Meath GAA have announced their club championship formats for 2020 which will see both football and hurling competitions take nine weeks to complete.

The Senior Football Championship will start on 1 August with the final scheduled for 4 October. Quarter-finals have been removed with only the four group winners progressing to the semi-finals. Relegation will also take place with all knockout games including the final finishing on the day.

The Senior Hurling Championship will start on August 8 with the final scheduled for October 11. Instead of two groups of six, the format sees four groups of three.

The formats of Intermediate and Junior in both football and hurling have also changes but all players are guaranteed at least three championship games.

A decision on whether adult league, adult subsidiary, U21 or U19 will be played will be made later in the year.

Underage competitions will commence at the start of August.

Revised Football Championship Formats 

Senior – 3 Round Robin Games + Semi-Final + Final = 5 rounds – min 3 games per team 

• 16 teams drawn randomly into 4 groups each containing 4 teams 

• Top team in each group into semi-finals – A1 v C1 and B1 v D1 

• Bottom team into relegation semi-finals – A4 v C4 and B4 v D4 – final loser is relegated 

Intermediate – 3RR + QF + SF + F = 6 rounds – min 3 games per team 

• 20 teams drawn randomly into 5 groups each containing 4 teams 

• Semi-finals as follows - A1 v C1 - and B1 v winner of D1/E1 qtr-final 

• Relegation semi-finals - A4 v C4 - and B4 v loser D4/E4 relegation qtr-final – final loser relegated 

Junior – 3RR + SF + F = 5 rounds – min 2 games per team 

• 15 teams drawn randomly into 3 groups of 4 and one group of 3 

• Top team in each group into semi-finals – A1 v C1 and B1 v D1 

• No relegation. 

Premier – 64 teams affiliated and graded in 8 divisions – 3RR + F = 4 rounds – min 3 games per team 

• 8 teams drawn randomly into 2 group of 4 in each division. 

• Top team in each group into final – winner promoted except top division 

• Bottom team in each group into relegation final – loser relegated except bottom division. 

Revised Hurling Championship Formats 

Senior – 3 Round Robin Games + Quarter-Final + Semi-Final + Final = 6 rounds – min 2 games per team 

• 6 senior A teams drawn randomly into 2 groups of 3 known as groups A1 and A2 – similar draw for the 6 senior B teams into groups B1 and B2. 

• Predetermined knockout draws as follows 

o 1st in B1 v 2nd in A2 in quarter-final – winner plays 1st in A1 in semi-final o 1st in B2 v 2nd in A1 in quarter-final – winner plays 1st in A2 in semi-final 

• 1 senior B team is promoted to senior A for following year based on knockout progress – however if both teams exit at same stage then a playoff is required. 

• Bottom teams in A1 and A2 playoff with loser relegated to Senior B for following year. Bottom teams in B1 and B2 playoff with loser relegated to IHC for the following year. 

Intermediate 

• Same format as senior 

Junior – 3RR + F = 4 rounds – min 2 games per team 

• 6 teams drawn randomly into 2 groups of 3 

• Top team in each group into final 

Junior 2 – 3RR + SF + F = 5 rounds – min 2 games per team 

• 10 teams drawn randomly into 1 group of 4 (group A) and 2 groups of 3 (B and C) 

• Predetermined semifinal draws as follows A1 v C1 and B1 v A2