It's that time of year again when counties get put out of the intercounty football and hurling championships, and the county championships start to take off. So, just to see how the rest of the country do theirs, and because things have been a while since the last time this question was asked, what are the formats of the football and hurling championships in your county? (And by the way, how many clubs are in your county altogether?)

Tacaí Liatroma (Leitrim) - Posts: 1029 - 10/07/2017 18:13:15    2014346

Limerick Hurling: 2 up 2 down, as far intermediate Relegation, only 1 down.
Senior, 2 groups of 6.
Premier Intermediate, 1 group of 8.
Intermediate, 2 groups of 6.
Junior A (Divisional), City 7, East 6, South 3, West 9.
Junior B (Divisional), City 7, East 6, South 7, West 9.

Limerick Football: 1 up 1 down.
Senior, 2 groups of 6.
Intermediate, 2 groups of 6.
Junior A (Divisional), City 4, East 6, South 5, West 4.
Junior B (Divisional), City 6, East 2, South 5, West 10.

86 sides(50 clubs) in the hurling, 66(46 clubs) in the football. 2nd and 3rd strings find their level.
Year on year a 2nd or 3rd string can be entered at JA or JB level.

m_the_d (None) - Posts: 1099 - 10/07/2017 19:02:21    2014391

Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4210 - 10/07/2017 19:07:50    2014396

Football:

Senior:
12 clubs - 4 groups with 3 teams in each group. Each team plays each once with every team getting two matches in the group. The top two go through to the quarter-finals while the bottom team goes in to the relegation play-offs. It used to work out that in the quarter-finals Group 1 winner would play Group 3 runner up, Group 2 winner v Group 4 runner up, Group 3 winner v Group 1 runner up and Group 4 winner v Group 2 runner up. The relegation play-offs was bottom team in Group 1 v Group 3 and bottom team in Group 2 v bottom team Group 4. With the losers in both matches facing each other with the loser going down to Inter. For the first time now this year there is gonna be draw for the quarter-finals and relegation play-offs.

Inter:
12 clubs - 4 groups with 3 teams in each group. Each team plays each once with every team getting two matches in the group. The top two go through to the quarter-finals while the bottom team goes in to the relegation play-offs. It used to work out that in the quarter-finals Group 1 winner would play Group 3 runner up, Group 2 winner v Group 4 runner up, Group 3 winner v Group 1 runner up and Group 4 winner v Group 2 runner up. The relegation play-offs was bottom team in Group 1 v Group 3 and bottom team in Group 2 v bottom team Group 4. With the losers in both matches facing each other with the loser going down to Junior. For the first time now this year there is gonna be draw for the quarter-finals and relegation play-offs.

Junior:
13 clubs - 3 groups with 3 teams in each group and one group with 4 teams in . Each team plays each once with every team getting two matches (three matches for the 4 team group) in the group. The top two go through to the quarter-finals while the bottom team goes in to the relegation play-offs. It used to work out that in the quarter-finals Group 1 winner would play Group 3 runner up, Group 2 winner v Group 4 runner up, Group 3 winner v Group 1 runner up and Group 4 winner v Group 2 runner up. For the first time now this year there is gonna be draw for the quarter-finals.

Hurling:
5 teams with each team playing each other to have 4 matches. The top team goes through to the final with the second and third team playing each other in a semi with the winner going through to the final.

OLLIE (Louth) - Posts: 12224 - 11/07/2017 08:53:17    2014700

Not sure how Cork hurling works this year - but glad to see the '3 chances KO' of recent years over.
16 club teams in 8 1st rd pairings - 8 winners to rd 4, 8 losers to rd 2.
8 teams in 4 2nd rd pairings - 4 winners to rd 4, 4 losers to rd 3.
4 teams in 2 3rd rd pairings - 2 winners to rd 4, 2 losers out of the championship.
9 divisiinal sides - straight KO - last 2 join 14 clubs with 'less than 3 defeats' in KO Rd of 16.

omahant (USA) - Posts: 2570 - 11/07/2017 15:57:23    2015028

All sounds very complicated. Much more simple in Tyrone football:

3 divisions of 16 teams (senior, intermediate, junior). Straight knockout in each.

No backdoor or group stages, which may help explain why we've had 7 different winners of the senior championship in the last 7 years.

