Dates set for return to action
HOLDERS Cork will begin their 2021 Lidl National League Division 1 campaign with a home fixture against Munster rivals Tipperary.
The Rebelettes, who won the top-flight crown in 2019, are also pitted with All-ireland champions Dublin in Division 1B – with the counties set to meet in Round 2 of the League.
Another Munster outfit, Waterford, are the fourth team in Division 1B, with Donegal, Galway, Mayo and Westmeath set to do battle in Division 1A.
Three rounds of group fixtures will determine the four semi-finalists – with the top team from Division 1A meeting the secondplaced team from Division 1B, and vice versa.
The same semi-final principle will apply across the divisions, while the bottom placed teams in each group, with the exception of Divisions 4A and 4B, will take part in relegation play-offs.
Divisions 1, 2 and 3 will each see one county relegated, with the winners of the finals in Divisions 2, 3 and 4 earning promotion.
Dublin, the four-in-a-row All-ireland winners, will start their campaign with a home tie against Waterford, who they beat in the 2020 Championship.
In Division 1A, there’s a Connacht derby between Mayo and Galway to begin, with Donegal at home to Westmeath.
The Round 1 fixtures are set for the weekend of Sunday, May 23, and the three rounds of group fixtures will be played on consecutive weekends, with semi-finals and relegation play-offs set for the for the weekend of June 12/13.
The finals will be played on June 26/27.
LIDL LADIES LEAGUE GROUPS
Division 1A: Donegal, Galway,
Mayo, Westmeath
Division 1B: Cork, Dublin, Tipperary, Waterford
Division 2A: Clare, Kerry, Meath, Wexford
Division 2B: Armagh, Cavan, Tyrone, Monaghan
Division 3A: Down, Fermanagh, Roscommon, Sligo
Division 3B: Kildare, Laois, Longford, Wicklow