James McNaughton punishes a foul on NIgel Elliott and Antrim are first to score.

Referee James Owens throws the ball in and we are underway at a chilly Croke Park. Antrim attacking Hill 16.

Four successive scores have given Kildare a firm advantage with just over 11 minutes on the clock.

New rules and new beginnings for both Galway and Armagh as the 2025 season finally gets underway with a repeat of the All-Ireland final won by the Orchard men at Croke Park back in July.

Padraig Joyce and his side will hope to avenge some of last summer's hurt with a league victory and Joyce has named eight of the side that started last year's decider to start tonight with five of that 15 named on the bench.

Only Damian Comer and Rob Finnerty will not be involved this evening.

Kieran McGeeney and his Armagh side line out for the first time as All-Ireland champions and will have to adapt quickly from the hunters to the hunted.

McGeeney names a side which features 10 of last year's victorious starting side with Conor Turbitt on the bench.

Paddy Burns, Aaron McKay, Joe McElroy and Rian O'Neill are the four from that team who are not named to play any part tonight.

Relatively new faces such as Tomas McCormack, Darragh McMullan and Cian McConville will have a chance to impress.

It's also a proud night for the Galwegians as they prepare to unveil and switch on floodlights here at Pearse Stadium for the first time ever.

Cork's Conor Lane will be the man in the middle when the ball is thrown in at the later time of 17:30 due to traffic congestion.

If there are any changes closer to throw in we'll bring them to you.

Galway: Connor Gleeson; Johnny McGrath, Sean Fitzgerald, Daniel O'Flaherty; Dylan McHugh, John Daly, Sean Kelly; Paul Conroy, Cillian McDaid; Cathal Sweeney, Finnian O Laoi, Cein Darcy; Cillian O Curraoin.

Subs; Conor Flaherty, Jack Glynn, Kieran Molloy, Sean O Maoilchiarain, Liam Silke, John Maher, James McLoughlin, Liam O Conaghaile, Colm Costelloe, Shane Walsh, Johnny Heaney.

Armagh: Blaine Hughes; Tomas McCormack, Barry McCambridge, Aidan Forker; Connaire Mackin, Tiernan Kelly, Greg McCabe; Ben Crealey, Niall Grimley; Oisin Conaty, Rory Grugan, Darragh McMullan; Cian McConville, Andrew Murnin, Stefan Campbell.

Subs: Ethan Rafferty, Gareth Murphy, Callum O'Neill, Fergal O'Brien, Daniel Magee, Conor Turbitt, Ross McQuillan, Jason Duffy, Ciaron O'Hanlon, Jemar Hall, Shane McPartlan.

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It was a good start for Armagh in the Ladies National Football league as they fought back to beat All-Ireland champions Kerry 3-11 to 1-13 in their Division One opener at Austin Stack Park.

Blaithin Mackin, Rebecca Cunningham and Roisin Mulligan netted in quick succession late in the game to secure the comeback victory for last year's Division One winners, who are under new management in Darnell Parkinson and Joe Feeney.

Read more here.

Image source, Inpho

Antrim hurling manager Davy Fitzgerald has implored his players to "stay in the game early" as they face a daunting Hurling League Division 1B opener against Dublin at Croke Park.

Fitzgerald, an All-Ireland winner with his native Clare as a player and a manager, is starting his first season in charge of the Saffrons, succeeding Darren Gleeson.

"If you watch Dublin over their last two or three challenge games that they've played, they've blitzed teams in the first 20 minutes, namely Limerick and Tipperary.

"They'll be trying to do the same to us. So they key for us is to stay in the game early.

"We need to go away from home and put up a performance and see where that brings us."

Read more of what Fitzgerald told BBC Sport NI here.

Image source, Inpho

It's a day of new beginnings at Croke Park for Dublin and Antrim who are both under new management for 2025.

The acquisition of Davy Fitzgerald as manager of the Saffrons has drawn plenty of attention and the All-Ireland winner with his native Clare as both player and manager has said there will be a change in their system, but not so much in his first team selection.

Antrim have a familiar look about them with joint-captains, Paddy Burke and Nigel Elliott leading the way, while the sole full debut is given to Loughgiel's Declan McCloskey with the wing-back previously part of the panel back in 2021.

Elsewhere, there are a few returnees with Conor Johnston and Eoin O'Neill back after a year away and they are joined in the full-forward line with Niall O'Connor, but the Naomh Éanna man will almost certainly drop into a much deeper role.

As for Dublin, Niall Ó Ceallacháin assumes the reins for the first time having guided his club, Na Fianna to last week's All-Ireland victory over Sarsfield's but there are none of those who triumphed six days ago available for today's opener.

Ó Ceallacháin has introduced no fewer than 17 newcomers to the panel with three of those - David Lucey, Iain Ó hEithir and Paddy Dunleavy - all named to start in the defence.

