in turn will open greater opportunities for players to develop further and to play at a higher level.
- With a published fixtures list, players can plan ahead.
- More students will be able to play the game.
- Less risk of injury on better surfaces. – Not as many late tackles.
- Players will be able to play on ground conditions that they train on.
- Less risk of injury during training as players will be able to train on grass as distinct from concrete or timber floors.
- Clubs will be able to cater for players better because of additional income and less expenses.
Referees.
- Referees will be confident of games being played.
- Greater desire by all referees to officiate during Summer months.
- Greater opportunity to attract additional referees into the game.
- Less tired after a game. No muck or dirt to trod through.
- A survey in Mayo had a 100% backing for the retention of Summer Soccer.
- Referees are more readily available during the Summer months.
As with any new idea or change, Summer Soccer will have its teething problems. The initial work in starting up will involve changes of rules regarding time frames and other related matters. There will always be the element of the dual player and the involvement of individuals in other codes. The clashing of fixtures with Gaelic games will be a hurdle to be worked out on a local scale. It would be important that all Leagues transfer to a Summer season, as Leagues and clubs playing in the Summer would be at a clear disadvantage when competing against clubs that play during the Winter, in Provincial and National competitions. Holidays will require pre-planning.
What is very clear and evident from the Mayo experience is that it is an overwhelming success, and no club in the Mayo League wishes to revert to Winter football. The players, officials, administrators and referees have embraced Summer football in Mayo to such an extent that to return to Winter football would be an enormous backward step, and not acceptable under any circumstances whatsoever.
If there is a will to make it happen it will happen. If people want to find excuses why it shouldn’t happen, they will. Developing the game, and developing players is what progress is about at junior level. Summer Soccer has the answers to that progress.
A final comment. Brian Kerr is a great supporter of the Summer soccer concept. He said it has many advantages, particularly the level of standards of the young players, and their ability to develop their game on better and quality pitches.
(The above article was produced as a result of a survey / questionnaire conducted among all the Mayo League clubs by Joe Butler in 2003 in relation to Summer Football – parts of the above relate to submission made by John Durkan and Donal Benson to the members and clubs of the Mayo League at the introduction to Summer football in ‘94.)
Section 2 – (Drafted in 1998 with further additions in 2003 and 2006)
The debate and argument against Summer Football.
A number of the points in the section below were raised at the Annual General Meeting of the Mayo League in March 1998. A Connaught Senior league was in existence in those days, with a number of Mayo clubs involved, and it had a serious effect on the running / administration of the league. The major points raised were:
§ All other Junior Leagues in Connaught were playing football during the traditional period August to May – this created many difficulties within the Province.
§ Major Provincial and National competitions were being played in Mayo’s “Off season” – this had a detrimental effect on the advancement of Mayo clubs in Connaught Cup and F.A.I. Junior Cup – no Mayo team won a Connaught Cup during this period ’94 to ’00.
§ The League was not in sync with any other League in the country and this had an adverse effect also on the running and administration of the Mayo League. It also had an effect on personnel running the League – in other words the administrators had no break away from football for the entire year.
§ It was almost impossible to control and monitor the movement of players from the Senior League to Junior football. Several protest and appeal cases at both Connaught and F.A.I. level took place (Castlebar Celtic and Straide & Foxford Appeal and Protest cases.). No clear or definitive direction came from any of the governing bodies, and this left the Mayo League in “Limbo” to attend to their own affairs without support for the concept of Summer football.
§ There was blatant abuse by some Mayo clubs regarding the movement of players within the Leagues. A lack of direction by the authorities and ignorance of the rules led to this abuse by many.
§ There was no clear definition of the “closed season” with regards to Mayo Summer football – this in turn led to complications with a player becoming a “free agent”, transfer of players, and registration difficulties. This also had implications for players and clubs when competing in outside competitions.
§ Mayo’s performances at Oscar Traynor level dipped considerably due to lack of interest, and players not playing during the traditional season.
§ The major stumbling block concerned some of the more successful clubs – if a club had a successful run in the Connaught Cup or the F.A.I Junior Cup it meant that that side would be playing 12 months continuous and more in some cases – this in turn led to “burn out” for the players, and not the original intention of developing the game. (e.g. Ballyglass players playing for 3 years almost non stop.) It is also true to say that some of the better players were playing Senior football, and returning to Junior football after the Senior season ended - no rest or break period.
