Kerry Intermediate Football Championship
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The Kerry Intermediate Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football competition contested by mid-tier Kerry GAA clubs.
An Ghaeltacht are the title holders, having defeated Fossa 0–19 to 1–11 in the 2025 final.
History
The competition was revived in 1959, and District Boards had the right to enter teams.
Kerry senior players play in the Kerry Intermediate Football Championship. 2014 All-Ireland winner Peter Crowley had a season-ending cruciate injury from playing for Laune Rangers in it in 2019 and missed the 2019 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship as a result. 2021 winners Na Gaeil boasted ex-Australian Football League professional Stefan Okunbor, Diarmuid O'Connor and brothers Jack and Andrew Barry in their ranks.
Honours
The winners can be promoted to play in the Kerry Club Football Championship in the year after they win this competition.
The winners of the Kerry Intermediate Football Championship progress to the Munster Intermediate Club Football Championship, representing Kerry, later that year, or, as was the case in 2021, the following year. They often do well there and recent winners include Templenoe in 2019 and Na Gaeil winning in 2022 after winning the Kerry Intermediate Football Championship in 2021. Kilcummin made it 12 wins for Kerry out of 13 in 2018. The winners can then go on and win the All-Ireland Intermediate Club Football Championship title like Milltown/Castlemaine did in 2012.
Teams beaten in the first round take part in the Intermediate Football Shield. The winners collect the Fenian Cup.
Format
Group stage
The 16 clubs are divided into four groups of four. Over the course of the group stage, each team plays once against the others in the group, resulting in each team being guaranteed three group games. Two points are awarded for a win, one for a draw and zero for a loss. The teams are ranked in the group stage table by points gained, then scoring difference and then their head-to-head record. The top two teams in each group qualify for the quarter-finals and the bottom team in each group advance to the relegation playoffs.
Knockout stage
Quarter-finals: The 4 group winners and 4 group runners-up contest this round. A group winner will play a group runner-up of another group. The two winners from these two games advance to the semi-finals.
Semi-finals: The four quarter-final winners contest this round. The two winners from these two games advance to the final.
Final: The two semi-final winners contest the final. The winning team are declared champions and are promoted to the Kerry Senior Football Championship.
Relegation playoffs
Relegation semi-finals: The 4 group losers contest this round. The two losers from these two games advance to the relegation finals.
Relegation finals: The two semi-final losers contest the relegation final. The losing team are relegated to the Kerry Premier Junior Football Championship.
Qualification
At the end of the championship, the winning club qualify to the subsequent Munster Intermediate Club Football Championship.
Teams
2026 Teams
| Team | Location | Colours | Division | In championship since | Championship titles | Last championship title |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballydonoghue | Lisselton | Green and White | Shannon Rangers | 2021 | 0 | — |
| Ballymacelligott | Ballymacelligott | Blue and yellow | St Kieran's | 2026 | 0 | — |
| Beaufort | Beaufort | Blue and yellow | Mid Kerry | 2019 | 2 | 2000 |
| Castleisland Desmonds | Castleisland | White and blue | St Kieran's | 2004 | 3 | 1981 |
| Firies | Firies | Blue and navy | East Kerry | 2025 | 0 | — |
| Fossa | Fossa | Red and black | East Kerry | 2023 | 0 | — |
| Glenbeigh-Glencar | Glenbeigh | Red and black | Mid Kerry | 2017 | 0 | — |
| Glenfesk | Glenflesk | Blue and yellow | East Kerry | 2004 | 0 | — |
| Gneeveguilla | Gneeveguilla | Yellow and green | East Kerry | 2022 | 1 | 2010 |
| John Mitchels | Tralee | Green and yellow | Tralee | 2009 | 0 | — |
| Kerins O'Rahilly's | Tralee | Blue and white | Tralee | 2024 | 0 | — |
| Kilcummin | Kilcummin | Red and green | East Kerry | 2021 | 2 | 2018 |
