July 31 date for return of GAA action in Down

July 31 date for return of GAA action in Down

17 June 2020

DOWN County Board members were meeting last night to put their seal of approval on a plan for the return of Gaelic games in the county.

Board members were expected to approve the roadmap which has been put together by the powerful Down Competitions Control Committee.

Under the plan, club games in the county will resume on July 31 with the opening round of the Senior Football League.

The formats of the adult football championships will be similar to those in recent years.

The first round of the Senior Football Championship will take place over August 13-17, with the final scheduled for September 20.

There will be a back door system for teams beaten in early rounds, but there will be no replays, except for the final, if necessary.

The Intermediate and Junior Football Championships also begin over August 13-17.

The Junior final is scheduled for September 13 and the Intermediate final on September 20. The winners will be promoted to a higher grade championship in 2021. Again there will be no replays, except for the finals, if necessary.

There will be a change to the format of the adult senior football leagues.

Each of the four divisions will be divided into two sections. This will ensure that all teams will be guaranteed a minimum of four of five games.

The teams finishing top in each section will compete in their respective league finals. There will be no promotion or relegation.

On the senior hurling front there will be no Down League.

It is proposed that the Senior Hurling Championship will be played on a round-robin basis with two rounds, home and away, and the top two teams qualifying for the final.

No Intermediate or Junior Hurling Championships have been arranged to date. However, provision has been made for underage football and hurling competitions.