THE latest restructure of Derry’s senior football championship will see them adopt the Down model for the 2025 season.
At a county committee meeting in Owenbeg this evening, clubs voted to implement a back-door system that will replace the group stage format of last year.
With the SFC returning from 12 teams to 16, a possible return to a straight knockout format had been discussed as the preferred proposal at a meeting last month but CCC were then asked by a number of clubs to look at alternative options.
The clubs voted tonight to adopt the back door format, which will see each team guaranteed two games as opposed to the five they had under this year’s elongated and unpopular system.
Derry being drawn in the preliminary round of the Ulster Club SFC also contributed to the change in approach, with the original county final date having to be brought forward.
It was initially intended that the league would run into August and clubs would have access to their county players for the last few games in order to strengthen the league.
But the switch to introduce a back-door system means the 15-round league will now finish two weeks earlier, with two midweek dates added in the middle.
The senior football championship, which was won last year by Newbridge for the first time since 1989, will start three weeks ahead of schedule on the weekend of August 16.
This is the latest in a line of restructures of the championship format in Derry over recent years.
The new format has proven popular in Down and has been adopted by other counties, and was mooted as a potential format for the All-Ireland series by Jarlath Burns.
The eight winners from round one will play against each other in round two, with the eight losers from round one facing each other on the other side of the draw.
Teams that lose their first two games are eliminated and go into relegation playoffs, out of which one team will drop to intermediate.
Two successive victories puts you directly into a quarter-final, with the four teams that win one and lose one of their first two games facing off for the remaining last-eight spots, after which it becomes straight knockout.
Group stage formats will be in play for the intermediate and junior football championships in Derry.
Beaten All-Ireland intermediate finalists Ballinderry are promoted to senior this year along with north Derry trio Faughanvale, Drumsurn and Banagher.
Craigbane, who were narrowly beaten in the Ulster junior final, are promoted to intermediate with Ballerin, Ballymaguigan and Lissan.
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Derry SFC 2025
Round One (August 14-17 weekend): All 16 teams play
Round Two (August 28-31 weekend): Round One winners v Round One winners (open draw, winners go direct to quarter-finals); Round One losers v Round One losers (open draw, winners into round three, losers into relegation playoffs)
Round Three (September 11-14 weekend): Round Two losers face each other, winners into quarter-final, losers eliminated
Quarter-final (September 25-28 weekend): Round Two winners v Round Three winners (no restrictions on previous ties)
Semi-final (October 11-12): Open draw
Final (October 18-19)
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Derry IFC 2025
Group stage: 4 groups of 3 teams, open draw for groups, teams with one home, one away and one neutral game
Top two in each group qualify for quarter-finals
Bottom team in each group goes to relegation semi-finals
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Derry JFC 2025
Group stage: 3 groups of 3 teams, open draw for groups, teams with one home and one away game
Teams to be ranked 1-9 at the end of the group stage
Teams 1-8 will advance to the quarter-finals
Teams 1-4 will be in Pot 1 for quarter-final draw, facing teams ranked 5-8
Semi-finals open draw