The start of the 2020/21 season has moved a step closer today with fixture details for the Energia Men's All-Ireland League and Community Series announced.
The action gets under way on the weekend of Saturday, 26 September with the start of the Energia Community Series - a standalone competition that will pit AIL teams from within the same province against each other in league format.
Leinster, Munster and Ulster all have two conferences each based on final positions in the 2019/20 league.
There are some novel pairings on the opening weekend where in Leinster Conference 1, Dublin sides St Mary's College and Clontarf meet at this level for the first time in over two years.
The top ranked Ulster teams from 2019/20 meet in their Conference 1 with Malone at home to Ballynahinch.
Connacht has a single conference of five teams, four of which are from Division 2B in the AIL.
Division 2A outfit Buccaneers host Sligo while Galway Corinthians are at home to Ballina.
Teams in Munster Conference 1 range across three AIL Divisions with the likes of Division 2A outfit Cashel away to Shannon in Round 1.
Stage 2 of the season will commence from 1 January and sees the easing of travel restrictions for teams in line with the IRFU's principles of player welfare and Covid-19 risk mitigation.
The first All-Ireland competition to commence will be the Energia All-Ireland Junior Cup on 2 January 2021.
Tha is due to be followed a week later by the return of the Men’s and Women’s All-Ireland Leagues.
Teams that finished in the top two within their respective divisions in 2019/20 will be rewarded with five home games in the nine-game season in 2021.
The Women’s All-Ireland League and Community Series fixtures are in the process of being finalised.
Fixtures have been issued directly to clubs and will be available here.
