There is likely to be no change to the football championship format next year.
An ongoing review of this year’s competition and the issues it raised has satisfied GAA authorities that the same structure should continue for 2024 despite misgivings that emerged during this season’s inaugural staging.
Most dissatisfaction centred on the lack of ‘jeopardy’ in the group stages of the All-Ireland championship, which provided for the advancement of 12 out of 16 teams after three rounds of matches.
Feargal McGill, the GAA director of games administration, said however that, after consultation with counties, the expectation was the format would be retained at least another year.
“I don’t think there’ll be any major change for next year. For a start it would be premature to make changes based on the evidence of just one championship. By and large, I think the sense of it is to run again with it. It’s one thing to say, well the preliminary quarter-finals worked brilliantly. Yes, they did but that’s just one year. So we’ll wait and see.
“There were questions around was the progression of the third-placed teams in the round-robin and the lack of jeopardy but I think when we explained better why that was to counties, there was a greater acceptance. It’s all about providing additional matches for counties and the jeopardy is in trying to get a home venue for the preliminary quarter-finals.”
There were several dramatic games in the final round of group matches and none of the expected second-placed teams actually finished in that position.
Suggestions that the calendar would be expanded to allow the championship season more time to breathe are also likely to be disappointed with no plans to push out the All-Ireland finals any farther.
The format is enshrined in rule with no provision for review at the end of a trial phase. But McGill acknowledges that in the case of “significant disquiet,” a formal review would be conducted.
Change is however on the agenda of next month’s special congress. It will be proposed that hurling’s Tier 2 McDonagh Cup championship advance three teams instead of two, from the round-robin group. First place will proceed to the final whereas second and third will play off in an effective semi-final.
This has been brought about by a situation seen this year when Offaly, who were guaranteed advancement, rested players for the final group match against Carlow. The new proposal introduces an element of jeopardy, incentivising a top finish by making the second-placed team play a further match.
There is also a growing belief that the Liam MacCarthy preliminary quarter-finals will be abandoned. These allowed the McDonagh Cup finalists to enter the Tier 1 championship and playoff against the third-placed teams in Leinster and Munster.
The idea will probably be vigorously debated at special congress before a decision is reached but the feeling is that the round will be removed.
Another significant proposal on the clár is to provide tiered football championships at underage levels. Counties would continue to enter their provincial championships but after fixtures, based on a round-robin format, the top teams would advance to the All-Ireland stages whereas the bottom ones would be redirected into a Tier 2 championship.
For example, Connacht’s five teams would play each other in a league format. Top of the table would proceed to the provincial final with second playing third for the other place. The bottom two would play for the Tier 2 provincial championship before proceeding to take on Tier 2 winners from the other provinces.
This is hoped to run at both under-20 and minor level with the possibility over time – as in hurling – of more than two tiers.
