BECAUSE KERRY and Derry requested that their Division One final of the Allianz National Football League be fixed for Sunday, the Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) have opted for Parnell Park in Dublin, with a 2.15pm throw-in.
It had been expected that a Saturday evening throw-in would be arranged, in order to avoid a clash with Munster's Heineken European Cup rugby semi-final against English club Saracens in Coventry, which has a scheduled 3pm start on Sunday.
While a direct clash has at least been avoided with the early throw-in, CCCC chairman Jimmy Dunne admitted that once both Kerry and Derry had stated their preference for the Sunday fixture then the CCCC were obliged to provide it.
"They had both requested the Sunday," he said, "and we also felt that it was appropriate for the main league game to be on a Sunday.
That was the original date, and it was only with consent of both counties that we would have been able to consider the Saturday night. And we're happy with that.
"We've set it for 2.15pm as well, so there is no direct clash with the rugby, so if anyone wants to catch the rugby later in the afternoon they can."
Sunday's Division One final will be preceded in Parnell Park by the Division Three final between Wexford and Fermanagh, which will have a 12.30pm throw-in.
The Division Four final will also be played on Sunday, in O'Moore Park, Portlaoise, with a 2pm throw-in.
This means only the Division Two final between Dublin and Westmeath will take place on Saturday evening, set for Páirc Tailteann in Navan, at 7pm.
"Some of the other teams weren't available on the Saturday night," added Dunne, "which is the main reason why we fixed three of them for Sunday. Tipperary weren't available for Saturday, and neither were Wexford."
The CCCC also confirmed that the All-Ireland Under-21 football final between Kerry and Kildare will be played at Semple Stadium, Thurles, on Saturday week, May 3rd, with a 7pm start.
In an interesting move, women's football matches will provide the curtain raiser to three of those fixtures: the Dublin-Westmeath final, preceded by Dublin-Meath at women's minor level; the Division Four final between Tipperary and Carlow, preceded by Laois-Kildare at women's minor; and the under-21 football final, to be preceded by the women's Division Three final between Cavan and Limerick.
Elsewhere, the much-delayed final of the Ulster Bank Sigerson Cup will be held in the grounds of the Institute of Technology, Carlow, this evening at 6.15pm.
University of Ulster, Jordanstown will meet the Garda College after the Garda College qualified for their first final since 1999 by edging out Galway-Mayo IT 2-12 to 1-14 after extra-time at Athlone last Tuesday evening.
Finally, Michael Ryan has been confirmed as the new Roscommon senior football manager.
The county's former under-21 manager, Ryan assumes the role after John Maughan's controversial departure last month, and after Paul Earley took over in an interim capacity for Roscommon's remaining league games of their league campaign.
Ryan was also a member of the Roscommon team that won the Connacht championship in 2001.
