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Football Format Changes Discussion

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Replying To legendzxix:  "Galway earned home advantage in Round 1 by beating Division 4 Leitrim. Clare qualified for the All Ireland championship in 24 and 25 by getting the better of Division 4 opponents. Provincial runners-up are indeed being overly rewarded."
100%.
Provincial Champions should get a home draw v the 4 lowest seeds.
Other 8 in the 1 pot, open draw.

Seanfan (Roscommon) - Posts: 643 - 12/06/2026 11:46:15    2679105

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Replying To Expertinall:  "Rumbles of discontent from Clare about the Munster Championship seeding system, maybe the comfy wee 'arrangement' will have to be scrutinized further, and the perks unfairly gained, by it too."
Afaik the new MSFC seeding format is based on league position so it is based on exactly what you are proposing for the AI series. So whats good for the goose is good for the gander.
All of your objections to the Provincial Championships seeding in AI series appear to be based on Kerry " having it too handy". By that logic there should be 8 teams at the most allowed into the AI Championship. Afterall Kerry are all ireland champions and in everyone's top 4 for this year's Championship. Teams ranked 9 to 16 or lower have no business in the same Championship as them.

Tadhg2020 (Limerick) - Posts: 569 - 12/06/2026 12:15:31    2679115

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Just to confirm - I do agree with the Clare motion on home advantage. It is perfectly fair and should be supported 100%.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 9808 - 12/06/2026 12:19:23    2679116

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Replying To Seanfan:  "100%.
Provincial Champions should get a home draw v the 4 lowest seeds.
Other 8 in the 1 pot, open draw."
100% agree. It makes perfect sense. Overly rewarding provincial runners up has got to stop.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 9808 - 12/06/2026 12:24:05    2679118

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Replying To Seanfan:  "100%.
Provincial Champions should get a home draw v the 4 lowest seeds.
Other 8 in the 1 pot, open draw."
Do you think seeding in the provincial is permissable, if even just the winner gets the home draw? To me the standard in Munster of the hurling four, is so bad there's not even one left in tailteann cup , as of now. Cork and Kerry will argue, they need to be kept apart, but ultimately who does that suit? Certainly not the weaker four. But right now they are BOTH enjoying their monopoly, and short easy routes to home advantage when they leave Munster, and arrive in All Ireland.

Expertinall (UK) - Posts: 151 - 12/06/2026 12:45:46    2679123

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Replying To Seanfan:  "100%.
Provincial Champions should get a home draw v the 4 lowest seeds.
Other 8 in the 1 pot, open draw."
Yeah, hard to argue with that.

Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4700 - 12/06/2026 15:13:02    2679160

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Replying To Seanfan:  "100%.
Provincial Champions should get a home draw v the 4 lowest seeds.
Other 8 in the 1 pot, open draw."
Laughable, Roscommon win the Connacht championship every blue moon in a three horse race and suddenly they want the provincial winner to get a home draw.

Saynothing (Tyrone) - Posts: 2738 - 12/06/2026 17:44:04    2679170

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Replying To Saynothing:  "Laughable, Roscommon win the Connacht championship every blue moon in a three horse race and suddenly they want the provincial winner to get a home draw."
Hold on with your once in a blue moon. Roscommon have won 25 Connacht titles. Your Tyrone have won 16 Ulster titles. The gaa are decoupling the All Ireland series from the provincial championships.That's understandable because the provincials aren't equal with no competition at all in Munster compared to Ulster which is ultra competitive. It's hard to get the formula right and I'd expect more tweaking over the next few years.

endgame (Roscommon) - Posts: 2696 - 12/06/2026 20:24:43    2679176

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Replying To Saynothing:  "Laughable, Roscommon win the Connacht championship every blue moon in a three horse race and suddenly they want the provincial winner to get a home draw."
Err......they already do.
It's the losers that shouldn't be.
Do read the posts!

Seanfan (Roscommon) - Posts: 643 - 12/06/2026 20:49:45    2679180

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As i said before politics within the GAA is the only thing that keeps the farce of provincial championships going.

TheFlaker (Mayo) - Posts: 8855 - 12/06/2026 21:00:01    2679183

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Replying To Tadhg2020:  "Afaik the new MSFC seeding format is based on league position so it is based on exactly what you are proposing for the AI series. So whats good for the goose is good for the gander.
All of your objections to the Provincial Championships seeding in AI series appear to be based on Kerry " having it too handy". By that logic there should be 8 teams at the most allowed into the AI Championship. Afterall Kerry are all ireland champions and in everyone's top 4 for this year's Championship. Teams ranked 9 to 16 or lower have no business in the same Championship as them."
Yes, l believe it's the league highest ranked two countries, in Munster.When has that not been Cork and Kerry recently? What logic draws us to a8 team competition, because Kerry are in top 4? I don't understand your take on that. Anyway what's your solution, leave Munster as it is?

Expertinall (UK) - Posts: 151 - 12/06/2026 22:45:46    2679195

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Replying To legendzxix:  "Galway earned home advantage in Round 1 by beating Division 4 Leitrim. Clare qualified for the All Ireland championship in 24 and 25 by getting the better of Division 4 opponents. Provincial runners-up are indeed being overly rewarded."
Very true. Galway will have beaten Kildare and possibly Westmeath to get to a quarter final but that's not their fault. Like it's not yer fault yer in Munster with zero opposition. Kerry quite possibly had the easiest run to a semi final and final most years. Fact is the championship is not even and fair and never has been. That's sport….the luck of the draw.

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 12127 - 13/06/2026 06:43:40    2679205

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Replying To yew_tree:  "Very true. Galway will have beaten Kildare and possibly Westmeath to get to a quarter final but that's not their fault. Like it's not yer fault yer in Munster with zero opposition. Kerry quite possibly had the easiest run to a semi final and final most years. Fact is the championship is not even and fair and never has been. That's sport….the luck of the draw."
Very few Ulster teams are entering the All Ireland after many battles. Many have on or two games and are then entering directly via the league qualifier route. Tyrone beat Cavan last year and then entered the All Ireland by losing to Armagh. This year Tyrone have entered the All Ireland by losing their one Ulster game against Armagh. 4 of the 7 league qualifiers are from Ulster. The league qualifying route is doing what it was designed to do.

The 24 and 25 Munster finals were finals in name only. Kerry had beaten Cork in the semi finals both times. After both the 24 and 25 finals, I was jealous looking on after at the Connacht finals that were proper finals. There was no such jealousy this year.

Possibly all provinces should adopt the league seeding but that's a matter for each province. Far be it from me to be telling other provinces how to go about their own business!

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 9808 - 13/06/2026 10:20:49    2679217

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Replying To Expertinall:  "Yes, l believe it's the league highest ranked two countries, in Munster.When has that not been Cork and Kerry recently? What logic draws us to a8 team competition, because Kerry are in top 4? I don't understand your take on that. Anyway what's your solution, leave Munster as it is?"
Really? Thats convenient.
Im using your logic on you. You have repeatedly said that the link between the provincial championships and the AI series must be broken. You have repeatedly used kerry as your " exhibit A" example and reason why that should be the case stating that they have it too easy. Kerry are a top 4 team pretty much every year and are the current AI champs. By your logic they will have it too handy against pretty much everyone outside of division 1 and some within it. Therefore why should they be playing them?

Tadhg2020 (Limerick) - Posts: 569 - 13/06/2026 10:23:45    2679218

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Replying To legendzxix:  "Very few Ulster teams are entering the All Ireland after many battles. Many have on or two games and are then entering directly via the league qualifier route. Tyrone beat Cavan last year and then entered the All Ireland by losing to Armagh. This year Tyrone have entered the All Ireland by losing their one Ulster game against Armagh. 4 of the 7 league qualifiers are from Ulster. The league qualifying route is doing what it was designed to do.

The 24 and 25 Munster finals were finals in name only. Kerry had beaten Cork in the semi finals both times. After both the 24 and 25 finals, I was jealous looking on after at the Connacht finals that were proper finals. There was no such jealousy this year.

Possibly all provinces should adopt the league seeding but that's a matter for each province. Far be it from me to be telling other provinces how to go about their own business!"
The provinces have been devalued. We now have three separate competitions. The league, the provincial and all Ireland series. Provincial winners get home advantage in the first game, maybe there needs to be more incentive…but it's clear to me it's the beginning of the end for the provincials as we know it.

