Following the overwhelming success of last year's revitalised Guinness All-Ireland Hurling Championship, the new format for this year's Championship was unveiled to the media at the Guinness Storehouse this afternoon. The structure was revealed at the Dublin venue, where the captains from last year's finalists, Tipperary's Tommy Dunne and Galway's Liam Hodgins, renewed their rivalry before the glare of the media.
This is the eighth year of Guinness' involvement with the hurling championship, during which time the sponsorship has grown to become the top sports sponsorship in Ireland,* with over 62% of the population having a spontaneous awareness of the sponsorship (up 12% on the previous year) and 75% showing the link between Guinness and hurling (again up 12% during 2001).
GUINNESS SHC 2002: THE NEW FORMAT - HOW IT WORKS:
1. The Leinster, Munster and Ulster Championships will be played as usual on a straight knock-out basis. The Leinster and Munster champions qualify for the All-Ireland semi-finals. The Ulster champions progress to the All-Ireland quarter-finals.
2. Three beaten teams from Leinster and Munster, plus Galway and the beaten Ulster finalists enter an eight-team open draw All-Ireland qualifier competition with the four winners progressing to the next round. However, if Galway are beaten, they will be given a second chance against one of the four winners, although not the team that beat them. Teams from the same province will be kept apart in the open draw.
3. The four survivors from the first round open draw join the beaten Leinster and Munster finalists in a group of six, who will play-off down to three, via an open draw competition. The three winners will be joined by the Ulster champions to give two All-Ireland quarter-finals.
4. The two winners from the All-Ireland quarter-finals will play the Leinster and Munster champions in the All-Ireland semi-finals.
*Source: Amarach
Filed by Shane Murray
