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

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

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

Division 1

Team Pld W D L Pts Status
Kildare 750210Advance to Knockout stage
Kerry 750210
Derry 74129
Cork 73228
Tyrone 7 2 1 4 5
Meath 72145
Cavan 72145
Donegal 71244

    Division 2

    Play-Off

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

    Division 2

    Team Pld W D L Pts Status
    Louth 750210Advance to Knockout stage
    Laois 750210Laois advanced to Knock out stage as Division 2 Runner Up
    Dublin 73228
    Leitrim 73137
    Armagh 72327
    Mayo 72236
    Clare 73046
    Monaghan 71062

      Division 3

      Team Pld W D L Pts Status
      Down 752012Advance to knockout stage
      Roscommon 751111
      Wicklow 750210
      Westmeath 74038
      Galway 73137
      Antrim 72054
      Longford 71153
      Sligo 70161

      Division 4

      Offaly won, with Fermanagh finishing second.

      Knockout stage

      Quarter-finals

      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)
      GK1Kevin O'Dwyer
      RCB2Ronan McCarthy
      FB3Mark O'Connor
      LCB4Owen Sexton
      RHB5Ciarán O'Sullivan
      CHB6Niall Cahalane (c)
      LHB7Martin Cronin
      MF8Damien O'Neill
      MF9Liam Honohan
      RHF10Michael O'Donovan
      CHF11Steven O'Brien
      LHF12Brian Corcoran
      RCF13Ollie O'Sullivan
      FF14Colin Corkery
      LCF15Aidan Dorgan
      Substitutes:
      16Seán Óg Ó hAilpín for Honohan
      17John Buckley for O. O'Sullivan
      18Mark Farr for O'Connor
      GK1Niall O'Donnell (Clan na Gael)
      RCB2Nicky Malone (Lann Léire)
      FB3Gareth O'Neill (Cooley Kickhams)
      LCB4Ray Rooney (Dundalk Gaels)
      RHB5Gerry Curran (Clan na Gael)
      CHB6John Donaldson (Stabannon Parnells)
      LHB7Stephen Melia (O'Dwyers, Dublin)
      MF8Séamus O'Hanlon (Clan na Gael) (c)
      MF9Ken Reilly (Stabannon Parnells)
      RHF10Alan Rooney (St Mary's)
      CHF11David Reilly (Stabannon Parnells)
      LHF12Colin Kelly (Newtown Blues)
      RCF13Stefan White (Clan na Gael)
      FF14Cathal O'Hanlon (Clan na Gael)
      LCF15Pat Butterly (Stabannon Parnells)
      Substitutes:
      16Ollie McDonnell (St Joseph's) for A. Rooney
      17Brendan Kerin (St Mary's) for D. Reilly
      18Alan Doherty (St Mary's) for Butterly

      Semi-finals

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

      Final

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

      References

      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. 1 2 "For The Record, A History of the National Football and Hurling League Finals", Tom Morrison, Collins Press, 2002, ISBN 9781903464151


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