Donegal Football Championships set to begin the weekend after next

The Donegal Club Football Championships will go ahead as scheduled, starting on the weekend of August 9/10.

After Donegal reached the All-Ireland SFC final, a two-week turnaround between the end of the intercounty season and the beginning of the club championship led to speculation that the championship might be pushed back a weekend. However, the Senior A and B, Intermediate A and B and Junior A and B are now just a week and a half away.

And with a lack of free weekends once the championship begins, along with no requests to push back the start date, Donegal GAA Vice-Chairperson David McLoone confirmed that the championships will begin as planned on Saturday week.

READ NEXT: The Alternative View: No excuses for Donegal - but a super season to look back on

“We’ve been working towards the Master Fixture plan from the start, which had us down for the weekend of August 9/10,” McLoone said.

“It was deliberately set up that way that it was two weeks after the All-Ireland final and we’d get going from there, and there is no change to that.

“I know there has been a bit of speculation that it would change, but the current start date is pretty much as late as we can go; there’s not a lot of spare time built into the championship programme.

“With the format that we have, it’s a seven-game championship, potentially eight for some teams if you go through the preliminary quarter-final. There’s a lot of football to be played, so we have to play the three rounds, then there’s a catch-up weekend as inevitably some games will fall by the wayside between bereavements or unplayable pitches.

“That is also the Hurling finals weekend, and we want to showcase the Hurling and give them their day out.

“There would also be a problem for dual clubs if you did concede that catch-up weekend for another round.

“Moving things around has consequences, and no clubs have come forward and asked for games to be moved.

“Unless we got a request from a few clubs and there was a serious desire to do it, then I don’t see it changing.

READ NEXT: Seven things for Donegal to ponder after Kerry defeat and ahead of 2026

“We wrap up the leagues in the middle of July, and those not involved in finals or playoffs have four weeks without football, so the majority of clubs seem to be ready to get on with it.”

All senior club championships will begin on August 9/10, with the first free week on August 30/31.

Donegal Senior Football Championship fixtures for Round 1:

Glenswilly V Naomh Conaill 

Gaoth Dobhair V Glenfin

Killybegs V Termon

Four Masters V St Naul’s

St Eunan’s V Kilcar

St Michael’s V Seán MacCumhaills

Ardara V Aodh Ruadh 

Na Dunaibh V Dungloe