Championship 2003: Fixtures and dates: THE Leinster Council hope to have planned a way around the threatened disruption to their schedules when the Special Olympics comes to Croke Park next June.

The province's fixture list includes provision for both football semi-finals to be played on the weekend of June 14th and 15th.

Croke Park will be occupied on both weekends at the end of next June for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Special Olympics - thus removing the two dates, June 22nd and 29th, on which Leinster would have staged a semi-final.

Should the draw proceed according to expectation, Dublin would face Offaly and Meath would play Kildare. If that happened, Croke Park would be required for each semi-final.

Although Dublin's side of the draw indicates a semi-final on Sunday 15th, it is likely that this would be changed in accordance with last August's agreement between the GAA and the local residents.

According to that agreement, the GAA undertook that only matches involving Dublin would be fixed for Saturdays in Croke Park. Consequently, any semi-final involving Dublin would have to take place on July 14th, with the other tie taking place the following day.

Last season the Leinster Council had the opposite problem in that they were unable to use Croke Park because of the new pitch surface being put down, which wasn't completed until the end of June. Should the province's schedule work out, it will ease the threat of postponement hanging over next year's All-Ireland football final.

Dates for next year's championship fixtures have been finalised in three of the four provinces. Although the Munster Council has yet to agree venues, the schedule is ready in Connacht and Leinster.

Tonight the Ulster Council is expected to ratify the proposed list of dates agreed in a meeting of all provincial officers on Tuesday night.

Connacht's fixture list includes the first championship match in Galway's redeveloped Pearse Stadium. The Salthill venue hasn't been used for championship purposes since the 1980s.

The Munster Council will finalise venues by the end of the month. Provincial secretary Donie Nealon said that no decision has been taken on the Clare-Tipperary hurling first round.

There have been rumblings that neither of the counties - who have faced each other six times in six years at Páirc Uí Chaoimh - want to return to the Cork venue for a seventh year.

That would leave only Limerick's Gaelic Grounds, currently undergoing renovation, and Fitzgerald Stadium in Killarney as suitable neutral venues.

"There's been no discussion on the matter," said Nealon, "but our information is that Limerick won't be ready until August of next year."

He added that the Clare and Tipperary attitude was based on a desire for "a change of scenery".

Football

Connacht

PRELIMINARY ROUND - May 4th: New York v Leitrim (extra time if necessary), Gaelic Park; May 18th (replay 24th): Galway v Roscommon, Pearse Stadium; May 25th (replay 31st): Sligo v London, Ruislip.

SEMI-FINALS - June 1st (replay 7th): Leitrim/New York v Galway/Roscommon Carrick-on-Shannon/Pearse Stadium/Hyde Park

June 8th (replay 14th): Sligo/London v Mayo, Markievicz Park/McHale Park

FINAL - July 6th (replay 19th).

Leinster

PRELIMINARY ROUND - May 4th: Laois v Wexford, Carlow; May 11th: Wicklow v Louth, Parnell Park; Westmeath v Carlow, Portlaoise.

FIRST ROUND - May 25th: Offaly v Laois/Wexford, Portlaoise/Carlow; June 1st: Dublin v Wicklow/Louth, Croke Park; Meath v Westmeath, Croke Park; Longford v Kildare, Mullingar.

SEMI-FINALS: June 14th: Meath/Westmeath v Kildare/Longford, Croke Park; June 15th: Offaly/Laois/Wexford v Dublin/Wicklow/Louth, Croke Park

FINAL - July 20th: Croke Park

Munster (All venues to be confirmed)

FIRST ROUND - May 25th: Waterford v Tipperary; Cork v Limerick

SEMI-FINALS - June 15th: Kerry v Waterford/Tipperary; Clare v Cork/Limerick.

FINAL - July 13th.

Hurling

Leinster

PRELIMINARY ROUNDS: 1 Dublin, bye; 2 May 4th: Kildare v Westmeath, Newbridge; 3 Laois v Wicklow, Portlaoise; 4 May 5th: Meath v Carlow, Navan; 5 May 10th/11th: 1 v 2, Parnell Park; 6 May 10th/11th: 3 v 4, Portlaoise/Aughrim; 7 May 25th: 5 v 6, venue tbc

SEMI-FINALS - June 8th: 7 v Kilkenny, venue tbc; June 9th: Offaly v Wexford, Nowlan Park.

FINAL - July 6th: Croke Park

Munster (All venues to be confirmed)

FIRST ROUND - May 11th: Waterford v Kerry; May 18th: Clare v Tipperary

SEMI-FINALS - June 1st: Limerick v Waterford/Kerry; June 8th: Cork v Clare/Tipperary

FINAL - June 29th.