All-Ireland Minor Football Championship Tier 2

The GAA Football All-Ireland Minor Championship Tier 2 is an annual inter-county Gaelic football competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the second tier inter-county Gaelic football competition for male players under the age of 17 in Ireland.

GAA Football All-Ireland Minor Championship Tier 2
Current season or competition:
2024 All-Ireland Minor Football Championship Tier 2
IrishCraobh Peile Mionúr na hÉireann Sraith 2
CodeGaelic football
Founded2024
RegionIreland (GAA)
TrophyPaul McGirr Cup
No. of teams11
Title holders Kildare (1st title)
First winner Kildare
SponsorsElectric Ireland
Official websitehttp://www.gaa.ie/

Teams that are eliminated from the early provincial stages of the GAA Football All-Ireland Minor Championship qualify for this championship. 11 teams currently participate.

The final serves as the culmination of a series of games played during the summer months, and the results determine which team receives the Paul McGirr Cup. The All-Ireland Championship is played on a straight knockout basis whereby once a team loses they are eliminated from the championship.

Kildare are the current champions after beating Cavan by 2-12 to 1-10 in the 2024 final.

History

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The All-Ireland Minor Football Championship was created in 1929.[1] Various formats were used in the provincial competitions, however, the All-Ireland series was, for many years, confined to the four provincial champions. A change in format resulted in the four provincial runners-up also being allowed entry to the All-Ireland series. A decision at GAA Congress in 2023 allowed for the creation of additional tiered All-Ireland competitions for counties that do not reach the provincial final stage.[2][3][4]

Format

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Qualification

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Province Championship Teams progressing
Connacht Connacht Minor Football Championship 2: 3rd and 4th-placed teams
Leinster Leinster Minor Football Championship 4: Beaten quarter and semi-finalists
Munster Munster Minor Football Championship 1: 3rd-placed team
Ulster Ulster Minor Football Championship 4: Beaten quarter and semi-finalists

Championship

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There are 11 teams in the All-Ireland Championship. During the course of a championship season nine games are played comprising three preliminary quarter-finals, four quarter-finals, two semi-finals and a final. The championship is played as a single-elimination tournament. Each game is played as a single leg.

Trophy

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The Paul McGirr Cup is the current prize for winning the championship. Paul McGirr of Tyrone suffered a fatal injury in an accidental collision in an Ulster Minor Championship game between Tyrone and Armagh in June 1997.[5] The trophy, donated by the McGirr family in 1998, was previously awarded to the winners of the All-Ireland Vocational Schools Championship before being repurposed as the prize for the winners of the All-Ireland U16.5 Championship. The cup was once again repurposed in 2024.[6]

List of finals

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Year Winners Runners-up Venue Captain(s)
County Score County Score
2024 Cavan 2-12 Kildare 1-10 Páirc Tailteann Evan Boyle
Ruaidhrí Lawlor
[7]

References

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  1. ^ "All-Ireland Minor Football Championship: Roll Of Honour". RTÉ Sport. 20 September 2011. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  2. ^ "Congress: Structural changes made to All-Ireland minor championships". Hogan Stand. 30 September 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  3. ^ "Revealed: how next year's three-tier All-Ireland minor football championship will look". Irish Examiner. 13 November 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  4. ^ "EXPLAINED: How the new All-Ireland Minor football championship Tier 1, 2 and 3 competitions will work". Laois Today. 15 May 2024. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  5. ^ "Tyrone teenager dies after football injury". Irish Times. 16 June 1997. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  6. ^ "Paul McGirr and Seamus Heaney Cups". GAA website. 18 May 2024. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  7. ^ "Second-half goals steer Kildare to All-Ireland MFC Tier 2 title". Hogan Stand. 15 June 2024. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
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