Connacht GAA is set to host the province's minor football final on St Stephen's Day.
The decision to reschedule the fixture - which includes the novel pairing of Sligo and Roscommon - was made in light of the government's announcement on impending restrictions set to come into place in the days after Christmas.
The game was originally pencilled in for January 9th or 10th, but following the conclusion of the semi-final stage over the weekend, Connacht GAA moved the match to Tuesday, December 29th, in anticipation of new restrictions coming into place at some point after that.
Now, however, the acceleration of new measures means that the game has been fixed for St Stephen's Day at 4.30pm.
Both sides overcame their respective semi-final opponents last weekend. Roscommon were too strong for Galway, while Sligo overcame reigning champions Mayo to book their place in the decider. It will be the first final involved Sligo and Roscommon since 1949.
In light of the impending restrictions to be imposed due to Covid 19, The @ConnachtGAA Council has brought the Electric Ireland Connacht Minor Football Final forward to Saturday 26th December at 4.30pm pic.twitter.com/2hJnVGqUUL
— Roscommon GAA (@RoscommonGAA) December 22, 2020
It has been a challenging year for minor footballers and hurlers, who have seen their competitions postponed on a couple of occasions.
Underage games ground to a halt during previous lockdown periods earlier this year in both March and April and again in November, as they were not deemed to be in the same bracket as senior inter-county players.
The Leinster minor football and hurling finals are scheduled to take place in early January, but it remains unclear whether they will be able to proceed.
The hurling decider is pencilled in for January 2nd between Offaly and Kilkenny, with the Meath and Offaly squaring off in the football final a day later.
Dublin and Galway are also set to meet in the U20 hurling final on January 3rd.
The U-20 football championship was concluded last week, when Galway overcame Dublin by a point to win the title at Croke Park.