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 12127 - 13/06/2026 11:47:40    2679223

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Replying To yew_tree:  "The provinces have been devalued. We now have three separate competitions. The league, the provincial and all Ireland series. Provincial winners get home advantage in the first game, maybe there needs to be more incentive…but it's clear to me it's the beginning of the end for the provincials as we know it."
I agree.The are coming to the end.The lads that shout the most about the provincials failings are the ones from the North and they keep telling us how great the Ulster championship is.

brayballer (Wicklow) - Posts: 677 - 13/06/2026 12:27:37    2679230

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Replying To endgame:  "Hold on with your once in a blue moon. Roscommon have won 25 Connacht titles. Your Tyrone have won 16 Ulster titles. The gaa are decoupling the All Ireland series from the provincial championships.That's understandable because the provincials aren't equal with no competition at all in Munster compared to Ulster which is ultra competitive. It's hard to get the formula right and I'd expect more tweaking over the next few years."
Ah, I'm right, once in a blue moon. Tyrone are in a province where as you say yourself, provincials aren't equal. 2 horse race in Connacht, sometimes 3. 1 horse race in Munster, sometimes 2, 1 horse race in Leinster, now 3-4, 6-7 horse race in Ulster. Top two leagues with 1 playing 16 and so on down the line. No home advantage.

Saynothing (Tyrone) - Posts: 2738 - 13/06/2026 12:35:54    2679232

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While I agree with the top 2 Munster counties on league seeding being on opposite sides of the draw, I don't agree with the bye to the semi finals. Munster has 6 counties. Each of the 6 should receive a bye to the semi finals on a 3 year rotation. Each quarter final winner then should get to host a team that received a bye to the semi finals. If one of the unseeded 4 makes the final against one of the seeded 2 - the unseeded team should get to host the final.

Ulster is an Ulster matter but possibly their 4 semi finalists should earn a bye from the preliminary round of the next year, meaning they'll have earned the bye on the field of play. No Ulster team should play in their preliminary round on two consecutive years. There are always balanced solutions. It's a matter of all county boards finishing agreement on the matter.

legendzxix (Kerry) - Posts: 9808 - 13/06/2026 12:39:13    2679235

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Replying To legendzxix:  "Very few Ulster teams are entering the All Ireland after many battles. Many have on or two games and are then entering directly via the league qualifier route. Tyrone beat Cavan last year and then entered the All Ireland by losing to Armagh. This year Tyrone have entered the All Ireland by losing their one Ulster game against Armagh. 4 of the 7 league qualifiers are from Ulster. The league qualifying route is doing what it was designed to do.

The 24 and 25 Munster finals were finals in name only. Kerry had beaten Cork in the semi finals both times. After both the 24 and 25 finals, I was jealous looking on after at the Connacht finals that were proper finals. There was no such jealousy this year.

Possibly all provinces should adopt the league seeding but that's a matter for each province. Far be it from me to be telling other provinces how to go about their own business!"
The thing is that neither seeding or no seeding is great.

With seeding 2 teams get an easy run but with no seeding a weak team can get a handy route to the All Ireland that probably does them no good anyway.

Seeding or not the actual issue is that the reward for getting to a Provincial final is too great because of the inequality between them.

Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4700 - 13/06/2026 14:48:41    2679248

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Replying To Tadhg2020:  "Really? Thats convenient.
Im using your logic on you. You have repeatedly said that the link between the provincial championships and the AI series must be broken. You have repeatedly used kerry as your " exhibit A" example and reason why that should be the case stating that they have it too easy. Kerry are a top 4 team pretty much every year and are the current AI champs. By your logic they will have it too handy against pretty much everyone outside of division 1 and some within it. Therefore why should they be playing them?"
Deflective answer again, I have always said the system needs to be equal, never said a particular team should never have to play another team of any calibre. I am always happy to highlight the cosy arrangement in munster, which flies in the face of equality! And why so defensive of Kerry, maybe you see them as standard bearers in Munster for yous, rather than actually competing with them?

Expertinall (UK) - Posts: 151 - 13/06/2026 14:56:45    2679249

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