On Thursday evening, provincial GAA leaders from Ulster have organised a gathering to contemplate the reinstatement of the preseason league matches for the 2025 season. This discussion comes ahead of a Central Council meeting on Saturday, which will review proposals for the relaunch of various January competitions, including the McKenna Cup, O’Byrne Cup, McGrath Cup, and FBD League, all of which were cancelled for 2025 during the Central Council’s September meeting.
With the Football Review Committee’s suggested rule amendments poised to be effective from January, there has been a significant surge in endorsement to counteract the past ruling. As evidence of this, both Wicklow and Cavan have drafted proposals advocating for these games to continue, and the Connacht Council has indicated its backing for the cancellation to be overturned.
This meeting was announced via an online platform and it intends to engage chairpersons, Central Council delegates, and Ulster CCC members on Thursday evening. However, the GPA continues to oppose any such discussions, stressing their fears over the potential revival of the 2025 preseason competitions. They maintain that revoking the cancellation could place financial considerations above player wellbeing.
It should be noted that Ulster’s McKenna Cup perennially draws the most significant fan base from all the January competitions. Ulster GAA has responded to several requests from diverse counties and team managers eager to express their views prior to Saturday’s meeting and it welcomes any reversal of the previous decision to cancel the 2025 preseason games. Their stance on this matter has been consistently clear since the decision was made in September.