Cork GAA confirms schedule for club championships

Cork’s senior and intermediate club finals will take place on the weekend of October 3 and 4 after the county competitions control committee agreed on the schedule over the weekend.
Cork GAA confirms schedule for club championships

©INPHO/James Crombie
©INPHO/James Crombie

Cork’s senior and intermediate club finals will take place on the weekend of October 3 and 4 after the county competitions control committee agreed on the schedule over the weekend.

The senior and intermediate football championships are set to commence on the weekend beginning July 24. Two rounds of the hurling competition will take place over the following two weekends before football resumes with its second round.

A break weekend is then scheduled before the final round of hurling is organised for the end of August followed by the ultimate group games in football in early September. Quarter-finals and relegation play-offs across both codes are down for decision over two weekends, September 11-13 and September 18-20.

Semi-finals could also take place over the weekend of September 18-20 as well as September 25-27. If a dual club’s two teams reach a final, one of the deciders will be pushed back to October 10 or 11 as a result.

As had been anticipated, the groups of four format, which was endorsed earlier this year prior to the pandemic, has been retained but two instead of three teams will advance from each to the knock-out stages. Promotion and relegation has also been retained.

The best two of the three group winners will earn semi-finals spots with the third as well as the three second-placed clubs facing off in quarter-finals to join them. However, in the premier senior competitions only one group winner will go through to the last four automatically, while the other two along with the three second-placed teams and the divisional/quarter-final winners make up the quarter-finals.

The relegation play-offs will involve one game between the two lowest ranked clubs, that is those with the lowest number of points earned and poorest scoring difference among the three teams who finished bottom of the three groups.

All knock-out games must be decided on the day and all games will be played at neutral venues with no double-headers during the group stages and for as long as the limit of 500 people in public gatherings is in place.

The county leagues in the current format are deemed null and void and an alternative system will be put forward soon should clubs be interested in participating. There are no plans to conclude the U21 football championship while no decision has been made regarding the hurling equivalent.

Kieran Kingston will have four weeks of exclusive access to county players ahead of their Munster SHC semi-final against Waterford, although the Déise will have a longer unfettered period to prime themselves as, notwithstanding dual players, their senior county final is set for the end of August.

Cork’s senior footballers will have two weeks to prepare for their expected promotion clincher against Louth and it will be five between that decider and their do-or-die Munster semi-final against Kerry.

Here's the full schedule:

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