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New Format 2026 All Ireland

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There have been calls for a weekend off after league finals and also a weekend off before the quarter finals. The new format frees up one weekend. It also suggests that at least one more weekend needs to be freed up, or else the season extended by one week.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 8631 - 28/02/2025 12:57:42    2593686

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Replying To Viking66:  "Spot on. Should be a half and half mix. our Senior Championship is still too many games though. 2 years ago our lads played 15 club championship games with only I think 2 weekends off."
Nothing personal, but just to point out that Viking is very much in the minority in Wexford in his view that our club championships have too many matches.

As previously stated, there's been a few proposals over the past few years to move away from two groups of six in both codes, but never any significant support for any of them.

We did move to four groups of three for the "Covid Championships" of 2020 & 2021, but as soon as a return to two groups of six was back on the table, clubs voted overwhelmingly in favour of it, and I don't see them wanting to move away from it anytime soon either.

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 2788 - 28/02/2025 12:58:24    2593687

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Replying To legendzxix:  "The hurling group stages are completed over 6 weekends. The majority of teams have 5 games and their season is over.
The provincial knockout is over 6 weekends as well. The majority have 2 games and are left waiting for the Tailteann or All Ireland. Valuable time in a busy split season sees a lot of teams lying idle in football."
It's a good point about the amount of time between exiting the provincial championship in football, and your next match. Just taking Leinster last year as an example:

- Carlow & Longford both went out in the first round on April 7th. They had to wait until May 11th for their first Tailteann Cup game.
- Laois, Wicklow & Wexford went out in the quarter-finals on the weekend of April 13th/14th. They also had to wait until May 11th before playing again.
- Worst hit of all were Westmeath. They went out of the Leinster Championship in the first round on April 7th, but were entitled to play in the Sam Maguire rather than the Tailteann Cup. And they had to sit round until May 25th before their first group game there - i.e. a seven-week gap between matches.

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 2788 - 28/02/2025 13:01:54    2593688

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Replying To Whammo86:  "From an outside perspective I think if there was something with your championship that seemed odd it was that 4 from 6 qualified. It's even worse no in your hurling where your bottom 2 in each group can still make the quarters. I can see why they did it, gives every team 7 games but I'd say they'd be better having 5 intense group games, 6 to championship knockouts and 6 to relegation playoffs but look I'm an outsider and maybe there's other dynamics at play that makes your competition make sense.

Broadly speaking though, there's about 40 weeks of passable weather to play Gaelic games a year.

I'd think to devote 20 of them to inter county, then 10 to each code's club championship and the remaining time to Provincial/All Ireland club would be much fairer."
Let's just say that your points about how every team goes through in our hurling championships, no matter where they finish in the group, are the subject of a certain amount of debate here in Wexford too. ;)

Pikeman96 (Wexford) - Posts: 2788 - 28/02/2025 13:03:34    2593689

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Replying To Pikeman96:  "Nothing personal, but just to point out that Viking is very much in the minority in Wexford in his view that our club championships have too many matches.

As previously stated, there's been a few proposals over the past few years to move away from two groups of six in both codes, but never any significant support for any of them.

We did move to four groups of three for the "Covid Championships" of 2020 & 2021, but as soon as a return to two groups of six was back on the table, clubs voted overwhelmingly in favour of it, and I don't see them wanting to move away from it anytime soon either."
I did point that out myself in my earlier post Pikeman!

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 15210 - 28/02/2025 16:08:03    2593740

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The GAA have two choices next year:
1. Weekend off after league finals.
2. Weekend off before quarter finals.

I think they should allow for the week off after league finals. It is ridiculous that counties will want to avoid the league final because of provincial championship the week after.
If the reward for winning 2A is direct access to the quarter finals and the jeopardy for having to negotiate Round 3 is playing for 3 weekends in a row, it would be a bit bizarre to take away that jeopardy.
While the current group stage is a joke, the final round of the group is exciting with teams playing to win the group for direct access to the quarter finals. Rounds 2A and 2B should be providing that same drama. It will be a backward step to dilute that.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 8631 - 28/02/2025 16:34:11    2593746

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Replying To tirawleybaron:  "Its just another convoluted structure to try to make up for the biggest problem - the lopsided provincial championship.
It will last a few years but go again in another 2-3 years.

