All-Ireland final fixtures tweak presents ‘a hell of a challenge’ for GAA

The All-Ireland hurling and football finals will be played on July 17th and 24th in 2022 which will present difficulties in terms of ticket distribution for Croke Park

Feargal McGill: ‘We are fairly sure we can get tickets distributed’. Photo by Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile

Dealing with the decision to cut the gap between the two All-Ireland finals to one week will be “a hell of a challenge”, admits GAA director of club, player and games administration Feargal McGill.

On the basis of a fixtures review task force recommendation, the finals were supposed to be played on successive weekends in August this year. That was until Tyrone’s Covid outbreak delayed the football decider.

The call, which will see the hurling and football finals played on July 17 and 24 in 2022, has been made to give more time to clubs although McGill fully accepts it will present difficulties in terms of ticket distribution. “It’s a hell of a challenge, logistically, make no mistake. You are still dealing with volunteers on tickets etc, but things like IT have helped us move on.

“We would have had exclusively organised ticket distribution up until 10-15 years ago where tickets were quite literally put in envelopes and posted out to people for All-Ireland finals. It’s (the one-week gap) a sacrifice, but mainly the sacrifice is on behalf of the Ard Stiúrthóir’s office and the counties that will be in the finals.

“We are fairly sure we can get the tickets distributed. I don’t think it’s a challenge in a playing context at all, that’s the more important bit — the playing part of it is more important than the administrative part of it.

“It is just a week you can’t afford to waste, it won’t be used by clubs, it’s a dead week and just a luxury I don’t think we can afford to have any more. It will be challenging but I think the win at the end of it will be worth it.”

Meanwhile, Mayo had looked into staging their three home games in Division 1 in Croke Park but it is believed they ultimately didn’t consider it financially viable. Instead, as a result of MacHale Park being out of commission due to pitch reconstruction, their matches against Donegal, Armagh, and Kildare will be played at Markievicz Park, Dr Hyde Park and Páirc Seán MacDiarmada on January 30, February 22, and March 27 respectively.

All three of Dublin’s Division 1 games, Armagh (January 29), Mayo (February 19), and Donegal (March 20), will take place in Croke Park.

The 2022 year is considered the first proper split season by Croke Park with the provincial championships beginning on Easter weekend. It will mean the average inter-county season length for each county will be cut from 35 weeks to 26 weeks.

With the return of knock-out All-Ireland SFC quarter-finals, it was also confirmed that the semi-final pairings will be Connacht v Ulster and Leinster v Munster. All four provincial finals take place over the same weekend, May 28 and 29.

Every knockout game will be “winner on the day” with the exceptions being the All-Ireland senior finals. New York’s Tailteann Cup game will be in Ireland.

The 2022 All-Ireland club semi-finals are scheduled for December next year with the finals organised for January 2023. The GAA intend doing away with water breaks but will keep them in place for the time being as a Covid-related precaution.