GAA confirm two proposals for a tiered All-Ireland Championship
GAA also confirm club finals being moved away from St Patrick's Day
Saturday 29 June 2019 22:25, UK
The GAA have announced two separate proposals for a 'B' Championship in Gaelic football, which will be decided upon at a Special Congress in October.
Both options retain a similar structure to the current race for the Sam Maguire Cup, with the provincial championships remaining.
Proposal A
Proposal A would see the current four rounds of All-Ireland Qualifiers reduced to two rounds, open to teams from Allianz Divisions 1 and 2, and any Allianz Division 3 and 4 teams who qualify for their provincial final.
The Tier 2 Championship format of Proposal A is a straight knockout competition for 16 teams from across Divisions 3 and 4 that do not make their provincial finals.
Proposal B
Proposal B is similar to the above, and also features Division 3 and 4 teams that do not reach a provincial final entering a new Tier 2 Championship.
A key difference is that in the event that a Division 3 or 4 team do reach a provincial final, to make up 16 teams in Tier 2, their place in Tier 2 would be taken by the lowest-ranked Division 2 team from that year's Allianz league.
The format for the Tier 2 Championship in Proposal B features an initial round of games, which then creates a winners' group and a losers' group, and so offers beaten counties a way of playing their way back into contention.
The GAA have also put measures in place to ensure the second tier would receive promotion.
The decider would take place in Croke Park, while the semi-finals would be the only senior intercounty GAA events on their respective weekend - barring a major replay.
An additional prize for the winner of the final under both proposals would be a place reserved in the following year's All-Ireland Sam Maguire Championship, irrespective of their league position.
Such a competition would have dedicated broadcast coverage and a marketing and promotional campaign with a dedicated All-Star selection and tour.
Meanwhile, it has also been decided that the All-Ireland Club Championship finals will move away from St Patrick's Day, and will instead be held in January.
This has been widely called for, given issues with fixture congestion in recent years.
In 2020, the senior semi-finals in hurling and football will be played across the weekend of January 4-5. The AIB All-Ireland club senior finals in hurling and football will now be played on Sunday, January 19.
