Cork Senior A Football Championship

The Cork Senior A Football Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as Bon Secours Cork County Senior A Football Championship) is an annual Gaelic football competition organised by the Cork County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association from 2020 for the second tier Gaelic football teams in the county of Cork in Ireland.

Cork Senior A Football Championship
Current season or competition:
2020 Cork Senior A Football Championship
IrishCraobh Peile Sinsearach A Chorcaí
CodeGaelic football
Founded2020 (2020)
Region Cork (GAA)
No. of teams12
SponsorsBon Secours Hospital
Official websiteCork GAA

The series of games will be played between the spring and autumn months, including a summer break, with the county final being played at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in October. The championship will include a round robin followed by a knockout stage.

History

Development

On 26 March 2019, three championship proposals were circulated to Cork club delegates after an expensive review process of the entire Cork championship system. A core element running through all three proposals, put together by the Cork GAA games workgroup, was that there be a group stage of 12 teams, as well as straight relegation and promotion.[1] On 2 April 2019, a majority of 136 club delegates voted for Option A which provided for one round of games played in April and two more in August – all with inter-county players available.[2] The decision meant that, for the first time since 1887, the top tier of Cork football was split in two into the Cork Premier Senior Championship and the Cork Senior A Championship.

Beginnings

The inaugural championship was scheduled to begin in April 2020, however, it was postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic in Ireland.[3] When the championship resumed, time constraints led to a revision of the format, with the play-offs for the second best and third best third placed teams being abolished. The knockout stage was further reduced, with the two best-ranking teams from the group stage receiving byes to the semi-finals and the other four qualifying teams contesting two lone quarter-finals. The very first match eventually took place on 24 July 2020, with Bandon claiming a 1-12 to 0-06 victory over Clyda Rovers. Bandon's Mark O'Regan scored the very first championship point before later scoring the championship's very first goal.[4]

Regular format

Group stage

The 12 teams are divided into three groups of four. Over the course of the group stage, which features one game in April and two games in August, each team plays once against the others in the group, resulting in each team being guaranteed at least three games. Two points are awarded for a win, one for a draw and zero for a loss. The teams are ranked in the group stage table by points gained, then scoring difference and then their head-to-head record. The top two teams in each group qualify for the knock-out stage.

Knockout stage

Play-off: The second best and third best third placed teams from the group stage play off for last quarter-final place.

Quarter-finals: The play-off winner and the seven top-ranking teams from the group stage contest this round. The four winners from these four games advance to the semi-finals.

Semi-finals: The four quarter-final winners contest this round. The two winners from these four games advance to the semi-finals.

Final: The two semi-final winners contest the final. The winning team are declared champions.

Promotion and relegation

At the end of the championship, the winning team is automatically promoted to the Cork Premier Senior Championship for the following season. The three bottom-placed teams from the group stage take part in a series of play-offs, with the losing team being relegated to the Cork Premier Intermediate Championship.

Participating teams

The following 12 teams are competing during the 2020 championship.

Team Location Colours
Bandon Bandon Yellow and white
Bantry Blues Bantry Blue and white
Béal Átha'n Ghaorthaidh Ballingeary Black and red
Clyda Rovers Mourne Abbey Black and yellow
Dohenys Dunmanway Green and white
Éire Óg Oven Red and yellow
Fermoy Fermoy Black and yellow
Kiskeam Kiskeam Black and white
Mallow Mallow Red and yellow
O'Donovan Rossa Skibbereen Red and white
St. Michaels' Blackrock Green and yellow
St. Nicholas' Blackpool Black and white

Sponsorship

In July 2020, Bon Secours Hospital were unveiled as the title sponsor of the Cork Senior A Championship.[5]

List of finals
Year Winners Score Runners-up Score Winning captain Venue
2020

References
  1. Cormican, Eoghan (26 March 2019). "Here's a breakdown of the proposals to restructure the Cork county championships". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  2. "Cork clubs vote down radical restructuring proposals". RTÉ Sport. 2 April 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  3. "Cork GAA Statement 18/03/2020". Cork GAA website. 18 March 2020. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  4. Moynihan, Michael (24 July 2020). "Classy Sugrue the difference as Bandon overcome Clyda Rovers". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  5. O'Connor, Colm (21 July 2020). "Bon Secours Hospital Cork to sponsor football championships". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
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