The final fix is below - when the next generation take over congress

1. Move provincials to start of season
2. Adjust the leagues back to div 1/2 (A&B) model from the 2000's
3. Have 3 divisions in All Ireland (Senior, Intermediate and Junior - just like every club championship)
4. Senior (12 teams), Intermediate (12 teams), Junior (8-10 teams depending on NY/Kilkenny etc)
5. 4 groups of 3 (provincial winners seeded) - top 2 in each group advance - bottom teams into relegation play offs -
6. Intermediate and junior finalists get promoted for following year - relegation play off losers get relegated."
That's actually perfect in my opinion.

Malonemagic (Laois) - Posts: 815 - 28/02/2025 17:14:50    2593754

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Replying To Malonemagic:  "That's actually perfect in my opinion."
See a 16 team in 2 sections of 8 division 1 was tried previously and it wasn't a success because the league isn't really enough of a prize, teams would aim to stay up and it didn't really have the intensity otherwise.

For similar reasons the hurling of 2 equal standard sections of 6 doesn't really work.

Now, if 2 sections of 8 were the basis for the All Ireland I really think you are getting a fantastic competition. Much in the way that the hurling is a section of 6 and 5, similar to the recent league format but much more exciting as a championship because teams are playing for the big prize and there's less shadow boxing.

Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4437 - 01/03/2025 19:15:10    2593975

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Replying To Whammo86:  "See a 16 team in 2 sections of 8 division 1 was tried previously and it wasn't a success because the league isn't really enough of a prize, teams would aim to stay up and it didn't really have the intensity otherwise.

For similar reasons the hurling of 2 equal standard sections of 6 doesn't really work.

Now, if 2 sections of 8 were the basis for the All Ireland I really think you are getting a fantastic competition. Much in the way that the hurling is a section of 6 and 5, similar to the recent league format but much more exciting as a championship because teams are playing for the big prize and there's less shadow boxing."
Burns' opinion is that leagues are for incremental improvement. The championship is there to determine the champion.
The quarter finals in Croke Park is a big weekend in the GAA calendar.
Burns' support for lopsided provincial championships is contradictory. Provincial championships can determine a champion but not necessarily a truly reflective runner up.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 8631 - 01/03/2025 19:45:48    2593987

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@brianb (Kildare) - Posts: 400 - 28/02/2025 09:51:06

AIC Sam groups playing 4 games (like Munster hurling) but '3 groups of 6', 2 home/2 away, like rugby's EPCR:

- Ulster 6 (top 2 to Prov F, winner to AI SFs, loser to QFs, 3rd to PQFs)
- 'Tri-Provs 6' (top 2 to TP F, winner to AI SFs, loser to QFs, 3rd to PQFs)
- Conf 6 (akin to hurl McD Cup), top 1 to AI PQFs,
2nd/3rd to AI PQF playoff, bottom 2 relegated to Tailteann Cup.

Ulster F + 1 AI PQF played same weekend;
TP F + 1 AI PQF played same 'other' weekend.

Tailteann Cup, 4 games, '2 groups of 7'
In each group, top 1 to SFs, 2nd/3rd to QFs, finalists go up.

omahant (USA) - Posts: 3155 - 01/03/2025 23:39:23    2594045

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Replying To legendzxix:  "Burns' opinion is that leagues are for incremental improvement. The championship is there to determine the champion.
The quarter finals in Croke Park is a big weekend in the GAA calendar.
Burns' support for lopsided provincial championships is contradictory. Provincial championships can determine a champion but not necessarily a truly reflective runner up."
Yeah look Burns comes from a GAA tradition where championship is knockout mostly and there's less terms are borderline interchangeable where a knockout competition is a championship.

That's not the tradition throughout the country and in my mind it's less and less the belief of players and the emerging generation.

I also just don't see how the league can ever be as beneficial as the championship for bringing teams on. Teams enter the league with differing aims of what they want to get out of it, it isn't the white heat of championship as such any potential development benefit will be capped.

Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4437 - 02/03/2025 10:49:14    2594071

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Replying To Whammo86:  "Yeah look Burns comes from a GAA tradition where championship is knockout mostly and there's less terms are borderline interchangeable where a knockout competition is a championship.

That's not the tradition throughout the country and in my mind it's less and less the belief of players and the emerging generation.

