Leitrim to face Galway in FBD League as hurlers face New Year's Day clash with New York

Andy Moran's Leitrim footballers will open their 2024 campaign with a meeting with Provincial champions Galway in the FBD Insurance Connacht League on Friday, January 12, but spare a thought for the county's hurlers who won't get the chance to enjoy New Year's Day with against New York on the very first day of 2024.

Connacht GAA have confirmed the dates for next year's pre-season competitions as well as the 2024 Connacht Senior Football Championship with Leitrim due to face Sligo on Sunday April 7, the game provisionally fixed for Avant Money Pairc Sean Mac Diarmada but that will depend on whether work on a new playing surface will have commenced before then.

The winners will then face Galway or London, who face off in the first round on Saturday April 6, in the semi-finals on Saturday April 20. Mayo's clash with New York is fixed for Sunday April 7, at 3pm Irish time while Roscommon will meet the winners on Sunday April 21.

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London have been added to the mix for the FBD Insurance League and will take on Mayo on Friday, January 5, with Sligo facing Roscommon in the second quarter-final on Sunday January 7. Galway and Leitrim will meet in the first semi-final on Friday, January 12, with the quarter-final winners meeting on Saturday, January 13. The final will be played on the weekend of January 19-21, just a week before the anticipated start of the 2024 Allianz League Division 4 campaign.

In the Connacht Hurling League, three preliminary round games will be played on New Year's Day with Leitrim taking on New York in the first game on January 1, at 3pm, Roscommon taking on Sligo and Mayo facing Longford at 5 and 7 pm respectively. The Cup and Shield Finals scheduled for 5pm and 7pm on Saturday, January 6, at 5pm and 7pm respectively.

Connacht GAA have also announced that the Provincial U20 competition will move to a round-robin format instead of the traditional knockout competition following the recent decision at Special Congress to allow Provinces to organise the competition at that grade in whatever manner they see fit.

The new format, which will undoubtedly benefit players in the grade by having more meaningful games, could also lead to a repeat of last May's row over player availability between Senior and U20 grades when Barry McNulty was not allowed line out with the County U20 side because of his potential involvement with the Leitrim Senior team in New York.

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THE LAST POINT

With four games scheduled for next March and early May, there could be hard choices to be made with a number of young players being drafted into Andy Moran's senior set-up. All five Connacht counties will face each other with the top team going directly into the final and the second and third placed teams playing in a semi-final.

The U20 All-Ireland football semi-finals and final have been scheduled for the weekends of May 11/12 and May 18/19 respectively.