Leitrim GAA release proposed Master Fixture Plan with County Finals moved to late October and early November

Leitrim club players face a much later end to the club season after the Leitrim GAA County Board's CCC revealed the fixture master plan for the coming season with the club game's showpiece, the Connacht Gold Leitrim SFC Final, scheduled for Sunday October 19.

The later finishing date for the Senior grade is reflected in a later starting date for the club championship, with the Senior, Intermediate and Junior grades due to start on the weekend of August 16 & 17, two weeks later than what has become the traditional August Bank Holiday start date in recent years.

The Smith Monumentals IFC Final is scheduled for the October Bank Holiday weekend on Sunday October 26, with the Junior A Final a week later on Sunday November 1, with the Junior B & C Finals a week after that. The Leitrim Senior Hurling Final is scheduled for Saturday November 1.

However, the Masonite League Finals will still take place just a week before the start of the Club championship despite the later starting time of the championship, meaning that teams contesting the League deciders will have perhaps less than six days to prepare for the finals while the U20 Championship Finals are scheduled for Tuesday August 12, just four days before the start of the club championship and maybe even three if there is a Friday game.

The later date could prove beneficial for the Leitrim LGFA Club Championships as there will be fewer clashes with their Finals which are usually held in late September, early October due to the much earlier start of their Provincial Club Championships.

TEAMWORK AND LEADERSHIP GOT ST CLARE'S ACROSS THE LINE SAYS WARD

The move to a later date comes on foot of a Glencar Manorhamilton GAA Club motion last year which asked for a later finishing time of the club's senior and intermediate championships to give the victorious teams a more competitive edge for the Connacht Club Championships. The motion was referred to the CCC from the first County Board meeting of the year but the knock-on effect is that the season will be longer for every club.

In the past, the League Finals were played over the October Bank Holiday weekend with a number of League games taking place after the conclusion of the Club Championships but that scheduling was opposed by Clubs who felt that there unable to keep the interest of their players once their championship concluded.

As a result, this year's Senior winners will have a four week wait compared to five weeks in 2024 when there was a senior final replay. The Intermediate champions this year will have a three week wait compared to a four week wait last year while the 2025 Junior winners will have just two weeks compared to the four week gap in 2024. The move also increases the likelihood of weather playing a major role in pitch availability and the quality of contest towards the latter stages of the championship.

Interestingly, despite the Connacht Gold Leitrim SFC being reduced to eight teams this year, the CCC have included four rounds in the round-robin stage, a number that was arrived at when there were 10 and 12 teams in the competition, increasing the workload on players with far less margin for error for clubs to reach the knockout stages.

The Spring Leagues, played without members of County Football and Hurling panels, at Senior and U20, level start on the weekend of March 22, with the finals scheduled for May 17-18. The Reserve Leagues start the weekend of April 6, with the Masonite All County Leagues starting the weekend of May 31. The U20 Championship, played on Tuesday nights, commences on July 6.

The proposed Leitrim GAA Master Fixture Plan is as follows: