The 2017 Down Senior Football Championship was the 109th official edition of
Down GAA
The Down County Board ( ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Coiste Chontae An Dún) or Down GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) in Ireland, and is responsible for the administration of Gaelic games in County Down ...
's premier
gaelic football
Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by kic ...
tournament for senior clubs in
County Down
County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 531,665. It borders County Antrim to the ...
. 16 teams compete with the winner representing Down in the
Ulster Senior Club Football Championship
The Ulster Senior Club Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football competition played between the top clubs in Ulster GAA. The trophy awarded to the winners is the Seamus McFerran Cup ( ga, Corn Shéamuis Mhic Fearáin). The winners and th ...
.
The tournament operated a
double elimination
A double-elimination tournament is a type of elimination tournament competition in which a participant ceases to be eligible to win the tournament's championship upon having lost ''two'' games or matches. It stands in contrast to a single-elimina ...
format for the opening two rounds of the championship, with the winners and early round losers rejoining at the quarter final stage.
Kilcoo Owen Roe's were the defending champions after they defeated Clonduff 3-11 to 0-9 in the 2016 final. On 1 October 2017 they successfully defended their title to claim a "6 in a row" of Down S.F.C. titles when defeating Burren 0-13 to 0-11. The final was broadcast live on
TG4
TG4 ( ga, TG Ceathair, ) is an Irish free-to-air public service television network. The channel launched on 31 October 1996 and is available online and through its on demand service TG4 Player in Ireland and beyond.
TG4 was formerly known ...
.
An Ríocht return to the senior grade after claiming the Down I.F.C. title in 2016. Bredagh make their senior comeback after breaking into the top 15 ranked teams in the Down football leagues for 2016.
Ballymartin and Bredagh are relegated to the 2018 I.F.C. after finishing outside the top 15 ranked teams in the Down football leagues for 2017. They finished 9th and 5th (ranked 21st and 17th overall) respectively in Division 2. Rostrevor and Carryduff will replace them after finishing 2nd and 3rd (ranked overall 14th and 15th) respectively in the Down ACFL Division 2 in 2017. Loughinisland gained a reprieve from relegation after finishing overall ranked 16th, however due to Rostrevor claiming the I.F.C. title, they were permitted to remain senior.
Team changes
The following teams have changed division since the 2016 championship season.
To S.F.C.
Promoted from 2016 Down Intermediate Football Championship
* An Ríocht – (IFC Champions)
* Bredagh – (IFL Champions)
From S.F.C.
Relegated to 2017 Down Intermediate Football Championship
* Annaclone
* Rostrevor
Round 1
All 16 teams enter the competition in this round. The 8 winners progress to Round 2A while the 8 losers progress to Round 2B.
Round 2
Round 2A
The 8 winning teams from Round 1 enter this round. The 4 winners enter the draw for the quarter-finals while the 4 losers play in Round 3.
Round 2B
The 8 losing teams from Round 1 enter this round. The 4 winners go into Round 3 while the 4 losing teams exit the championship.
Round 3
This is the final qualifier round. The four losing teams from round 2A (who won a match and lost a match) play the four winning teams from round 2B (who lost a match and won a match).
Quarter-finals
The 4 winners from Round 2A play the 4 winners from Round 3.
Semi-finals
Final
Last Eight
Ulster Senior Club Football Championship
References
{{Down Senior Football Championship
Down Senior Football Championship
The Down Senior Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football competition contested by top-tier Down GAA clubs. The Down County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association has organised it since 1903.
Kilcoo are the title holders (2022) def ...
Down Senior Football Championship