Relegation blitz for 2016 football championships

Delegates at tonight's Co Board meeting sanctioned some radical changes to the format for the 2016 club championships with three teams set to face the drop from the SFC.

Five teams will be relegated from the IFC, seven from the JFC and nine from the Junior B with a number of play-offs in each of the grades to determine which teams will makde the drop.

There was a separate vote on each championship grade with the proposal to reduce the SFC to 16 teams and relegate three teams this year carried by 31-24 votes.

There was support for change across all the other grades with the votes as follows: IFC (33-15); JFC (27-21); Junior B (29-17); Junior C and Junior D was unopposed.

Changes were also sanctioned for the A FL competitions that will start next month with a new format ratified.

The team that finishes top in Div 1 will qualify for the final with one semi-final between the second and third-placed teams.

The top two teams in Div 2, 3, 4 shall be promoted and the bottom two teams in Div 1, 2, 3 will be relegated. The third from bottom team in Div 1 will play the third-placed team in Div 2 in a promotion / relegation play-off with a similar schedule to apply in the lower divisions.