The first three All Ireland titles of 2020 will be decided before the end of January and we will have enjoyed no fewer than 33 Inter-county matches as part of the Allianz Football and Hurling Leagues before the calendar clicks over into February.
The GAA has published its Master Fixture list for the year and the early start is one of a number of key changes to the rhythm of the year.
The AIB All Ireland Club semi-finals will take place across the weekend of January 4th and 5th with the finals in both Hurling and Football taking place at Croke Park two weeks later.
AIB gathered together players from each of the provincial Finals taking place next weekend in Dublin yesterday and we will be bringing content from that to you in the run-up to the games.
In 2020 the timetable will be brought forward again with both the National Semi-Finals scheduled to take place in a double double-header at Croke Park on the weekend of 12th and 13th December.
Other changes include a tweaking of the All Ireland Quarter-final stage, the Super 8’s as it is commonly known.
Instead of the games being determined in advance they will be dependent on the result of the first round of matches. The two winners of the first games on the 11th and 12th of July will meet in the second round one week later, as will the two losers. The final round of games will then most likely have at least three teams still in contention for a place in the Semi-Finals.
The Leinster and Munster Champions will be paired this year in Group 2 setting up the potential of a repeat of last year’s epic All Ireland Final between Dublin and Kerry if the provincial titles and current form of the teams continues.
The Leinster and Munster Football Championship Finals will take place on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon of the weekend of the 20th and 21st June with those fixtures being reversed in 2021.
That promises to be a massive weekend of sport in Dublin with the Aviva Stadium hosting the second Group Stage game in the Euro 2020 Championships on the Friday night.
All of the Dublin games are on weeknights avoiding a direct clash and the final is scheduled for an 8 PM kick off on Sunday 12th July again avoiding a direct clash with the Football Championship Quarter Finals.
The Leinster and Munster Hurling Championship Finals will take place one after the other at either end of the country on the weekend of June 28th.
Both the Hurling and the Football All Ireland Finals will take place in August for the first time next year with the Hurling on the 16th August and the football on the 30th. The Liberty Insurance All Ireland Camogie Finals will take place on September 6th and the TG4 Ladies Football Finals on September 13th.
The Allianz Leagues get underway with a bang on the weekend of January 25th and 26th with Dublin and Kerry meeting under lights at Croke Park on Saturday night at the same time as Donegal and Mayo throw-in at Ballybofey.
You can download the full GAA Master Fixture list here
There will be a strong GAA presence alongside Euro 2020, the Olympic and Paralympic Games and a number of other major sporting events highlighted at our Sport for Business Sporting Year Ahead Event at the Aviva Stadium on the morning of January 23rd. The first wave of Early Bird Tickets for Members is on sale until this Friday, November 29th. We will start to name the elements of strong content that w will be hosting through next week.
Act now to make sure of your place. Spaces will be limited.
Image Credit: Ramsey Cardy, Sportsfile
