All-Ireland SFC may switch to the old Kerry 'second-chance' structure 

The idea of a knock-out Sam Maguire Cup with second chances for counties defeated in the first round gained support this week.

The Sam Maguire Cup. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

A competition structure previously used in the Kerry senior football championship is considered the early favourite to replace the current All-Ireland SFC round-robin format.

The idea of a knock-out Sam Maguire Cup with second chances for counties defeated in the first round gained support at roadshow meetings in Munster on Monday and Leinster on Tuesday this week.

It is the first of six options put forward by the Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) to change the All-Ireland senior football championship.

The last 16 (Round 1) would comprise the eight provincial finalists in one bowl and the seven best league finishers and Tailteann Cup winners from the previous year.

In Round 2A, the eight winners from the last 16 would face off to earn four All-Ireland quarter-final places while in Round 2B the eight losers would compete to avoid elimination and qualify to face the Round 2A losers in Round 3 for the remaining four last-eight spots.

The document reads: “It is a proposal the CCCC are recommending that counties give serious consideration as it has the potential to ease congestion in the calendar and create a greater ‘level’ of jeopardy than the current structure with its four-team round-robin groups.” The second-round winners and losers structure was in place in Kerry between 2002 and ’19 and has been in operation in other counties such as Laois.

Another option the CCCC see merit in is provincial champions going through to the All-Ireland quarter-finals and the other 12 teams competing in four groups of three to join them. However, that would mean a five-week wait to the last-eight games for the Connacht and Munster winners and four for the Leinster and Ulster victors.

The four other suggestions are listed but not endorsed by the CCCC – the introduction of a third tier All-Ireland SFC for Division 3 and 4 teams, a return to knock-out Sam Maguire and Tailteann Cup games post-provincial, operating the provincial championships on a tiered basis as per the Sam Maguire and Tailteann Cup and starting the inter-county season with the provincial championships followed by the Allianz Leagues and then a round-robin All-Ireland.

In compiling the proposals, the CCCC acknowledged the lack of jeopardy in the current system whereby three teams from four qualify for the All-Ireland preliminary quarter-finals. They also highlighted the need for a gap week between the league finals and commencement of the provincial championships at the same time minimising the break between teams going out of the provinces and their first Sam Maguire/Tailteann Cup game. This year, Monaghan had a six-week gap between losing an Ulster opener to Cavan and facing Kerry in their first Sam Maguire group fixture.

Providing a greater reward for provincial champions is considered an issue as is the number of one-sided games in the early rounds of the provincial championships and teams having to play three weekends in a row.

County and provincial representatives in Limerick and Portlaoise were briefed on the options with similar meetings in Ulster and Connacht planned in the coming days. Any proposed changes to the All-Ireland SFC would likely be voted on at Special Congress in December.

Among the other discussion points was either one or both of the All-Ireland senior finals taking place in August – this year’s hurling and football showdowns are July 21 and 28 respectively.

While there was some if not a lot of apprehension in Munster about potential contraction of the club season and the time required for dual counties to complete their schedules, at the Leinster gathering there was a call for counties to take stock of their regular inter-county championship exit times in arranging the start dates for their club championships.