§ Losing quality players to the Senior League.
§ Losing players to other codes / sports.
§ Competing with Gaelic football – dual players.
§ Pitches did not have time to recover when the League started up in late March / early April – real growth only starts in late April.
§ Despite a Fixtures Booklet / Programme being produced, no season between 1994 and 1997 (3 full seasons and the initial shortened season in 94.) was completed on time or on schedule. Postponements did occur for all the usual reasons including unplayable pitches during wet weather spells.
§ Clubs found themselves in severe difficulty with getting players for midweek fixtures – players away in College or working outside the county. Clubs also had to contend with travelling long distances in the evening after work or college to fulfil midweek fixtures. More often than not clubs had depleted sides, which was not an accurate reflection of their capabilities. People involved in the construction industry and farming areas used the long Summer evenings for work, and therefore were not always available when required.
§ Young players (17 to 18) were affected by Leaving Cert exams and preparations – hence they were unable to participate in games for up to 3 months.
§ The initial upsurge in spectator support was not maintained, and this dwindled to former levels – people had many more interests during the Summer period outside of football.
§ Clubs had difficulties fielding full teams because of holidays during this period – many clubs had to concede games, and this led to annoyance and dissent among many clubs, particularly at the end of the season when relegation / promotion and titles were at stake.
§ The hope that other Leagues (particularly in Connaught) would change to Summer football did not materialise.
§ People find it hard to occupy themselves in Wintertime unless they can attend or play a match.
§ Less coverage in the press and local radio during summer months – other major sports get far greater coverage in summer months. Coverage of soccer in wintertime is far greater than most other sports.
§ Other areas of concern included – standards not improving; not competing against the topsides in province or nationally; Youths and Schoolboys not operating a Summer season.
Notes
June 1994 – Introduction of Summer Football – shortened Season.
Full Summer seasons 1995, 96, and 97.
Clubs agreed in March 98 to continue with Summer football by a vote of 30 to 12 at the A.G.M. for 5 years.
Survey / Questionnaire to all the clubs in Mayo in 2003 – unanimous support for the continuation of Summer football.
In the interim period some of the difficulties on both sides of the argument have been resolved, but many others still remain.
No League, other than the eircom League, changed to Summer football.
Player numbers increased overall in Mayo, particularly at Schoolboy, girls and women levels.
Coaching and Coach Education courses were well attended between 2001 and 2006 during Summer months.
Still a major difficulty with the more successful clubs – 12 month playing season. Westport Utd playing more or less non stop from 2004 to 2006, and Castlebar Celtic something similar.
Some people may have deemed that Mayo’s entry into eircom Under 21 League militated against the efficient running and administration of Junior football in summertime.
Many Leagues that play in the “traditional season” always appear to end their season in a rush, with matches played just to complete the season after a backlog. In many of these cases it is clear that clubs give many “walkovers” for whatever the reason.
Mayo clubs / teams won the following National and Provincial competitions in the past few seasons:
2003 - Castlebar Celtic won the Connaught Junior Cup.
2004 – Erris Utd won the F.A.I. Youths Cup.
2005 - Westport Utd won the F.A.I. Junior Cup.
2006 - Mayo Kennedy Cup (U-13) won Shield competition in Limerick.
Ballina Town women won the F.A.I. Women’s Intermediate Cup in 2006.
Mayo Women’s League won the W.F.A.I. Women’s Senior Cup in 2006
2007 – Castlebar Celtic won the F.A.I. Youths Cup.
Several Mayo underage clubs won Connaught Cups during the period 2001 – 2006. A number of club sides reached quarterfinals and semi finals of National and Provincial competitions during the same period. Mayo teams and clubs however fared poorly in these competitions during the period 1994 to 2001.
Were these wins and performances by Mayo clubs / teams the result of the introduction of Summer football, and / or the development of the Coach Education system?
Final Comment: -
The concept of Summer football was born because of the huge amount of postponements, which occurred in the game locally during the winter period, and the general lack of facilities at club grounds together with the poor quality of pitches. Have times changed, and is there a genuine need to revert to the traditional season? Has the past two months (Dec ’06 and Jan ’07 - weather) determined our future thinking on this debate.
The debate continues……………..
Joe Butler – January 2007
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