A motion proposing a split season in the GAA from 2022 has been passed after unanimous vote at GAA Congress.
Inter-county All-Ireland finals will be played in July under Motion 12. The motion states that the GAA season would be split “between inter-county and club by stipulating that the All-Ireland senior finals should be played on or before the 29th Sunday of the year.”
Central Council have been given the authority to make alternative plans for the new schedule in “exceptional circumstances”. This comes into effect in 2021 as the Covid-19 pandemic means that the All-Ireland finals cannot be held on the 29th Sunday of the year.
The GAA opted to implement a split season last year as a result of the pandemic. The club season was fully completed prior to the commencement of the inter-county campaign. 2020 was widely regarded as a major success for the GAA due to the split season.
The 2021 GAA Congress is being held over video conference, with 48 motions being discussed this weekend. However, 10 of these will be deferred to a Special Congress later this year.
One of the motions passed today marked an increase in efforts from the GAA to combat online anti-doping.
Motion 10, brought to Congress by the GPA, proposes that players are obliged to complete an online anti-doping education course. All players must participate in full with the course in order to be deemed eligible to play in the national league and championship.
Players who fail to complete the course face a one-match suspension.
Elsewhere, Motion 7 was passed to stop joint-captains from lifting trophies for their teams. A single captain must accept the trophy from this point forward.
