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gaa · Tuesday 28 July 2026 · Various 
Meade Farm Meath Intermediate Football Championship 2026 - Group Stage Opens
At Various venues, County Meath · Various, Co. Meath
At Various venues, County Meath · Various, Co. Meath
The Meade Farm Intermediate Football Championship is the second tier of club football in County Meath, and the group stage opening on Friday 28 July marks the point in the summer when supporters start paying close attention to how their club is placed. For Meath GAA followers, this competition carries real weight - clubs are fighting for promotion to senior level, and the prize for winning the championship is a place in the Leinster Intermediate Club Football Championship. Around 16 clubs take part, spread across group stages before the competition tightens into knockout rounds. It suits anyone who prefers club football to the county game: the atmosphere at club grounds is close and partisan in a way that county fixtures rarely match.
The group stage brings together clubs from across County Meath, playing at their home grounds on evenings and weekends through July and August. Games are competitive from the off because no club can afford to fall behind early in the group stage - there is little margin for error when only the top sides advance. The competition has been running since 1927 and the winner lifts the Mattie McDonnell Cup. Recent champions include Kilbride (2025) and Rathkenny (2023), so the title has moved around the county rather than staying with one dominant club. Meath GAA streams semi-finals live on Meath GAA TV, which is useful if you want to follow the later rounds when things get serious. Full fixture details, including which clubs are playing at which venues on any given weekend, are published at meath.gaa.ie.
Matches are played at club grounds across Co. Meath, so the specific venue for each game varies by round. Navan is the county town and the most practical base - it sits at the junction of the N3 (Dublin to Cavan) and N51, about 50 km from Dublin city centre, and Bus Eireann runs regular services from Dublin along the N3 corridor. Club grounds across Meath are generally accessible by car, and parking at GAA clubs is usually free at the gate.
Navan itself is worth a few hours beyond the match - the Hill of Tara is a short drive south and gives a clear sense of why Meath was the seat of the High Kings of Ireland for centuries. There is more to see in Navan and across Co. Meath.
Heading to Various venues, County Meath in Navan? Meath has plenty more to see. Read the Navan area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.