Leinster and Munster senior hurling finals to be played on Saturday and Sunday of same weekend from 2024

A general view of FBD Semple Stadium before the Munster GAA Hurling Senior Championship Round 1 match between Waterford and Limerick at FBD Semple Stadium in Thurles, Tipperary. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Leinster and Munster senior hurling finals are to be played on Saturday and Sunday of the same weekend on a rotating basis from next year.

The Irish Examiner understands officials from the two provincial councils have agreed that from 2024 - for a trial period of two years - one of the deciders will be staged on a Saturday evening and the other taking place the following afternoon, similar to how the All-Ireland semi-finals are currently organised.

Both of this year’s provincial finals are scheduled to take place on the same afternoon, Sunday June 11. However, the clash has been criticised for doing little to promote the game and denying hurling followers the opportunity to attend both games.

The provinces have yet to decide which final will be played on a Saturday next season. For the past three seasons including the Covid years, the Leinster finals took place on Saturdays and the Munster showdowns the next day.

Munster officials have been buoyed by the massive popularity of Saturday evening games these past two weekends. A crowd of 30,460 took in the Limerick-Clare Round 2 game in TUS Gaelic Grounds last Saturday week and 36,765 attended Páirc Uí Chaoimh for the meeting of Cork and Tipperary this past weekend.

Previously, there were concerns among the province’s officials that logistical difficulties might stand in the way of a likely sell-out game being organised in FBD Semple Stadium, Páirc Uí Chaoimh or LIT Gaelic Grounds on a Saturday evening. However, those concerns have since been allayed.

The 7pm Saturday throw-in time in Croke Park for last year’s Kilkenny-Galway Leinster final was cited by Galway chairman Paul Bellew as a contributory factor to the disappointing crowd.