Munster SFC decider returns to Sunday afternoon slot

The Munster senior football final will return to a Sunday date for the first time since 2017 next year as the Leinster decider moves to the Saturday evening slot.

In what is guaranteed to be the first Munster final not involving both Cork and Kerry since 2016, the game has been given a 2pm throw-in time on June 21.

The Ulster SFC final is scheduled for a 4pm throw-in later that afternoon.

After last year’s Munster final was played on a Saturday evening, it was anticipated that it would swap places with its Leinster equivalent this year.

However, Cork and Kerry again took place on Saturday in Páirc Uí Chaoimh while Dublin and Meath faced off the following afternoon.

The expectation Dublin will contest a 10th consecutive Leinster final next year is believed to be a strong reason behind the decision to move the Delaney Cup game to Saturday.

The GAA have found attendances at Dublin fixtures on Saturdays earlier in the season are better than on Sundays.

Next year’s Allianz Division 1 is set to commence with this year’s All-Ireland SFC finalists Dublin and Kerry facing off in Croke Park on Saturday, January 25.

The Irish Examiner understands the first six of the All-Ireland champions’ League matches will take place on Saturday evenings with the final round away to Galway taking place on the afternoon of Sunday, March 22 at the same time as the three other matches to ensure fairness as final and relegation places might be at stake.

The GAA are expected to release their master fixtures list for 2020 later this month after it has been endorsed by Central Council.

However, several dates are already known such as the August 30th All-Ireland SFC final as the 35th Sunday of the year falls in the eighth month and the schedule is likely to be similar to that in 2019. The Allianz Football League finals are set to take place on March 28 and 29.

With the All-Ireland senior club finals moving from March 17 to January in 2020, it had been suggested by GAA president John Horan that the Division 1 hurling semi-finals might replace them as the St Patrick’s Day doubleheader.

However, that has now been ruled out by the Central Competitions Control Committee and it remains to be seen what takes their place.

Meanwhile, the GAA’s fixtures review task force are putting the finishing touches to their report before launching it at the end of the month.

It has been reported some of their proposals include designating a week-on, week-off for the club and county seasons and redrafting the provincial system.