1996–97 National Football League (Ireland)

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.

1996–97 National Football League

League details
Dates	13 October 1996 – 4 May 1997
Teams	33
League champions
Winners	Kerry (16th win)
Captain	Mike Hassett
Manager	Páidí Ó Sé
League runners-up
Runners-up	Cork
Captain	Niall Cahalane
Manager	Larry Tompkins
Other division winners
Division 2	Louth
Division 3	Down
Division 4	Offaly
← 1995–96 1997–98 →

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	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

Play-Off

Mayo v Clare

31 March 1997 For 6th Place

Mayo

0-7 — 0-4

Clare

Tuam[3]

Division 2

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

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

Offaly won, with Fermanagh finishing second.

Knockout stage

Quarter-finals

6 April 1997

Laois	4-10 – 1-13	Derry
Hugh Emerson 3 goals

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6 April 1997

Kerry	1-18 – 0-10	Down

Dublin

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7 April 1997

3:15 p.m.

Kildare	0-9 – 0-8	Offaly

Navan

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6 April 1997^[4]

Cork	1-12 - 0-11	Louth
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)

O'Moore Park Portlaoise

Referee: S. Prior (Leitrim)

GK 1 Kevin O'Dwyer (O'Donovan Rossa) RCB 2 Ronan McCarthy (Douglas) FB 3 Mark O'Connor (Bantry Blues) LCB 4 Owen Sexton (Kilbrittain) RHB 5 Ciarán O'Sullivan (Urhan) CHB 6 Niall Cahalane (Castlehaven) (c) LHB 7 Martin Cronin (Nemo Rangers) MF 8 Damien O'Neill (Bantry Blues) MF 9 Liam Honohan (Bishopstown) RHF 10 Michael O'Donovan (Mallow) CHF 11 Steven O'Brien (Nemo Rangers) LHF 12 Brian Corcoran (Erin's Own) RCF 13 Ollie O'Sullivan (Garnish) FF 14 Colin Corkery (Nemo Rangers) LCF 15 Aidan Dorgan (Grenagh) Substitutes: 16 Seán Óg Ó hAilpín (Na Piarsaigh) for Honohan 17 John Buckley (Knocknagree) for Ollie O'Sullivan 18 Mark Farr (Dohenys) 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

20 April 1997

Kerry	2-13 – 1-10	Laois

Croke Park, Dublin

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21 April 1997

Cork	2-10 – 1-9	Kildare

Croke Park, Dublin

Final

4 May 1997

Kerry	3-7 – 1-8	Cork

Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork

Attendance: 28,795 ^[5]

Referee: Pat Casserly (Westmeath)^[5]