Paudie and David Clifford among Kerry stars who could benefit from sitting out club action
Kerry GAA stars, including David Clifford and Paudie Clifford, have faced a gruelling schedule of club and county football over recent seasons. Now Jack O'Connor's Kingdom squad are taking a stand.
They love their football in Kerry, but now some of the county's biggest stars have said enough is enough as they take a stand against the grueling club schedule in the county.
It has emerged that the Kerry players are keen to sit out the local district competitions to ensure they have a proper off season before returning to collective training with the county.
The official return to training date for county sides is December 7.
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Kerry Chairman Patrick O’Sullivan, answering questions at a County Board meeting, said that the team captain (Paudie Clifford) had indicated it was the wish of the players not to line out in the District Board competitions.
O’Sullivan said that Kerry manager Jack O’Connor had assured him that he had not issued any instructions to players to sit out the competitions.
District Board competitions and a big deal in Kerry, although they are ranked behind the County Championship and Club Championship in terms of importance.
It has long been considered one of the strengths of Kerry football that they play games all year round at club level.
In the vast majority of counties, most adult club teams are finished by the end of October with many done by early September.
But in Kerry, the vast majority of club players go on into November, with plenty still playing football in December.
Whether this is a good thing or not is up for debate, but Kerry’s structures haven’t harmed their chances at inter-county level down the years.
They’re the record All-Ireland winners with 38 titles - Dublin are next on 31 - although two in the last 15 years is poor by Kingdom standards.
With Dublin creeping up on them in the roll of honour, and the pressure always on in Kerry, every little edge is being sought to bring the Sam Maguire back to the Kingdom with their most recent win coming in 2022.
There’s little doubt that the club schedule is a huge ask for inter-county players in Kerry, who get very little in the way of an off season - even compared to professional sports people.
The GPA have indicated that November should be a ‘zero contact month’ for inter-county players and are moving towards this goal.
This is in line with the latest in cutting edge sports science research and to give players a proper mental and physical rest to recuperate before pre-season training begins again in earnest.
The split season has meant the inter-county year is shorter, but the round robin All-Ireland championships means there are now more games being squeezed into a smaller window.
Player welfare issues and the threat of burnout are at the centre of GPA concerns.
It emerged at Kerry County Board meeting this week that clubs had received a letter outlining the players’ wishes not to play in the district competitions.
But Chairman Patrick O’Sullivan said it was not County Board policy to prevent any player turning out for their club.
Some delegates expressed concern at the move, but O’Sullivan backed the players.
He told the Examiner: "It would be wrong in my view to force players to play in the district board championships when they need a break. The request by the players should be respected.
“Their service and commitment to the county and to their clubs from underage to senior level has surely earned them the right to have their request to be supported and understood.”
O’Sullivan said the Kerry players had played 18 competitive matches last year and had 100 training sessions, while he stated that their weekend A versus B games were as demanding as some club championship encounters.
He continued: “I want to emphasise again that no player is being prevented from playing with anyone. It’s the player’s decision.
“If he feels that he is tired or wants a break for his mental health reasons, then the Kerry players want to ensure that he is not left isolated or subjected to undue pressure by a coach or manager to play when he clearly wants a break at this time of the year.
“No players from any other county are asked to play three championships once they exit the All-Ireland, whether it’s early or late.
"To the credit of our players they turn out for their clubs in the championships when fresh, fit and free of injury.
"I think on the flip side if a player is feeling burnout and is feeling that either physically or mentally that he needs a break, then on welfare grounds he should be allowed this considering he has to play in three championships."
It was outlined that just 12 clubs and eight competitions would be impacted by the move.
At the same time, some Kerry stars are likely to be involved in the Munster Club senior, intermediate and junior championships.
There have been concerns expressed in recent times about the schedule facing the Clifford brothers - Paudie and David - in particular, with their Fossa club and East Kerry divisional side enjoying major success.
Fossa went all the way to Croke Park in January 2023 and won the All-Ireland junior title.
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