New Allianz Hurling League structure for 2025

The 2025 Allianz Hurling League will see a change in format, with five divisions of seven teams, and places determined by final league standings in 2024.

The announcement was made at the launch of the 2024 master fixture plan in Croke Park today.

With the split-season in place – only a motion brought forward to Congress can alter that – many of the changes confirmed for next year were relatively minor tweaks.

The change in the hurling league is among those. Moving away from the current system of two six-team groups of approximate strength in Division 1, a tiered system will be introduced in 2025.

There will be five seven-team groups, starting at the top in 1A, then 1B before working down to 2, 3 and 4, with the top two in each division meeting in a league final.

Two from each division, aside from 4, will be relegated, with each side afforded three home and away games.

With an uneven number of teams in each division, one county will not have a game during each round of fixtures.

The final tables in 2024 will determine a county's starting league position 12 months later. The top three sides in 1A and 1B, plus the fourth-placed team with the best record, will make up 1A in 2025.

Speaking at the launch in Croke Park, Central Competitions Control Committee Chairperson Derek Kent outlined that the split season brought its own restrictions.

The All-Ireland club finals will remain in January, while the 2024 football championship will again begin a week after the league finals. Last year Mayo bowed out of the Connacht championship six days after defeat to Kerry in the Division 1 football final in Croke Park.

Next year, Mayo are again in action a week after the league finals weekend, travelling away to New York with Galway travelling to