New group format for Senior Football Club Championship

A NEW format for the Senior Club Football Championship has been agreed upon following a meeting with the eight senior club last week, which will see the competition ran along similar lines to the restructured Intermediate, Premier Junior and Junior Championships for 2018 onward.

The Competitions Control Committee (CCC) has confirmed that the Championship will be organised on a league basis of two groups of four teams, with each team in a group playing the other teams once. Each team will play one game at home, one away and one at a neutral venue. The CCC will decide on dates and venues for each round.

The top team in each group qualify for the Senior Club final. Where teams finish level on points the following criteria will be applied (in order outlined) to separate the teams: 1. Where two teams only are involved - the outcome of the meeting of the two teams in the group; 2. Score difference - subtracting the total scores against from the total scores for; 3. highest total score for; 4. highest total goals for; 5. a play-off.

Regardless of the above criteria, any team failing to fulfil a fixture will be automatically placed below any other team that has the same number of points (similar to the current policy in the County Senior Football League).

It was agreed to have an ‘open draw’ to decide the make up of each group (this is specifically for the Senior Club Championship).

The teams that finish bottom in each group will play in a relegation play-off (subject to relegation exemption for teams that qualify for County Senior Football Championship Final). Due to above exemption any relegation play-off cannot be played until the County SFC finalists are known or until the two teams above have exited the SFC in the earlier rounds.

If for instance both teams that finish bottom in their respective groups reach the SFC final then the teams that finish in 3rd place in both groups will have to play in a relegation play-off. If one of the two teams that finish bottom in their respective groups reach the SFC final then the other team (that finished bottom in the other group) is relegated.