Leinster Under-20 Football Championship

The Leinster GAA Football Under-20 Championship, known simply as the Leinster Under-20 Championship, is an annual inter-county Gaelic football competition organised by the Leinster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest inter-county football competition for male players between the ages of 17 and 20 in the province of Leinster. The championship was contested as the Leinster Under-21 Championship between 1964 and 2016 before changing to an under-20 age category from 2018. It is sponsored by EirGrid.

Leinster Under-20 Football Championship
Current season or competition:
2022 Leinster Under-20 Football Championship
IrishCraobh Peile Laighean Fé-20
CodeGaelic football
Founded1964 (1964)
RegionLeinster (GAA)
TrophyFlood Cup
No. of teams11
Title holders Kildare (13th title)
Most titles Dublin (16 titles)
SponsorsEirGrid
TV partner(s)TG4
Official websiteLeinster GAA website

The final, currently held in July, serves as the culmination of a series of games played during a five to six-week period, and the results determine which team receives the Flood Cup. The championship has usually been played on a straight knockout basis whereby once a team loses they are eliminated from the championship.

The Leinster Championship is an integral part of the wider GAA Football Under-20 All-Ireland Championship. The winners of the Leinster final, like their counterparts in the other three provinces, advance to the semi-final stage of the All-Ireland series of games.

Eleven teams currently participate in the Leinster Championship, with Kilkenny remaining the only county not to field a team. The title has been won at least once by eight teams, with seven of these winning the title more than once.

Current format

Overview

The Leinster Championship is a single elimination tournament. Each team is afforded only one defeat before being eliminated from the championship. Pairings for matches are drawn at random and there is currently no seeding. Each match is played as a single leg. If a match is drawn there is a period of extra time, however, if both sides are still level at the end of extra time a replay takes place and so on until a winner is found.

Progression
Teams entering in this round Teams advancing from previous round
First round
(6 teams)
  • 6 teams drawn at random
Quarter-finals
(8 teams)
  • 5 teams who receive a bye at random
  • 3 winners from the first round
Semi-finals
(4 teams)
  • 5 winners from the quarter-finals
Final
(2 teams)
  • 2 winners from the semi-finals

Qualification for subsequent competitions

The Leinster Championship winners gain automatic entry to the semi-final stage of the All-Ireland Championship. Unlike, the hurling counterpart, there is no "back-door" for the runners-up.

Managers
See also: List of Gaelic football managers

Managers in the Leinster Championship are involved in the day-to-day running of the team, including the training, team selection, and sourcing of players from the club championships. Their influence varies from county-to-county and is related to the individual county boards. The manager is assisted by a team of two or three selectors and an extensive backroom team consisting of various coaches. The under-20 team manager also works closely with the senior team manager due to an overlap of players on both teams. Prior to the development of the concept of a manager in the 1970s, teams were usually managed by a team of selectors with one member acting as chairman.

Winning managers (1999–present)
Manager Team Wins Winning years
Dessie Farrell Dublin 4 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017
Jim Gavin Dublin 3 2009, 2010, 2012
Luke Dempsey Westmeath 2 1999, 2000
Paddy Canning Dublin 2 2002, 2005
Seán Dempsey Laois 2 2006, 2007
Tom Gray Dublin 2 2019, 2020
Colours of Kildare Brian Flanagan Kildare 2 2022, 2023
Paul Kenny Meath 1 2001
Tommy Lyons Dublin 1 2003
Peadar Mac Canann Kildare 1 2004
Glenn Ryan Kildare 1 2008
Kevin Kehoe Wexford 1 2011
Kieran McGeeney Kildare 1 2013
Davy Burke Kildare 1 2018
Declan Kelly Offaly 1 2021

Roll of honour
# County Titles Runners-up Years won Years runners-up
1 Dublin 16 10 1974, 1975, 1980, 1984, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020 1976, 1992, 1993, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023
2 Kildare 13 8 1965, 1966, 1967, 1972, 1976, 1983, 1992, 2004, 2008, 2013, 2018, 2022, 2023 1973, 1977, 1980, 1985, 1989, 2005, 2015, 2016
3 Offaly 9 7 1968, 1971, 1973, 1977, 1979, 1986, 1988, 1995, 2021 1964, 1965, 1970, 1972, 1978, 2007, 2017
4 Laois 8 6 1964, 1969, 1982, 1987, 1994, 1998, 2006, 2007 1975, 1986, 1999, 2009, 2019, 2020
Meath 8 5 1985, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2001 1971, 1987, 1994, 2000, 2014
6 Louth 3 4 1970, 1978, 1981 1979, 1983, 1996, 2012
7 Westmeath 2 3 1999, 2000 1995, 1997, 2010
8 Wexford 1 4 2011 1968, 1974, 1988, 2008
9 Longford 0 7 - 1966, 1981, 1982, 2003, 2006, 2011, 2013
Wicklow 0 5 - 1967, 1969, 1990, 1991, 2002
Carlow 0 1 - 1984

