Provinces finalise venues and dates

Championship 2005All four provinces have finalised their dates and venues for next year's football and hurling championships, which today will be formally submitted to Croke Park for inclusion in the GAA calendar for 2005.

Certain prearranged fixtures were altered by the relevant provincial council because of concerns over the venue being able to cater for the anticipated attendance. In Munster, for example, Clare have lost their home advantage in the hurling championship, and will play their semi-final against either Limerick or Tipperary at a neutral venue.

Clare's last championship meeting with Limerick in 1996 was played in Limerick, when the then All-Ireland champions were stunned by the home team, and suffered a one-point defeat. This time Clare were entitled to the home advantage, should Limerick progress, but the Munster Council decided on Tuesday night that Cusack Park in Ennis wouldn't be sufficient to satisfy the crowd. "That was one possibility that was ruled out," explained Munster Council chairman Sean Fogarty. "Cusack Park is just not capable of holding the expected attendance."

First up though is the Munster hurling quarter-final between Limerick and Tipperary, to be played in Thurles on May 15th. The two counties tossed for home advantage in this summer's qualifiers and the match was played in Limerick, and it was decided then that whoever lost that toss would benefit come the championship.

All-Ireland champions Cork will renew their acquaintance with Munster champions Waterford in Thurles in the first semi-final, set for May 22nd. Clare will play either Limerick or Tipperary a week later on June 5th. If it's Limerick that progress, the game will be played in Thurles, if it's Tipperary against Clare the venue will be the Gaelic Grounds.

Munster and All-Ireland football champions Kerry are out against Tipperary on May 29th. That game is usually played on a home-away basis, a deal which has expired. The counties will inform the Munster Council before the end of the week of their choice of venue.

If Kerry progress they will play Limerick at the Gaelic Grounds on June 19th. Cork will be away to either Waterford or Clare in the other semi-final, but will have the home advantage of Páirc Uí Chaoimh if they meet Kerry on July 10th.

In Ulster, the 2002 All-Ireland champions Armagh are also set to surrender their right to a home venue when they play Fermanagh in the preliminary round on May 15th. Ulster give a home venue to the first team drawn in all instances, unless that venue is deemed unsuitable for the expected crowd, in which case it goes to a neutral venue. As a result Armagh and Fermanagh will be headed for Clones.

That format carries through to the four quarter-finals, and the Ulster Council will decide at a later date if the four counties that earned a home venue - Tyrone, Cavan, Monaghan and Fermanagh/Donegal - might yet need to be moved to a larger but neutral venue.

Connacht football champions Mayo won't see any championship action until June 19th, when they meet either London or Roscommon at Hyde Park. Galway visit New York on May 1st, while Leitrim will have home advantage for their quarter-final meeting with Sligo on May 22nd.

Back in the hurling championship, Ulster's two semi-finals will take place on May 22nd, with the final on June 5th.

Next year's championship sees the introduction of the Hurling Development Committee's proposals, where the beaten teams from Munster and Leinster join Galway and the Ulster champions in the new round-robin qualifier series - and that will create eight teams to contest four quarter-finals.

Details of the Leinster championship were announced on Monday - the main talking point being that both football semi-finals will be played in Croke Park on June 19th.