THE Ulster Senior Football Championship will begin on a Saturday night for the first time ever and will have two games on the opening weekend.
The preliminary round meeting of Monaghan and Fermanagh will take place on Saturday, May 20 in St Tiernach’s Park and is followed the next day by the quarter-final clash between Donegal and Antrim in Ballybofey (4pm).
The move shaves a week off the length of the Ulster Championship, which has long been a bone of contention nationally. In 2016, it took 10 Sundays to play what, ultimately, became 10 games after both semi-finals required replays. Draws between Tyrone and Cavan and Monaghan and Donegal meant an increase from the eight scheduled ties. Next year’s Championship will take nine weeks to complete, with the final taking place on Sunday, June 16 at 2pm.
The derby meeting of Derry and Tyrone will throw-in at the same time in Celtic Park on May 28, just over a year to the date since the Red Hands stormed the city venue to dismantle their rivals in the first step towards winning a first provincial crown in six years.
Having been drawn at home for their first Ulster Championship game for the first time since 1999, Down will host their own arch-rivals Armagh the following Sunday, June 4, also at 2pm.
Sunday, June 11 will see Cavan take on the winners of Monaghan v Fermanagh. The Breffni men will have home advantage if the game is against Monaghan, but would have to travel to Fermanagh should Pete McGrath’s team emerge. Bringing the first quarter-final forward allows more room for any potential replays next summer.
The second semi-final, involving the winners of Down and Armagh and whoever emerges from Cavan, Monaghan or Fermanagh, will also be a Saturday evening fixture, on June 24.
2017 ULSTER SFC
Preliminary round: Saturday 20 May, 7pm, Clones: Monaghan v Fermanagh (replay May 27); quarter-finals: Sunday 21 May, 4pm, MacCumhaill Park: Donegal v Antrim (replay May 27), Sunday 28 May, 2pm, Celtic Park: Derry v Tyrone (replay June 3), Sunday 4 June, 2pm, Páirc Esler: Down v Armagh (replay June 10), Sunday 11 June, 2pm, Breffni Park / Brewster Park: Cavan v Monaghan / Fermanagh (replay June 17); semi-finals: Sunday 18 June, 2pm: Derry / Tyrone v Donegal / Antrim (replay June 25), Saturday 24 June, 7pm: Down / Armagh v Cavan / Monaghan / Fermanagh (replay July 1); final: Sunday 16 July, 2pm (replay July 23)
