Cllr Eddie Hoare (FG ) has voiced his opposition to the Football Association of Ireland’s (FAI ) decision to move the Irish football season to the calendar year.
The general assembly of the FAI voted through a switch to calendar year football for all levels of the game at a meeting in December 2024. A tight vote saw a resolution to bring in an aligned calendar by 2028 pass with a 57 per cent majority.
Concern is shared by clubs across the county - 77 per cent of Galway clubs have opposed the FAI’s decision as they think it will impact participation at underage level.
Cllr Hoare, a former county footballer for Galway, believes that it will put pressure on kids both physically and mentally as they may find themselves having to choose between sports.
“It is a concern particularly for rural clubs where there is a large overlap in local GAA clubs and soccer clubs because the population may not be as big as in the city. It will also impact volunteers who are involved in both GAA and soccer.
“It will put clubs across Galway in direct competition with each other for registrations,” explained Cllr Hoare.
Cllr Hoare intends to put a motion forward to the Galway City Council requesting a letter be sent to the FAI in opposition to the proposal. It is on the agenda for the next plenary meeting.
Cllr Andrew Reddington (FG ) had a similar motion passed at the Galway County Council plenary meeting in May.
“The two major local authorities in Galway sending a letter opposing this would send out a strong message,” said the Fine Gael councillor for Galway City Centre.
