you’d be right too.
Following on counts post, the development squads start at U14, but cater for U13 in that age bracket too. From then on there are 15/16/17 and then minor squads, but the 15/16/17 can only use players who are up to the age, cant use players who are eligible for younger teams. As count says, there is a serious inbalance of paid hurling coaches to paid football coaches, think it may even be 7-1, and one who crosses over into both.
The main issues with these hurling squads though is that some of them, and in particular the coaches, have a win at all costs mentality, and will have anything up to 50 players involved, and have been heard to say they couldnt give a shite about number 29 on their squad, he wont be winning anything. Dave Guiney is over the whole underage coaching, and in fairness to him, he is trying to change this mentality and if there are 2 teams within a squad, he wants them split evenly so they all get well matched games. Too often we have won tournaments where the A team hammers opposition, and the B team gets hammered.
There is a winter core and strength program set up too for hurlers only, for some reason footballers are not allowed participate or set up their one. This seems to be working well with a large number attending throughout all age groups. Despite all the calls that football is hurting the hurling, on the vast majority of the development squads, there are very, very few dual players. Pretty much all play hurling only.
New changes are being proposed to have up to 4 seperate teams within a development squad, ie having anywhere up to 120 players being brought in with a minimum of 3 from every club in the county. Whether this can work or not who knows, it will take a lot of resources and more volunteer coaches than there are available at present to make it work, but if it does, there could be a decent knock on effect for btoh clubs and counties.
Some clubs arent partcipating enough with development squads, they prefer to see club championships won ahead of their players making county teams. Can be frustrating, but I suppose they see it that very few actually make it in the county set up long term, so they’d prefer make them better club players than give a crack at county.
As appendage said, there was very little actual structures in place for either hurling or football over the last 20 years. Even as it is, there is not great well run structures, a lot of it is still all over the place. But the new senior chairman and Guiniey, whilst disagreeing with each other at times, are both trying to implement changes, and at least they are trying to change instead of the ‘we’re alright Jack’ mentality that preceded them both for a large number of years. There are more and more younger coaches giving back into the squads and the old win at all costs coaches are slowly being fazed out. It’ll still be a while yet before things start coming right again though.