Waterford Senior Hurling Championship


The Waterford Senior Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Waterford County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1897 for the top hurling teams in the county of Waterford in Ireland.
The series of games are played during the spring, summer and autumn months with the county final currently being played at Walsh Park in October. Initially played as a knock-out competition, the championship currently features a group stage followed by a knock-out stage. The Waterford County Championship is an integral part of the wider Munster Senior Club Hurling Championship. The winners of the Waterford county final join the champions of the other hurling counties to contest the provincial championship. Twelve teams currently participate in the Waterford County Championship. The title has been won at least once by 23 different teams. The all-time record-holders are Mount Sion, who have won a total of 35 titles. Ballygunner are the title-holders after defeating Abbeyside by 2–28 to 2–10 in the 2024 championship final.

Format

Current format

Group stage: The 12 teams are divided into four groups of three. Each team plays each other once. The top team in each group advance to the quarter final stage and are seeded. The second placed teams from each group are drawn against third placed teams in each group in a preliminary quarter final. The winners advance to the quarter finals whilst the losers are summoned to relegation semi-finals and finals, with one team being relegated to the premier intermediate grade.
Preliminary quarter-finals: 8 teams contest this round. The 4 winning teams advance to the Quarter-finals. The 4 losing teams advance to the relegation play-offs.
Relegation play-off: 4 teams contest this round. The losing team are relegated to the Waterford Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship.
Quarter-finals: 8 teams contest this round. The 4 winning teams advance to the Semi-finals. The 4 losing teams are eliminated from the championship.
Semi-finals: 4 teams contest this round. The 2 winning teams advance to the Semi-finals. The 2 losing teams are eliminated from the championship.
Final: The final is contested by the two semi-final winners.

Teams

2026 teams

The following 12 teams will contest the 2026 Waterford Senior Hurling Championship:
TeamLocationColoursDivisionPosition in 2025In championship sinceChampionship titlesLast championship title
AbbeysideAbbeysideBlue and orangeWestPreliminary quarter-finals20040—
Ballygunner ABallygunnerRed and blackEastChampions?242025
Ballygunner BBallygunnerRed and blackEastWaterford PIHC winners2026242025
CloneaRathgormackRed and greenEastQuarter-finals201951952
De La SalleWaterfordRed and whiteEastSemi-finals?32012
DungarvanDungarvanBlue and whiteWestPreliminary quarter-finals201061941
FerrybankFerrybankGreen and whiteEastRelegation final winners202431919
FourmilewaterBallymacarbryBlue and whiteWestQuarter-finals20020—
LismoreLismoreYellow and blackWestQuarter-finals201731993
Mount SionWaterfordBlue and whiteEastRunners-up?352006
PassagePassage EastRed and whiteEastQuarter-finals?12013
RoanmoreWaterfordBlue and whiteEastSemi-finals201121990

Qualification for subsequent competitions

The Waterford Senior Hurling Championship winners qualify for the subsequent Munster Senior Club Hurling Championship.

Managers

Managers in the Waterford Championship are involved in the day-to-day running of the team, including the training, team selection, and sourcing of players. Their influence varies from club-to-club and is related to the individual club committees. The manager is assisted by a team of two or three selectors and a backroom team consisting of various coaches.
ManagerTeamWinsWinning years
Jim GreeneMount Sion32002, 2003, 2004
Fergal HartleyBallygunner32014, 2017, 2018
Darragh O'SullivanBallygunner32019, 2020, 2021
Denis WalshBallygunner22015, 2016
David FranksBallygunner22019, 2020
Michael GaffneyBallygunner11999
Kevin RyanMount Sion12000
Gordon RyanBallygunner12001
John FitzpatrickBallygunner12005
Páraic FanningMount Sion12006
Morris GearyBallyduff Upper12007
Owen DunphyDe La Salle12008
Ger CunninghamBallygunner12009
Michael RyanDe La Salle12010
Niall O'DonnellBallygunner12011
Derek McGrathDe La Salle12012
Peter QueallyPassage12013

List of finals

Legend

Roll of honour

#ClubTitlesChampionships won
1Mount Sion351938, 1939, 1940, 1943, 1945, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1969, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1981, 1983, 1986, 1988, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006
2Ballygunner241966, 1967, 1968, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2005, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
3Erin's Own131927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1942, 1946, 1947,1962
4T.F. Meaghers61909, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1922, 1924
4Dungarvan61908, 1917, 1920, 1923, 1926, 1941
4Portlaw51937, 1971, 1973, 1976, 1977
7Clonea51902, 1903, 1905, 1907, 1952
8Tallow41936, 1980, 1984, 1985
9Ferrybank31915, 1916, 1919
9Lismore31925, 1991, 1993
9Ballyduff Upper31983, 1987, 2007
9De La Salle32008, 2010, 2012
13St Stephens De La Salle21913, 1914
13Ballyduff Lower21906, 1970
13Dunhill21978, 1979
13Roanmore21989, 1990
17Ballytruckle11897
17Ballydurn11899
17Gracedieu11904
17Young Irelands11918
173rd Battalion11944
17Tourin11950
17Passage12013

Records and statistics

Teams

By decade

The most successful team of each decade, judged by number of Waterford Senior Hurling Championship titles, is as follows:

Gaps

Top five longest gaps between successive championship titles: