The 2018 Kerry Senior Football Championship was the 117th edition of Kerry GAA's premier gaelic football tournament for senior teams in County Kerry, Ireland. The tournament consists of 17 teams (8 club teams and 9 divisional teams), with the winners representing Kerry in the Munster Senior Club Football Championship if they are a club team. If the winners are a divisional team the winners of the Kerry Club Football Championship represent the county.
The championship has a back-door format for the first two rounds before proceeding to a knock-out format. Generally, any team to lose two matches will be knocked out of the championship.
This was An Ghaeltacht's return to the senior ranks, meaning they will no longer provide players to the West Kerry District panel for this season. Kilcummin (who were relegated to the I.F.C. for 2018) will provide the East Kerry Divisional side with players for the S.F.C.
Dr. Crokes were the 2017 champions after they defeated South Kerry in the final.
Format Structure Change
8 club teams and 9 divisional teams (17 in total) will take part in this year's S.F.C. It was decided that only 8 divisional sides would take part in the competition proper so the 2 lowest ranked divisional sides from the previous 5 years would play off in a qualification match with the winner entering the draw for the 2017 County Championship proper.
Relegation (See below): The club team to be relegated from the Senior County Championship will be the same team to be relegated from the Senior Club Championship (The 8 senior clubs play off against each other in Round 1 of the Club Championship. The 4 losers enter a relegation playoff with the losers entering a relegation final. This loser will be relegated to the I.F.C. for 2017. Should a club reach the final of the County championship they will be exempt from the Relegation process in the Club championship).
The winner of the 2017 I.F.C. will be promoted to the 2018 Senior County and Club Championships.
N Sheehy 0-4, D Griffin 0-2, D O'Callaghan 0-2, I Parker 0-2, P Kearney 0-1, L Mulligan 0-1, D O'Connor 0-1, C Fitzgerald 0-1, I McCarthy 0-1, A O'Donoghue 0-1.
C O'Sullivan 0-5, W Goodwin 1-0, J O'Grady 0-1, B Ryall 0-1, B Hoare 0-1, J Crean 0-1.
G Horan 1-2, D O'Brien 0-5, F O'Brien 0-5, S O'Callaghan 0-4, K Donaghy 0-1, P McCarthy 0-1, W Guthrie 0-1, C Jordan 0-1, J O'Shea 0-1, M O'Donnell 0-1.
P Geaney 2-0, T Sheehy 0-5, M Flaherty 1-0, R McCarthy 0-3, M Boyle 0-2, T O'Sullivan 0-2, P Devane 0-2, B O'Connell 0-2, B O'Connell 0-1, B Devane 0-1.
G Mac an tSaoir 1-2, D Ó Sé 0-5, T Ó Sé 1-0, É Ó Conchúir 0-3, SM Ó Conchúir 0-2, PJ Mac an Láimh 0-2, C Ó Muircheartaigh 0-1, R Ó Sé 0-1, B Ó Beaglaoich 0-1, C Ó Coileáin 0-1.
D O'Callaghan 2-0, N Sheehy 0-4, S Okunbar 1-0, D O'Connor 1-0, D Griffin 1-0, B O'Regan 1-0, I Parker 0-2, K O'Dwyer 0-1, J Barry 0-1, C Fitzgerald 0-1, A O'Donoghue 0-1, M O'Brien 0-1.
M Boyle 0-6, P Kennelly 0-3, G O'Sullivan 0-2, P Costello 0-1, J Goulding 0-1, M Buckley 0-1, D Sheehy 0-1, K Lanigan 0-1.
C Kennedy (1-3; 1-0 pen, 1f), F Clifford (0-4, 2f), D O'Sullivan (0-4), M Breen (0-2), G Sayers (Keel, 0-2), J Tyther (0-1), L Carey (0-1), D Walsh (0-1)
Report
I Parker (2-8; 0-5f), D O'Connor (0-2); D O'Callaghan (0-2), K Fitzgerald (1-0), D Griffin (0-1), N Sheehy (0-1f), K O'Dwyer (0-1), S Okunbor (0-1), B Barrett (0-1); J Barry (0-1)
D Shaw 0-4, D Casey 0-4 (0-3f), G White 1-1, T Brosnan 0-2, J Buckley 0-1, G O’Shea 0-1, B Looney 0-1, J Kiely 0-1
Report
P Geaney 0-6 (0-5f), T O’Sullivan 0-2, T Sheehy 0-1, M Geaney 0-1, M Flaherty 0-1, B O’Sullivan 0-1
Referee: S Mulvihill
Relegation
The club team to be relegated from the Senior County Championship will be the same team to be relegated from the Senior Club Championship. The 8 senior clubs play off against each other in Round 1 of the Club Championship. The 4 losers enter a relegation playoff with the losers entering a relegation final. This loser will be relegated to the I.F.C. for 2019. Should a club reach the final of the County championship they will be exempt from the Relegation process in the Club championship.