The GAA's annual Congress is being held in Carlow this weekend, and the delegates have approved some major changes on its first night.
The Under-21 All-Ireland Championship has been abolished, and will be replaced with an Under-20 Developmental Football Championship from 2018, a motion endorsed by former GAA president Liam O'Neill, Director-General Pauric Duffy and Jarlath Burns. The main crux of the argument for the change was that it would help avoid player burnout.
The motion exceeded the two-thirds majority needed to come into force:
#GAA motion to change the U21 All-Ireland football championship to an U20 developmental championship PASSES (68.6%). #sportlive
— John Fogarty (@JohnFogartyIrl) February 26, 2016
In order to reduce the number of games, any draws after extra-time at the new Under-20 grade will be settled by a sudden death free-kick competition, which sounds like it will be fun.
In a similar move, the minor grade will be changed from Under-18 to Under-17 grade, to avoid player burnout along with reducing the amount of players ignoring their Leaving Cert in favour of a Minor Championship.
Motion to change the minor grade at county level to U17 from 2018 PASSES (68.2%), Just. #GAA #sportlive
— John Fogarty (@JohnFogartyIrl) February 26, 2016
Elsewhere, the GAA's 'B' Championship proposal (that Division 4 sides would not be permitted in the All Ireland Qualifiers and instead compete among themselves for a cup similar to what Joe Brolly condemned as the 'Tommy Cooper Cup') was withdrawn before going to a vote as none of the relevant counties supported it, Tokyo Sexwale style.
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