1997–98 National Football League (Ireland)

The 1997–98 National Football League, known for sponsorship reasons as the Church & General National Football League, was the 67th staging of the National Football League (NFL), an annual Gaelic football tournament for the Gaelic Athletic Association county teams of Ireland.

1997–98 National Football League
League details
Dates19 October 1997 – 26 April 1998
Teams33
League champions
WinnersOffaly (1st win)
CaptainFinbarr Cullen
ManagerTommy Lyons
League runners-up
Runners-upDerry
CaptainKieran McKeever

The Kerry v Cavan Round 1 game was played at the Polo Grounds, New York City, to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1947 All-Ireland Final.[1][2][3][4][5] The then Mayor of New York Rudy Giuliani threw the ball in ahead of the game.[6]

Offaly won their first and only league title.[7][8]

Format

The teams are in four sections, three of 8 teams and one of 9. Each team plays all the other teams in its division once: either home or away. Teams earn 2 points for a win and 1 for a draw. The top two teams in each section contest the NFL quarter-finals.[9]

Results

Group A
Team Pld W D L Pts Status
Mayo 760013Advance to knockout stage and moved to Division One of the 1998–99 NFL
Galway 752012
Laois 742110Moved to Division One of the 1998–99 NFL
Leitrim 74129
Louth 73046Moved to Division Two of the 1998–99 NFL
Fermanagh 71153
Carlow 71153
Kilkenny 70070

Group B
Team Pld W D L Pts Status
Donegal 761013Advance to Knockout stage and moved to Division One of the 1998–99 NFL
Derry 751111
Armagh 750210Moved to Division One of the 1998–99 NFL
Meath 74129
Longford 73046Moved to Division Two of the 1998–99 NFL
Westmeath 72145
Antrim 71062
London 70070

Group C
Team Pld W D L Pts Status
Offaly 761013Advance to knockout stage and moved to Division One of the 1998–99 NFL
Monaghan 74129
Dublin 74038Moved to Division One of the 1998–99 NFL
Tyrone 74038
Sligo 73228Moved to Division Two of the 1998–99 NFL
Kerry 73046
Cavan 72054
Wexford 70070

Group D
Team Pld W D L Pts Status
Down 860212Advance to quarter-finals and moved to Division One of the 1998–99 NFL
Cork 860212
Kildare 860212Moved to Division One of the 1998–99 NFL
Clare 84139
Wicklow 84139Moved to Division Two of the 1998–99 NFL
Tipperary 84048
Roscommon 82246
Limerick 81163
Waterford 80171

Knockout stage

Quarter-finals
Derry1-9 – 0-10Mayo
Offaly1-11 – 0-10Galway
Donegal2-14 – 1-9Cork
Monaghan2-6 – 1-8Down

Semi-finals
Offaly3-10 – 1-14Donegal
Derry1-12 – 0-8Monaghan

Finals
Offaly0-9 – 0-7Derry
Attendance: 22,531 [10]
Referee: Niall Barrett (Cork) [11]

References
  1. "GAA Final Teams". Archived from the original on 17 July 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  2. "GAA Archive 1997". Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
  3. Kerry photos
  4. 1997 Kerry v Cavan NFL game in New York Photos
  5. Terrace Talk 1997
  6. McManus, Ray (18 October 1997). "Mayor of New York City Rudolph Guiliani throws the ball in before the game watched by Joe McDonagh, President of the GAA and Referee Brian White ahead of the Church and General National Football League match".
  7. "GAA Final Teams". Archived from the original on 17 July 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  8. GAA Archive 1998
  9. Gaelic Games website
  10. "For The Record, A History of the National Football and Hurling League Finals", Tom Morrison, Collins Press, 2002, ISBN 9781903464151
  11. "For The Record, A History of the National Football and Hurling League Finals", Tom Morrison, Collins Press, 2002, ISBN 9781903464151
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