Thomas Clarke (Tyrone) - Posts: 1002 - 11/07/2017 16:31:41    2015052

Wexford for both football and hurling has senior, intermediate, intermediate 'a', junior, junior a and junior b. All championships are 1 up, 1 down.

All championships (bar the junior b championship) have 12 teams with 2 groups of 6. Top 4 in each group play in quarter finals, where 1st in one group plays 4th in the other, etc. Bottom team in each group goes to relegation final. 5th teams in each group are finished for the year

Junior b is run on a district basis with the 4 district winners going through to Co. Semi finals.

890202 (Wexford) - Posts: 1278 - 11/07/2017 16:39:30    2015056

Wexford for both football and hurling has senior, intermediate, intermediate 'a', junior, junior a and junior b. All championships are 1 up, 1 down.

All championships (bar the junior b championship) have 12 teams with 2 groups of 6. Top 4 in each group play in quarter finals, where 1st in one group plays 4th in the other, etc. Bottom team in each group goes to relegation final. 5th teams in each group are finished for the year

Junior b is run on a district basis with the 4 district winners going through to Co. Semi finals.

890202 (Wexford) - Posts: 1278 - 11/07/2017 16:39:31    2015057

Leitrim
Football
Senior (12 teams): Two groups of 6. Top 4 in each group make the quarter-finals. 1st in each group plays 4th in the other; 2nd plays 3rd. Bottom 2 in each group enter the relegation semi-finals. One team gets relegated.
Intermediate (12 teams): same I think! Nothing to stop second teams of senior clubs taking part if they've climbed up the championships. Champions get promoted. One team gets relegated (still, I believe).
Junior: dunno.

I think there's 24 clubs in the county.

Hurling: no idea, but there's just senior. Carrick beat Cluainín (Manorhamilton) in the semi-final at the weekend. I think Ballinamore are in there as well. I'll add the details when I figure it out.

Tacaí Liatroma (Leitrim) - Posts: 1029 - 11/07/2017 21:09:38    2015248

Kildare Football; 16 clubs in Senior , 16 in Intermediate 9 in Junior

Senior and intermediate: 16 teams
round 1: open draw,
round 2: The 8 winners from rd 1 play each other - 4 winners qualify for qtr finals
round 2A:, The 8 losers from rd 1 play each other
round 3: the 4 winners of rd 2A play the 4 losers from rd 2. - 4 winners are drawn against the 4 winners from rd 2 in qtr finals
4 losing teams from rd 3 go to relegation semi finals
1 up 1 down

Junior: 1 group of 5, 1 group of 4, top 2 in each group qualify for semi final, winner promoted to intermediate, no relegation.

All 2nd an 3rd teams play in a separate reserve championships, graded A to E, i.e. Senior reserve A, senior reserve B etc.

44 Football clubs in total (16+16+9+ currently 3 clubs enter play in the reserve rather than the senior ch'ships)

NorthKildare (Kildare) - Posts: 197 - 12/07/2017 02:31:01    2015355

I'm just waiting for someone from Tipp to come in and explain senior their hurling championship. From the outside it seems that there is about 5 competitions in one and you can lose a rake of times and still win the thing.

mike03 (Limerick) - Posts: 2000 - 12/07/2017 10:16:26    2015417

The_Fridge (Tyrone) - Posts: 2088 - 12/07/2017 11:09:13    2015448

leitrim4sam (Leitrim) - Posts: 644 - 12/07/2017 11:43:40    2015473

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tipperary_Senior_Hurling_Championship

Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4210 - 12/07/2017 12:18:26    2015506

Tacaí Liatroma (Leitrim) - Posts: 1029 - 16/07/2017 01:29:37    2017285

Monaghan

29 clubs.
We have 10 teams in Senior, Intermediate & Junior. Scotstown enter a second team at the Junior grade.
Our championships are on a knockout basis, with a back-door up to the Semi-Final stage.
The "A" side represents the Winners Section, while the "B" side represents the back-door route.

Our three Championships run as follows.

Preliminary Round & Round 1A
Ten teams enter each competition (5 games). Four teams are drawn into the Preliminary Round (2 games), while the remaining six teams are drawn in Round 1A (3 games).
The winner of each Preliminary Round game plays each other in the fourth Round 1A game. The winners of all Round 1A games progress to Round 2A. The losers enter Round 1B.

