All-Ireland Junior Football Championship

All-Ireland Junior Football Championship
Current season or competition:
2026 All-Ireland Junior Football Championship
IrishCraobh Sóisear Peile na hÉireann
CodeGaelic Football
Founded1912
RegionIreland (GAA)
No. of teams5 (10 incl. All-Britain)
Title holders London (7th title)
Most titles Kerry (20 titles)

The All-Ireland Junior Football Championship (JFC) (Irish: Craobh Sóisear Peile na hÉireann) is an inter-county competition in Gaelic football. County teams compete against each other and the winner is declared All-Ireland Junior Champions. Organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), the championship has been contested since 1912 under two different formats, while retaining the same name.

The decision was taken at the 1927 GAA Congress to allow county teams under the remit of the British Provincial Council to compete in the All-Ireland Junior Football Championship. In 1928, Ulster GAA did not organise the Ulster Junior Football Championship, and so for the 1928 All-Ireland Junior Football Championship, the winners of the All-Britain Football Championship, London, were chosen to fill in the final semi-final spot. Despite London losing to Kerry by 4-10 to 2-3 at Highgate, the tournament was restructured to incorporate the All-Britain winners. Between 1929 and 1939 (with the exception of 1930, where London entered a preliminary quarter-final) the Irish junior provincial winners would compete in two semi-finals followed by a 'home' final, with the victorious 'home' finalists meeting the champions of Britain in the All-Ireland JFC final. After the Second World War, this structure resumed, and continued until 1974.

No All-Ireland JFCs were held between 1974 and 1982. While the tournament resumed in 1983, the end of the Ulster JFC and temporary end of the Connacht Junior Football Championship in the late 1980s prompted a reshuffle to the tournament's structure, among wider discontentment with football fixture congestion. In 1992, with the return of Connacht, the All-Ireland was played with simple semi-finals and a final between the Leinster, Munster, Connacht, and Britain junior provincial champions.

In Gaelic games, 'junior' is the term used to describe lower tiers behind senior (and where appropriate, intermediate) competition, rather than referring to age-grade as in some sports. Under-17 competitions in Gaelic games are referred to as 'minor' competitions. While the JFC was contested between the 'junior' county teams in Ireland between 1912 and 2021, the definition of what constituted a 'junior' player differed from county to county. In some counties, the junior team was the second team after the senior team and any players who had not played with the senior team could play with the junior team, while in others, such as Cork and Kerry, players could only be chosen from clubs within the county that played in junior or intermediate grades, with these counties unable to choose players from senior clubs even if they had not played for the senior county team. A county that won the JFC in the pre-2021 format had to pick a new team for the following year - no player could be on a winning team for two successive years.

Since 2022, the competition has involved the All-Britain winners and runners-up, alongside Kilkenny, New York, and USGAA. While New York and London compete in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship/Tailteann Cup structure, the junior teams are made up exclusively of home-grown players. Kilkenny, USGAA, and the other British counties do not field senior teams in the SFC.

With three wins, New York are the most successful team in the post-2021 format. Kerry are the most successful county in the competition's history from the pre-2021 period, having lifted the title on twenty occasions.

Teams

10 teams now compete in the championship:

County Province Stadium Provincial championship Provincial titles Last provincial title Position in 2026 Championship Championship titles Last championship title
Gloucestershire Britain Pontcanna Fields, Cardiff All-Britain Football Championship 1 2008 Group stage (All-Britain) 0 N/A
Hertfordshire Britain Radlett Road, Watford All-Britain Football Championship 3 2000 Semi-final (All-Britain) 0 N/A
Kilkenny Leinster Nowlan Park, Kilkenny N/A 3 2018 Quarter-final 1 2022
Lancashire Britain Old Bedians, Didsbury All-Britain Football Championship 12 2016 Group stage (All-Britain) 0 N/A
London Britain McGovern Park, Ruislip All-Britain Football Championship 24 2026 Champion 7 2026
New York no official province Gaelic Park, The Bronx N/A N/A N/A Semi-final 3 2025
Scotland Britain Clydebank Sports Hub, Glasgow All-Britain Football Championship 2 2019 Semi-final (All-Britain) 0 N/A
United States no official province N/A N/A N/A N/A Runner-up 0 N/A
Warwickshire Britain Páirc na hÉireann, Solihull All-Britain Football Championship 16 2023 Semi-final 0 N/A
Yorkshire Britain Páirc Beeston, Leeds All-Britain Football Championship 4 2001 Group stage (All-Britain) 0 N/A

