2017 Cavan Senior Football Championship

The 2017 Cavan Senior Football Championship is the 109th edition of Cavan GAA's premier gaelic football tournament for senior graded clubs in County Cavan, Ireland. The tournament consists of 14 teams, with the winner representing Cavan in the Ulster Senior Club Football Championship.

The championship starts with a league stage and then progresses to a knock out stage.

Ramor United were the defending champions after they defeated Castlerahan in the previous years final, however Castlerahan exacted their revenge when dethroning them at the semi final stage.

This was Arvagh St. Patrick's return the senior grade for the first time since 1990 after claiming the 2016 Cavan Intermediate Football Championship title.

The draw for the group stages of the championship were made on 10 April 2017.

Arvagh St. Patrick's, Cúchulainn's and Mullahoran were relegated to the 2018 I.F.C. after spending 1, 12 and 39 years in the top-flight.

Cavan Gaels regained their throne as Cavan kingpins when defeating Castlerahan 0-13 to 0-8 in the final at Breffni Park on 8 October 2017. This was their 14th S.F.C. win, and also their 10th in 20 years. Captain Micheál Lyng raised the Oliver Plunkett Cup for the county town based side while Seanie Johnston claimed the "Man-of-the-Match" award.

Format

For the 2017 season the S.F.C. shall be run on a league basis up to quarter final stage and knock out thereafter. Each team will play 4 rounds in the league phase against different opponents with the fixtures decided by a random draw. Placings in the league stage shall be decided in accordance with rule 6.21 of the GAA Official Guide 2016 as amended below:

6.21 (4) If a Championship is partly organised on a League basis, the following Regulations shall apply: (a) League Results shall be credited as follows: 2 points for a win, and one for a draw. (b) If a Team is Disqualified or Retires during the course of a League Stage, its played games shall stand and its un-played games shall be awarded to the opposing teams. (c) As provided for in this Competition Regulation, when teams finish with equal points for Qualification for the Concluding Stages, or for Promotion or Relegation, the tie shall be decided by the following means and in the order specified: (i) Play-Off.

The top 8 teams in the league progress to the Quarter-Finals while the bottom 6 placed team in the league enter a Relegation Playoff with 3 teams to be relegated to the 2018 I.F.C. This will leave 12 clubs to participate in the 2018 S.F.C.

Team Changes

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The following teams have changed division since the 2016 championship season.

League Stage

All 14 teams enter the competition at this stage. A random draw determines which teams face each other in each of the four rounds. No team can meet each other twice in the group stage. The top 8 teams go into a random unseeded draw for the Quarter-Finals while the bottom 6 teams will enter a Relegation Playoff. If teams are level on points and a place in the Quarter-Final is at stake, a Playoff will be conducted to determine who goes through.

League Play-Offs

Knock-Out Stage

Relegation Play-Offs

The 6 bottom placed teams the league phase will play off against each other. The 3 winners will maintain their senior status for 2018 while the 3 losers will be relegated to the 2018 I.F.C.

References

External links

• Cavan at ClubGAA
• Official Cavan GAA Website