U17 Gaelic Football Development

I am delighted to announce that London GAA will be launching an U-17 Gaelic Football Development Tournament in the coming weeks: 

• The Tournament will be played at 11-a-side to afford every Club the opportunity to field a team in their own right.
• A panel will consist of 16 players for each match and must be handed in 30 minutes before the start of each match - panels can be changed each week. There will be an unlimited use of substitutes throughout each match so players can come on/off.
• The matches will be played every Saturday night under floodlights in Greenford (UB6 0NZ).
• The Tournament will start on Saturday, February 4th.
• The matches will be 25 minutes a side and will start on the hour each week (5.00 p.m., 6.00 p.m., 7.00 p.m., 8.00 p.m.). If the teams are late for the starting time then they will suffer a 5 point penalty and the match will be shortened so that the other matches don't fall behind.
• Every Club will have a match each week (unless there is an uneven number of teams).
• A Club will receive 3 points for a win and 2 points for a draw.
• Clubs will be awarded a losing bonus point if they lose by 8 points or less.
• There will also be a bonus point awarded if a Club scores 15 points or more in the match.
• If a player receives a YELLOW card then they receive a 5-minute Sin Bin and the team are down to 10 men for 5 minutes.
• If a player receives a BLACK card then they can not come back on for the rest of the match but can be replaced by a teammate.
• If a player receives a RED card then they can not come back on for the rest of the match and they can't be replaced so the team are down to 10 men for the remainder of the match. The player is also suspended for the next match.
• There will be a zero tolerance policy on dissent of any kind from players or management of any Club.

*Please note that the stronger Clubs will be asked to play under modified rules as the intention is to  make the Tournament as competitive and meaningful as possible for each Club in preparation for the season ahead*

We see these matches as a vital part of their player development & a great opportunity for the young players to play the game in a competitive environment so we would encourage all Clubs to participate.

The London GAA U-17 Development Squad Management will be in attendance each week at the matches and this year's Development Squad will be selected after the Tournament has been completed.

Could you please let me know whether or not the Club will be participating before Thursday, January 27th at 5.00 p.m. so we can draw up fixtures for the whole Tournament as soon as possible. 

Thank you all very much for your co-operation & I look forward to working you all again in 2017.

Is mise le meas,

Lloyd Colfer,

Community Development Administrator,

London G.A.A.

078 72600073