GAA open door for return to an August All-Ireland final

Music to the ears of some fans!

The GAA will vote on a motion for the All-Ireland SFC final to return to August in 2027, at Congress in February, needing 60% support from delegates for it to pass.

It will also entail the hurling final moving to the last week of July, with a gap week in between both showpieces.

Both the hurling and football finals have been completed by the end of July since the split season came in three years ago, to improve the club championships.

A move to August will also mean the discontinuation of pre-season tournaments, which are back this year after a one-year hiatus, as well as no replays for drawn finals.

The clubs for which players involved in the finals play for will also receive byes in their club championship.

GAA president Jarlath Burns spoke on the matter back in June.

He said: “Remember, we have an amateur organisation that is also working alongside Croke Park, which is a commercial organisation.

“Croke Park operates with regard to its priorities and how it does its business a year in advance. So, already, because we hadn't made a decision on that, August 2026 is taken up. That puts August 2027 into the mix.

“I'm around the country all the time, in clubs and counties every single day of the week, and the thing that I get most debate on are the timings of the All-Ireland finals. And there is a school of thought that is saying that first and third weeks in August, leaving everything as it is, okay, first and third weeks in August.

“Remember, the fact we're only playing two games next year in the (All-Ireland SFC) rounds saves that week for the Allianz National League. You have two weeks then after that. That solves that problem. And then you have no dead rubbers in the round-robin.

"You might have heard me saying that this isn't going to happen during my presidency. The decision might be made during my presidency, but it might not actually occur during my presidency. But I am certainly open to first and third weeks in August from 2027 on. At the end of the day, we are a games organisation.

“We also have to factor in replays. We have to factor in camogie and LGFA, and replays for those as well. So Croke Park could be very, very busy in that month of August. But that's great. The more games we can have in it, the better.”