McKenna Cup and other pre-season competitions suspended for 2025

The GAA’s pre-season tournaments such as the McKenna Cup in Ulster have been suspended for 2025 as part of a one-year trial, after which a review will determine if their removal from the fixtures calendar should be made permanent. 

The association also stated that they will retain the current All-Ireland Football Championship format for the 2025 season, with any changes to be voted on at Congress in February.   

The proposed adjustments to the All-Ireland format will be discussed at the Annual Congress in February, but any changes would not be implemented until 2026.  

This follows a request from the Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC), which argued that immediate changes would disrupt counties that have already made plans for next year. 

There has been significant support for revising the current format, which has faced criticism over the past two years, with the current group stage structure allowed some counties to progress in the championship despite losing three matches.  

For example, Derry and Roscommon both reached the last 12 this summer despite suffering three defeats. 

The new proposal suggests dividing the final 16 teams into winners' and losers' groups. In the winners' group (Round 2A), the four victors would advance to the All-Ireland quarter-finals, while the four losing teams would face the winners of the last 16 losers' round (Round 2B) in preliminary quarter-finals. 

The Central Council has also deferred a decision on whether next year’s Tailteann Cup semi-finals will be played on a Saturday or Sunday, leaving it to the discretion of the CCCC.  

This year, the stipulation that the semi-finals be held on a Sunday led to the All-Ireland hurling quarter-finals being played on a Saturday, which attracted criticism. 

Additionally, the return date for inter-county training will be finalised at the next meeting, while discussions on introducing a third tier in the All-Ireland football championship, below the Tailteann Cup, have been postponed for future consideration. 

Also, at the five-hour Central Council meeting, Jim Gavin's committee, which is exploring ways to make Gaelic football more exciting, gave a presentation on potential reforms.  

Inter-provincial trial matches will be held at Croke Park in mid-October, where new rules will be tested. Among the proposed changes are awarding four points for a goal, two points for a score from outside a 40m arc, and requiring teams to keep at least three players, including the goalkeeper, inside their own 65-metre line at all times.