Both the Church and General national league final and the division two title match will be played in Croke Park next Spring. This new format, along with the extended playing time of 70 minutes and the introduction of five substitutes are the main initiatives behind this year's programme.

At the launch of the 1999/00 league at headquarters yesterday, the importance of the league structure to the GAA calendar was emphasised.

"The importance of our national leagues cannot be underestimated. All we need to do is look at last year's competitions to see the three finalists coming through to the championship semi-finals and also, of course, the role it played in the building of the new Cork team by Larry Tompkins - which Larry himself acknowledged quite openly," declared GAA president, Joe McDonagh.

"I suppose in many ways the football league showed - in the context of how some officers dealt with it through after-match comments, speaking of mid-summer matches - the delusions they created for themselves that were clearly obvious when they did perform in the championship afterwards. Let's get rid of the delusions and let's be honest with ourselves and treat the importance of the Church and General leagues with the due credit they deserve," he continued.

He also pointed out that revenues accumulated through the official sponsorship and gate receipts were vital components of every county budget and highlighted the progression of the games at national school level through the Church and General sponsorship.

The launch was bolstered by the presence of managerial heavyweights Tommy Carr, John O'Mahony and Larry Tompkins. All three have repeatedly vouched their belief that the league is a good breeding ground, a vital part of championship preparation and a worthwhile competition in its own right.

"We had a break after the championship and the beginning of the league is when you look around for new players and we will have some involved, so it's an exciting time for everyone. When you call in new players, it's great to see the enthusiasm and now, everyone wants to play next Sunday," said O'Mahony.

Tommy Carr has frequently advocated the benefits of the league and was positive about the latest series of amendments to feature in the programme.

"I don't believe that any team can just go out and play well in the championship. It's Russian roulette stuff. You need a fair degree of knowledge of games and situations and that's done in the league."

"Yes, we have a few players to put on the panel and whether they plug the holes or gaps remains to be seen but we'd be confident that they will. Also, the use of five substitutes is an important innovation, because heretofore there was a lot of cloak and dagger operations in trying to let three players on the bench know they are not being named," he said.

The league begins on Sunday and only teams from Divisions 1A and 1B can win outright. Lower division teams will go through for promotional places and the division two title. The top four will be promoted, replacing the bottom four in the higher divisions.