The 2017 All-Ireland Minor Football Championship was the GAA's premier inter-county gaelic football competition for under 18's. Thirty onecounty teams from Ireland competed. 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.
Preliminary Round The eleven participating Leinster teams competed in six matches in the preliminary round of the main draw, with 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.
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.
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
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.
