Ulster JFC/IFC 2026

[general_lee]

They're playing Ballyhegan. They can rest a few lads if needs be.

[Armagh18]

They're playing Ballyhegan. They can rest a few lads if needs be.

True. Probably one of our better junior winners in recent years but can't see them doing anything in Ulster. A few very good players on that team though.

[rodney trotter]

Ulster GAA Football Intermediate Club Championship

Round 1

31 October / 1 November

(a) Rostrevor (An Dún) V Rock (Tír Eoghain) at Down venue

Quarter Finals

7 / 8 November

(b) Kinawley (Fear Manach) V Muff (Dún na nGall) at Fermanagh venue

(c) Donaghmoyne (Muineachán) V Desertmartin (Doire) at Monaghan venue

(d) Butlersbridge (An Cabhán) v St Peter's (Ard Mhacha) at Cavan venue

(e) Naomh Éanna (Aontroim) V Rock (Tír Eoghain) at Tyrone venue

Semi Finals

21 /22 November

Winner (b) V Winner (c)

Winner (d) V Winner (e)

Final

5 / 6 December


Ulster GAA Football Junior Club Championship

Round 1

24 / 25 October

(a) Doire Trasna (Doire) v Lacken (An Cabhán) at Find Insurance Owenbeg

Quarter Finals

31 October / 1ú November

(b) Kilclief (An Dún) v Newtownbutler (Fear Manach) at Down venue

(c) Drumhowan (Muineachán) V  Rasharkin (Aontroim) at Monaghan venue

(d) Fintona (Tír Eoghain) V Urris (Dún na nGall) at Tyrone venue

(e) Ballyhegan (Ard Mhacha) V Lacken (An Cabhán) at Kingspan Breffni

Semi Finals

14 /15 November

Newtownbutler v Drumhowan

Fintona v Ballyhegan/Lacken

Final

21 / 22 November

whats the story with the ballyhegan/lacken game? It on this weekend?

Sunday 5pm in Breffni

If Lacken are to win they'll be going 4 weekends in a row.

I know the prelim game was postponed but seems unfair?

The Twinning final is on weekend December 5th/6th. Not much room to push it out. The Ulster winners are away in that game.

[Dreadnought]

After a year or two of Junior teams playing Division 2 or 1

We will have a Senior team that will be playing Division 3 football next year in Cavan.

What are our fellow Ulster Gaels opinions on this.

Is league football still the true arbitrator of a teams standards?

Which Senior team in Division 3 in Cavan next year? Don't think you're correct on that, but agree that overall that league is not a true arbiter any more. Sure Edendork are prime example of that

eh, Edendork are a Tyrone Div 1 standard team and played senior championship.

Yet their League form suggested relegation material. This is my exact point, they're clearly a very good team in Championship, and we can not rely on League

I'm sure their 3 all star level county players make a wee bit of difference come championship time

Yes obviously. Which is still my point about judging on Championship

Yet it's not, as they haven't been within an Asses roar of a championship recently, and had never won one. But with straight knock out, anything can happen. For some, that's the glory of it.

This is still again my point. Got county lads back, and were good enough to win a knockout Championship, widely regarded as the hardest one in the county to win. It's a far better gauge of a team at that level than League

But to be honest, was more of a dig at lads her5e who were foaming at the mouth of a team rightly in Junior football a few years ago, but a higher League

Arvas recent form since that wud suggest they shud of been no where near junior football, regardless of how serious league football is taken in cavan at the end of the day they were playing stronger opposition week on week compared to the teams they would of been playing come championship

Also I may be biased towards it but league and championship being linked is the best option in my opinion, in tyrone almost every league game is taken serious at every level and it means players get competitive games throughout the season not waiting for potentially 4 games in september and october to play proper football

Yet they were rightly Junior by being relegated from Intermediate. And then lost a Junior final too. So multiple years of showing they were that level in Championship. Getting players back from injury, a few back from emigration, and bringing in youth means they became a good team after the bad years. That's how it works. It doesn't mean they didn't deserve to be Junior, as they did

Is it best though? Are Edendork not a prime example of where actually League is a very different thing?

