Munster Council propose home-and-away system for Cork-Kerry senior club football finals

The Munster Council has proposed that a home-and-away arrangement but put in place for AIB Munster Club SFC finals that feature teams from Cork and Kerry.

At the most recent council meeting in Limerick, the provincial competitions control committee (CCC) put forward to suggestion based on the challenges in sourcing suitable venues for finals involving clubs from the two counties and, as a result, one or both clubs have experienced long journeys.

For instance, last December’s final between Dingle and St Finbarr’s took place in FBD Semple Stadium in Thurles, while in 2023 Castlehaven overcame the west Kerry outfit at TUS Gaelic Grounds in Limerick. In January 2022, the Barrs got the better of Austin Stacks with Thurles also the venue.

While the CCC of the view that the provincial showpiece should only take place in county grounds, acceptance of this proposal by Cork and Kerry would mean that the finals would take place in Austin Stack Park in Tralee during Kerry’s years – Fitzgerald Stadium does not have floodlights – and either SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh or Páirc Uí Rinn in Cork’s years.

If both counties are amenable to the proposal, a coin-toss would take place prior to the start of this year’s club championships and then the venues would alternate from there.

Meanwhile, the Waterford intermediate champions will compete in the AIB Munster Club JFC following the adopting of a proposal from the Waterford County Board.

On Suirside, the top three football championship grades are senior, premier intermediate and intermediate. The senior and premier intermediate champions will continue to participate in the Munster senior and intermediate championships respectively but, rather than the junior championship spot going to the junior winners, it will instead go to the club that prevails in the third-tier intermediate football championship.