An end to August All-Ireland but space between finals still possible

The GAA leadership appears keen to find an extra week in the current inter-county window to widen the gap between the All-Ireland finals to two.

GAA President Jarlath Burns addresses the congress. Pic ©INPHO/Nick Elliott

The insertion of a two-week gap between the All-Ireland senior finals and the disbanding of pre-season competitions remain options on the table.

Despite a motion which would have incorporated both being withdrawn at Congress on Saturday, they remain possibilities for 2027, but an August All-Ireland final is now considered a non-runner.

As the proposal to extend the inter-county season by two weeks faced a heavy defeat, GAA president Jarlath Burns took the counsel of former GAA director general Páraic Duffy, whose committee had put it forward, to scrap it.

Galway chairman Paul Bellew requested the motion be put to a vote where it would have failed but Burns took his lead from Duffy who had earlier admitted he was “in for a beating”.

Although it will face strong opposition from some of the provinces, the Gaelic Players Association are expected to table a motion to Central Council to permanently cease the January competitions.

The GAA leadership also appears keen to find an extra week in the current inter-county window to widen the gap between the All-Ireland finals to two.

“If people don't want (the inter-county window) to go into August, that's great, because it means that we are continuing to cherish and nurture our clubs and club activity,” said Burns.

“So, really behind it (the opposition) was more or less to keep the year as it is and just have that space for the All-Ireland finalists to operate, let's say, to fundraise, maybe to clear up any injuries, and as Páraic said, have the two weeks between the two All-Irelands to allow you (media) guys to spend one week reflecting on the hurling and then another week preparing for the football.

“Just don't feel at the moment that hurling (final) gets the proper chance for the ripples to get out and for people to absorb it and reflect on it properly.” 

Burns previously endorsed the GPA’s successful motion to suspend the pre-season tournaments in 2025 and he indicated support again.

“People say to me, ‘But sure, I love the pre-season competitions. It gets me out of the house, and it blows the cobwebs out of the first week of January.’ 

“But getting that guy out of the house and getting him into the Athletic Grounds in the first week of January means that the Armagh team and the other teams have an extra four weeks of training just to get him out of the house.

“We have to remember that our high-performance athletes, amateur athletes, are the single biggest, busiest volunteers we have. We have to mind those people. We have to do our best. Player welfare, that's really what it comes down to.” 

Burns admitted he took “a punt” on putting the inter-county certification programme motion to a vote. It only required a simple majority and received almost 60% support, although large counties had expressed reservations around the lack of detail involved in what is effectively licensing regulations.

To be certified, counties will have to adhere to a number of measures such as providing GPS data, annual maximum expenditure limits, inter-county mangers undertaking induction courses and a limit of 10 paid backroom team members.

Burns acknowledged the concerns about the finer details of the initiative not being revealed but asked counties to “trust us”.

He added: “Everybody knows that we would never have an agenda that we would try and slip something in without people knowing. Our members just would not let us do that. And everything that goes into that high-performance licence, if you want to call it that, would be fully negotiated and fully consulted with again.” 

Insisting it is not something that will be “rushed”, GAA director general Tom Ryan said the programme was a step in the right direction in enshrining the GAA’s amateur status.

“This is a chance for us to address something that has been a problem for a long time, long before you or I (Burns) were sitting at a table like this.

“And it's important that people seize that opportunity, and I think it's going to make a real difference. It's not going to fix everything, but it means we are now taking the initiative, and we are now seizing the momentum.” 

Ryan confirmed the new dissent rule (30-metre free advancement) will come into effect from the National Hurling League finals.

After the All-Ireland senior hurling preliminary quarter-finals were disbanded with immediate effect, the Central Competitions Control Committee will decide where this year’s All-Ireland SHC quarter-finals between the second and third-placed teams in Leinster and Munster will take place.

There had been wide support for the provincial finalists to receive home advantage. It had been part of the Hurling Development Committee’s motion but that was withdrawn when Laois’ proposal to disband the preliminary quarter-finals as well as introduce a Joe McDonagh Cup semi-final from 2027 was passed.