List of finals
Year Winner Score Opponent Score
2023 Kildare 0-16 aet Dublin 0-13
2022 Kildare 0-17 Dublin 0-15
2021 Offaly 0-15 Dublin 3-03
2020 Dublin 0-18 Laois 0-08
2019 Dublin 4-18 Laois 0-17
2018 Kildare 1-15 Dublin 0-10
2017[1] Dublin 2-14 Offaly 0-08
2016[2] Dublin 2-14 Kildare 0-17
2015[3] Dublin 3-10 Kildare 1-12
2014[4] Dublin 0-15 Meath 0-10
2013[5] Kildare 1-12 Longford 0-12
2012 Dublin 1-16 Louth 0-08
2011 [6] Wexford 1-09 Longford 0-11
2010 Dublin 1-12 Westmeath 0-09
2009 Dublin 0-12 Laois 0-09
2008 Kildare 0-10 Wexford 0-06
2007 Laois 0-13 Offaly 1-07
2006 Laois 0-09 Longford 0-07
2005 Dublin 0-13 Kildare 0-11
2004 Kildare 1-10 Dublin 0-12
2003 Dublin 3-13 Longford 1-06
2002 Dublin 1-17 Wicklow 2-04
2001 Meath 0-10 Dublin 0-05
2000 Westmeath 0-07 Meath 0-06
1999 Westmeath 1-09 Laois 0-10
1998 Laois 1-13 Dublin 1-07
1997 Meath 1-11 Westmeath 0-07
1996 Meath 1-08 Louth 0-08
1995 Offaly 0-14 Westmeath 0-08
1994 Laois 1-17 Meath 1-13
1993 Meath 2-11 Dublin 2-09
1992 Kildare 2-12 Dublin 0-09
1991 Meath 0-09 Wicklow 1-05
1990 Meath 1-14 Wicklow 0-06
1989 Meath 2-05 Kildare 0-09
1988 Offaly 2-07 Wexford 2-05
1987 Laois 1-12 Meath 1-08
1986 Offaly 1-10 Laois 0-09
1985 Meath 2-07 Kildare 0-12
1984 Dublin 0-09 Carlow 1-05
1983 Kildare 1-13 Louth 1-08
1982 Laois 2-11 Longford 0-03
1981 Louth 2-08 Longford 0-06
1980 Dublin 0-10 Kildare 0-08
1979 Offaly 4-14 Louth 5-04
1978 Louth 2-08 Offaly 2-07
1977 Offaly 0-12 Kildare 0-04
1976 Kildare 1-12 Dublin 0-09
1975 Dublin 0-12 Laois 1-06
1974 Dublin 1-10 Wexford 0-08
1973 Offaly 3-08 Kildare 3-06
1972 Kildare 2-09 Offaly 0-06
1971 Offaly 1-09 Meath 0-11
1970 Louth 2-13 Offaly 3-09
1969 Laois 2-07 Wicklow 2-06
1968 Offaly 2-13 Wexford 0-07
1967 Kildare 3-11 Wicklow 0-04
1966 Kildare 4-14 Longford 2-05
1965 Kildare 1-11 Offaly 0-10
1964 Laois 1-08 Offaly 0-08

Records and statistics

Team
  • Most titles: 16:
    • Dublin (1974, 1975, 1980, 1984, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020)
  • Most consecutive title wins: 4:
    • Dublin (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017)
  • Most appearances in a final: 23:
    • Dublin (1974, 1975, 1986, 1980, 1984, 1992, 1993, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020)
  • Most appearances in a final without winning: 7:
    • Longford (1966, 1981, 1982, 2003, 2006, 2011, 2013)

By decade

The most successful team of each decade, judged by number of Leinster Championship titles, is as follows:

  • 1960s: 3 for Kildare (1965–66-67)
  • 1970s: 4 for Offaly (1971-73-77-79)
  • 1980s: 2 each for Dublin (1980–84), Laois (1982–87), Meath (1985–89) and Offaly (1986–89)
  • 1990s: 5 for Meath (1990-91-93-96-97)
  • 2000s: 4 for Dublin (2002-03-05-09)
  • 2010s: 7 for Dublin (2010-12-14-15-16-17-19)

Gaps

Top three longest gaps between successive championship titles:

  • 26 years: Offaly (1995-2021)
  • 18 years: Dublin (1984-2002)
  • 13 years: Laois (1969-1982)

References
  1. "Con O'Callaghan tips the scales for Dessie Farrell's young Dubs". Irish Examiner. 4 April 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  2. "Con O'Callaghan tips the scales for Dessie Farrell's young Dubs". Irish Examiner. 4 April 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  3. "Leinster U21 FC: Goals win it for Dubs". Hogan Stand. 2 April 2015. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  4. "Leinster U21 FC final: Dubs squeeze past Royals". Hogan Stand. 2 April 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  5. "Hurley leads charge as Kildare end drought". Irish Examiner. 4 April 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
  6. "O'Regan puts Wexford into history books". Irish Independent. 7 April 2011. Retrieved 7 April 2011.
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