Of the team that romped to victory over Antrim in the Leinster Championship last year, there are just six involved today including Chris Crummey who has been installed as captain. Others to feature from that day are John Bellew, Brian Hayes, Conor Burke, Cian O'Sullivan and Darragh Power as The Dubs seek to bolster their options for the year ahead.

Dublin: E Gibbons; J Bellew, D Lucey, I O hEithir; P Dunleavy, C Crummey, D Gray; B Hayes, C Burke; C Ó Riain, C O'Sullivan, D Power; F Whitely, J Hetherton, D Purcell

Antrim: R Elliott; C Boyd, R McGarry, P Burke; D McCloskey, E Campbell, C Bohill; S Walsh, P Boyle; N McKenna, N Elliott, J McNaughton; C Johnston, E O'Neill, N O'Connor.

Image source, BBC Sport

We're underway in Newbridge.

The two teams relegated from the second tier last season begin their Division Three campaign against one another with Kieran Donnelly's Fermanagh travelling to Newbridge to face Kildare.

The Ernemen are without a raft of regulars from the most recent campaign, but welcome back Darragh McGurn, who spent most of last term on the sidelines.

Meanwhile, Kildare, who ended bottom of Division Two in 2024, appear to have turned a corner under new manager Brian Flanagan.

The influential Kevin Feely and Daniel Flynn have returned to bolster the Lilywhites' ranks leading many to believe that the Leinster outfit are favourites for promotion.

Kildare: Didier Cordonnier; Harry O'Neill, Mick O'Grady, Brian Byrne; David Hyland, James McGrath, Ryan Houlihan; Kevin Feely, Callum Bolton; Brian McLoughlin, Alex Beirne, Colm Dalton; Ryan Sinkey, Darragh Kirwan, Niall Kelly.

Subs: Cian Burke, Ryan Burke, Dean O'Donoghue, Tommy Gill, Jack McKevitt, Kevin Flynn, Aaron Masterson, Cathal Hagney, Darragh Swords, Jimmy Hyland, Daniel Flynn.

Fermanagh: Ross Bogue; Lee Cullen, Aaron Jones, Joe McDade; Johnathan Cassidy, Declan McCusker, Diarmuid Owens; Ronan McCaffery, Darragh McGurn; Shane McGullion, Fionan O'Brien, Paul Breen; Josh Largo-Ellis, Garvan Jones, Conor Love.Subs: Ethan McCaffrey, Oisin Murphy, Jack Largo-Ellis, Conall Quinn, Nathan Tierney, Ryan Lyons, Aogan Kelm, Keelan Fitzpatrick, Diarmuid King.

Image source, BBC Sport

A whole new ball game? What will Gaelic football look like in this weekend's opening round of Allianz League fixtures? The answer is...we're not quite sure.

Since Armagh's unexpected march to the Sam Maguire back in July, Gaelic football has undergone its most radical transformation since the inception of the game back in 1884.

The Football Review Committee - chaired by former Dublin boss Jim Gavin - implemented 18 new rules via 49 successful motions at a Special Congress last year, with two-point scores and 1v1 throw-in contests among the package of reforms.

BBC Sport NI assesses the Ulster counties ahead of one of the most eagerly anticipated league campaigns ever as the public will be exposed to the radical changes for the first time.

Read BBC Sport NI's Odhran Crumley's assessment of how the Ulster counties are shaping up for the new campaign here.

Image source, Getty Images

Chairman Jim Gavin says that the remit for the Football Review Committee was to make Gaelic football the most exiting amateur sport in the world to both watch and play ahead of the first round of the National Leagues this weekend.

At GAA congress back in November all of the Football Review Committee's wide-ranging proposed rule changes for the 2025 season were accepted with big majorities at the GAA Special Congress at Croke Park in November.

No motion received less than 73% backing with only 60% required for most motions.

These included the adoption of the new 40-metre arc which goalkeepers will have to kick beyond, teams having to maintain at least three outfield players in both halves at all times and two points being awarded for kicks over the bar from outside the arc.

Read what Jim Gavin had to say to BBC Sport NI's 'The GAA Social' here.

Image source, Getty Images

Hello and welcome to our coverage of the National Football League as inter-county football and hurling return.

This evening, we have four football games which will use the new GAA rules as set out by Jim Gavin for the first time, as well as one hurling encounter.

In Division One, Galway and Sam Maguire holders Armagh meet at 17:30, with throw-in delayed 15 minutes due to traffic congestion.

At 18:00, there is an all-Ulster affair as Tyrone host Derry in a game that will be streamed live on BBC Player.

In Division Two, Cavan face Monaghan at the same time whilst in Division Three, Fermanagh travel to take on Kildare at 17:00.

In Division 1B in hurling, Davy Fitzgerald's reign as Antrim boss begins with a trip to Dublin at 17:15.

We will have live text commentary and score updates from all of those games, and you can of course watch Tyrone v Derry by pressing the watch icon at the top of this page.

Thanks for joining us - enjoy!