Congress: Delegates vote against abolishment of All-Ireland SHC preliminary quarter-finals

2023 GAA Special Congress at Croke Park ©INPHO/Laszlo Geczo

The All-Ireland senior hurling championship preliminary quarter-finals are set to be continued after Special Congress delegates voted against a proposed restructure of the competition today at Croke Park.

The motion had proposed that the preliminary quarter-finals be abolished, which have meant that the finalists of the second tier Joe McDonagh Cup competition would no longer have a route to the Liam McCarthy Cup.

However, the motion was defeated with 52% of delegates voting against it.

It also meant that a motion which proposed the introduction of a semi-final in the Joe McDonagh Cup between the teams that finish in second and third place in its round-robin group stage wasn’t voted on.

The Joe McDonagh Cup finalists will continue to qualify for the Liam MacCarthy Cup All-Ireland series after GAA Special Congress delegates today voted against a Motion proposing to abolish the All-Ireland SHC Preliminary Quarter-Finals. #GAABelong

— The GAA (@officialgaa) September 30, 2023