GAA Football Under-20 All-Ireland Championship
Current season or competition:
2023 All-Ireland Under-20 Football Championship
IrishCraobh Peile Fé-20 na hÉireann
CodeGaelic football
Founded1964; 60 years ago (1964)
RegionIreland (GAA)
TrophyClarke Cup
Title holders Kildare (3rd title)
Most titles Cork (12 titles)
SponsorsEirGrid
TV partner(s)TG4
Official websiteOfficial website

The GAA Football Under-20 All-Ireland Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the EirGrid GAA Football Under-20 All-Ireland Championship) is an annual inter-county Gaelic football competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest inter-county hurling competition for male players between the ages of 17 and 20 in Ireland. The championship was contested as the All-Ireland Under-21 Championship between 1964 and 2017 before changing to an under-20 age category from 2018.[1]

The final, usually held in August, serves as the culmination of a series of games played during the summer months, and the results determine which team receives the Clarke Cup. The All-Ireland Championship had always been played on a straight knockout basis whereby once a team loses they are eliminated from the championship.

Four teams currently participate in the All-Ireland Championship, with the most successful teams coming from the province of Munster. Teams representing this province have won a total of 22 All-Ireland titles.

The title has been won by 16 different teams, 10 of whom have won the title more than once. The all-time record-holders are Cork, who have won the championship on 12 occasions. Tyrone are the current holders.

Overview

The All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship was created in 1964 in response to a Congress motion put forward by the Kerry County Board. Since then the competition has grown in importance and profile. The championship is run on an inter-county provincial basis with the winners from Munster, Leinster, Ulster and Connacht playing off against each other in two semi-finals. Cork are the most successful teams in the history of the Under-21 Championship. Two teams have achieved three-in-a-rows; Kerry from 1975 to 1977 and Cork from 1984 to 1986. The coveted treble of winning senior, under-21, minor titles in the same year has been achieved on just one occasion, by Kerry in 1975. Because teams will only play together for at most, about two or three years, unlike the senior competition, it is unusual that one county will dominate for periods any longer than this.

It is usually considered a mark of a very promising player to play for both a county's Under 21 and Senior team at the same time. Many great players have achieved this, although one particular example would be Frank McGuigan, who, in 1973, represented Tyrone in the Ulster Finals of the Minors, Seniors and Under 21s.[2]

Roll of Honour

County Titles Runners-up Years won Years runner-up
Cork 12 5 1970, 1971, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1994, 2007, 2009, 2019 1965, 1979, 2006, 2013, 2016
Kerry 10 7 1964, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1990, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2008 1967, 1972, 1978, 1987, 1991, 1993, 1999
Galway 6 4 1972, 2002, 2005, 2011, 2013, 2020 1981, 1989, 1992, 2017
Tyrone 6 2 1991, 1992, 2000, 2001, 2015, 2022 1990, 2003
Mayo 5 7 1967, 1974, 1983, 2006, 2016 1973, 1984, 1994, 1995, 2001, 2004, 2018
Dublin 5 5 2003, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2017 1975, 1980, 2002, 2019, 2020
Kildare 3 4 1965, 2018, 2023 1966, 1976, 2008, 2022
Roscommon 2 5 1966, 1978 1969, 1982, 2012, 2014, 2021
Derry 2 2 1968, 1997 1983, 1985
Offaly 2 2 1988, 2021 1968, 1986
Donegal 2 1 1982, 1987 2010
Down 1 3 1979 1977, 2005, 2009
Antrim 1 1 1969 1974
Meath 1 1 1993 1997
Westmeath 1 0 1999 —
Armagh 1 0 2004 —
Laois 0 3 — 1964, 1998, 2007
Cavan 0 3 — 1988, 1996, 2011
Fermanagh 0 2 — 1970, 1971
Limerick 0 1 — 2000
Tipperary 0 1 — 2015
Sligo 0 1 — 2023

Appearances in final

County Appearances Wins Runners-up
Cork 17 12 5
Kerry 17 10 7
Mayo 12 5 7
Galway 10 6 4
Dublin 10 5 5
Tyrone 8 6 2
Roscommon 7 2 5
Kildare 7 3 4
Derry 4 2 2
Offaly 4 2 2
Down 4 1 3
Donegal 3 2 1
Cavan 3 0 3
Laois 3 0 3
Antrim 2 1 1
Meath 2 1 1
Fermanagh 2 0 2
Armagh 1 1 0
Westmeath 1 1 0
Limerick 1 0 1
Tipperary 1 0 1
Sligo 1 0 1

