Clare and Wexford set the bar for most competitive GAA club championships

Eoin Keane has studied the finals of every senior club championship this century to find the most competitive counties in hurling and football

Cratloe’s Shane Gleeson tackles Sixmilebridge’s Seadhna Morey in last year’s Clare SHC final at Cusack Park. Picture: Lorraine O’Sullivan/Inpho

While many different metrics can be used to gauge the competitiveness of the GAA’s club championships, the depth of competition can be ascertained, to some degree, by examining the spread of finalists in each county.

Using the last 20 years as a dataset, it can be argued that the Senior Hurling Championship in Clare has been the most competitive since the turn of the millennium. Similarly, and perhaps surprisingly, the Wexford Senior Football Championship can be deemed the most egalitarian in Ireland.