As known from:
sky sportscricketworldTorquay United
Contains commercial content
Best Betting Sites UK / Is it Time for the “New” All-Ireland?

Is it Time for the “New” All-Ireland?

Publish Date: 24/02/2021
Fact checked by: James Leeland

This week the GAA issued a vote to all counties to test the water regarding the potential restructuring of the Senior Football Championship. 

croke park

The current format is rather confusing, although was scrapped this year with the championship going back to the ways of old, being provincial champions entering straight into the All-Ireland sat the semi final stage.

Normally without the coronavirus disruption, we would have seen a six-stage tournament process.

The season starts off with the provincial championships and the winners of these four province finals gain direct entry into the ‘Super 8’s’ stage.

Obviously the other four teams must come from somewhere right? They come from what is commonly known as ‘the backdoor entrance’. Two rounds of qualifying games commence with 8 counties in each, round 1 consist of 8 normal counties battling it out to be four of the eight second round teams.

The second round consists of the losing finalists of the provincial finals and the four first round winners. Each team gets drawn against one other and they battle it out for a place in the All-Ireland ‘Super 8’s’.

The Super 8’s stage is where the four Provincial Champions and the winning four teams from Round 2 of the All-Ireland Qualifiers take part in a group stage that takes place in the months of July and August. The group stage is organised on a league basis with two groups of four teams, with each team playing the other three teams once.

In each group two Provincial Champions and two Round 4 Qualifier Winners. Each team plays one game in Croke Park, one home game and one away game. (In the case of Dublin, Croke Park is treated as the home stadium so they would play two games in Croke Park).

The top two teams in both groups qualify for the All Ireland Semi Finals.

Reform Looking "Increasingly Likely"

The All-Ireland SFC reform now looks increasingly likely after an Irish Independent poll of county board chairpersons which showed a significant mood for change to the current format.

The proposed format is still yet unclear; it seems as if the most likely form it will take would be a two-league structure, dividing all 32 counties into 16 county leagues.

In the footballing world it would be like how the MLS works, where the two leagues are split with the top eight teams qualifying, (four of these positions would be filled by provincial champions) and in this case for the All-Ireland and after the league format is finished.

A sixteen-team knockout style tournament would commence, and they would compete in four knockout rounds from then on in the hopes of lifting the famous Sam Maguire.

Majority in Favour of the Changes

The consensus is that an overwhelming majority are in favour of putting these changes in motion, after all Dublin have just clinched their 6th successive title and the quest for any other county to lift this trophy is becoming desperate throughout Ireland.

This style of knockout stage would also attract new viewers to the sport. A format which is easily related to in other major competitions with the likes of the Champions Leagues or Champions Cup in football and rugby respectively both use a group/league campaign followed by a knockout phase to determine their champions.

Reformatting Could Help Claw Back €36 Million Covid Losses

Reformatting the competition only makes sense, after all the GAA lost 36 million euros from no fans being allowed into stadiums as a direct cause of the pandemic. This would allow more games to be televised and help widen their audience and increase their funding substantially.

Nothing is set in stone but this re-work could be the right move for promoting the Gaelic games on a more international scale.

