2020 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship

2020 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
Championship details
Dates31 October 2020 – 19 December 2020
Teams31
All-Ireland Champions
Winning teamDublin (30th win)
CaptainStephen Cluxton
ManagerDessie Farrell
All-Ireland Finalists
Losing teamMayo
CaptainAidan O'Shea
ManagerJames Horan
Provincial Champions
MunsterTipperary
LeinsterDublin
UlsterCavan
ConnachtMayo
Championship statistics
No. matches played29
Goals total59 (2.03 per game)
Points total803 (27.68 per game)
Top Scorer Cillian O'Connor (5–40)
Player of the YearBorder Brian Fenton
2019
2021

The 2020 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was the 133rd edition of the Gaelic Athletic Association's premier inter-county Gaelic football tournament since its establishment in 1887.

The public health measures introduced to combat the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the competition being delayed.[1] On 17 March, the GAA confirmed that the opening fixture – due to have taken place at Gaelic Park in The Bronx on 3 May – had been postponed.[2] In June, the GAA announced that the 2020 championship would be straight knock-out, the first straight-knockout since 2000.[3]

Thirty teams took part – thirty of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. New York were unable to participate due to travel restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. London were also eliminated from the 2020 All-Ireland championship after a meeting of the GAA's Ard Chomhairle on 12 September 2020. Sligo later withdrew due to a COVID-19 outbreak from 3 November.

New York were initially scheduled to host Galway decided on 26 June not reschedule the match.

London were initially scheduled to host Roscommon at Ruislip at the beginning of May, before all GAA activity was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Roscommon were then set to play their rescheduled Connacht football quarter-final on the weekend of 31 October, with the winner facing Mayo or Leitrim the following weekend. Roscommon advanced directly into the semi-final.

The Galway vs Sligo Connacht semi-final was not played as Sligo were affected by COVID-19 cases. Galway's first match was the Connacht final and the Connacht championship only had four teams instead of the usual seven. This previously only happened during the period when all Connacht finals were between Galway and Mayo (1933–1940) again in 1965 the match was rescheduled for 2023 season.

In 2024 information will be published for both postponed games against London and New York games will be rescheduled for 2025 season.

It emerged that in order for London's quarter-final to take place their entire squad and backroom team would have had to self-isolate in Ireland for two weeks prior to the match. Kilkenny, as in previous years, did not enter.

In 2020 the GAA planned to introduce the Tailteann Cup, a second-tier championship for Division 3 and 4 National Football League teams who failed to reach their provincial finals or get promoted to Division 2 of the league.[4][5] The Tailteann Cup was cancelled as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Gaelic games and was rescheduled for introduction in 2021, when its introduction was again postponed.

Defending champions Dublin completed an unprecedented six-in-a-row.[6][7]

  1. ^ "A comprehensive guide as Irish and global sport shuts down in effort to contain spread of Covid-19". Irish Independent. 12 March 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  2. ^ Cormican, Eoghan (18 March 2020). "Galway and New York clash first major casualty of pandemic". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  3. ^ "Saturday football final as 2020 Championships finalised". 26 June 2020 – via www.rte.ie. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. ^ "Two tier Football Championship format to be introduced". GAA.ie. 19 October 2019.
  5. ^ "GAA Special Congress 2019: The motions explained". GAA.ie. 19 October 2019.
  6. ^ "All-Ireland football six-in-a-row completed as Dublin control finale to defeat Mayo". The 42. 19 December 2020. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  7. ^ "Dublin tie a bow around it as they complete the six-in-a-row". Irish Times. 19 December 2020. Retrieved 5 May 2021.