GAA President John Horan has confirmed that the new second-tier All-Ireland Football Championship has been named the "Tailteann Cup".
The new competition will be contested by counties in Division Three and Four at the end of the League who don't qualify for their provincial final.
"In ancient Ireland, our athletic and sporting prowess was celebrated every summer by the staging of the Tailteann Games, a festival that some scholars date as far back as 1600 BC," Horan explained of the name choice.
"A recent meeting of Ard Chomhairle has agreed to dedicate a new trophy for the Tier Two senior football championship to be called the Tailteann Cup – a name that honours this link to Ireland’s sporting heritage and crowns modern day sporting heroes in one of our native games.
"This competition came out of a desire from several counties to have a championship that was inclusive and not exclusive.
"Far from being a radical new departure, it follows a tiered path that is well known in inter-county championship hurling, at club championship level, schools’ level and across our sister organisations where it has proven itself to be effective."
The GAA President added that he's hopeful the latter stages of the new competition will be televised:
"It is vital that the marketing and promotion of this new competition delivers. In addition to having its own all-star selection, it is our intention to have the semi-finals and the final of the Tailteann Cup shown live on RTÉ television from Croke Park.
"I feel this competition is a good step forward and I hope everyone involved gives it a chance."
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