The 2021

All-Ireland Senior Football Championship The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (SFC) ( ga, Craobh Shinsir Peile na hÉireann) is the premier competition in Gaelic football. An annual tournament organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), it is contested by the county ...

was the 134th edition of the

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional ...

's premier inter-county

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 since its establishment in 1887. Thirty one of the thirty two Irish counties took part –

Kilkenny Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512. Kilken ...

did not compete.

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

were withdrawn as a result of the public health restrictions imposed due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. Most division three and four teams who did not reach their provincial final were scheduled to compete in the 2021 Tailteann Cup. In previous years, they would have competed in the All-Ireland qualifiers. The introduction of the Tailteann Cup competition was postponed until 2022 (having been originally postponed from 2020). There was no "Super 8" group stage (officially the all-Ireland quarter-final group stage). The four provincial winners advanced to the All-Ireland semi-finals which were played as single knockout games.

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

were the six-time defending champions, and were seeking to claim an unprecedented seventh consecutive title. Having won the Leinster championship, they were defeated by Mayo in the All-Ireland semi-finals. The

All-Ireland final The All-Ireland Final may refer to: * All-Ireland Hurling Final, the last match to be played in the All-Ireland Hurling Championship (Senior, Minor and Under-21 levels) * The last match to be played in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship ...

was played on 11 September 2021 at

Croke Park Croke Park ( ga, Páirc an Chrócaigh, ) is a Gaelic games stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Named after Archbishop Thomas Croke, it is referred to as Croker by GAA fans and locals. It serves as both the principal national stadium of Ireland and he ...

, between Tyrone and Mayo, in what was their first ever meeting in a final. Tyrone won their 4th title after a 2–14 to 0–15 win against Mayo. Mayo lost their 11th consecutive final since

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...

, losing 6 finals in 9 years, with this latest defeat on an identical scoreline to

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

, when Mayo lost to Dublin.

Competition format

Provincial Championships format

Connacht Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and Delbhn ...

Leinster Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ir ...

Munster Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following the ...

and

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United King ...

each organise a

provincial Provincial may refer to: Government & Administration * Provincial capitals, an administrative sub-national capital of a country * Provincial city (disambiguation) * Provincial minister (disambiguation) * Provincial Secretary, a position in Can ...

championship. These tournaments are all straight knockout. The draws took place on 19 April 2021 for the

and

championships, and on 20 April 2021 for the

and

championships.

Qualifiers (cancelled)

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the qualifiers and Super 8s (officially the All-Ireland quarter final group stage) were cancelled. Teams were eliminated following their first defeat. It was planned to limit the qualifiers to mainly teams in the top two divisions of the National Football League but, due to the restricted season as a result of the COVID-19 health measures, the qualifiers and Super 8s were cancelled in their entirety.

All-Ireland format

The four provincial champions play in two semi-finals. All matches are knock-out. Any game that ends in a draw will go straight to extra-time. If the sides are level after extra-time the game will be decided by a penalty shootout.

Rule changes since 2020 championship

* A penalty will be awarded for a 'cynical' foul that prevents a goal-scoring opportunity and occurs inside the twenty metre line or inside the semi-circular arc that extends from the centre of the twenty metre line. The player who committed the foul will receive a black card (and if they have previously received a yellow or black card, they will also receive a red card). * The existing advantage rule was modified and implemented in the 2021 National Football League. Advantage is now only allowed to a player who has been fouled in two circumstances – 1) he has a goal-scoring opportunity 2) he has an opportunity to "create or avail of time and space" on the ball. Following its introduction, referees awarded fouls earlier where previously they would have allowed play to continue and this led to complaints that the flow of the game was being disrupted. * The maor foirne (assistant manager) is not allowed to enter the field of play. * Only one person is allowed to receive the trophy during the presentation to the winners.

Symbols

f = free, m = mark, '45 = score direct from a '45, HT = Half time, AET = After extra time

Provincial championships

Connacht Senior Football Championship

and

were withdrawn from the 2020 and 2021 Connacht championships due to international travel restrictions imposed due to the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

pandemic. But both are back in the 2022 season. There was a full open draw for first time in over 40 years. It took place on 19 April 2021.

Leinster Senior Football Championship

Dublin, Kildare, Laois and Meath received byes to the quarter-final stage because they reached the semi-final stage in 2020. There was a separate draw after the quarter-finals to determine the semi-final pairings. The draw for round 1 and the quarter-finals took place on 20 April 2021. The semi-final draw took place on 4 July after the quarter-finals.

Munster Senior Football Championship

There was a return of a straight forward open draw for the first time since 2013.

Tipperary Tipperary is the name of: Places *County Tipperary, a county in Ireland **North Tipperary, a former administrative county based in Nenagh **South Tipperary, a former administrative county based in Clonmel *Tipperary (town), County Tipperary's na ...

won the title in 2020.

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

and

Kerry Kerry or Kerri may refer to: * Kerry (name), a given name and surname of Gaelic origin (including a list of people with the name) Places * Kerry, Queensland, Australia * County Kerry, Ireland ** Kerry Airport, an international airport in County ...

met in the Semi Final last year, meaning

were not permitted to be drawn together in the quarter-finals. The draw was held on 19 April 2021.

Ulster Senior Football Championship

An open draw was held on 20 April 2021 with the provision that Cavan, Derry, Monaghan and Tyrone cannot be placed in the preliminary round.

