Introduced in 1887 as the Kilkenny Football Championship, it was initially a straight knockout tournament open only to senior-ranking club teams.

The championship has gone through a number of changes throughout the years, including the use of a round robin, before reverting to a straight knockout format.

A team's finishing position in the Kilkenny Senior Football League determines at what stage they enter the championship.

Pairings for matches are drawn at random, however, there is a certain level of seeding based on league performance.

James Stephens became the first team to win the double in 1976, having won the All-Ireland Club SHC title earlier that year.

Dicksboro, Erin's Own, Glenmore, Mooncoin and Thomastown also hold the distinction of being dual county senior championship-winning teams, however, these were not achieved in a single calendar season.