Division 4 teams will be taken out of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship qualifiers if a GAA motion succeeds at next month’s Annual Congress in Carlow.
The GAA are also aiming to scrap the Under-21 championships at inter-county level and replace them with an Under-20 competition in an attempt to combat player burnout.
Croke Park’s Central Council gave the nod to these proposals at a meeting this afternoon.
The Championship change is a bid to streamline the SFC and provide more competitive games to teams at all levels.
The motions will be put before delegates at Congress next month and will require a two-thirds majority to pass.
There are eight teams in Division 4 and according to the motion, if they fail to make their respective provincial finals they will be put into an All-Ireland "Senior B Football Championship".
The B Championship will be played off on a straight knock-out basis.
The winner will be awarded a spot in the following year’s qualifiers.
If a Division 4 team does make their provincial final, they will be replaced in the B Championship by the lowest placed team in Division 3 that does not make a provincial final, other than the two relegated teams.
This proposal will mean the qualifiers for the Senior Football Championship being reduced from four rounds to three if the motion is passed.
Meanwhile, plans to ditch the U21 All-Ireland football championship have been scrapped.
An alternative of an U20 All-Ireland championship has been endorsed by Central Council and will be debated at Congress.
Only players between the ages of 18 and 20 would be eligible for the new competition.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
