Busy time ahead for Donegal minor footballers

After losing out in the Ulster Minor League semi-final to Down on Saturday in Fr Tierney Park, Ballyshannon, Barry  Ward’s charges are set for a busy schedule in April, playing every Saturday and, hopefully, then advancing to the play-off stages in championship.

The 2024 Electric Ireland Ulster Minor Football Championship was launched on Tuesday evening at the Box-It Athletic Grounds in Armagh and Donegal have been included in the five county group.

The Championship will be played during the months of April and May, and will be organised in a ’round-robin’ format with a group of five and a group of four, with teams playing the other teams in their group once.

Donegal start with Fermanagh away; Tyrone home, Down away and Monaghan at home in final group game.

Section A: Donegal, Down, Fermanagh, Monaghan, Tyrone

Section B: Antrim, Armagh, Cavan, Derry

There will be a National Tier 2 and Tier 3 knockout competitions for counties who do not progress to the latter stages of Provincial Championships.The top team in each group would progress to the Electric Ireland Ulster MFC Semi Finals. The second and third place teams would criss-cross and play each other in two Quarter Finals. The winners of these two Quarter-Finals would go into the Semi-Finals.

The two Quarter-Final losers would be eliminated from the Ulster Championship and enter the National Tier 2 competition at the Preliminary Quarter Final stage. The two teams that lose in Ulster Semi-Finals will go to National Tier 2 Quarter Finals.

Finally, the three teams that finished in fourth and fifth positions would be eliminated from the Ulster Championship and enter the National Tier 3 competition. The two provincial finalists will progress to the All-Ireland Tier 1 Quarter Finals.

2024 Electric Ireland Ulster GAA Minor Football Championship:

All Group Games at 12.00pm

Round 1 – Sat 6th April

Group A

Fear Manach V Dún na nGall at Brewster Park

Tír Eoghain V An Dún at Tyrone Venue

Group B

Ard Mhacha V Aontroim at Box-It Athletic Grounds

Doire V An Cabhán at Owenbeg

Round 2 – Sat 13th April

Group A

Dún na nGall V Tír Eoghain at Donegal Venue

Muineachán V Fear Manach at Clones

Round 3 – Sat 20th April

Group A

Muineachán V An Dún at Clones

Fear Manach V Tír Eoghain at Brewster Park

Group B

An Cabhán V Ard Mhacha at Kingspan Breffni

Aontroim V Doire at Dunsilly

Round 4 – Sat 27th April

Group A

Tír Eoghain V Muineachán at Tyrone Venue

An Dún V Dún na nGall at Páirc Esler

Round 5 – Sat 4th May

Group A

Dún na nGall V Muineachán at Donegal Venue

An Dún V Fear Manach at Páirc Esler

Group B

An Cabhán V Aontroim at Kingspan Breffni

Doire V Ard Mhacha at Owenbeg

Quarter Finals – Sat 11th May

(First named team has home advantage)

(1)Group A Runner Up V Third in Group B

(2)Group B Runner Up V Third in Group A

Semi Finals – Sat 18th May

(Repeat pairings to be avoided if possible.  First named team has home advantage)

(1) Winner Section A V QF Winner

(2) Winner Section B V QF Winner

Final –

26th May

(1) Winner 1 V Winner 2

All-Ireland Quarter Finals on 8th/9th June