Louth GAA Division 3 restructured for 2025 season

Louth GAA will restructure Division 3 football in 2025 after clubs voted to amalgamate the 3A and 3B divisions into a single Division 3 at this month's County Board meeting.

The proposal was passed by 24 votes to 16 and will bring an end to the split that was introduced several years ago.

The motion to combine the divisions was proposed by Na Piarsaigh-Blackrock who argued that the current format had grown stale from teams playing each other too frequently.

Support for the proposal came from clubs like Naomh Fionnbarra and Wolfe Tones. However, some clubs including St Nicholas', Dowdallshill, Cuchulainn Gaels, and Annaghminnon Rovers voiced their concerns.

Their main objection was that weaker teams might struggle against stronger opposition, potentially leading to heavy defeats. 

The vote confirmed that Division 3A and 3B will merge for the 2025 season despite the divided opinions.

The new league structure will see all teams play each other once in a single round of 13 games. After the 13 games, the division will split into two sections: Division 3A (top half) and Division 3B (bottom half).

The team topping Division 3 at the end of the 13 games will be crowned league champions and earn promotion to Division 2. 

Meanwhile, the teams finishing second to fifth will enter the semi-finals, with second playing fifth and third taking on fourth.

The winner of these playoffs will face the second-from-bottom team in Division 2 in a promotion/relegation decider.

At the other end of the table, the eighth to eleventh-placed teams will also compete in the semi-finals, with eighth playing eleventh and ninth facing tenth. The winners will go on to contest the final to claim the Division 3 league trophy.