AS expected, this year's Derry intermediate football championship will have a new format, after clubs voted for a change back to straight knock-out.

Following last week's fixture meeting, clubs were asked to vote over the weekend and Derry CCC chairman Stephen Barker today confirmed the vote was 9-4, with one club abstaining.  Clubs were notified of the decision on Wednesday by email.

The senior clubs resisted change, keeping the championship as knock-out, on a vote of 11/5 - again one club abstained.  It paves the way for a second season of the traditional championship route since 2006.

The junior football championship will remain the same, with a back-door and qualifier round.  Last season Magilligan bounced back from an earlier round defeat against Limavady to take the title in October.

On the hurling front, in a new development, the championship will be tied into the league structure. The top two teams will automatically go through to the SHC semi-finals.  The remaining teams will battle it off in a series of play-offs for the other two slots.  The losing teams in the play-offs will go on to contest the intermediate and junior hurling finals.

The CCC have requested clubs to submit any specific fixture requests and it's understood the final fixture list will be rolled out next Thursday.

In underage, as promised, the Féile will have a later start.  The football competition will commence on Sunday March 5, the hurling two weeks later on March 26.

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