(As applied to the 2000 championship, winners selected alphabetically)

Provincial championship to be played as usual

All-Ireland qualifier series as follows - includes all counties that do not qualify for provincial finals.

Round One - Opening round losers (designated weaker counties get home advantage): Carlow v Cavan; Laois v Donegal; Limerick v Down; * London v Louth; Longford v Mayo; Waterford v Meath; Wicklow v Monaghan; Wexford v Tyrone. * London and New York to play off if both lose their first Connacht championship match.

Winners to play defeated provincial semi-finalists:

Round Two - Carlow v Antrim; Donegal v Cork; Down v Fermanagh; London v Offaly; Longford v Roscommon; Meath v Offaly; Monaghan v Tipperary; Tyrone v Westmeath.

Winners to play each other.

Round Three - Antrim v Cork; Down v London; Longford v Meath; Monaghan v Tyrone.

Winners to play provincial finalists.

Round Four - Antrim v Clare; Down v Derry; Longford v Dublin; Monaghan v Leitrim.

Winners to play provincial champions.

All-Ireland quarter-finals: Armagh v Antrim; Galway v Derry; Kerry v Dublin; Kildare v Leitrim.

All-Ireland semi-finals; Antrim/Armagh v Kerry/Dublin; Galway/Derry v Kildare/Leitrim

Provincial rota to be retained. If provincial champions are defeated their conquerors take the relevant semi-final place.