The All-Ireland senior football championship will have two tiers from 2020.

The three-year trial period will begin next year after the Central Council motion was passed at Special Congress in Cork this afternoon.

This means that counties competing in Division 3 and 4 of the Allianz League will not contest Sam Maguire, unless they reach their respective provincial final.

The bottom 16 teams will instead play in an as yet unnamed second tier competition.

The motion needed a 60% majority to pass and received 75.5%

Motion 2 from Tipperary was actually voted on first and passed with 87.5%. This means that Tier 2 will be determined on the league positions at the end of next year's Allianz League, not the start.

Tier 2 Football will now happen. 75% of delegates in favour at the Special Congress in Cork ! @RTEgaa @TheSundayGame @officialgaa pic.twitter.com/iPpUhvOfFT — Marty Morrissey (@MartyM_RTE) October 19, 2019

Also, getting the green light is the advanced mark in Gaelic football, with 68.9% of the delegates voting in favour.

This will reward players who take a 'mark' or clean possession inside the opposition's 45 with a free-kick.

The mark rule currently only applies to kick-outs but if this change is voted in then any pass that travels 20 metres or more and is caught inside the 45 will also earn an attacking mark.

Players can choose to play on or signal to the referee that they wish to take the free instead, which will be brought back to the 13m line for balls caught between there and the end line.

The proposal, which was trialled in this year's Allianz Football League, intends to reward kick-passing, which is perceived to have diminished in recent years.

The sin bin proposal passed comfortably, with 73.8% support behind it.

A player will spend 10 minutes off the field with no substitute allowed, reducing his side's numbers for that period.

A second black card, or a black following a yellow, will result in a red card and expulsion from the game rather than a sin-binning.

The sideline official will keep track of the 10 minute suspension, which could be interesting in underage and some adult club games where the participating teams often provide the linesmen.

All kickouts must now be taken from the 20 metre line rather than the current mark of the 13m line after 83.1% voted for change.

The ball must travel forward and all players must be at least 13m away and outside the D and 20m line when the kick is taken.