Process to review Kerry SFC and the parish rule to commence next week 

CHANGE INCOMING? The East Kerry team celebrate with the Bishop Moynihan cup. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

The process to review the Kerry senior football championship and the parish rule is to commence next week.

A board meeting will set out the agenda pertaining to both matters before clubs are asked for their thoughts on them.

There are hopes proposals on both will be on the table by February so that clubs and divisions will have plenty of time to digest any changes ahead of the 2024 season, where finishing positions could have implications for an altered 2025 county championship.

The championship structure has been subject to several reviews over the last 21 years and a number of structural changes. In 2002, the 20-team competition transformed from straight knock-out to providing a second chance to first-round losers. 

The following year, the clubs and divisions were split into separate sides before they came together in the last 16 for one season. However, the 2002 version resumed in '04.

In 2015, a review led by former county secretary Tony O’Keeffe saw three clubs relegated so that the total number of participating was cut from 11 to eight.

It was also agreed only eight of the nine divisional sides would enter the championship proper with the lowest ranked teams based on the previous five years facing off in a play-off where St Brendan’s beat Shannon Rangers.

A year later, the first round winners faced off in Round 2A and the first round losers in Round 2B. The 2A winners advanced to the quarter-finals where they were joined by the Round 3 victors, which comprised the 2A losers and 2B winners.

Due to the pandemic, the 2020 and ‘21 championship returned to a straight knock-out basis. Following a review by Terence Houlihan, the senior county championship last year changed to a round-robin format made up of eight teams and eight divisional sides.

Kerry executive officials believe the championship structure and the parish rule are entwined and are looking to address both at the same time. 

An easing of the bye-law to assist rural and urban clubs whose members’ children are living elsewhere has been mooted in recent years following other reviews.

The parish rule states: “A person under the age of 18 years shall be entitled to join a Club only in the Parish of his/her permanent residence subject to: a) A person under the age of 18 years in permanent residence in a town of more than one Club and/or Parish shall be entitled to join any Club in that town; b) A person under the age of 18 years in permanent residence in a County Committee designated ‘Open Area’ shall be entitled to join any named Club in that specified ‘Open Area’.”