A split GAA season could be introduced as soon as 2022.
The GAA's Fixtures Review Task Force has recommended a split-season model, the merits of which will be put to counties before the 2021 Congress.
Should the proposals pass Congress in February of next year, the All Ireland finals will be wrapped up between July 18-24 in 2022.
Club championships would begin after the inter-county season is completed.
The primary aims of the split-season proposal are:
- no crossover between the inter-county and club seasons,
- no interruptions due to the County game,
- no ambiguity over player availability, and
- more regularity and certainty in the planning of club fixture programmes
The original Calendar Review Task Force Report in 2019 recommended potentially redrawing the football championship to a provincial system with eight teams apiece.
This would be one way of tackling the Football Championship.
Two options on how to re-balance will be put to the counties as part of the consultation process:
Option 1: Bottom 3 seeded teams in Leinster and bottom 1 from Ulster to move to Connacht/Munster (seedings to be based on finishing Allianz League positions)
Option 2: A Preliminary Round is introduced in the Leinster and Ulster Championships.
Regarding Option 2, in Leinster the bottom 6 teams per Allianz League finishing positions play against each other in a preliminary Round of the Leinster Championship - the 3 winners continue in the Leinster Championship; the 3 losers are drawn to Munster (2 teams) and Connacht (1 team).
While in Ulster, the bottom 2 teams per Allianz League seedings play off against each other in the preliminary round of the Ulster Championship. The winners continue in the Ulster Championship; the losing team participates in the Round Robin Connacht Championship.
The National Football League would retain its current structure and timetable under the proposals.
The second Football Championship proposal would see the repositioning of the National Football League to the Summer months as a basis for the football Championship while playing Provincial Competitions in the February/March period.
A series of webinars will now take place throughout November to test the waters for the proposal.
Full details can be viewed at GAA.ie.
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