GAA's tweaked Proposal B would reward provincial success with bonus points

In the updated 'Red Option', the provincial champions would be awarded with two points and runners-up one point in the Sam Maguire Cup league format before they have kicked a ball

The original Proposal B recommended the provincial championships be divorced entirely from the Sam Maguire and Tailteann Cups. Picture: Brendan Moran / SPORTSFILE

The two All-Ireland football championship proposals currently being considered by the GAA seek to diminish the presence of the provincial competitions.

The Green and Red options, put forward by the recently established task force, in different ways would reduce the significance of the provincial championships in the inter-county football year.

Both were outlined to the GAA’s management committee on Friday night and will be discussed among counties with a mind to proposing one at the next Central Council meeting on January 22 to go forward to February's Annual Congress.

The Green Option, which is similar to the 2012 proposal put forward by former GAA president Seán Kelly in that it links the league, provinces, and All-Ireland but is not his updated version of it, proposes the provincial championships be run off over five weeks. That is the same timeframe as this year but pre-pandemic the concurrent duration of the competitions was seven weeks in 2019.

Instead of qualifying for an eight-team All-Ireland quarter-final phase as was the case in the last season of the Super 8s two years ago, the provincial winners would be top seeds in one of the four-team groups. They would be joined by runners-up from another province who would be second seeds. The third and fourth teams would qualify based on their league positioning.

The four group winners would go through to All-Ireland quarter-finals where they would be joined by the four winners of the preliminary quarter-final winners, those games pitting second and third-placed counties against one another.

The Red Option, formerly Proposal B which failed to receive the necessary 60% support at October’s Special Congress, again calls for the provincial championships to be scheduled in spring and the All-Ireland SFC to be played on a league basis.

The original Proposal B recommended the provincial championships be divorced entirely from the Sam Maguire and Tailteann Cups. However, in the updated proposal the provincial champions would be awarded with two points and runners-up one point in the Sam Maguire Cup league format before they have kicked a ball.

Instead of using the existing Allianz League structure for the All-Ireland series, the document proposes the return of Divisions 1A, 1B, 2A, and 2B, with 1A and 1B each made up of four Division 1 and four Division 2 teams, and the 2A and 2B including four counties from Division 3 and 4.

The top three in both Division 1A and 1B would advance to the All-Ireland quarter-finals. The remaining two spots would be decided in preliminary quarter-finals between the fourth-placed 1A and 1B sides and the table toppers in Division 2A and 2B.

The Red Option also outlines how the spring provincial championships would be played. Connacht and Munster would each become a round-robin group of six with the winners qualifying for the provincial final and second and third finishers facing off in a semi-final to join them in the decider.

In Ulster, the nine teams are to be divided into groups of five and four. The top two in each qualify for cross-group semi-finals. Leinster would be split into groups of six and five and distilled the same way. Groups in Leinster and Ulster would be seeded on the basis of next year’s championship.

The Green Option envisages the Tailteann Cup being played on a similar basis to the Sam Maguire Cup only that New York enter the competition in the preliminary quarter-finals. The Red Option sees New York join a knock-out Tailteann Cup involving all the Division 2A and 2B teams with exception to the winners of each.

The Green Option has been devised at central level and has early support from provinces. The Red Option is likely to have the backing of the Gaelic Players Association and has been influenced by those behind the original Proposal B such as Cork GAA chief executive Kevin O’Donovan and fixtures review task force member Conor O’Donoghue.

Green Light. Red Light: The options on the table

THE GREEN OPTION

Allianz League to run from January to April.

League followed by five-week provincial championships.

Round robin 16-team Sam Maguire and 17-team Tailteann Cup.

Sam Maguire Cup’s four-team groups comprising provincial finalists and runners-up, who will be top seeds in each of the four groups. Other seedings based on league finishing position at the end of that year’s league.

If a Division 3 or 4 team reaches a provincial final, they will enter Sam Maguire Cup in place of next lowest seeded team from Division 2 who will enter the Tailteann Cup.

The previous year’s Tailteann Cup winners, if not a Division 2 team, enters Sam Maguire in place of the next lowest-seeded team from Division 2.

Each county to have one home, one away and one game at a neutral venue. Provincial champions will have first game at home.

First team in each group go through to quarter-finals. Second team faces a third-placed team from another group in a preliminary quarter-final.

Tailteann Cup run on a similar format but top seeds in groups are best-placed league finishers and New York enter at preliminary quarter-final stage replacing the worst of the four third-placed teams.

THE RED OPTION

Round-robin provincial championships to commence season.

All-Ireland SFC to consist of four divisions of eight teams based on next year’s league finishing positions and listed as Division 1A, 1B, 2A and 2B. Division 1A and 1B to each be made up of four Division 1 and four Division 2 teams and Division 2A and 2B of Division 3 and 4 counties.

No more than two provincial winners to be included in any group.

Each team to play seven games, four home and three away depending on a draw but provincial winners will be guaranteed fourth home game and will also start the round robin series with two points and provincial runners-up with one.

Preliminary All-Ireland quarter-finals will pit fourth-placed Division 1A and 1B teams against top in Division 2A and 2B.

All-Ireland quarter-finals to comprise the first, second and third Division 1A teams and the preliminary quarter-final winners.

Tailteann Cup to be run off as a knock-out competition between the remaining 14 teams in Division 2A and 2B as well as New York.

Two teams that finish bottom in each of Division 1A and 1B relegated to Division 2A and 2B in 2024.