GAA director general Tom Ryan has indicated that the All-Ireland hurling and football finals could be pushed into August from 2026 but he ruled out a possible return to September deciders.
Since 2022, All-Ireland finals have been played in July, with the calendar being re-arranged around the split-season formula of reserved time for club and inter-county.
While surveys indicate the split season is favoured by players, it has met opposition from supporters, as well as critics, who feel the GAA is losing promotional potential by concluding its most high-profile competitions in mid-summer.
In his annual report, Ryan suggested that All-Ireland finals could edge back into early August in the future, adding that such a move "would be no bad thing."
"There is a gathering mood to shuffle the finals back by a week or two, and that may well transpire in the future," Ryan said.
"Stretching the season out a little would be no bad thing – but I don't foresee a return to September.
"A further opportunity to stretch the season might well present itself at the other end of things, in January. Perhaps the suspension of the provincial pre-season competitions could point to starting the Allianz Leagues a little earlier in future?
"It’s probably too early to reach conclusions around this yet. 2025 is just a trial and the competitions are still on hold. But it merits debate."
There are already changes to the current approach on the agenda, with a motion going to Congress proposing that All-Ireland finals go straight to replays rather than extra-time, in the wake of last summer's All-Ireland hurling final between Clare and Cork.
"Congress is also asked to consider reintroducing replays for drawn provincial finals, and to dispense with extra time after a drawn All-Ireland final," said Ryan. "Instead, we will [vote on whether to] go straight to a replay. These proposals both address specific scenarios which arose this year and gave rise to some disquiet. That is the value of a trial, you learn, you listen and you adapt."
While Ryan suggested that the suspension of the pre-season competitions could offer scope for starting the inter-county season earlier, he pronounced himself "underwhelmed" by the impact the suspension of the pre-season competitions has had with regard to its stated objective - player welfare.
If the closed season was not observed by teams, Ryan said, then sacrificing the pre-season provincial competitions was "pointless."
"Key to that objective is the concept of a reasonable closed season that is universally observed. We dispensed with the provincial preseason competitions to advance that goal.
"It was a matter of some contention at the time, and opinions were very much divided as to whether it would work.
"It's early days I know, and the definitive data is not yet to hand at the time of writing, but I am somewhat underwhelmed at the outcome.
"If this structure is to persist, we must make it work, otherwise the sacrifice of those competitions is just pointless."
Elsewhere in the report, Ryan said the spiralling cost of construction meant the GAA would have to scale back the number of capital projects that receive central funding.
In light of this, he suggested that GAA units should consider thinking about sharing facilities in the future.
"We need to approach GAA capital projects differently. Shared developments have long been anathema to our thinking, I know, but if we can share with universities, share with other organisations then why not share between ourselves?
"What would our infrastructure landscape look like if we were to prioritise half a dozen facilities around the country for prioritised investment, remove the local funding burden, and designate them as provincially or nationally shared? Don't dismiss it out of hand."
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