The fixture and TV details have been confirmed for the upcoming return of the Railway Cup.
The interprovincial competition makes its return for the first time since 2016, with the highly-anticipated series of games set to mark the first televised trials of the proposed rule changes to Gaelic football.
Ex-Dublin manager Jim Gavin has been tasked with leading a group devising radical rule changes with a view to making the sport more entertaining for viewers.
The rules require approval before they come into effect for the 2025 season, and have been trialled in a series of challenge matches over the past few months. However, the upcoming Railway Cup will mark the first time that the rules have been trialled in televised games, giving fans up and down the country the chance to get a glimpse of the new era of Gaelic football.
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Railway Cup fixture details confirmed
11 December 2016; Patrick Hurney of Munster in action against Killian Clarke of Ulster during the GAA Interprovincial Football Championship Semi-Final match between Munster and Ulster at Parnell Park in Dublin. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
On Tuesday morning, the GAA confirmed the fixture details for the first Railway Cup series in eight years.
Friday October 18th will see the two semi-finals, with Leinster playing Connacht at 6pm before Munster take on Ulster at 8pm. The two losing semi-finalists will then face off at 5:30pm the following day, before the final at 7:30pm. All four games will take place at Croke Park.
Tickets are available from Ticketmaster, with a €15 adult ticket granting entry to all four games. Children's tickets are priced at just €5. Friday's semi-finals will be broadcast live on TG4 before RTÉ take over coverage for the Saturday double-header.
Railway Cup fixtures and TV details
Friday October 18th
- 6pm: Leinster v Connacht (Croke Park, live on TG4)
- 8pm: Munster v Ulster (Croke Park, live on TG4)
Saturday October 19th
- 5:30pm: Losing semi-finalist 1 v Losing semi-finalist 2 (Croke Park, live on RTÉ)
- 7:30pm: Railway Cup final (Croke Park, live on RTÉ)
Railway Cup squad and coach details
Last week saw the four managers confirmed for the return of the Railway Cup.
Connacht will be managed by Galway boss Padraic Joyce, who this year led his team to the All-Ireland final. Leinster, their opponents in the semi-final, will be managed by Westmeath's Dessie Dolan.
Munster will be led in the series by Cork manager John Cleary, while Fermanagh's Kieran Donnelly will take charge of Ulster.
We continue to await squad details for each of the provinces.
READ HERE: Railway Cup: The Strongest Starting XV From Each Province
Gaelic football's proposed rule changes
Once a staple of the GAA calendar, this will mark the first time the Railway Cup interprovincial series has been staged since Ulster triumphed in 2016.
They will also mark a step into the unknown for the Gaelic football public, as the core proposals of Jim Gavin's Football Review Committee (FRC) are put to the test publicly for the first time.
Seven major changes have been proposed by the FRC and will be trialled in next week's games. Among them are the introduction of a 40-metre scoring arc (outside of which scores over the bar would be worth two points), 1v1 throw-ins, and changes to the rules surrounding kick-outs.
The return of the Railway Cup will mark a bold step into uncharted territory for Gaelic football.
