1996–97 National Football League (Ireland)

1996–97 National Football League
League details
Dates13 October 1996 – 4 May 1997
Teams33
League champions
WinnersKerry (16th win)
CaptainMike Hassett
ManagerPáidí Ó Sé
League runners-up
Runners-upCork
CaptainNiall Cahalane
ManagerLarry Tompkins
Other division winners
Division 2Louth
Division 3Down
Division 4Offaly

The 1996–97 National Football League, known for sponsorship reasons as the Church & General National Football League, was the 66th staging of the National Football League (NFL), an annual Gaelic football tournament for the Gaelic Athletic Association county teams of Ireland.

Format

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The teams are in four divisions, 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 winn and 1 for a draw. The top two teams in Divisions 2, 3 and 4 are promoted, while the bottom two teams in Divisions 1, 2 and 3 are relegated.[1]

Eight teams contest the NFL quarter-finals:

  • The top 4 teams in Division 1
  • The top 2 teams in Division 2
  • The first-placed teams in Divisions 3 and 4

Promotion and relegation

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At the point at which the league was played, promotion and relegation was to be as follows:

  • Division One: bottom 2 teams demoted to Division Two
  • Division Two: top 2 teams promoted to Division One. Bottom 2 teams demoted to Division Three.
  • Division Three: top 2 teams promoted to Division Two. Bottom 2 teams demoted to Division Four.
  • Division Four: top 2 teams promoted to Division Three.

After the season had finished, it was decided to move to a 'mixed-ability' league for a one-season experiment in the 1997–98 NFL season, which meant that there was no relegation or promotion in 1996–97.[2]

Results and tables

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Division 1

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Team Pld W D L Pts Status
Kildare 7 5 0 2 10 Advance to Knockout stage
Kerry 7 5 0 2 10
Derry 7 4 1 2 9
Cork 7 3 2 2 8
Tyrone 7 2 1 4 5
Meath 7 2 1 4 5
Cavan 7 2 1 4 5
Donegal 7 1 2 4 4

Division 2

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Play-Off

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31 March 1997 For 6th Place Mayo 0-7 — 0-4 Clare Tuam[3]

Division 2

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Team Pld W D L Pts Status
Louth 7 5 0 2 10 Advance to Knockout stage
Laois 7 5 0 2 10 Laois advanced to Knock out stage as Division 2 Runner Up
Dublin 7 3 2 2 8
Leitrim 7 3 1 3 7
Armagh 7 2 3 2 7
Mayo 7 2 2 3 6
Clare 7 3 0 4 6
Monaghan 7 1 0 6 2

Division 3

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Team Pld W D L Pts Status
Down 7 5 2 0 12 Advance to knockout stage
Roscommon 7 5 1 1 11
Wicklow 7 5 0 2 10
Westmeath 7 4 0 3 8
Galway 7 3 1 3 7
Antrim 7 2 0 5 4
Longford 7 1 1 5 3
Sligo 7 0 1 6 1

Division 4

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Offaly won, with Fermanagh finishing second.

Knockout stage

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Quarter-finals

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Laois4-10 – 1-13Derry
Hugh Emerson 3 goals
Kerry1-18 – 0-10Down
Kildare0-9 – 0-8Offaly
Cork1-12 - 0-11Louth
Corkery (1-7, 1pen, 4f), Corcoran (0-2), Dorgan (0-1), C. O'Sullivan (0-1), O. O'Sullivan (0-1) Butterly (0-4), White (0-2, 1f), Curran (0-2), S. O'Hanlon (0-1), Kelly (0-1), Donaldson (0-1)
Referee: S. Prior (Leitrim)
GK 1 Kevin O'Dwyer
RCB 2 Ronan McCarthy
FB 3 Mark O'Connor
LCB 4 Owen Sexton
RHB 5 Ciarán O'Sullivan
CHB 6 Niall Cahalane (c)
LHB 7 Martin Cronin
MF 8 Damien O'Neill
MF 9 Liam Honohan
RHF 10 Michael O'Donovan
CHF 11 Steven O'Brien
LHF 12 Brian Corcoran
RCF 13 Ollie O'Sullivan
FF 14 Colin Corkery
LCF 15 Aidan Dorgan
Substitutes:
16 Seán Óg Ó hAilpín for Honohan
17 John Buckley for O. O'Sullivan
18 Mark Farr for O'Connor
GK 1 Niall O'Donnell (Clan na Gael)
RCB 2 Nicky Malone (Lann Léire)
FB 3 Gareth O'Neill (Cooley Kickhams)
LCB 4 Ray Rooney (Dundalk Gaels)
RHB 5 Gerry Curran (Clan na Gael)
CHB 6 John Donaldson (Stabannon Parnells)
LHB 7 Stephen Melia (O'Dwyers, Dublin)
MF 8 Séamus O'Hanlon (Clan na Gael) (c)
MF 9 Ken Reilly (Stabannon Parnells)
RHF 10 Alan Rooney (St Mary's)
CHF 11 David Reilly (Stabannon Parnells)
LHF 12 Colin Kelly (Newtown Blues)
RCF 13 Stefan White (Clan na Gael)
FF 14 Cathal O'Hanlon (Clan na Gael)
LCF 15 Pat Butterly (Stabannon Parnells)
Substitutes:
16 Ollie McDonnell (St Joseph's) for A. Rooney
17 Brendan Kerin (St Mary's) for D. Reilly
18 Alan Doherty (St Mary's) for Butterly

Semi-finals

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Kerry2-13 – 1-10Laois
Cork2-10 – 1-9Kildare

Final

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Kerry3-7 – 1-8Cork
Attendance: 28,795 [5]
Referee: Pat Casserly (Westmeath)[5]

References

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  1. ^ "1996-7 Football League play-offs & Final". homepage.eircom.net.
  2. ^ O'Riordan, Tom, "New format turns league on its head", Irish Independent, 27 August 1997, p. 21
  3. ^ "1997".
  4. ^ "Corkery pulls right strings". Irish Times. 7 April 1997.
  5. ^ a b "For The Record, A History of the National Football and Hurling League Finals", Tom Morrison, Collins Press, 2002, ISBN 9781903464151
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