Read Also
Striving on at Silverlands – One-on-one with Buxton's Sam Wedgbury
It was a flurry of eye-catching close-season arrivals at Buxton, and among ...
'I think I now have an identity' - One-on-one with Kevin Lokko
What the future holds for Kevin Lokko is so far undetermined; a ...
DAZN BET Promo
The Bosses’ Lounge (Vol. 31) – Danny Grainger (Workington AFC)
It was a playing farewell to ‘his’ club at the end of ...
The Bosses’ Lounge (Vol. 24) – Steve Claridge (Salisbury FC)
Be it playing, managing or broadcasting, half measures are something Steve Claridge ...
The Bosses’ Lounge (Vol. 19) – Anthony Gale (Staines Town)
His time as Walton Casuals manager was characterised by progression, though Anthony ...
Bookmaker of the Month
Bwin - Get Your Bonus Now! Get Your Bonus Now!
Claim your £30 BetUK Bonus!
Betting Tips
10/12/2023 - 2:00 pm
Kenilworth Road
Tip:
Over
1.86
Bet365
10/12/2023 - 2:30 am
Goodison Park
Tip:
Home Win
11/5
Ladbrokes
10/12/2023 - 12:00 am
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Tip:
Over
1.90
Bet365
Top Betting Sites
Top Betting Bonuses
Rhino Bet
Rhino Bet
Rhino Bet Review
4.6/5
Betfred
Betfred
Betfred Review
4.6/5
SportingIndex
SportingIndex
SportingIndex Review
4.6/5
CopyBet
CopyBet
CopyBet Review
4.5/5
Sportingbet
Sportingbet
Sportingbet Review
4.5/5
Rhino Bet
Rhino Bet Bonus
Bet £25 Get £10
T&Cs apply
4.6/5
Betfred
Betfred Bonus
Bet £10 get £40 in Bonuses
T&Cs apply, 18+
4.6/5
New 18+ UK customers only. Register using the promo code WELCOME40, deposit and place first bet of £10+ on Sports (cumulative Evens+) within 7 days of registration. First bet must be on Sports. £30 in Free Bets and £10 in Free Spins (50x20p) credited within 10 hours of bet settlement. Free Bet stakes are not included in any returns. Bonuses have a 7-day expiry. Payment restrictions apply. SMS verification and/or Proof of I.D and address may be required
SportingIndex
SportingIndex Bonus
BET £10, GET £20 IN FREE BETS
T&Cs apply
4.6/5
*New UK & Eire clients only. 50% cashback on cumulative net losses on qualifying spread bets placed and settled within 7 days of account opening. Fully, partially or reverse closed bets do not qualify. Max cashback £500. Full terms apply. Spread betting involves risk. Losses can exceed deposits. Always bet responsibly. 18+
CopyBet
CopyBet Bonus
Bet £10 Get £40
T&Cs apply
4.5/5
Sportingbet
Sportingbet Bonus
Claim Freebets & more
T&Cs apply
4.5/5
Get up to £50 in FreeBets, an Odds Boost Token, 20 Free Spins and £10 Casino Bonus when you sign up to sportingbet today. Get rewarded as you complete our 4 Welcome Challenges, plus get an extra £20 FreeBet when you complete all 4.
Who tops our list?
best online casinos
Our Team
James LeelandAmos MurphyGinger JoeMike McKeanJordan Noble
+6
James Leeland
James Leeland
Editor
Amos Murphy
Amos Murphy
Sports Writer
Ginger Joe
Ginger Joe
Expert Punter
Mike McKean
Mike McKean
Editor
Jordan Noble
Jordan Noble
Sports Writer
Alyx Tzamantanis
Alyx Tzamantanis
Editor
Jamie Clark
Jamie Clark
Contributor
Matthew O'Regan
Matthew O'Regan
Non League Tipster
Geoff Banks
Geoff Banks
Columnist
Dave Kuzio
Dave Kuzio
Content Manager
Zack Wilson
Zack Wilson
Contributor
Get the Best Deals via Mail
By providing my e-mail address, I declare that I agree that Betting.co.uk will regularly send me information by e-mail: I can revoke my consent at any time.

Users must be 18+. If you are having trouble with gambling then help and advice can be found at begambleaware.org. Please Play Responsibly.

Trading financial products carries a high risk to your capital, especially trading leverage products such as CFDs. CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Between 74-89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

This site is using Cloudflare and adheres to the Google Safe Browsing Program. We adapted Google's Privacy Guidelines to keep your data safe at all times.

Move to Top
Close
Bwin Offer
×
Your Bonus Code:
The bonus offer of was already opened in an additional window. If not, you can open it also by clicking the following link:
Visit Site