I also just don't see how the league can ever be as beneficial as the championship for bringing teams on. Teams enter the league with differing aims of what they want to get out of it, it isn't the white heat of championship as such any potential development benefit will be capped."
The expectations on players needs to be considered as well. The Errigal Ciaran contingent being rested for the early league. David Clifford given a break. Having full on league as championship doesn't give that possibility.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 8631 - 02/03/2025 12:43:17    2594096

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Replying To legendzxix:  "The expectations on players needs to be considered as well. The Errigal Ciaran contingent being rested for the early league. David Clifford given a break. Having full on league as championship doesn't give that possibility."
Given current player burnout and season split, I think there should be a reduction in inter-county games, but with games 'league as championship' meaningful and ample AIC playoff berths.

omahant (USA) - Posts: 3155 - 02/03/2025 13:14:46    2594105

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Replying To legendzxix:  "The expectations on players needs to be considered as well. The Errigal Ciaran contingent being rested for the early league. David Clifford given a break. Having full on league as championship doesn't give that possibility."
It's be a shorter season overall.

Honestly I'd be in favour of club breaks between inter county games.

What you described just shows that the system isn't balanced at present.

Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4437 - 02/03/2025 13:33:58    2594110

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Replying To Whammo86:  "It's be a shorter season overall.

Honestly I'd be in favour of club breaks between inter county games.

What you described just shows that the system isn't balanced at present."
The part of the split season I don't like is that the All Ireland club championships aren't allowed overlap with the Allianz leagues. County leagues overlap with inter county championship. While linking the league to championship sounded great, an unintended consequence is that it closes off an overlap of All Ireland club championship and Allianz league.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 8631 - 02/03/2025 13:50:01    2594111

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Replying To legendzxix:  "The part of the split season I don't like is that the All Ireland club championships aren't allowed overlap with the Allianz leagues. County leagues overlap with inter county championship. While linking the league to championship sounded great, an unintended consequence is that it closes off an overlap of All Ireland club championship and Allianz league."
Yeah I agree with all that.

There would be a way that National leagues get played alongside Club championship in February and March.

It'd give lot of time for Provincial followed by a an All Ireland made up of 12 teams in 2 groups of 6.

Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4437 - 02/03/2025 14:53:02    2594120

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Replying To Whammo86:  "Yeah I agree with all that.

There would be a way that National leagues get played alongside Club championship in February and March.

It'd give lot of time for Provincial followed by a an All Ireland made up of 12 teams in 2 groups of 6."
Why do ye want to have a 13 month club season?

Seanfanbocht (Roscommon) - Posts: 2167 - 02/03/2025 17:47:13    2594180

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Replying To Seanfanbocht:  "Why do ye want to have a 13 month club season?"
It's not a 13 month club season. They won't be starting until August. I be thinking that club action stops in November with county finals and then picks up again in the new year with Provincial club championship.

Maybe that way counties would be happy to play off their club championship more quickly as everyone will be waiting until the New Year.

I don't think club competitions need to roll directly from county championship to Provincial club. In fact it causes issues that it does.

Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4437 - 02/03/2025 18:47:17    2594208

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Replying To Whammo86:  "Yeah I agree with all that.

There would be a way that National leagues get played alongside Club championship in February and March.

It'd give lot of time for Provincial followed by a an All Ireland made up of 12 teams in 2 groups of 6."
Even taking the format agreed for 2026 with extra weekends;
League: 1, 2, break, 3, 4, break, 5, 6, break, 7, finals and break. (12 weeks)
Provincial: L&U Pre, C&M QF, L&U QF, C&M SF, L&U SF, C&M Finals, L&U Finals and break. (8 weeks)
All Ireland: 1, break, 2A & 2B, break, 3, break, QF, break, SF, break and Final. (11 weeks)
Playing no more than two consecutive weekends in league and always having a weekend off after a championship match requires 4 extra weekends for next year's format.
If the All Ireland club championship overlapped with the Allianz leagues in February - county club championship, provincial club championship and All Ireland club championship can be completed from the beginning of September to the end of February. The Allianz leagues, provincial championships and All Ireland championship can be completed from the current end of January until the end of August.
Arguably the club championship timeframe could extend further until the middle of March. That could give club championships an extra 3 weeks.
The key to giving the intercounty season and club season more weekends is overlapping All Ireland club championship with Allianz leagues. Everyone wins!

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 8631 - 02/03/2025 20:53:06    2594267

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Replying To Whammo86:  "It's not a 13 month club season. They won't be starting until August. I be thinking that club action stops in November with county finals and then picks up again in the new year with Provincial club championship.

Maybe that way counties would be happy to play off their club championship more quickly as everyone will be waiting until the New Year.

I don't think club competitions need to roll directly from county championship to Provincial club. In fact it causes issues that it does."
County Leagues or other Club competitions in most Counties start 1st weekend March, hence my 13 month comment.

Seanfanbocht (Roscommon) - Posts: 2167 - 02/03/2025 21:23:42    2594279

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