| Killarney Legion | Killarney | Green and white | East Kerry | 2022 | 1 | 2005 |
| Laune Rangers | Killorglin | Blue and white | Mid Kerry | 2016 | 0 | — |
| Listowel Emmets | Listowel | Black and amber | Feale Rangers | 2024 | 1 | 2002 |
| St. Mary’s | Cahersiveen | White and blue | South Kerry | — | 2 | 2015 |
List of finals
Legend
- Gold – All-Ireland intermediate club champions
- Silver – All-Ireland intermediate club runners-up
List of Kerry IFC finals
Roll of honour
By club
| # | Team | Titles | Runners-Up | Championships won | Championships runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenmare Shamrocks | 5 | 3 | 1940, 1968, 1970, 1990, 2016 | 1972, 1989, 1991 |
| Milltown/Castlemaine | 5 | 2 | 1991, 1994, 2003, 2011, 2023 | 1993, 1996 | |
| 3 | Dingle | 4 | 3 | 1988, 1989, 1996, 2004 | 1980, 1998, 2002 |
| Annascaul | 4 | 3 | 1982, 1987, 1992, 2007 | 1986, 2004, 2006 | |
| An Ghaeltacht | 4 | 3 | 1933, 1998, 2017, 2025 | 1994, 2019, 2022 | |
| 6 | Spa | 3 | 5 | 1974, 2009, 2020 | 1987, 1995, 2012, 2014, 2015 |
| Ballylongford | 3 | 1 | 1971, 1972, 1976 | 1970 | |
| North Kerry | 3 | 0 | 1931, 1932, 1949 | — | |
| Castleisland Desmonds | 3 | 0 | 1978, 1979, 1981 | — | |
| 10 | Beaufort | 2 | 2 | 1980, 2000 | 2020, 2021 |
| St Mary's | 2 | 2 | 2001, 2015 | 1992, 2013 | |
| Castlegregory | 2 | 0 | 1942, 1975 | — | |
| Valentia Young Islanders | 2 | 0 | 1986, 1995 | — | |
| Ardfert | 2 | 0 | 2006, 2014 | — | |
| Kilcummin | 2 | 0 | 1997, 2018 | — | |
| Rathmore | 2 | 0 | 1999, 2022 | — | |
| 17 | Tarbert | 1 | 3 | 1977 | 1969, 1975, 1976 |
| Waterville | 1 | 3 | 1993 | 1974, 2003, 2011 | |
| Finuge | 1 | 3 | 2012 | 1968, 2005, 2010 | |
| Currow | 1 | 3 | 2013 | 1943, 1997, 2009 | |
| Templenoe | 1 | 3 | 2019 | 1988, 2016, 2017 | |
| Keel | 1 | 1 | 1969 | 1977 | |
| Beale | 1 | 1 | 1984 | 1982 | |
| Dr Crokes | 1 | 1 | 1985 | 1971 | |
| Listowel Emmets | 1 | 1 | 2002 | 2007 | |
| Gneeveguilla | 1 | 1 | 2010 | 2008 | |
| Army Ballymullen Barracks | 1 | 0 | 1943 | — | |
| Castleisland District | 1 | 0 | 1959 | — | |
| Killarney Legion | 1 | 0 | 2005 | — | |
| St Michael's/Foilmore | 1 | 0 | 2008 | — | |
| Na Gaeil | 1 | 0 | 2021 | — | |
| Austin Stacks | 1 | 0 | 2024 | — | |
| 33 | South Kerry | 0 | 3 | — | 1931, 1932, 1933 |
| Kenmare District | 0 | 2 | — | 1942, 1949 | |
| Moyvane | 0 | 2 | — | 1984, 1985 | |
| Ballymacelligott | 0 | 2 | — | 2000, 2001 | |
| Glenflesk | 0 | 2 | — | 1999, 2018 | |
| Fossa | 0 | 2 | — | 2023, 2025 | |
| Listry | 0 | 1 | — | 1940 | |
| East Kerry | 0 | 1 | — | 1959 | |
| Laune Rangers | 0 | 1 | — | 2024 |
By division
| Division | Titles | Runners-Up | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Kerry | 14 | 9 | 23 |
| East Kerry | 10 | 13 | 23 |
| Mid Kerry | 8 | 7 | 15 |
| Kenmare District | 6 | 8 | 14 |
| South Kerry | 6 | 8 | 14 |
| Shannon Rangers | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| St Kieran's | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| St Brendan's Board | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| North Kerry | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Feale Rangers | 2 | 6 | 8 |
| Tralee District | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Records and statistics
By decade
The most successful team of each decade, judged by number of Kerry Intermediate Football Championship titles, is as follows:
- 1930s: 2 for North Kerry (1931, 1932)
- 1940s: 1 each for Kenmare Shamrocks (1940), Castlegregory (1942), Army Ballymullen Barracks (1943) and North Kerry (1949)
- 1950s: 1 for Castleisland District (1959)
- 1960s: 1 each for Kenmare Shamrocks (1968) and Keel (1969)
- 1970s: 3 for Ballylongford (1971, 1972, 1976)
- 1980s: 2 each for Annascaul (1982, 1987) and Dingle (1988, 1989)
- 1990s: 2 for Milltown/Castlemaine (1991, 1994)
- 2000s: 1 each for ten clubs (2000–2009)
- 2010s: 1 each for ten clubs (2010–2019)
- 2020s: 1 each for five clubs (2020–2024)
See also
- Kerry Senior Football Championship (Tier 1)
- Kerry Club Football Championship (Tier 1)
- Kerry Premier Junior Football Championship (Tier 3)
- Kerry Junior Football Championship (Tier 4)
- Kerry Novice Football Championship (Tier 5)
- Munster Intermediate Club Football Championship
- Kerry Intermediate Hurling Championship