Laois GAA Chairman PJ Kelly says it will be up to the clubs in the county to decide if they wish to proceed with a change to the format of the Laois SFC.
However, the Timahoe club man says that the stats are there to back up the suggestion that change is needed.
At present, there are 16 teams in the Laois senior football championship with just eight in the Laois Intermediate football championship.
In early September, the Laois football committee proposed that the senior club championship be reduced to 12 teams and increase the intermediate grade to the same number.
They have also called for a restructuring the junior football championship by providing a ‘separate regional football championship for predominantly hurling clubs with the winner entering the Junior ‘A’ championship in the knockout stages’.
Speaking at the launch of the new Laois GAA jersey at the Laois Hire stand in the National Ploughing Championships, Mr Kelly said change must come through the clubs.
He said: “Where I stand or the officials stand could be two different things.
“My own personal view is that any change obviously has to come through the County Committee.
“There are 16 teams currently and the Football Board Chairman Tony Bambrick and his committee have proposed or suggested a 12 team championship.
“I suppose the stats are there to prove it. If you go back to 2020 the average winning score from game 1 to game 3, when all teams are in the competition, was 4.95 which is 5 points.
“Where as now its gone up to 8.9 which is 9 points in the space of four years.
“This year alone in the first 3 rounds, 16 teams involved, 25%, so five out of the 20 games, were won by 15 points plus.”
If approved by the Executive, the proposal will then be put before the clubs to vote upon.
Mr Kelly said: “I think the general public have spoke in favour of it, will clubs speak in favour of it?
“I don’t know. It was challenged previously and we did pull it after yourself and others pointed out anomalies.
“But it is possibly going to come back before County Committee again”
You can listen to the episode in full here.
SEE ALSO – In Pictures: Glorious sunshine, big crowds and mighty craic at Day 1 of the Ploughing Championship
