Westmeath ladies learn their championship fate

Westmeath ladies have been drawn with neighbours Longford and Louth in an all-Leinster Group 2 of this year’s All-Ireland intermediate championship.

Sean Finnegan’s Westmeath side will hope for a swift return to the senior ranks following relegation last year. Now preparing for a local derby with Longford and a meeting with last year’s junior champions Louth, they must top the group to advance to the All-Ireland semi-finals.

Roscommon, who were seeded for the draw (as were Westmeath, Meath and Sligo), will compete in Group 1 alongside Offaly and Wexford. Under the management of Michael Finneran, the Rossies reached the semi-finals last year.

Meath, beaten intermediate finalists in 2018 and 2019, will battle it out with Leitrim and Down in Group 3.

With 13 teams involved in the intermediate championship, Group 4 is made up of four counties, namely Sligo, Clare, Kildare and Laois.

The top team in Group 1 following the round-robin phase will play the Group 2 winners in the All-Ireland semi-finals, while the leading teams in Groups 3 and Group 4 will contest the other semi-final.

The draws for the LGFA All-Ireland championships at senior, intermediate and junior level were made in Portlaoise last night (Tuesday).

All-Ireland senior champions Dublin have been pitted with Waterford and Donegal in the round-robin phase of the revised championship.

Galway, the 2019 runners-up, have been drawn with last year's intermediate winners Tipperary and Monaghan in Group 2, while 11-time senior champions Cork will battle it out with Munster rivals Kerry and Cavan in Group 1.

Ulster sides Armagh and Tyrone have both been drawn together in Group 4, alongside 2019 semi-finalists Mayo (managed by Westmeath native Peter Leahy).

The four teams topping their respective groups will progress straight through to the All-Ireland semi-finals, with the first team in Group 1 facing off against the Group 2 table-toppers, while the Group 3 winners will play the top team in Group 4.

Dublin, Galway, Cork and Mayo – the 2019 semi-finalists – were seeded for the senior draw.

An open draw determined the make-up of the two groups of three teams for the junior championship round-robin phase.

Group 1 contains 2019 runners-up Fermanagh, alongside Carlow and Wicklow, while Derry, Limerick and Antrim have been pitted together in Group 2.

Ladies’ Gaelic Football Association President Marie Hickey and TG4 Director General Alan Esslemont were on hand to conduct the draws, and the 2020 finals will mark the 20th year of the long-standing partnership between the LGFA and TG4.

It was also confirmed that promotion is on offer for the winners of the 2020 junior and intermediate championships, but relegation will not apply in the intermediate and senior grades.

The dates for the 2020 TG4 All-Ireland Ladies Football Championships have yet to be confirmed.

TG4 All-Ireland LGFA Senior Championship

Group 1: Cork, Cavan, Kerry.

Group 2: Galway, Tipperary, Monaghan.

Group 3: Dublin, Waterford, Donegal.

Group 4: Mayo, Armagh, Tyrone.

TG4 All-Ireland LGFA Intermediate Championship

Group 1: Roscommon, Offaly, Wexford.

Group 2: Westmeath, Longford, Louth.

Group 3: Meath, Leitrim, Down.

Group 4: Sligo, Clare, Kildare, Laois.

TG4 All-Ireland LGFA Junior Championship

Group 1: Fermanagh, Carlow, Wicklow.

Group 2: Derry, Limerick, Antrim.