The competition took on its current name in 2020, adding a round-robin group stage for clubs and limiting the number divisional entrants to the championship proper.

In its present format, the Cork Premier Senior Championship begins with a preliminary qualifying round for the divisional teams and educational institutions.

The three group winners, three runners-up and three third-placed teams proceed to the knockout phase that culminates with the final match at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in October.

In 2020, the intended format was disrupted and slightly amended due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Gaelic games.

Nemo Rangers have established themselves as the dominant force in Cork football by winning 23 county finals out of the 27 they have been in.

Plans to hold championships in both hurling and football were drawn up over the following weeks, with an advert inviting teams to enter appearing in the Cork Examiner on 15 January 1887.

Seven clubs entered: Blarney (who later withdrew), Carrignavar, Emmets, Glanmire, Lees, Lisgoold, Midleton.

Mr. J. E. Kennedy acted as referee and Messrs E. Cotter and W. Sheehan performed the duties of goal umpires.

That game between Lees and Emmets was described in the Cork Examiner as being "closely contested", however, it was "not characterized [sic] by any particularly brilliant play" and ended in a scoreless draw.

The final first-round game between Lisgoold and Midleton also ended in a draw, however, it became the first ever championship match to feature extra-time when two fifteen-minute periods were played after the initial hour.

In an effort to cut down on travel costs for clubs, the County Board adopted a divisional structure to the championship.

The six divisional champions and Tracton, as the sole South Cork representatives, qualified for the county-wide series of games.

Towards the end of 1888, a serious split in the Association in Cork lead to the existence of three rival and distinct county boards.

[6] The War of Independence (1919-1921) saw Cork take a prominent role, something which had an adverse effect on the smooth running of the championships.

Civil unrest following a series of events, including the murder of Lord Mayor Tomás Mac Curtain, the death from hunger strike of Lord Mayor Terence MacSwiney and the burning of Cork at the height of the war, resulted in the cancellation of the championships in 1921 and 1922.

At the County Convention on 5 February 1978, delegates voted by 138 to 83 in favour of abandoning the knock-out format and adopting a group stage.

This format was used for three successive season from 1978 until 1980, with Nemo Rangers and St. Finbarr's becoming the first teams to win the championship after suffering a defeat.

In 2000 a double-elimination format was introduced which afforded all club teams a second chance by remaining in the championship after a first-round defeat.

Lees city based rivals, Nils, also featured regularly in county finals and won six titles between 1894 and 1925.

The rest of the decade belonged to St. Finbarr's, who became the first single-entity club to win championship titles in both hurling and Gaelic football.

The teams are ranked in the group stage table by points gained, then scoring difference and then their head-to-head record.

TSB Bank became the first title sponsor of the championship, serving in that capacity until 2005 when the Evening Echo signed a sponsorship deal.

In 2020, Bon Secours Hospital were unveiled as the new title sponsor of the Cork Premier Senior Championship.

Fixtures in the group stage of the championship are usually played at a neutral venue that is deemed halfway between the participating teams.

From the inaugural championship in 1887 up to the turn of the 20th century, the final was held at a variety of venues in the city and around the county, most notably the Cork Park enclosure.

Andy Scannell, a teacher at Clondulane National School outside Fermoy, was a County Senior Football selector when Cork won the Sam Maguire in 1945.