Current hooter rule to stay in place for provincial championships

The controversial clock/hooter rule will remain for the provincial football championships beginning on Saturday week.

LOUD AND PROUD: The 'hooter' in Tuam Stadium

There will be no change to the clock/hooter ahead of the provincial football championships beginning on Saturday week.

However, it is envisaged the use of the technology will be reassessed following the conclusion of the competitions.

There was widespread criticism of the timing mechanism following this past weekend’s divisional finals where negative possession and cynical play pockmarked the conclusion of the Division 2 and 3 finals in normal time.

Following a Football Review Committee u-turn last year, the end of each half is confirmed by the siren unless the ball is in flight or there is a placed ball (free, sideline or 45) where the opportunity of a score has yet to be taken.

Central Council agreed to the move despite earlier in the year taking the advice of the Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) that it could lead to “reputational damage”.

Highlighting confusion about whether actions took place before or after the hooter earlier in the 2025 National Football League, the CCCC warned in March of that year: “It remains the view of the CCCC that in order to avoid reputational damage further down the line, games should end once the ball goes dead AFTER the hooter or final whistle has sounded.” 

The GAA’s national fixture body’s recommendation that the hooter instead confirm the last play instead of the end of a half was endorsed and came into force for the latter part of the National League and entirety of the championship.

Central Council has the power to revert to the CCCC’s alternative and in the past have met quickly to vote on special considerations such as the 2024 All-Ireland senior hurling quarter-finals being moved to a Sunday.

However, it is now considered highly unlikely that they will be summoned to change the clock/hooter in its present form, which also ran into controversy at the start of the National Leagues. In the Division 1 opener in January, Tomás Kennedy’s buzzer-beating winning point for Kerry against Roscommon in Killarney was queried as well as the working of the hooter and how it was reflected on live television.

Sunday week’s Ulster SFC preliminary round clash between Armagh and Tyrone in Box-It Athletic Grounds will be timed using the clock/hooter as will other provincial games in Connacht, Leinster and Munster over that weekend.

However, there is no guarantee all championship venues will have the technology in place. Last Saturday’s Division 4 final between Carlow and Longford was the first time the counties experienced the clock/hooter this year.