Allianz Leagues 2021 set for revised, shorter format

A general view of Croke Park stadium. Picture: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

The format of the 2021 Allianz Leagues is in line to be revised as the GAA plans for the fallout from this year’s interrupted season.

With the inter-county period not concluding until December 19, it is expected the leagues will commence later next year, likely February.

They are also set to be played over a shorter period with each of the four football divisions possibly divided into two groups of four and some of the hurling competition’s knock-out stages

The Central Competitions Control Committee are beginning to plan a calendar for next year, which is unlikely to be played on a split season basis as GAA officials maintain introducing it in 2021 would be ambitious as the country continues to live with Covid-19.

Although a number of GAA national fixtures taskforce members wish to see it commence next year, a 2022 start to the plan for inter-county to begin the GAA year before clubs have their own exclusive period from late summer is considered more realistic.

The club month of April could also be removed next year.

GAA director general Tom Ryan previously suggested the final trial year of the Super 8 system could be played out in 2021 having been suspended this season. However, there is growing belief that the Super 8 is a flawed structure and needs to be replaced.

Provincial football competitions are included in all four versions set to be put forward by the taskforce, which convened for a third time in four weeks on Wednesday evening.

On the virtual conference, Gaelic Players Association’s (GPA) draft proposal to link the Allianz Football League and Championship while doing away with provinces. Although some on the Eddie Sullivan-chaired body acknowledged merit in the GPA recommendation, it was agreed doing away with provinces would be unlikely to attract enough support to be backed at Congress.

GAA director of player, club and games administration Feargal McGill tabled four split season versions at the previous meeting. It is expected they will be released to counties in the coming weeks. The two split season proposals sent by the Club Players Association to the committee were acknowledged but not discussed.

All four options include provincial championships and the Tailteann Cup. As expected, three of them are the pre-pandemic proposals - retention of the Super 8, flipping the League and Championship and four provincial conferences of eight teams - but within a split season timeframe. The other is a championship based on the pre-Super 8 All-Ireland SFC format but with only a certain amount of teams given a second opportunity in the qualifiers.