Roll of Honour

Wins by county

County Title(s) Runners-up Years won Years runners-up
Kerry 20 5 1913, 1915, 1924, 1928, 1930, 1941, 1949, 1954, 1963, 1967, 1983, 1991, 1994, 2006, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 1997, 2000, 2002, 2010, 2014
Cork 17 3 1951, 1953, 1955, 1964, 1972, 1984, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1996, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013 1966, 1986, 1992
London 7 26 1938, 1966, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1986, 2026 1929, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1937, 1939, 1947, 1948, 1950, 1952, 1954, 1956, 1959, 1960, 1962, 1964, 1967, 1968, 1973, 1988, 1991, 1995, 2024, 2025
Dublin 6 3 1914, 1916, 1939, 1948, 1960, 2008 1926, 1930, 1971
Mayo 5 7 1933, 1950, 1957, 1995, 1997 1914, 1925, 1936, 2001, 2012, 2015, 2016
Meath 5 4 1947, 1952, 1962, 1988, 2003 1996, 1999, 2005, 2017
Galway 4 4 1931, 1958, 1965, 1985 1994, 2003, 2018, 2019
Louth 4 2 1925, 1932, 1934, 1961 1912, 1928
New York 3 1 2023, 2024, 2025 2022
Tipperary 3 0 1912, 1923, 1998 -
Roscommon 2 3 1940, 2000 2006, 2008, 2009
Wicklow 2 1 1936, 2002 1969
Cavan 2 1 1927, 2014 1941
Waterford 2 0 1999, 2004 -
Sligo 2 0 1935, 2010 -
Westmeath 1 2 1929 1915, 1940
Longford 1 1 1937 1924
Laois 1 1 1973 1993
Wexford 1 1 1992 2007
Kilkenny 1 1 2022 2023
Armagh 1 0 1926 -
Tyrone 1 0 1968 -
Monaghan 1 0 1956 -
Fermanagh 1 0 1959 -
Down 1 0 1946 -
Warwickshire 0 9 - 1946, 1951, 1955, 1957, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1990
Lancashire 0 4 - 1949, 1953, 1958, 1963
Kildare 0 4 - 1927, 1970, 2011, 2013
Carlow 0 2 - 1913, 1923
Hertfordshire 0 2 - 1965, 1972
Yorkshire 0 2 - 1961, 1983
Leitrim 0 2 - 1938, 2004
Limerick 0 1 - 1916
Offaly 0 1 - 1998
United States 0 1 - 2026

Wins by province

Province Title(s) Runners-up
Munster 42 9
Leinster 22 23
Connacht 13 16
Britain 7 42
Ulster 7 1
North America 3 2

