Kerry clubs must wait a year for SFC change

NO CHANGE FOR 2024: The Milltown/Castlemaine team celebrate promotion to the senior grade. Pic: Lorraine O’Sullivan, Inpho

Change to Kerry's SFC structures can't come quick enough for some folk in the Kingdom - but it will be 2025 before the format is reworked, GAA chiefs in the county say.

The 2024 championship will again be a 16-team affair with eight senior clubs and eight divisional sides - promoted Milltown Castlemaine will be one of the club, at the expense of relegated Kerins O’Rahilly’s.

A special championship review sub-committee has been set up under the chairmanship of All-Ireland-winning Kerry captain Dara Ó Cinnéide. 

County Board chairman Patrick O’Sullivan told delegates at a Board meeting: “The terms of reference of the county senior football championship review committee are to include the following in their considerations: (1) To view the option of increasing the number of senior clubs in the championship and how best it can be achieved; (2) To decrease the number of divisional teams and how best this can be achieved; (3) The timing format of both club and county championship considering the window available in the fixtures calendar to the CCCC to finish these competitions in time for the provincial championships; To examine the load on intercounty players and club players during this period and how best it can be managed; The impact on the championships other competitions have such as the SHC and district boards.

The review group, also including Fergus Clifford, Fergus Stack (Beale), Eamon Whelan (St Senans), Barry O’Shea (Kerins O’Rahillys), Donal Murphy (Rathmore), Mary Jo Curran (Beaufort) and Terence Houlihan (Laune Rangers) has been asked to report back to the April meeting of the County Committee.

Joe Costello, vice-chairperson of the Board's CCC said that the status quo will remain for 2024.

“We will obviously take on board what comes from the review sub-committee but, firstly, you are aware of our motion to Congress and after that we will have wait for the Central Council meeting in mid-March to find out can we have more than 16 teams in the SFC. Obviously once we find out that we will be able to make a call. 

"We have discussed it at CCC level and for 2024, our personal opinion as regards the SFC is that it will either be the status quo or the review sub-committee may propose the change the format to the Christy Ring-type format. But it will be the 16 teams that were in last year, minus Kerins O’Rahillys, who were relegated and including Milltown/Castlemaine, who were promoted,” Mr Costello explained.

The senior hurling championship will have a new format this year. It will have 10 teams with Tralee Parnells now on board for 2024, with the group stages consisting of two groups of three and one group of four.

The senior football county leagues will start on March 23rd, with the month of July again used for play-offs.  The SFC final is penciled in for November 3rd with a replay on Nov 10th, if required.