Sligo GAA has announced changes to its adult club competitions ahead of the 2022 season. The revamp, which is designed to guarantee game time for club players sees the creation of a new warm up competition and a new U19 competition. Here are the main points:
- New division based warm up competition to start club season in April
- Club football league to start in May
- New U19 competition to run midweek across the summer
- Sligo clubs to participate in Cúchulainn cross-county club hurling competition
Football clubs will participate in a brand-new divisional competition that will replace the Abbott, Benson and Kiernan warm up competitions. Played at a round robin stage, a club's county panel players are not permitted to play. Here is the break down of each division:
| West | South | North | East |
| Castleconnor | Bunninadden | Calry/St. Josephs | Ballymote |
| Cloonacool | Coolaney/Mullinabreena | Coolera/Strandhill | Eastern Harps |
| Easkey | Curry | Drumcliffe/Rosses Point | Geevagh |
| Enniscrone/Kilglass | Tourlestrane | St. Johns | Owenmore Gaels |
| St. Farnans | Tubbercurry | St. Marys | Shamrock Gaels |
| St. Patricks | St. Molaise Gaels | St. Michaels |
The county football leagues will return on 7/8thof May. The leagues will continue with the same format as 2021. 9 rounds (8 games, 1 bye week) and a final. Promotion & relegation to will ensure Divisions 1 and 2 return to 10 teams for 2023. The club football championships will continue with the same format as 2021.
2022 will see the introduction of an Under 19 competition.
Speaking about the creation of the competition, Sligo GAA Chairman Seán Carroll said: "The gap from U17 to U20 is too big. We have already put in place an U19 development squad led by 2021 minor team manager Paul Henry. This competition will provide a competitive setting that complements that work. This is also a response to the promptings of our clubs who also identified the need for a competition of this nature."
The hurling season will open with the Dermot Molloy League. Leitrim clubs Carrick on Shannon and Cluainin Iomaint will join the six Sligo adult hurling clubs in two groups of four with the two group winners contesting the final in early June.
Sligo adult hurling teams will participate for the first time in the Cúchulainn competition – a cross county initiative involving clubs in Ulster, Leinster and Connacht. It is ran by the GAA’s National Development CCC and involves 5 rounds of group games on Wednesdays in June followed by knockout games on Saturdays in July.
Meanwhile, all six clubs will meet each other in five rounds of championship across the summer with the semi-finals and finals in October.
