1967–68 National Football League (Ireland)

The 1967–68 National Football League was the 37th staging of the National Football League (NFL), an annual Gaelic football tournament for the Gaelic Athletic Association county teams of Ireland.

1967–68 National Football League
League details
DatesOctober 1967 – May 1968
League champions
WinnersDown (3rd win)
CaptainJoe Lennon
League runners-up
Runners-upKildare
CaptainPa Connolly

Down defeated Kildare in the final.[1][2][3]

Format

Divisions
  • Division One: 8 teams. Split into two groups of 4.
  • Division Two: 8 teams. Split into two groups of 4.
  • Division Three: 8 teams. Split into two groups of 4.
  • Division Four: 8 teams. Split into two groups of 4.

The top 2 in each group progressed to the Division Semi-finals. The winners of the Division Finals played off in the NFL semi-finals.

Round-robin format

Single Round-Robin. Each team played every other team in its division (or group where the division is split) once, either home or away.

Division One (A) was to be played as a double round-robin, but this was abandoned.[4]

Points awarded

2 points were awarded for a win and 1 for a draw.

Titles

Teams in all four divisions competed for the National Football League title.

League Phase Results and Tables

Division One (A) regulation games
19 November 1967 Round 2 Antrim 0-7 — 1-15 Meath Casement Park,[5]
19 November 1967 Round 2 Down 3-10 — 1-5 Louth Newcastle,[6]
28 January 1968 Round 3 Down 1-10 — 0-13 Meath Newry,[7]

Division One (A) play-offs
4 February 1968 For 1st Place Down 2-10 — 1-8 Meath Navan[8]

Division One (B) regulation games
12 November 1967 Round 3 Dublin 1-9 — 0-6 Armagh Croke Park,[9]

Division One inter-group play-offs
11 February 1968 Semi-final Westmeath 3-5 — 4-11 Meath Croke Park, Dublin
11 February 1968 Semi-final Down 3-7 — 2-4 Dublin Croke Park, Dublin
7 April 1968 Final Down 1-11 — 2-7 Meath Croke Park, Dublin[10]

Division Two (A) play-offs
25 February 1968 For 1st Place Donegal 3-9 — 2-6 Sligo Irvinestown[11]

Division Two (B) play-offs
18 February 1968 For 1st Place Derry 2-11 — 0-12 Cavan Irvinestown[12]

Division Two inter-group play-offs
10 March 1968 Semi-final Sligo 1-13 — 1-12 Derry Irvinestown[13]
10 March 1968 Semi-final Cavan 2-7 — 1-9 Donegal Carrick-on-Shannon[14]
31 March 1968 Final Sligo 2-8 — 1-7 Cavan Carrick-on-Shannon

Division Three (B) regulation games
4 February 1968 Round Limerick 2-6 — 0-6 Cork Gaelic Grounds, Limerick[15]
11 February 1968 Round Cork 3-8 — 2-4 Tipperary Cork Athletic Grounds[16]
3 March 1968 Round 3 Limerick 2-9 — 0-5 Tipperary Gaelic Grounds, Limerick[17]

Division Three (B) play-offs
10 March 1968 For 1st Place Kerry 3-9 — 1-9 Limerick Austin Stack Park, Tralee[18]
18 March 1968 For 2nd Place Cork 3-14 — 2-3 Limerick Cork Athletic Grounds, Cork[19]

Division Three inter-group play-offs
24 March 1968 Semi-final Galway 2-13 — 2-8 Cork Semple Stadium, Thurles[20]
24 March 1968 Semi-final Mayo 2-11 — 0-10 Kerry Semple Stadium, Thurles[21]
7 April 1968 Final Galway 2-11 — 2-5 Mayo Tuam[22]
Attendance: 25,000

Division Four (A) regulation games
4 February 1968 Round Offaly 2-18 — 0-4 Carlow Tullamore,[23]

Division Four (B) regulation games
19 November 1967 Round Kildare 1-11 — 2-2 Waterford Naas,[24]
26 November 1967 Round Wexford 1-6 — 0-4 Waterford ,[25]
11 February 1968 Round Wexford 3-5 — 1-3 Kilkenny Enniscorthy,[26]

Division Four inter-group play-offs
10 March 1968 Semi-final Kildare 0-7 — 0-4 Laois Carlow[27]
10 March 1968 Semi-final Offaly 1-15 — 0-3 Wexford Carlow
31 March 1968 Final Kildare 2-8 — 1-8 Offaly Croke Park, Dublin[28]

Knockout Phase Results

Semi-final
Down2-10 – 1-8Galway
Kildare1-12 – 2-9Sligo
Kildare3-13 – 1-10Sligo

Final
Down2-14 – 2-11Kildare
Attendance: 47,661[32]
Referee: Mick Loftus, Mayo [33]

References
  1. GAA Final Teams
  2. GAA Archive 1968
  3. Down-Kildare on Twitter
  4. "Sunday's game will decide the winners", Irish Independent, 24/01/1968, p.14
  5. "G.A.A. facts", The Irish Press, 20 November 1967, p. 16,
  6. "G.A.A. facts", The Irish Press, 20 November 1967, p. 16,
  7. "Meath,Down Share Points", The Irish Press, 29/01/1968, p. 13,
  8. "Down attack dominant", Irish Independent, 05/02/1968, p. 12
  9. "G.A.A. facts", The Irish Press, 13 November 1967, p. 16,
  10. "Memorable League win for Down", Cork Examiner, 08/04/1968, p. 10
  11. "Donegal's two goal blast stumps Sligo", Irish Press, 26/02/1968, p. 16
  12. "Honours for Derry", Irish Independent, 19/02/1968, p. 11
  13. "O'Connell lets Sligo off hook", Irish Independent, 11/03/1968, p. 12
  14. "Cavan-Sligo Div II Final", Irish Independent, 11/03/1968, p. 12
  15. "Shock win for superbly fit Limerick", Cork Examiner, 05/02/1968, p. 8
  16. "Cork footballers give improved display", Cork Examiner, 12/02/1968, p. 11
  17. "Limerick footballers always in command", Irish Press, 04/03/1968, p. 12
  18. "Terrace Talk :: Kerry Football :: 1968 League".
  19. "Cork end Limerick hopes", Irish Independent, 19/03/1968, p. 16
  20. "Results at a glance", Irish Press, 25/03/1968, p. 16
  21. "Results at a glance", Irish Press, 25/03/1968, p. 16
  22. "Sparkling display by Galway side leaves Mayo in the shade", Irish Press, 08/04/1968, p. 18
  23. "Group honours for Offaly", Irish Independent, 05/02/1968, p. 12,
  24. "Kildare did not impress in league win", The Cork Examiner, 20/11/1967, p. 10,
  25. "GAA Results", The Cork Examiner, 27/11/1967, p. 11,
  26. "Wexford Win", Irish Press, 12/02/1968, p. 14,
  27. "Kildare hard-run by sturdy Laois", Irish Independent, 11/03/1968, p. 13
  28. "Kildare eliminate Offaly", Irish Independent, 01/04/1968, p. 11
  29. "Down pounce and Galway are crushed", Irish Press, 29/04/1968
  30. "Kildare and Sligo must meet again", Cork Examiner, 22/04/1968, p. 11
  31. "Storming Finish puts Kildare in National League final", Cork Examiner, 06/05/1968, p. 10
  32. "For The Record, A History of the National Football and Hurling League Finals", Tom Morrison, Collins Press, 2002, ISBN 9781903464151
  33. "For The Record, A History of the National Football and Hurling League Finals", Tom Morrison, Collins Press, 2002, ISBN 9781903464151
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