[gallsman]

Similar sort of situation in Meath this year. Curraha suffered consecutive relegations from senior while a rake of county players were unavailable for whatever reason. They walked the Meath junior and will walk the Leinster. It happens.

[general_lee]

Is it best though? Are Edendork not a prime example of where actually League is a very different thing?

A Division 1 club winning the senior championship?

[Onhisboot]

After a year or two of Junior teams playing Division 2 or 1

We will have a Senior team that will be playing Division 3 football next year in Cavan.

What are our fellow Ulster Gaels opinions on this.

Is league football still the true arbitrator of a teams standards?

Which Senior team in Division 3 in Cavan next year? Don't think you're correct on that, but agree that overall that league is not a true arbiter any more. Sure Edendork are prime example of that

eh, Edendork are a Tyrone Div 1 standard team and played senior championship.

Yet their League form suggested relegation material. This is my exact point, they're clearly a very good team in Championship, and we can not rely on League

I'm sure their 3 all star level county players make a wee bit of difference come championship time

Yes obviously. Which is still my point about judging on Championship

Yet it's not, as they haven't been within an Asses roar of a championship recently, and had never won one. But with straight knock out, anything can happen. For some, that's the glory of it.

This is still again my point. Got county lads back, and were good enough to win a knockout Championship, widely regarded as the hardest one in the county to win. It's a far better gauge of a team at that level than League

But to be honest, was more of a dig at lads her5e who were foaming at the mouth of a team rightly in Junior football a few years ago, but a higher League

Arvas recent form since that wud suggest they shud of been no where near junior football, regardless of how serious league football is taken in cavan at the end of the day they were playing stronger opposition week on week compared to the teams they would of been playing come championship

Also I may be biased towards it but league and championship being linked is the best option in my opinion, in tyrone almost every league game is taken serious at every level and it means players get competitive games throughout the season not waiting for potentially 4 games in september and october to play proper football

Yet they were rightly Junior by being relegated from Intermediate. And then lost a Junior final too. So multiple years of showing they were that level in Championship. Getting players back from injury, a few back from emigration, and bringing in youth means they became a good team after the bad years. That's how it works. It doesn't mean they didn't deserve to be Junior, as they did

Is it best though? Are Edendork not a prime example of where actually League is a very different thing?

You completely missed the point i was making that players benefit from it because they get competitive football throughout the season? Edendork i believe only had 1 league win before there county men came back and improved after that.

The point i was making with arva was that regardless of it they were "rightly relegated to junior" they likely were still competing against better opponents in there league season than the teams they would come up against in the championship which gives them an advantage going into the championship

[GAA Club Fan]

Edendork
Before County men back- 2 wins from 7
After County men back- 3 wins from 8

[Onhisboot]

Edendork
Before County men back- 2 wins from 7
After County men back- 3 wins from 8

Wasnt correct but regardless how edendork done wasnt the point i was trying to make

[Armagh18]

I love this yearly argument!

[DownFanatic]

Say it every year. Whilst the JFC and IFC provincial and All Ireland competitions are extremely enjoyable and provide a pathway to Croke Park, they are in essence completely unbalanced lotteries. Mainly due to the different grading systems across the board and the lack of uniformity in competition eligibility.

[Armagh18]

Say it every year. Whilst the JFC and IFC provincial and All Ireland competitions are extremely enjoyable and provide a pathway to Croke Park, they are in essence completely unbalanced lotteries. Mainly due to the different grading systems across the board and the lack of uniformity in competition eligibility.

