By Niall Gartland

ULSTER GAA Provincial Secretary Brian McEvoy welcomes the prospect of a two-week extension to the All-Ireland Senior Football and Hurling finals at intercounty level.

A Croke Park committee has recommended that the All-Ireland finals be played on or before the 32nd Sunday of the year – which in real terms would mean that the hurling decider is played on the last weekend of July and the All-Ireland Football final on the second weekend in August.

Writing in his annual secretary’s report, McAvoy believes the potential pushback – which would come into force in 2027 if rubber stamped for approval – would prove beneficial on a number of levels while maintaining the integrity of the so-called ‘split-season.’

“This addresses the condensed nature of the inter-county season and will also impact positively on promotional opportunities surrounding All-Ireland finals. I believe that additional media exposure can be obtained by returning to a fortnight between the finals.

“It will also allow all four teams an extra week to prepare for their respective finals and will give more breathing space for hard-working volunteers from competing counties who have so many unseen preparations to make ahead of an All-Ireland final.

“I appreciate that even an extra two weeks can impact negatively on a county’s championship schedule, particularly for a dual county, but in essence this affects just the All-Ireland finalists, so it seems a sensible proposal to address some of the disadvantages of the split season.”

McAvoy also queried whether the split-season is for the greater good of the Association, adding that it would take more to form a true assessment of its impact.

“That said, I believe that the true impact of the split season, and in particular the lack of game time inter-county players have with their clubs, will become apparent in time. This needs to be closely monitored and, in all likelihood, revisited in the coming years.”