All-Ireland Series

Bracket

Semi-finals

Final

Stadia and locations

Championship statistics

*All scores correct as of 13 September 2021

Top scorer: overall

Top scorer: single game

Scoring events

All records exclude extra time. *Widest winning margin: 24 points **

Mayo Mayo often refers to: * Mayonnaise, often shortened to "mayo" * Mayo Clinic, a medical center in Rochester, Minnesota, United States Mayo may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Mayo Peak, Marie Byrd Land Australia * Division of Mayo, an Aust ...

5–20 – 0–11 Leitrim (Connacht SFC) *Most goals in a match: 6 **

Monaghan Monaghan ( ; ) is the county town of County Monaghan, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It also provides the name of its Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish and Monaghan (barony), barony. The population of the town as of the 2016 census was 7 ...

4–17 – 2–21

Armagh Armagh ( ; ga, Ard Mhacha, , "Macha's height") is the county town of County Armagh and a city in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the Pri ...

(Ulster SFC) *Most points in a match: 38 **

Longford Longford () is the county town of County Longford in Ireland. It has a population of 10,008 according to the 2016 census. It is the biggest town in the county and about one third of the county's population lives there. Longford lies at the meet ...

0–25 – 2–13

Carlow Carlow ( ; ) is the county town of County Carlow, in the south-east of Ireland, from Dublin. At the 2016 census, it had a combined urban and rural population of 24,272. The River Barrow flows through the town and forms the historic bounda ...

(Leinster SFC) **

4–17 – 2–21

(Ulster SFC) *Most goals by one team in a match: 5 **

5–20 – 0–11 Leitrim (Connacht SFC) * Highest aggregate score: 56 points **

4–17 – 2–21

(Ulster SFC) *Lowest aggregate score: 22 points **

0–15 – 0–7

Wexford Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N11 N ...

(Leinster SFC)

Miscellaneous

*Leitrim's 24-point loss to Mayo was their joint-biggest championship defeat, equalling a 1973 match, also against Mayo, that ended 7–6 to 0–3. *

caused the Connacht final and Ulster Final to move from

MacHale Park MacHale Park () is a GAA stadium in Castlebar, County Mayo, Ireland. It is the home of the Castlebar Mitchels GAA and Mayo GAA Gaelic football teams. Built in 1931, as of 2022 the ground has a capacity of approximately 28,000 and is named after ...

Castlebar Castlebar () is the county town of County Mayo, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Developing around a 13th century castle of the de Barry family, de Barry family, from which the town got its name, the town now acts as a social and economic focal poi ...

St Tiernach's Park St Tiernach's Park is the principal GAA stadium of Ulster GAA located in County Monaghan, Ireland. It is used mainly for Gaelic football. Such is its association with the town of Clones ( ), which is located to the south, the venue itself is of ...

Clones Clone or Clones or Cloning or Cloned or The Clone may refer to: Places * Clones, County Fermanagh * Clones, County Monaghan, a town in Ireland Biology * Clone (B-cell), a lymphocyte clone, the massive presence of which may indicate a pathologi ...

for first time since 1922 for Connacht and 2006 for Ulster.

Sligo Sligo ( ; ga, Sligeach , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of approximately 20,000 in 2016, it is the List of urban areas ...

do return to Connacht championship. The return of

and

to the Connacht championship was postponed until 2022. *Dublin's extended winning record gives them 11 Leinster titles in a row. *Dublin's record-breaking unbeaten streak of 45 consecutive championship games (42 wins, 3 draws) was ended by

in the All Ireland semi-final. Their previous championship defeat was back in

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, against Donegal. Dublin's unprecedented title streak (a six-in-a-row, 2015–20), came to an end also.

Awards

''The Sunday Game'' Team of the Year

The Sunday Game ''The Sunday Game'' is RTÉ's main Gaelic games television programme. It is shown on RTÉ2 every Sunday during the Football Championship and Hurling Championship seasons. It is one of RTÉ2's longest-running shows, having been on air since 197 ...

'' team of the year was picked on 11 September, the night of the final.

Kieran McGeary Kieran McGeary is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for the Pomeroy club and the Tyrone county team. Following Tyrone's All-Ireland win in 2021, he was picked by the Sunday Game panel as the footballer of the year. In December 2021, he won ...

was chosen as the Footballer of the Year by the RTÉ panel.

'' All Star Team of the Year''

The '' All Star Team of the Year'' team of the year was picked on 10 December.

was named as the

All Stars Footballer of the Year The Gaelic Athletic Association & Gaelic Player's Association All Stars Footballer of the Year — known for sponsorship reasons as the Vodafone Footballer of the Year — is a Gaelic football award. It is presented annually to the footballer wh ...

with Mayo's

Oisín Mullin Oisín Mullin (born 11 February 2000) is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for Kilmaine and the Mayo county team. Mullin will switch codes and join the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League for the 2023 season. Gaelic footbal ...

picked as the

All Stars Young Footballer of the Year The GAA & GPA Grading in education is the process of applying standardized measurements for varying levels of achievements in a course. Grades can be assigned as letters (usually A through F), as a range (for example, 1 to 6), as a percent ...

. Player has previously been selected.

Notes

References

External links

GAA official websiteGAA 2021 Master Fixture
{{DEFAULTSORT:All-Ireland Senior Football Championship All-Ireland Championship