The second and third-placed teams in Division 1A will meet in one semi-final, while the other semi-final fixture will be between the Division 1A table toppers and the winners of a play-off between Division 1B's top two sides.

The sides finishing bottom and second-from-bottom in Division 1A will face a relegation play-off to decide who goes down to Division 1B for the 2013 campaign. The winners of the Division 1B play-off will replace them in the top division.

In next year's league, reigning champions Dublin will be joined by Kilkenny, Waterford, Tipperary, Galway and Cork in Division 1A. Wexford, Offaly, Limerick, Clare, Laois and Antrim will contest Division 1B.

Commenting on the changes made, Cooney said: "There was no opposition to the amendment. It was a very low number that voted against the amendment to include semi-finals - around four.

"What we have done is we have facilitated semi-finals and what the counties want at the end of the day - two sixes. That's the decision that was made, we are where we are and we move on.

"The bottom line is that the winners of Division 1B, the top two will go into a semi-final. It is down to them now to prove who is best in that division."

Cooney says he does not believe that there will be any adverse reaction.

"I don't know where they can go with it. We had an amendment tonight to rescind the decision and it wasn't carried," he explained.

"We brought an amendment to the motion that was passed the last night to incorporate semi-finals and we did that.

"We have met all of the requirements of semi-finals as was decided at the November meeting of the Central Council last year."

He added: "The fixtures programme will be presented to Ard Chomhairle on November 12. The timescale now will be decided by the CCCC, but the motion at Congress has allowed us for an extra week as well.

"There will be five rounds, two semi-finals and a final. A maximum of seven or eight weeks, so the extra week won't be needed."

On the issue of counties potentially losing revenue, Cooney insisted: "Time will tell on that. You have two highly competitive divisions, 1A and 1B, quality games and there is no reason for attendances to be down.

"We have reintroduced semi-finals which will bring up our attendances as well. The time to judge that is when the National League is over."

He also confirmed that there will be no change to the structures for Division 2 and Division 3 as outlined previously.