Inter-county , is Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) terminology which refers to competitions or matches between counties, as used in Gaelic games (differently from legal counties). The term can also be used to describe the players on the teams.
23-605: The Leinster GAA Football Under-20 Championship , known simply as the Leinster Under-20 Championship , is an annual inter-county Gaelic football competition organised by the Leinster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest inter-county football competition for male players between the ages of 17 and 20 in the province of Leinster . The championship was contested as
46-506: A feature during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland when restrictions (including a travel ban) were imposed. National Football League (Ireland) The National Football League ( NFL ; Irish : Sraith Náisiúnta Peile ) is an annual Gaelic football competition between the senior county teams of Ireland plus London . Sponsored by Allianz , it is officially known as
69-552: A match is drawn there is a period of extra time, however, if both sides are still level at the end of extra time a replay takes place and so on until a winner is found. The Leinster Championship winners gain automatic entry to the semi-final stage of the All-Ireland Championship . Unlike, the hurling counterpart , there is no "back-door" for the runners-up. Managers in the Leinster Championship are involved in
92-521: A team loses they are eliminated from the championship. The Leinster Championship is an integral part of the wider GAA Football Under-20 All-Ireland Championship . The winners of the Leinster final, like their counterparts in the other three provinces, advance to the semi-final stage of the All-Ireland series of games. Eleven teams currently participate in the Leinster Championship, with Kilkenny remaining
115-539: Is known as an inter-county transfer and is regulated by the Provincial council if the clubs are in the same province, or by the central council of the GAA when the transferring between clubs in different provinces. A special transfer is available for students going on a J-1 visa , which allows a temporary transfer to Canada , New York or North America . Inter-county travel is movement from one county to another. It became
138-661: The 2020 National League was suspended in March and all Gaelic games ceased until the middle of the year, when club fixtures were first to resume. The National League was then completed in October, ahead of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (which was completed in December). This led to a motion (passed at the 2021 GAA Congress ) to adopt a "split season" model, whereby club competitions would occupy one part of
161-588: The All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship took place in 1887. County teams select the best players from the clubs within the county, a practice which began in 1892. Before 1892 the winner of each counties club championship would represent the county in the All-Ireland championships. The inter-county season begins in January with each province 's warm-up competition and ends in September with
184-654: The All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship ; Kilkenny does not compete in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship , and Cavan does not currently compete in the National Hurling League , though Fingal (part of Dublin) recently did. London also competes in the hurling and Gaelic football championships and leagues, winning the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship once in 1901, Warwickshire competes in
207-613: The Allianz National Football League . The Gaelic Athletic Association organises the league. The winning team receives the New Ireland Cup, presented by the New Ireland Assurance Company . The National Football League is the second most prestigious inter-county Gaelic Football competition after the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship . Unlike many league competitions in sport, each team plays
230-591: The Leinster Under-21 Championship between 1964 and 2016 before changing to an under-20 age category from 2018 . It is sponsored by EirGrid . The final, currently held in July, serves as the culmination of a series of games played during a five to six-week period, and the results determine which team receives the Flood Cup. The championship has usually been played on a straight knockout basis whereby once
253-522: The All-Ireland final. The GAA's inter county competitions are the organisation's most attended competitions and are Ireland's most attended sporting events, while the All-Ireland finals are the most watched. and the All-Ireland Football Final is the most watched event in Ireland's sporting calendar. Usually each of the 32 GAA counties in Ireland participates in the inter-county leagues and in
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#1733084634760276-456: The calendar year, while the SFC occupied the inter-county window during those months that made up the middle of the year, e.g. May, August. Club competitions of lesser importance occurred alongside the inter-county games so as to provide meaningful game time for players possessed of insufficient ability to compete at the higher (inter-county) level. From 2002, National League fixtures were played during
299-424: The competition, having played in the final on twenty-nine occasions and won twenty-three of these. Both of these (final appearances and wins) are records. Kerry also is the team to have most often achieved the "double", by winning both the league title and the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. In the 20th century, National League fixtures were played during inter-county windows in the later and early months of
322-470: The day-to-day running of the team, including the training, team selection, and sourcing of players from the club championships. Their influence varies from county-to-county and is related to the individual county boards. The manager is assisted by a team of two or three selectors and an extensive backroom team consisting of various coaches. The under-20 team manager also works closely with the senior team manager due to an overlap of players on both teams. Prior to
345-428: The development of the concept of a manager in the 1970s, teams were usually managed by a team of selectors with one member acting as chairman. The most successful team of each decade, judged by number of Leinster Championship titles, is as follows: Top three longest gaps between successive championship titles: Inter county The first inter-county competitions the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship and
368-613: The early NFL, winning seven titles in eight seasons until the tournament was suspended during the Second World War . For many seasons in the 1950s and 1960s, the winners of the "home" league played New York in the NFL final; the journey to New York formed an additional prize for the winners. New York won three of these finals. In 2002 , the league was changed to a February–April calendar. This increased interest, boosted attendances and led to live games being broadcast on TG4 . The 2009 season
391-454: The early months of the calendar year, preceding the SFC, which remained in the traditional mid-year position. An April club window allowed inter-county players to return to their clubs to participate in some early rounds of the more important club competitions, i.e. championship fixtures. This arrangement was disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic . Due to the impact of the pandemic on Gaelic games ,
414-544: The hurling championship only, while New York competes in the Men's Football Championship; in the past they also competed in the Hurling Championship. The British Provincial Council organises inter-county competitions for the seven counties under its control on the island of Britain . The British Provincial Council is the only area outside Ireland to organise regular inter-county matches. Changing clubs between counties
437-455: The inaugural National Football League. The NFL has traditionally played second fiddle to the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, with most counties using it as preparation for that event. This was not helped by the fact that the league was initially played in winter (usually November–March), while the Championship had the more attractive summer dates and knockout structure. Mayo dominated
460-411: The only county not to field a team. The title has been won at least once by eight teams, with seven of these winning the title more than once. The Leinster Championship is a single elimination tournament . Each team is afforded only one defeat before being eliminated from the championship. Pairings for matches are drawn at random and there is currently no seeding. Each match is played as a single leg. If
483-400: The other teams in their division only once. Teams that meet in the same division over the course of a number of years often play on a home and away basis in alternative years, though this is not strictly adhered to. Once the divisional matches have been played, the latter stages of the league become a knockout competition for the top teams in each division. This is seen as good preparation for
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#1733084634760506-419: The upcoming All-Ireland Championship and there is usually more intensity to the division finals than those played earlier in the league, but still lacking the intensity of Championship matches. Derry are the current league champions, having won the 2024 league . The National Football League was first held in 1925–26 , thirty-eight years after the first All-Ireland Senior Football Championship . Laois won
529-533: Was broadcast live on Setanta Sports . Coverage of the 2010 finals in Croke Park saw TG4 become the most watched channel, with 650,000 viewers tuning in to watch some of the games. The Division 1 Final had an average audience of 220,000 viewers. The National Football League winners receive the Irish National Insurance Cup, first presented to Kerry in 1928–29 . Kerry is the most successful team in
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