*Shane O’Donnell & Mike Casey in action. Photograph: Martin Connolly
Qualifiers have been removed from the 2020 All-Ireland SFC while the Munster SFC and SHC are reverting to a knockout format for this year.
On Friday afternoon, the GAA confirmed arrangements for the 2020 inter-county season. The recommendations of the CCCC were approved by An Coiste Bainistíochta on Thursday. Officials have said that venues and dates for promotion and relegation encounters have yet to be finalised and will be done so in the coming weeks.
There will be no qualifiers in the 2020 All-Ireland SFC while the provincial championships will be carried out on a knock-out basis. Clare will face Tipperary in the Munster SFC quarter-finals on October 31st/November 1st..
Prior to that Colm Collins’ men will conclude their involvement in the Allianz National Football League with Division 2 ties against Fermanagh (October 17th/18th) and Armagh (October 24th/25th). There will be no league finals played this year, only in Division 2 and Division 3 of the NHL.
Clare’s senior hurlers have been crowned as Division 1B champions of the Allianz National Hurling League with Limerick awarded the Division 1A title. Should the two meet in the championship, the fixture will double up as the National League final.
Draws for the Munster SHC championship will be made on Friday evening. It is reverting to its previous knockout format with defeated teams entering the qualifiers. Provincial ties will be played on a week to week basis.
Round one of the qualifiers will pit six teams that do not make the provincial finals into one draw, the first four teams drawn will meet in round one and will include the defeated quarter-finals from Munster and Leinster. Two Leinster teams will be paired against two Munster counties with the other two counties receiving a bye to the second round. The two winners from round one will be drawn against the counties that received a bye in the second round of the qualifiers. Whoever progresses from here will meet the beaten provincial finalists in the All-Ireland quarter-finals.
Action in the U20 hurling championship will be carried out concurrently with the senior campaign. It retains its regular knockout style with the provincial champions meeting in the All-Ireland finals. The CCCC have recommended that a player who lines out as a starter or substitute for his senior county side becomes ineligible for the U20 until his senior side have been eliminated. The semi-finals and finals of the U20 football championship will be concluded.
A straight knockout format has been agreed for the minor hurling and football championships. There will be no All-Ireland quarter-finals in either code. There will be one All-Ireland semi-final n hurling with Galway meeting the Munster champions as their Leinster equivalents advance to the All-Ireland final.
As previously announced by the GAA, there will be no provincial and All-Ireland club championship for clubs that are become county champions all over Ireland.
Officials have also confirmed that matches will have to “finish on the day”. Extra time and penalties will be introduced in all inter-county knockout games including All-Ireland finals.