List of finals

1912-2021: 'Junior county team' format

Year Winners Score Runners-up
1912 Tipperary 1–04 1–03 Louth
1913 Kerry 0–07 1–02 Carlow
1914 Dublin 5–04 1–06 Mayo
1915 Kerry 0–06 1–02 Westmeath
1916 Dublin 1–02 1–02 Limerick
Dublin 6–04 0–03 Limerick
1917 no championship
1918
1919
1920
1921
1922
1923 Tipperary 2–06 1–01 Carlow
1924 Kerry 1–06 0–04 Longford
1925 Louth 2–06 2–05 Mayo
1926 Armagh 4–11 0–04 Dublin
1927 Cavan 0–07 0–03 Kildare
1928 Kerry 2–08 2–03 Louth
1929 Westmeath 0–09 1–02 London
1930 Kerry 2–02 1–04 Dublin
1931 Galway 3–03 1–05 London
1932 Louth 0–06 0–04 London
1933 Mayo 3–07 2–04 London
1934 Louth 1–03 0–03 London
1935 Sligo 5–08 0–03 London
1936 Wicklow 3–03 2–05 Mayo
1937 Longford 0–09 0–07 London
1938 London 5–07 2–09 Leitrim
1939 Dublin 2–14 0–04 London
1940 Roscommon 2–09 0–05 Westmeath
1941 Kerry 0–09 0–04 Cavan
1942 no championship
1943
1944
1945
1946 Down 2–10 1–09 Warwickshire
1947 Meath 2–11 2–06 London
1948 Dublin 2–11 1–05 London
1949 Kerry 2–14 0–06 Lancashire
1950 Mayo 0-04 0-03 London
1951 Cork 5–11 1–03 Warwickshire
1952 Meath 3–09 0–04 London
1953 Cork 1–11 1–04 Lancashire
1954 Kerry 1–07 1–05 London
1955 Cork 3–09 1–05 Warwickshire
1956 Monaghan 3–07 2–06 London
1957 Mayo 2–07 2–05 Warwickshire
1958 Galway 4–05 3–01 Lancashire
1959 Fermanagh 1–11 2–04 London
1960 Dublin 2–05 0–05 London
1961 Louth 1–13 1–10 Yorkshire
1962 Meath 1–13 3–05 London
1963 Kerry 3–05 2–05 Lancashire
1964 Cork 1–08 2–04 London
1965 Galway 1–08 0–04 Hertfordshire
1966 London 1–06 0–08 Cork
1967 Kerry 0–09 0–04 London
1968 Tyrone 3–08 0–07 London
1969 London 3–09 1–12 Wicklow
1970 London 1–12 0–11 Kildare
1971 London 1–09 0–09 Dublin
1972 Cork 5–16 0–03 Hertfordshire
1973 Laois 0–12 1–08 London
1974 no championship
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983 Kerry 0–15 0–02 Yorkshire
1984 Cork 3–10 0–07 Warwickshire
1985 Galway 4–17 0–04 Warwickshire
1986 London 1–09 0–07 Cork
1987 Cork 0–14 0–03 Warwickshire
1988 Meath 1–10 0–03 London
1989 Cork 0–18 0–03 Warwickshire
1990 Cork 3–16 0–08 Warwickshire
1991 Kerry 2–14 0–05 London
1992 Wexford 1–09 0–11 Cork
1993 Cork 0–11 2–03 Laois
1994 Kerry 0–15 0–04 Galway
1995 Mayo 3–09 0–10 London
1996 Cork 4–11 0–10 Meath
1997 Mayo 2–08 1–10 Kerry
1998 Tipperary 2–09 0–06 Offaly
1999 Waterford 2–12 2–11 Meath
2000 Roscommon 0–14 0–11 Kerry
2001 Cork 1–15 3–07 Mayo
2002 Wicklow 4–09 2–12 Kerry
2003[1] Meath 0–16 2–07 Galway
2004 Waterford 1–10 1–10 Leitrim
Waterford 2–12 2–09 Leitrim
2005 Cork 0–10 1–04 Meath
2006 Kerry 1–09 0–10 Roscommon
2007 Cork 1–14 3–02 Wexford
2008 Dublin 0–13 0–07 Roscommon
2009 Cork 0–15 0–12 Roscommon
2010 Sligo 2–10 1–07 Kerry
2011[2] Cork 1–12 0–13 Kildare
2012[3] Kerry 0–19 1–07 Mayo
2013[4] Cork 0–13 1–07 Kildare
2014[5] Cavan 2–14 0–14 Kerry
2015[6] Kerry 2–18 0–10 Mayo
2016[7] Kerry 2–18 2–11 Mayo
2017[8] Kerry 2–19 1–14 Meath
2018[9] Kerry 2–13 2–11 Galway
2019 Kerry 3–14 0–13 Galway

