All-Ireland football final to remain in July: ‘Next season will be the same footprint as this year’

The All-Ireland senior football final will again be fixed for the end of July next year, after a proposal to move the decider to early August failed to gather sufficient support at Saturday’s meeting of Central Council.

The final GAA master fixtures programme for 2024 will be finalised when Central Council gather at the start of November, but the outline of next year’s intercounty season will broadly mirror 2023.

That will mean provincial pre-league competitions (McKenna Cup, Walsh Cup, McGrath Cup etc) beginning at the start of January, followed by the Allianz Leagues throwing in on the last weekend of that same month, with the respective divisional finals to be retained.

The championship will start in early April and culminate with the All-Ireland SFC final on the last weekend in July. The format of the group stages in the All-Ireland SFC – where three sides from each of the four-team groups advance – looks set to remain unchanged.

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“We expect that next season will be the same footprint as this year,” a GAA spokesperson told The Irish Times.

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There will be a Special Congress at Croke Park on September 30th, at which 11 motions will be voted upon – including a proposal to formally put in rule that the All-Ireland football final is to be played on or before the last Sunday in July rather than the 29th Sunday of the year.

GAA fixture makers currently need to receive a special dispensation to fix the final for week 30, but this motion would amend the rule. A motion to move the football final to the first weekend of August gained little traction during a meeting of Central Council at the weekend, with nearly 70 per cent of delegates favouring a July finish.

Among the other motions that will be debated at Special Congress later this month include a proposal to discontinue preliminary quarterfinals in the All-Ireland senior hurling championship, while eligibility status for minors playing adult club football/hurling is also on the agenda.