Creation In 2003 the Hurling Development Committee (HDC) was charged with restructuring the entire hurling championship. The committee was composed of chairman Pat Dunny (Kildare),
Liam Griffin (Wexford), P. J. O'Grady (Limerick),
Ger Loughnane (Clare),
Cyril Farrell (Galway), Jimmy O'Reilly (Down), Willie Ring (Cork), Pat Daly (GAA Games Development Officer) and
Nicky English (Tipperary). Over the course of three months they held discussions with managers, players and officials, while also taking a submission from the
Gaelic Players Association. The basic tenet of the proposals was to structure the hurling championship into three tiers in accordance with
2004 National Hurling League status. The top tier was confined to 12 teams, while the next ten teams would contest the second tier which was to be known as the Christy Ring Cup. There would also be promotion-relegation play-offs between the three championship tiers. The HDC also suggested that these games would be played as curtain raisers to All-Ireland quarter-finals and semi-finals. The proposal were accepted at the 2004
GAA Congress. The Christy Ring Cup and the
Nicky Rackard Cup competitions were launched at
Croke Park on 8 December 2004.
Format history 2005–2007 The ten participating teams were divided into two groups of five and played in a
round-robin format. Each team was guaranteed at least four games each. The eventual group winners and runners-up qualified for the knock-out semi-finals of the competition. The bottom two teams of both groups were involved in a four-way relegation play-off with the eventual loser being relegated to the
Nicky Rackard Cup. In 2006 the relegation play-off was limited to just the bottom teams in both groups, while in 2007 there was no relegation.
2008 The competition was expanded to include twelve teams. The participating teams were divided into four groups of three and played in a
round-robin format, thus limiting each team to just two games each. The eventual group winners and runners-up qualified for the knock-out quarter-finals of the competition. The bottom team in each group went into the relegation play-offs. The eventual losers were relegated to the Nicky Rackard Cup, however, the relegation play-offs in 2008 were rendered meaningless as all four bottom-placed teams were relegated.
2009–2017 In 2009 a
double elimination format was introduced, thus guaranteeing each team at least two games before being eliminated from the competition. The eight teams play four
Round 1 matches. • The winners in Round 1 advance to Round 2A. • The losers in Round 1 go into Round 2B. There are two
Round 2A matches. • The winners in Round 2A advance to the semi-finals. • The losers in Round 2A go into the quarter-finals. There are two
Round 2B matches. • The winners in Round 2B advance to the quarter-finals. • The losers in Round 2B go into the bottom playoff. The losers of this match play a relegation/promotion match with the winners of the
Nicky Rackard Cup. If they lose they are relegated to the Nicky Rackard cup for the following year. There are two
quarter-final matches between the Round 2A losers and Round 2B winners. • The winners of the quarter-finals advance to the semi-finals. • The losers of the quarter-finals are eliminated. There are two
semi-final matches between the Round 2A winners and the quarter-final winners. • The winners of the semi-finals advance to the final. • The losers of the semi-finals are eliminated. The winners of the
final (with the exception of
Down in 2013, are promoted to the
Liam MacCarthy Cup for the following year.
From 2018 2018 saw the reintroduction of a group phase format to all tiers of the hurling Championship structure. The eight participating teams are divided into two groups of four and will play in a
round-robin format. Each team will be guaranteed at least three games each. The eventual group winners and runners-up will qualify for the knock-out semi-finals of the championship.
2020 and the coronavirus pandemic The Coronavirus pandemic in 2020 significantly affected the GAA season, with the Christy Ring Cup reverting for one season only to the partial double elimination format that existed until 2017. ==Format==