East Cork Junior A Football Championship
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| East Cork Junior A Football Championship | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Code | Gaelic Football |
| Founded | 1927 |
| Region | Imokilly (GAA) |
| Trophy | Jim Ryan Cup |
| No. of teams | 12 |
| Title holders | Castlemartyr (7th title) |
| Most titles |  Glanmire (20 titles) |
| Sponsors | Michael O'Connor Motor Factors |
The East Cork Junior A Football Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Michael O'Connor Motor Factors East Cork Junior A Football Championship) is an annual Gaelic football competition organised by the Imokilly Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1927 for junior Gaelic football teams in East Cork.
The series of games begin in March, with the championship culminating with the final in the autumn. The championship includes a group stage and a knockout stage which guarantees at least 3 championship matches.
The East Cork Junior A Championship is an integral part of the wider Cork Junior A Football Championship. The winners of the East Cork championship join their counterparts from the other seven divisions to contest the county championship.
As of 2024, 12 clubs were participating in the East Cork Championship.[1] The title has been won at least once by 17 different clubs. The all-time record-holders are Glanmire, who have won a total of 20 titles.
Castlemartyr are the title-holders, defeating Carrigtwohill by 1–10 to 0–12 in the 2024 championship final.
Format
[edit]Group stage
[edit]The 12 teams are divided into three groups of four. Over the course of the group stage, each team plays once against the others in the group, resulting in each team being guaranteed at least three games. Two points are awarded for a win, one for a draw and zero for a loss. The teams are ranked in the group stage table by points gained, then scoring difference and then their head-to-head record. The top two teams in each group qualify for the knockout stage.
Knockout stage
[edit]Quarter-finals: Two lone quarter-finals featuring the four lowest-placed qualifying teams from the group stage. Two teams qualify for the next round.
Semi-finals: The two quarter-final winners and the top two highest-placed qualifying teams from the group stage contest this round. The two winners from these games advance to the final.
Final: The two semi-final winners contest the final. The winning team are declared champions.
Promotion and relegation
[edit]At the end of the championship, the winning team enters the Cork Junior A Football Championship. The winner of this is automatically promoted to the Cork Premier Junior Football Championship for the following season. The two worst-ranked teams from the group stage take part in a playoff, with the losing team being relegated to the East Cork Junior B Football Championship.
Teams
[edit]2024 teams
[edit]The 12 teams competing in the 2024 East Cork Junior A Football Championship are:
| Team | Location | Colours | Position in 2024 | In championship since | Championship Titles | Last Championship Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Aghada
|
Aghada | Green and white | Group stage | 4 | 1989 | |
 Bride Rovers
|
Rathcormac | Green, white and gold | Relegated | ? | 3 | 2021 |
 Carrignavar
|
Carrignavar | Green and red | Group stage | ? | 1 | 1975 |
 Carrigtwohill
|
Carrigtwohill | Blue and yellow | Runners-up | ? | 3 | 2000 |
| Castlemartyr
|
Castlemartyr | Red and white | Champions | ? | 7 | 2024 |
 Cloyne
|
Cloyne | Red and black | Quarter-finals | ? | 6 | 2016 |
| Dungourney
|
Dungourney | Green and gold | Group stage | 2024 | 0 | — |
.svg){kind=small} Erin's Own
|
Caherlag | Red and blue | Semi-finals | ? | 6 | 2019 |
| Fr. O'Neill's
|
Ballymacoda | Red and green | Group stage | ? | 4 | 2015 |
| Lisgoold
|
Lisgoold | Blue and yellow | Quarter-finals | ? | 1 | 2023 |
 Midleton
|
Midleton | Black and white | Semi-finals | ? | 12 | 2020 |
 Youghal
|
Youghal | Maroon, white and yellow | Relegation playoff winners | ? | 7 | 1999 |
List of finals
[edit]List of East Cork JAFC finals
[edit]| Year | Winners | Runners-up | # | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Score | Club | Score | ||
| 2024 | Castlemartyr | 1-10 | Carrigtwohill | 0-12 | |
| 2023 | Lisgoold | 2-09 | Carrignavar | 0-10 | |
| 2022 | Cobh | 4-11 | Castlemartyr | 2-09 | |
| 2021 | Bride Rovers | 3-09 | Cobh | 0-10 | |
| 2020 | Midleton | [2] | |||
| 2019 | Erin's Own | [2] | |||
| 2018 | Midleton | [2] | |||
| 2017 | Erin's Own | [2] | |||
| 2016 | Cloyne | [2] | |||
| 2015 | Fr. O'Neill's | [2] | |||
| 2014 | Glenbower Rovers | [2] | |||
| 2013 | Glenbower Rovers | [2] | |||
| 2012 | Glenbower Rovers | [2] | |||
| 2011 | Glenbower Rovers | [2] | |||
| 2010 | Cloyne | [2] | |||
Roll of honour
[edit]By club
[edit]| # | Club | Titles | Championship wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glanmire
|
20 | 1929, 1930, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1936, 1937, 1946, 1950, 1951, 1957, 1958, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1977 |
| 2 | Midleton
|
12 | 1928, 1935, 1938, 1939, 1949, 1962, 1967, 1969, 1974, 1992, 2018, 2020 |
| 3 | Cobh
|
10 | 1927, 1944, 1947, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1960, 1988, 2022 |
| 4 | Youghal
|
7 | 1940, 1941, 1945, 1952, 1959, 1984, 1999[2] |
 Glenville
|
7 | 1948, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1978, 1979, 1995 | |
| Castlemartyr
|
7 | 1982, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 2024 | |
| 7 | Cloyne
|
6 | 1976, 2001, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2016 |
| Erin's Own
|
6 | 1994, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2017, 2019 | |
| 9 | Aghada
|
4 | 1980, 1981, 1983, 1989 |
| Fr. O'Neill's
|
4 | 1996, 1998, 2006, 2015 | |
| 11 | Carrigtwohill
|
3 | 1993, 1997, 2000 |
| Glenbower Rovers
|
4 | 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014[2] | |
| Bride Rovers
|
3 | 2004, 2007, 2021 | |
| 14 | Russell Rovers
|
1 | 1931 |
| Combined Services | 1 | 1941 | |
| 19th Battalion | 1 | 1942 | |
| Carrignavar
|
1 | 1975 | |
| Lisgoold
|
1 | 2023 |