All Ireland Senior Football Proposals
Objectives:
Provide an improved programme of fixtures to facilitate fixture planning.
Provide a logical and fairer pathway to the All Ireland Final.
Provide competition at appropriate standard and provide for future development .
Retain Provincial Championships and their importance.
Provide additional dates to allow structure of Provincial Championships to be modified as required by each province.
Provide all counties with the opportunity to compete for the Sam Maguire Cup.
Method:
Uncouple the link between the provincial championships and the All Ireland in the current year to facilitate fixture making.
Use previous years Championship results and the current year NFL to grade counties.
Structure:
The All Ireland Championship will be seeded.
The eight teams who contested the previous year’s Provincial Championship Finals will be the top seeds.
Second seeds will be the beaten semi finalists in the Provincial Championships.
Third and fourth seeds will be determined by finishing positions in the National Football League of the current year.
Seeding could look something like this example:
Tier 1 (Top Seeds) Tier 2 (2nd seeds) Tier 3 (3rd Seeds) Tier 4 (4th Seeds)
Dublin Clare Tyrone Offaly
Donegal Kildare Down Antrim
Mayo Westmeath Laois Leitrim
Kerry Roscommon Cavan Carlow
Meath Tipperary Armagh Waterford
Monaghan Galway Limerick Wicklow
Cork Fermanagh Louth London
Sligo Derry Wexford New York
As the higher tiers have the advantage of seeding, the lower tiers will have home advantage in Rounds 1 and 2.
Competition Format
Round 1
Tier 3 teams v Tier 4 teams with Tier 4 teams at home.
Counties from the same province will be separated where possible in the draw or at the very least no duplication of provincial championship pairings allowed.
Round 2
Tier 2 teams v the winners of Round 1.
Counties from the same province will be separated where possible in the draw
or at the very least no duplication of provincial championship pairings allowed.
Round 3
Tier 1 teams v the winners of Round 2 in the last 16.
No duplication of provincial championship pairings allowed
Quarter Finals
Open draw between the winners in Round 3.
Semi Finals
Open Draw
All Ireland Final
Possible Fixture List
May Provincial Championships Rd 1 ties
May
May All Ireland Round 1
May
June Provincial Quarter Finals
June All Ireland Round 2
June
June Provincial Semi Finals
July
July Leinster Final – Munster Final
July Ulster Final – Connaught Final
July
Aug All Ireland Round 3
Aug
Aug All Ireland Quarter Finals
Aug
Sep All ireland Semi Final
Sep
Sep All Ireland Final
Sep
Benefits
Success is rewarded with seedings.
All teams can play for the All Ireland.
Provincial Championships will be of huge importance – once the first year is completed it’s relevance will be established. It will not result in any loss of significance because of the new format. Provincial Champions will be rewarded with a guaranteed last 16 place in the following year.
Teams not making the Provincial Finals will want to finish as high as possible in the NFL.