Kerry Senior Football Championship

The Kerry Senior Football Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as Garvey’s SuperValu Senior Football Championship) is an annual Gaelic football competition organised by the Kerry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1889 for the top Gaelic football teams in the county of Kerry in Ireland.

The series of games are played during the summer and autumn months, with the county final currently being played in either Austin Stack Park or FitzGerald Stadium in October. Initially played as a knock-out competition, the championship currently uses a double elimination format whereby each team is guaranteed at least two games.

The Kerry County Championship is an integral part of the wider Munster Senior Club Football Championship. The winners of the Kerry county final join the champion clubs of the other five counties to contest the provincial championship. The winning team of the county championship also has the honour of naming the captain of the Kerry senior team for the following year.

The title has been won at least once by 22 different teams. The all-time record-holders are Austin Stacks and Dr. Crokes who have both won a total of 13 titles.

East Kerry are the title-holders, defeating Mid Kerry by 2-10 to 0-15 in the 2023 final.

The winners receive the Bishop Moynihan Cup, named for Denis Moynihan, Catholic Bishop of Kerry in 1952–1969.

Group stage
The 8 clubs and 8 divisional teams 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.

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.

Relegation
Divisional teams are immune from relegation. The two bottom-placed clubs from the group stage of the Kerry Club Football Championship play-off, with the losing team being relegated to the Kerry Intermediate Football Championship.

Qualification
At the end of the championship, the winning club qualify to the subsequent Munster Senior Club Football Championship. If a divisional team win the championship, the winners of the Kerry Club Football Championship qualify instead.

Clubs eligible for divisional teams
Note 1: Kenmare District no longer enter a divisional team so their affiliated clubs play for East Kerry.

Note 2: Tralee no longer enter a divisional team so their affiliated clubs play for St Brendan’s.

By decade
The most successful team of each decade, judged by number of Kerry Senior Football Championship titles, is as follows:
 * 1880s: 1 for Laune Rangers (1889)
 * 1890s: 3 each for Laune Rangers (1890-92-93) and Ballymacelligott (1891-94-95)
 * 1900s: 4 for Tralee Mitchels (1902-03-07-08)
 * 1910s: 3 each for Tralee Mitchels (1910-17-19) and Dr Crokes (1912-13-14)
 * 1920s: 3 for Tralee Division (1925-26-27)
 * 1930s: 4 for Austin Stacks (1930-31-32-36)
 * 1940s: 5 for Dingle (1940-41-43-44-48)
 * 1950s: 3 each for Kerins O'Rahilly's (1953-54-57) and South Kerry (1955-56-58)
 * 1960s: 5 for John Mitchels (1960-61-62-63-66)
 * 1970s: 4 for Austin Stacks (1973-75-76-79)
 * 1980s: 2 each for South Kerry (1981–82) and West Kerry (1984–85)
 * 1990s: 3 each for Laune Rangers (1993-95-96) and East Kerry (1997-98-99)
 * 2000s: 4 for South Kerry (2004-05-06-09)
 * 2010s: 7 for Dr Crokes (2010-11-12-13-16-17-18)
 * 2020s: 3 for East Kerry (2020-22-23)

Gaps
Top ten longest gaps between successive championship titles:
 * 78 years: Laune Rangers (1911-1989)
 * 77 years: Dr Crokes (1914-1991)
 * 45 years: Kerins O'Rahilly's (1957-2002)
 * 37 years: Austin Stacks (1936-1973)
 * 34 years: Killarney (1949-1983)
 * 27 years: Feale Rangers (1980-2007)
 * 27 years: East Kerry (1970-1997)
 * 23 years: Ballymacelligott (1895-1918)
 * 23 years: South Kerry (1958-1981)
 * 22 years: South Kerry (1982-2004)