The 2017 All-Ireland Minor Football Championship was the GAA's premier inter-county gaelic football competition for under 18's. 31 county teams from Ireland competed (Kilkenny did not participate).
2017 was the final year of this competition with an under 18 age limit; an under 17 championship with a new format replaced it after a vote at the GAA congress on 26 February 2016.
The winners received the Tom Markham Cup.
Kerry won their fourth minor title in a row, defeating Derry in the final on 17 September 2017 by 6-17 to 1-08. This was the first time that any county had won four minor titles in a row.
Teams Thirty-one teams contested the championship as Kilkenny withdrew after competing in 2016. New York and London did not participate in this competition.
Format
Provincial Championships
Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster organised four provincial championships. Each province determined the format for deciding their champions and it could have been a league, group, knock-out, double-elimination, etc. or a combination of these. The format for the 2017 championships are explained in the sections below.
All-Ireland
The four provincial winners play the four provincial runners-up in the All-Ireland quarter finals. Two semi-finals and a final follow. The final is normally played before the All-Ireland senior final on the third Sunday in September. All these matches are knock-out.
Provincial championships
Connacht Minor Football Championship
Connacht Format
All five Connacht counties competed in a straight knock-out format.
Connacht Main Draw
Connacht Quarter-final
Connacht Semi-finals
Connacht final
Leinster Minor Football Championship
Leinster Format
Preliminary round
The eleven participating Leinster teams competed in six matches in the preliminary round of the main draw, with (Offaly) playing two matches due to the odd number of teams.
Losers section
The six beaten teams entered the losers' section and played four play-off matches. Two teams then re-entered the main draw at the quarter-final stage. From the quarter-finals all matches were played under a straight knock-out format.
Leinster Main Draw
Leinster Losers' Section Matches
The six beaten teams in the preliminary round of the main draw play-off in three matches. Three teams from the losers' section re-enter the main draw at the quarter-final stage.
Leinster First round
Leinster Losers Section
Leinster Quarter-finals
Leinster Semi-finals
Leinster final
GK1 David O'Hanlon (Na Fianna)RCB2 Darren Maher (St Patrick's, Donabate)FB3 Peadar Ó Cofaigh Byrne (Cuala)LCB4 Liam Flatman (Kilmacud Crokes)RHB5 Kieran Kennedy (Ballyboden St Enda's)CHB6 Neil Matthews (Erin's Isle)LHB7 Eoin O'Dea (Na Fianna)MF8 Mark Tracey (Cuala)MF9 Donal Ryan (Na Fianna) (c)RHF10 Daniel Brennan (St Sylvester's)CHF11 James Doran (Na Fianna)LHF12 James Madden (Ballyboden St Enda's)RCF13 Ross McGarry (Ballyboden St Enda's)FF14 Seán Hawkshaw (Naomh Mearnóg)LCF15 David Lacey (Na Fianna)Substitutes: 16 Adam Byrne (Naomh Ólaf) for Brennan 17 Ciarán Archer (St Maur's) for Lacey 18 Aaron Lynch (St Sylvester's) for Maher 19 Luke Doran (Naomh Ólaf) for O'Dea 20 Karl Lynch Bissett (Naomh Mearnóg) for Tracey 21 Eoghan Joyce (Ballinteer St John's) for Hawkshaw GK1 Alan McGauley (St Mary's)RCB2 Alan Connor (Newtown Blues)FB3 Philip Trainor (St Mary's)LCB4 Dan Corcoran (Geraldines)RHB5 Leonard Grey (St Patrick's)CHB6 Eoghan Callaghan (Naomh Máirtín) (c)LHB7 James O'Reilly (Cooley Kickhams)MF8 Liam Jackson (St Mary's)MF9 Conor Morgan (Naomh Máirtín)RHF10 Ben Mooney (Geraldines)CHF11 Gerry Garland (St Mochta's)LHF12 Ciarán Keenan (St Mary's)RCF13 Fearghal Malone (Cooley Kickhams)FF14 John Gallagher (John Mitchels)LCF15 Conor Gillespie (St Mary's)Substitutes: 16 Adam Molloy (Na Piarsaigh) for McGauley 17 Conor Nicholson (Dundalk Gaels) for Malone 18 Shane Hickey (Mattock Rangers) for Morgan 19 Nicky Browne (St Mochta's) for Mooney 20 Shane Byrne (Roche Emmets) for Gillespie 21 Keelan O'Neill (Glen Emmets) for Garland 22 Dean McGreehan (Cooley Kickhams) for Grey
Munster Minor Football Championship
Munster Format
All six Munster teams competed in the three quarter-finals of the main draw. The three beaten teams entered the play-off section and, after two play-off matches, one team re-entered the main draw at the semi-final stage. From the semi-finals all matches followed a knock-out format.
Munster Main Draw
Munster Playoff Rounds 1 and 2
The three beaten teams in the quarter-finals of the main draw competed in a play-off in two matches. The winning team from the play-offs re-entered the main draw at the semi-final stage.
Munster Quarter-finals
Munster Semi-finals
Munster final
Ulster Minor Football Championship
Ulster Format
All nine Ulster teams competed with the fixtures mirroring the senior fixtures i.e. if Derry are drawn to play Tyrone in their first match in the senior championship then Derry minors play Tyrone minors in their first match. Often the minor teams played immediately before the seniors. All matches followed a knock-out format.
The winners receive the Fr. Murray Cup.
Ulster Main Draw
Ulster Preliminary round
Ulster Quarter-finals
Ulster Semi-finals
Ulster final
All-Ireland
All-Ireland Main Draw
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All-Ireland Quarter-finals
The four provincial champions played the four beaten finalists from the provincial championships.
All-Ireland Semi-finals
There was no draw for the semi-finals as the fixtures are pre-determined on a three yearly rotation. This rotation ensures that a provinces's champions play the champions of all the other provinces once every three years in the semi-finals, if they each win their quarter-finals. If a provincial winner loses their quarter final, then the provincial runner-up who beat them take their place in the semi-final.
All-Ireland final
Miscellaneous Kerry win a fourth consecutive All-Ireland minor title. This is the first time this has been achieved since the beginning of the Minor Championship. Kerry set a new record of 24 consecutive wins since their last defeat in the 2013 All-Ireland Quarter-final defeat to Tyrone.
See also 2017 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship 2017 All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship
References