Yeah you're always going to get that. Vast majority of clubs are delighted with a county championship and anything else is a bonus/hinderance to drinking

[ranch]

Say it every year. Whilst the JFC and IFC provincial and All Ireland competitions are extremely enjoyable and provide a pathway to Croke Park, they are in essence completely unbalanced lotteries. Mainly due to the different grading systems across the board and the lack of uniformity in competition eligibility.

Down use the same system as Cavan. In 2026 you had division 4 teams competing at intermediate level (Tullylish) and division 3 teams competing at Junior (East Belfast). Drumgath were in division 3 this year whilst being a senior club, while Rostrevor won intermediate from divsion 2.

Personally I prefer this system than the Tyrone model that Armagh have since adopted where league and championship are linked. I've always believed clubs should only move up a championship grade once they've won the grade below.

[Onhisboot]

Say it every year. Whilst the JFC and IFC provincial and All Ireland competitions are extremely enjoyable and provide a pathway to Croke Park, they are in essence completely unbalanced lotteries. Mainly due to the different grading systems across the board and the lack of uniformity in competition eligibility.

Down use the same system as Cavan. In 2026 you had division 4 teams competing at intermediate level (Tullylish) and division 3 teams competing at Junior (East Belfast). Drumgath were in division 3 this year whilst being a senior club, while Rostrevor won intermediate from divsion 2.

Personally I prefer this system than the Tyrone model that Armagh have since adopted where league and championship are linked. I've always believed clubs should only move up a championship grade once they've won the grade below.

I just look at it from player point of view, I personally would hate only having a few competitive games at the end of a season rather than having 15 highly competitive league games as well as championship

[DownFanatic]

Say it every year. Whilst the JFC and IFC provincial and All Ireland competitions are extremely enjoyable and provide a pathway to Croke Park, they are in essence completely unbalanced lotteries. Mainly due to the different grading systems across the board and the lack of uniformity in competition eligibility.

Down use the same system as Cavan. In 2026 you had division 4 teams competing at intermediate level (Tullylish) and division 3 teams competing at Junior (East Belfast). Drumgath were in division 3 this year whilst being a senior club, while Rostrevor won intermediate from divsion 2.

Personally I prefer this system than the Tyrone model that Armagh have since adopted where league and championship are linked. I've always believed clubs should only move up a championship grade once they've won the grade below.

Down used to align League placings with Championship gradings and it's only in recent times that they decoupled it and brought in relegation by Championship.

So for example in 2026 we had (final league placings and championship outcomes):

Division 1

Kilcoo - SFC - Division 1 winners
Carryduff - SFC
Mayobridge - SFC
Clonduff - SFC - SFC winners
Burren - SFC - SFC runners up
Loughinisland - SFC
Warrenpoint - SFC
Glenn - SFC
Bredagh - SFC - Relegated from Division 1
Downpatrick - SFC - Relegated from Division 1

Division 2

Rostrevor - IFC - IFC winners - Division 2 winners
Bryansford - SFC - Promoted to Division 1
An Riocht - IFC - IFC runners up
Saval - SFC
Annaclone - IFC
Ballyholand - SFC - Relegated from SFC
Saul - SFC
Clann na Banna - IFC
Longstone - IFC - Relegated to Division 3
Castlewellan - SFC - Relegated to Division 3

Division 3

Drumgath - SFC - Division 3 winners
Darragh Cross - IFC - Promoted to Division 2
Liatroim - IFC
St John's - IFC
Atticall - IFC
Newry Shamrocks - IFC
Dromara - IFC
Newry Bosco - IFC - Relegated from IFC
Teconnaught - IFC - Relegated to Division 4
East Belfast - JFC - Relegated to Division 4

Division 4

Drumaness - JFC - Division 4 winners - JFC runners up
Ballymartin - IFC - Promoted to Division 3
Ardglass - IFC
Kilclief - JFC - JFC winners
Tullylish - IFC
St Paul's - JFC
Dundrum - JFC
Glasdrumman - JFC
Bright - JFC
Aughlisnafin - JFC
Aghaderg - JFC
St Michael's - JFC