Weekly televised games to boost National Leagues

The National Football League will reap the benefits of Setanta Sports and TG4's struggle for a foothold in the Gaelic Games market as two live matches will be televised for the first six rounds of next year's competition.

The new programme includes a floodlit game every Saturday night to be televised live on Setanta Sports. TG4 will also have a live football or hurling game every Sunday afternoon.

The matches to be played under floodlights are: Cork v Kerry at Páirc Uí Rinn on February 11th, Dublin v Offaly, Parnell Park (March 4th), Cork v Dublin (March 11th), Kerry v Offaly (March 18th) Austin Stacks Park, Tralee and Dublin against Mayo (March 25th).

Apart from Monaghan's visit in round two, Paul Caffrey's Dublin team play every home game and one away fixture at night.

"Parnell Park is a wonderful venue and I think last season and the Interprovincial series showed that matches under floodlights, as a spectator sport, are the way forward," said Caffrey. "The public certainly had the appetite for games under lights."

Events get under way on February 4th when Mayo play under lights against Kerry in a repeat of the 2004 All-Ireland final.

However, the tie of the opening weekend sees Tyrone face Dublin the following day in Omagh in a repeat of this year's replayed All-Ireland quarter-final.

Elsewhere, league champions Armagh start at home to Kildare in Division One B. The league final takes place on April 23rd in Croke Park, leaving a fortnight before the championship starts with the Ulster preliminary-round match between Down and Cavan on May 7th.

If either Cavan or Down are involved in the All-Ireland under-21 football final, also on May 7th, a provision has been made to reschedule the fixture for the previous week.

The National Hurling League begins on February 19th when All-Ireland champions Cork travel to Offaly. In Division One B, Limerick host Tipperary under new manager Michael Babs Keating; a dress rehearsal for the opening round of the Munster championship on May 14th. "We'll have to play Cork sometime," said Offaly manager John McIntyre, "so I suppose right off the top is as good as any."

The second group stage of the hurling league has been replaced by a knockout quarter-final, scheduled for April 9th.

The top teams in each league progress to the semi-finals with the second and third-placed teams from the A and B leagues meeting in the quarter-finals. A play-off to avoid relegation also takes place.

"The inclusion of the quarter-finals is designed to ensure a more competitive league and additional quality games will be played in the lead-up to the finals," said a Croke Park statement. The football and hurling semi-finals take place on April 16th. The hurling final is scheduled for April 30th.