Championship hurling gets a major make-over in the final report of the GAA's Fixtures Task Force, which was presented in Croke Park yesterday.

The proposals of the Hurling Development Committee (HDC), which were incorporated in full into the report, recommend a new three-tier hurling championship starting in 2005, including the introduction of two new championship trophies.

Such a championship format was hinted at in the draft report of the HDC released in early October, and after some minor readjustments will now go before Congress for approval next April.

If passed, it will come into effect for the 2005 championship and, like all the recommendations of the task force, would operate without change for the five-year period until 2009. Another review would take place after that period.

The three tiers would be decided on the status of counties at the end of next season's National Hurling League. The 12 Division One teams would make up tier one, and compete for the regular All-Ireland title, and the Liam McCarthy Cup.

Tier two would be made up of the 10 counties in Division Two of the league, and tier three of the remaining counties, or those in Division Three. Two new trophies will be presented to the winners of the tier two and tier three championships, to be named after former hurling greats such as Christy Ring and Nicky Rackard.

Also part of the new format will be promotion-relegation play-offs between the three championship tiers, which is central to the idea of providing meaningful competition to all counties.

According to Pat Dunny, the Kildare native and chairman of the HDC, the new format is specifically designed to attain the best possible degree of competitive balance. Among the other HDC members present in Croke Park yesterday were Tipperary's Nicky English and Wexford's Liam Griffin.

"We are very happy that this type of structure will give every county an opportunity to play in a competition that they can aspire to actually winning," said Dunny. "And they can also measure their success with the opportunity for promotion.

"We have taken this report to the four provinces now and the reception has been good. But we have also retained the provincial championships, and made sure every team in the country gets a minimum of three intercounty games, and in most cases four."

While the provincial championships remain, there are some additions to the senior, or tier one, championship. Four All-Ireland quarter-finals will take place, as opposed to the two at present, with the intention of getting the best eight teams in the country to that stage of the championship.

Essentially, 12 teams will contest the senior championship, decided on the following basis: five teams each from Munster and Leinster, the Ulster championship winners and Galway. But the provincial championships in Munster, Leinster and Ulster will continue to be played in their current knockout format.

Then comes the new qualifier competition. The beaten first-round losers in Munster and Leinster, as well as the beaten semi-finalists, enter the qualifier draw together with Galway and the Ulster championship winners. These eight teams are divided into two groups on the basis of a draw, and thus play off against each other in three games.

The new All-Ireland quarter-finals will then be grouped as follows: the top team from each qualifier group against the runners-up in either the Munster or Leinster final, and the second team from each qualifier group against the winners of the Munster or Leinster final. The All-Ireland semi-finals and final then follow.

The tier two and tier three championships will be decided on a league format. In tier two, two groups are established with five teams in each, who play off to decide the top team in each group, who then enter the semi-finals.

Similarly, tier three is divided into two groups of four, and one of three, with the winners of each group plus the winners of a play-off between the runners-up in each groups of four to contest the semi-finals.

Expanding on the benefits of the new format, Liam Griffin spoke with typical passion on what he perceived to be the main issues at stake.

"Addressing the hurling situation in weaker counties is a complex problem," he said, "and it won't be easy to close that gap with the stronger counties. But that level of progress is not right within the current championship. This at least provides a new pathway for progress, and for deliverance. And the abyss that the weaker counties faced every year is lifted.

"And if the ambition is great enough, and if the hurling people in these counties are willing to work hard enough, then at least they know now that progress can be made, and that the chance is there for some sort of success and recognition."

Further parts of that recognition, along with their own trophy for the two tiers, is the introduction of a trip to New York for the tier two winners, and also a second All Star team selected from players of tier two and tier three. It is also proposed that the second and third tier finals be played as curtain-raisers to the final stages of the senior championship, and that live TV coverage of the senior games be extended to include the lower tier games.

Finally, the relegation and promotion between tiers would be decided as follows: teams finishing in third and fourth position of the tier one qualifying groups would play off to decide who goes down, and be replaced by the winners of the tier two championship. Similarly, teams in fourth and fifth positions of tier two play off for the swap with the tier three champions.

Interestingly, the cost factor to the weaker counties in turning out more competitive teams for championship purposes was not a major issue presented to the HDC during their presentations around the country. Any extra cost incurred, it seems, is a small price to pay for the increased profile of hurling in each county.

Meanwhile, the HDC will continue to explore ways of promoting the game at the more local level of schools and clubs in their efforts to broaden the interest in hurling around the country.

HDC Main proposals

The senior hurling championship be confined to 12 teams. The latter rounds include a qualifier structure comprising two groups with four teams in each (including Galway and the Ulster champions).

This championship to have four quarter-finals (as opposed to the current two) - Munster and Leinster champions v qualifier runners-up/ Munster and Leinster runners-up v qualifier winners.

A separate, second tier championship (10 teams) and third tier championship (11 teams) be organised.