All-Ireland football format could change from 2017

The GAA’s Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) is to present counties with three proposals for a revamped All-Ireland senior football championships before Christmas.

At Thursday’s Cork County Board meeting, Central Council delegate Bob Ryan revealed discussions had taken place in relation to the All-Ireland structure from 2017 onwards.

While the majority view was the provincial championships should remain unchanged, there is a possibility of change to the All-Ireland series and counties will be canvassed for views on the CCCC’s three proposals.

At the Cork meeting, delegates voted 101 votes to 22 in favour of changes to the county championship system proposed by the board’s executive.

A noticeable difference is that sides which lose all of their games in one year will now not be automatically relegated unless they fail to win a game in either of the two subsequent years.

On foot of that, Ryan proposed that the six sides relegated this year — Killeagh, Kilworth and Barryroe in senior, premier intermediate and intermediate hurling respectively and Aghada, Ballinora and Adrigole in football — should be given a stay of execution.

This will be decided by the board’s Competitions Control Committee (CCC) in due course. A vote had been due to take place on whether the county U21A hurling and football championships should change to a county-wide, straight-knockout format, as recommended by the board’s executive but a decision on this was put back until early next year.