Down minor football manager Patrick Cunningham believes the Ulster MFC games should be played as curtain-raisers to the senior games when possible.
On Saturday afternoon, the Mourne County take on Fermanagh at Brewster Park (4.15pm) in what will feel like a throwback to another era of Gaelic football.
In recent times, minor games have been scheduled for Friday and Saturday evenings, often played as standalone fixtures at sparsely-attended stadiums.
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That should change, at least for Fermanagh and Down, with a decent crowd expected in Enniskillen as the Fermanagh seniors clash with Ulster and All-Ireland champions Tyrone later on Saturday evening.
“To have an opportunity to go out in front of possibly a crowd of 18,000 people at the end of that game would be a fantastic experience for any young fella,” said Cunningham.
“The more experiences like that, the better it is for them. It’s a fantastic opportunity for them to do it.”
The Down boss admits he is something of a traditionalist and supports the view that minors should return to U18s - something which was defeated at Congress.
“My memories of it are all U18,” added Cunningham.
“I grew up playing U18 football and it was always the builder to the senior football and that’s fantastic.
“My preference is U18, that’s what I would like to do, that’s what I’ve always known it to be so my personal preference would be 18.
“In terms of the U17, what we’ve got here is fantastic and the young fellas love what’s going on. But it’s that next year, two years’ time transition, because you have boys sitting out at 18, 19 and 20 before they get another crack at county, so that’s three years in between.”
Down haven’t won an Ulster minor title since 1999, but their U20s clinched provincial glory last season and Cunningham believes that there is plenty of talent coming through the ranks in the county.
“Within Down we definitely have a lot of young talent coming through and it’s just a matter of nurturing that talent through and having a pathway for them to go from U17s into U20,” said Cunningham.
“The boys in the U20s last year showed that Down have the players. We were unfortunate in the semi-final against Roscommon, on another day it could have gone their way to potentially win an All-Ireland.
“The players are definitely there for us, but we just need to make sure that pathway continues on.”
Both Fermanagh and Down struggled to find any form in the Ulster Minor League.
The Erne County, who are managed by former senior player Raymond Johnson, suffered four defeats to Derry, Cavan, Sligo and Donegal.
Down fared a little better, claiming a narrow win against Antrim while losing out to eventual winners Tyrone as well as Monaghan and Armagh, but Fermanagh will at least have the benefit of a large home support behind them on Saturday.
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