The 2018 All-Ireland football Championship will be given a major facelift.
The annual GAA Congress has voted in favour of the most significant changes since the introduction of the qualifiers in 2001, with the controversial 'Super 8' proposal passed.
Despite protestations from both the Gaelic Players Association and the Club Players Association, the GAA's proposal comfortably passed the two-thirds majority needed, with 76 percent voting in favour.
It means that for a three year trial period starting next year, the All-Ireland football quarter finals will now be replaced with a round-robin series, with two groups of four teams.
Each group will contain two provincial winners, and two teams that have emerged through the qualifier system, with each team playing one game at home, one away, and one at Croke Park.
It was a decision that was met with a mixed reaction on social media.
"Super8" farcical. GAA should focus on giving counties outside top 4 something to play for. Structure needs massive reform. #Prioritise
— Podge Collins (@PodgeCollins) February 22, 2017
Democracy wins out. Huge credit to all those who put in effort over last number of YEARS to make these changes happen #GAAcongress17
— Dick Clerkin (@dickclerkin8) February 25, 2017
While there will be 8 extra games at the quarter final stage due to the new round-robin, there'll also be less time to do it. The dream of September is now becoming the dream of August, after another important motion was given a 78 percent backing. The All-Ireland finals in both codes will now be played in August, while Congress also overwhelmingly voted in favour of scrapping replays, except for provincial and All-Ireland finals.
Friday night saw the election of the GAA's new president at Croke Park, with Dublin's John Horan a popular winner.
Despite being in a crowded group of five, he reached the required quota on the first count, taking 144 of the 278 votes.
A Na Fianna clubman, the 58-year-old will be the first Dublin-born president of the association since Daniel McCarthy in 1921.
Afterwards, Horan spoke to GAA.ie, describing his election as a "great honour for my club, and a great honour for my family, and my county as well."
