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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Robert Hynes

All-Ireland 2020 with coronavirus: Seven things that definitely won't be the same this year

The 2020 All-Ireland Championship is scheduled to get underway next month - but it will be very different to what we are used to.

Dublin are seeking their sixth consecutive football championship win, with Dessie Farrell now in charge following Jim Gavin stepping down as manager last November.

The Dubs are odds-on favourites with the bookies to lift the Sam Maguire again, but the hurling championship looks a lot more open with Limerick, Tipperary, Kilkenny and Cork all vying for favouritism at the top of the market.

With everything changing in 2020, the All-Ireland will be no different. Here's a couple of things that definitely won't be the same this year:

Supporters 

Supporters on Hill 16 (©INPHO/Donall Farmer)

There will obviously be very few supporters permitted to attend games.

The government announced on Tuesday that 200 people are now allowed into outdoor sporting events in stadiums that have a capacity of more than 5,000.

The GAA will be hoping that figure is increased significantly ahead of the Championship.

Christmas finals

The All-Ireland football final will be played just six days before Christmas, with the hurling decider taking place six days prior to that on December 13.

Both finals will be a lot different to any that have been played before them.

No back door in football

A general view of a gaelic football (Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

The football championship will be a straight knockout competition, with no second chance for counties.

It will be the first time since 2000 that the championship will be a straight knockout.

Straight knockout in hurling provincial championships

Tipperary's Seamus Callanan celebrating with the Liam MacCarthy Cup last year (©INPHO/Ryan Byrne)

There will be no round-robin format for the Munster or Leinster championships.

They will be played on a knockout basis instead, with a two round back door into the All-Ireland quarter-finals.

No New York or London

There will be no All-Ireland clash in Gaelic Park, New York this year (©INPHO/Andy Marlin)

New York and London will not take part in this year's Championship due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Team hotel on final nights

Usually there is a live television broadcast and a banquet dinner in the winning team's hotel on All-Ireland final night.

Due to social distancing and rules on crowds indoors, this seems very unlikely to happen as normal this year.

The banquet dinners could possibly go ahead with a lot less people in attendance.

Homecoming parades

The Dublin team at their 2019 homecoming (©INPHO/Oisin Keniry)

These also seem very unlikely to happen this year.

We have become used to thousands of fans lining the streets in the winning county's towns and cities, but that is almost certain not to be allowed in December.

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