2022-present: New 'overseas-dominant' format

Year Winners Score Runners-up Winning captain
2022 Kilkenny 3-12 1-09 New York Mick Malone
2023 New York 0-13 1-09 Kilkenny Danny Corcoran
2024 New York 0-13 0-12 London Dylan Curran
2025 New York 0-20 2-13 London Conor Mathers
2026 London 5-12 0-17 United States Noel Maher

Records and statistics

Records by county

  • Most championships: Kerry (20 times: 1913, 1915, 1924, 1928, 1930, 1941, 1949, 1954, 1963, 1967, 1983, 1991, 1994, 2006, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)
  • Most second-place finishes: London (26 times: 1929, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1937, 1939, 1947, 1948, 1950, 1952, 1954, 1956, 1959, 1960, 1962, 1964, 1967, 1968, 1973, 1988, 1991, 1995, 2024, 2025)
  • Most semi-final finishes (2022–present): Warwickshire (5 times: 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026)
  • Most quarter-final finishes (2022–present): Kilkenny (2 times: 2024, 2026)
  • Counties that have won on every final appearance:
  • Defending champions retaining their title:
    • Defended once: Cork (1989-1990)
    • Defended twice: London (1969-1971) and New York (2023-2025)
    • Defended four times: Kerry (2015-2019)
  • Longest gaps between successive championship titles:
  • Most successful team by decade:
    • 1910s: Kerry (913, 1915) and Dublin (1914, 1916)
    • 1920s: Kerry (1924, 1928)
    • 1930s: Louth (1932, 1934)
    • 1940s: Kerry (1941, 1949)
    • 1950s: Cork (1951, 1953, 1955)
    • 1960s: Kerry (1963, 1967) and London (1966, 1969)
    • 1970s: London (1970, 1971)
    • 1980s: Cork (1984, 1987, 1989)
    • 1990s: Cork (1990, 1993, 1996)
    • 2000s: Cork (2001, 2005, 2007, 2009)
    • 2010s: Kerry (2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)
    • 2020s: New York (2023, 2024, 2025)

Team results (since the 2022 restructure)

For each year, the number of teams in each championship (in brackets) are shown:

Team 2022 (9) 2023 (9) 2024 (10) 2025 (10) 2026 (10)
Gloucestershire B B B B B
Hertfordshire B B B B B
Kilkenny 1st 2nd QF SF QF
Lancashire B B B B B
London SF SF 2nd 2nd 1st
New York 2nd 1st 1st 1st SF
Scotland B B B B B
United States — — SF QF 2nd
Warwickshire SF SF SF SF SF
Yorkshire B B B B B
  • 1st – Champions
  • 2nd – Runners-up
  • SF – Semi-finals
  • QF - Quarter-finals
  • B – All-Britain

Records by province

Province Biggest contributor Most recent win
County No. County Year
Munster Mayo 5 Sligo 2010
Leinster Dublin 6 Kilkenny 2022
Connacht Kerry 20 Kerry 2019
Ulster Cavan 2 Cavan 2014
Britain London 7 London 2026
North America New York 3 New York 2025

See also

References

  1. ↑ Wall, Sean (10 April 2021). "Impressive Royals unfazed by Rogers row". Drogheda Independent.
  2. ↑ Mon; Aug, 22; 2011 - 01:00 (22 August 2011). "Resilient Rebels stick to their guns". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 17 August 2026. {{cite web}}: |first2= has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ↑ "Coach happy crown won the Kerry way". Irish Examiner. 27 August 2012. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  4. ↑ "All-Ireland JFC final: Rebels squeeze home". Hogan Stand. 24 August 2013. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  5. ↑ "All-Ireland JFC final: Hayes brace does the job for Breffni". Hogan Stand. 23 August 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  6. ↑ "All-Ireland JFC final: Kerry crowned champions". Hogan Stand. 8 August 2015. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  7. ↑ "All-Ireland JFC final: back-to-back titles for Kerry". Hogan Stand. 6 August 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  8. ↑ "Conor Cox shines as Kerry junior footballers capture three-in-a-row". Irish Examiner. 5 August 2017. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  9. ↑ "Keane praises his crew after Kerry land 19th junior crown". Irish Independent. 23 July 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2018.

Sources

This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.