A "massive" 86% of Gaelic Athletic Association players are "unhappy with the way that club fixtures in their county are run while 56% want to see the provincial championships scrapped," according to RTÉ. The Club Players’ Association conducted a survey of its members recently, which "attracted nearly 4,000 responses over the May Bank Holiday weekend." The CPA is meeting with GAA officials on Wednesday to outline its "preferred options" for solving what players see as a "fixture crisis" at club level. Nearly nine in 10 are "unhappy with the way that club fixtures are run in their county and more than half want the provincial championships scrapped entirely." Almost three quarters of respondents "want to see the All-Ireland club finals moved" from their traditional St. Patrick’s Day slot to before Christmas, meaning the competitions "would be played off within the calendar year." A "hefty" 71% are calling for a tiered football championship, something the GAA has "tried several times in the past" but had to move away from "due to opposition from counties on each occasion" (RTÉ, 5/3).