Round 1B
Five teams enter this round. The losers of the Preliminary Round (2 teams) along with the losers of Round 1A (3 teams), but not that fixture which contains the Preliminary Round winners (they progress to Round 2B).
A draw will be made to determine two pairings, with the fifth team obtaining a bye into Round 2B.
Two teams will end their championship journey at this stage.

Eight teams remain in the Championship.

Round 2A
Each of the four teams who won their Round 1A fixture. A draw will be made to determine the two pairings.
The winners progress to the Semi-Final, while the losers enter Round 3B.

Round 2B
Four teams play at this stage. Each of the two teams who won their Round 1B fixture, along with the team who received a bye from Round 1B and the loser of the Round 1A game which contained the Preliminary Round winners.
A draw will be made to determine the two pairings. Avoidance of a repeat pairing will be made where possible.
Two teams will end their championship journey at this stage.

Six teams remain in the championship.

Round 3B
4 teams play at this stage. Each of the two teams who lost their Round 2A fixture will be paired against each of the two teams who won their round 2B fixture. Subject to the avoidance of Repeat Pairing where feasible, a draw will be made to determine the two pairings.
Two teams will end their championship journey at this stage.

Four teams remain in the championship.

Semi Final
A draw will be made where the two teams who won their Round 2A fixture will be paired against the two teams who won their Round 3B fixture. Subject to the avoidance of Repeat Pairing where feasible.

Opinion:
We have a league structure where there are 10 teams in each grade (Senior/Intermediate/Junior), and you play same grade for league & championship. 18 games, double league. League winners & Championship winners get promoted, bottom two in league get relegated.

The knock-out system works well for us in Monaghan. No group stages, although back-door gives a second chance, but I really do not understand why counties play 4/5 games of a group stage before the knockout stages. To me, the league is there for all that, and the Championship should have that knock-out feeling of do-or-die.
I would love if someone could explain to me the logic, or indeed the merits, behind playing group stages/round-robins in Championship football.

xxB3B0Stunnahxx (USA) - Posts: 94 - 17/07/2017 12:44:42    2018069

Carlow

Football is two groups of 4 with the top team in each group advancing to the semis and 2 and 3 from each group playing in a quarter final, bottom team in each group plays off in a relegation game

Hurling 5 teams all play each other with the top 4 playing a semi

Barrowsider (Carlow) - Posts: 1592 - 18/07/2017 11:07:17    2018533

Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4210 - 18/07/2017 12:01:27    2018559

Senior, Intermediate & Junior are all the same.

- 12 teams, 2 groups of 6, each team plays each other once.
- Top of each group goes into League Final and goes automatically into the Quarter Finals.
- Second of each group goes into Shield Final and goes automatically into the Quarter Finals.
- Third of each group plays fourth of the other group in playoffs, winners go to Quarter Finals.
- Fifth of each group plays sixth of the other group in playoffs, winners go to Quarter Finals. The two losers of 5th/6th placed team playoff games contest the relegation final, with the loser relegated.
- Quarter finals are open draw.

Its a good, even and fair system, everyone starts off on an even keel, and has a minimum of 6 games.

Personally I'd make it more cut-throat by having the playoffs 3rd v 6th and 4th v 5th, that way to be sure to avoid relegation you'd have to finish 2nd in your group. Also, it adds relegation SF's so every side gets 5 league games and 2 knockout games no matter what.

dblackandamber (Kilkenny) - Posts: 92 - 18/07/2017 12:56:07    2018598

Galway Hurling:

Clubs 24.

24 clubs are divided into Senior A (12) and Senior B (12). Once the 1/4 stages are reached both merge into one. There is only 1 competition overall.

Senior A - 12 clubs. Groups 2x6
Top 2 clubs advance to 1/4 finals.
Teams 3 & 4 cross play in to Prelim 1/4 finals.
Teams 5 & 6 cross play in two relegation playoffs with losers relegated to Senior B.

Senior A produces 6 1/4 finalists. Final two places come from Senior B.

Senior B - 12 clubs. Groups 2x6
Top team promoted to senior A from each group and qualify for Prelim 1/4 finals.
Teams 2 & 3 cross play in two knockout games. Winners advance to Prelim 1/4 finals to face group winners.
Group winners & Knockout game winners play off in two Prelim 1/4s making up final 2 1/4 finalists.
Teams 4 & 5 are out and season is over.
Team 6 in each group play off in relegation game with loser playing Intermediate grade the year after

TheFullBack (Galway) - Posts: 110 - 18/07/2017 13:39:13    2018622