This afternoon's GAA Central Council meeting will decide whether the National Leagues will switch to a calendar-year season from next year. Hurling has been organised on this basis for the past five years but the proposal of the Competitions Work Group report is that the National Football League should follow suit next February. If accepted, there will be a close season for national intercounty activity between October and February.

The report also recommends the extended use of extra-time rather than replays to determine matches level after 70 minutes. Under the proposals, all football championship qualifiers and the All-Ireland quarter-finals (two of which went to replays this month) would play extra-time. All other drawn championship matches would still require replays. Extra-time would consist of 10 rather than 15 minutes per half.

Another issue on the agenda is the disbursement of the additional revenue raised by the All-Ireland qualifier series. A number of counties have been complaining that the system has meant the expense of more intercounty matches and declining income as the televised coverage of qualifiers on a Saturday has affected attendances at club fixtures.

The appeal of Cork football manager Larry Tompkins concerning his three-match sideline ban will also be heard. The ban was imposed by the Games Administration Committee in respect of incidents during the Munster football final during which Tompkins clashed with a Kerry player and intruded onto the field of play.