Finals listed by year

Under-20 Competition
Year Winner Score Runner Up Score
2023 Kildare 1-17 Sligo 0-12
2022[3] Tyrone 1–20 Kildare 1–14
2021 Offaly 1–14 Roscommon 1–11
2020 Galway 1–11 Dublin 0–13
2019 Cork 3–16 Dublin 1–14
2018 Kildare 1–18 Mayo 1–16
Under-21 Competition
Year Winner Score Runner Up Score
2017 Dublin 2–13 Galway 2–07
2016 Mayo 5–07 Cork 1–14
2015[4] Tyrone 1–11 Tipperary 0–13
2014[5] Dublin 1–21 Roscommon 3–06
2013[6] Galway 1–14 Cork 1–11
2012 Dublin 2–12 Roscommon 0–11
2011[7] Galway 2–16 Cavan 1–09
2010 Dublin 1–10 Donegal 1–08
2009 Cork 1–13 Down 2–09
2008 Kerry 2–12 Kildare 0–11
2007 Cork 2–10 Laois 0–15
2006 Mayo 1–13 Cork 1–11
2005 Galway 6–05 Down 4–06
2004 Armagh 2–08 Mayo 1–09
2003 Dublin 0–12 Tyrone 0–07
2002 Galway 0–15 Dublin 0–07
2001 Tyrone 0–13 Mayo 0–10
2000 Tyrone 3–12 Limerick 0–13
1999 Westmeath 0–12 Kerry 0–09
1998 Kerry 2–08 Laois 0–11
1997 Derry 1–12 Meath 0–05
1996 Kerry 1–17 Cavan 2–10
1995 Kerry 2–12, 3–10 (R) Mayo 3–09, 1–12 (R)
1994 Cork 1–12 Mayo 1–05
1993 Meath 1–08 Kerry 0–10
1992 Tyrone 1–10 Galway 1–07
1991 Tyrone 4–16 Kerry 1–05
1990 Kerry 5–12 Tyrone 2–11
1989 Cork 2–08 Galway 1–10
1988 Offaly 0–11 Cavan 0–09
1987[8] Donegal 1–07, 1–12 (R) Kerry 0–10, 2-04 (R)
1986 Cork 3–16 Offaly 0–12
1985 Cork 0–14 Derry 1–08
1984 Cork 0–09 Mayo 0–06
1983 Mayo 2–05, 1-08 (R) Derry 1–08, 1-05 (R)
1982 Donegal 0–08 Roscommon 0–05
1981 Cork 0–14, 2-09 (R) Galway 2–08, 1-06 (R)
1980 Cork 2–08 Dublin 1–05
1979 Down 1–09 Cork 0–07
1978 Roscommon 1–09 Kerry 1–08
1977 Kerry 1–11 Down 1–05
1976 Kerry 0–14 Kildare 1–03
1975 Kerry 1–15 Dublin 0–10
1974 Mayo 0–09, 2–10 (R) Antrim 0–09, 2-08 (R)
1973 Kerry 2–13 Mayo 0–13
1972 Galway 2–06 Kerry 0–07
1971 Cork 3–10 Fermanagh 0–03
1970 Cork 2–11 Fermanagh 0–09
1969 Antrim 1–08 Roscommon 0–10
1968 Derry 3–09 Offaly 1–09
1967 Mayo 2–10, 4-09 (R) Kerry 2–10, 1-07 (R)
1966 Roscommon 2–10 Kildare 1–12
1965 Kildare 2–11 Cork 1–07
1964 Kerry 1–10 Laois 1–03

References

  1. ^ "Under-21 inter-county football changed to U20 at GAA Congress". RTÉ Sport. 26 February 2017. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  2. ^ "Personalities". Archived from the original on 11 March 2007. Retrieved 8 March 2007.
  3. ^ "Tyrone crowned U20 All-Ireland football champions with six-point win over Kildare". Irish Independent. 14 May 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  4. ^ "Tyrone seal dramatic Under-21 triumph". RTÉ Sport. 3 May 2015. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  5. ^ "Dublin 1-21 Roscommon 3-6". RTÉ Sport. 3 May 2014. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
  6. ^ "U21FC final: Galway win thriller". Hogan Stand. 4 May 2013. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
  7. ^ "Galway U21 2-16 Cavan U21 1-09". RTÉ Sport. 1 May 2011. Archived from the original on 8 September 2012. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
  8. ^ "Donegal downed the Kingdom back in 1987 too". Democrat. 2 November 2012. Retrieved 2 November 2012.[permanent dead link]

External links

All-Ireland Under-21 and Under-20 Football Championship
Under-20 Championships of the Gaelic Athletic Association
Gaelic football
Categories