2021 championship structure under discussion

By David Connors

BOTH the Galway Football Committee and Hurling Committee are currently exploring their options for their respective 2021 club championship seasons.
Nonetheless, Herald Sport understands that the Football Committee are keen to revert to the popular 2019 Senior Championship structure which saw the 18 teams divided up equally into three groups of six. Under that format, last year’s four semi-finalists would be seeded, with one group containing two seeded teams as a result. The remaining group places would be made up from the other 14 teams in an open draw.
Under that system, the top team in each group, plus the second placed team in the group with two seeded teams, all qualify for the quarter-final stages alongside the remaining second-placed teams and also the third-placed teams from the group containing two seeded sides. The final quarter-final berth would be filled by the best-placed finisher of the remaining two third-placed teams.
However, given the uncertain nature of sport due to Covid-19 restrictions at present, the competition may have to be scaled down due to having a smaller timeframe to work with on the calendar and provisions are being put in place currently which is likely to revert to last year’s format should that be the case.
Read more on this story in this week's edition of The Tuam Herald