1971–72 National Football League (Ireland)
| League details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | October 1971 – 14 May 1972 |
| League champions | |
| Winners | Kerry (10th win) |
| Captain | Mick Gleeson |
| League runners-up | |
| Runners-up | Mayo |
| Captain | Ray Prendergast |
| Other division winners | |
| Division 2 | Longford |
← 1969–70 1972–73 → | |
The 1971–72 National Football League was the 41st staging of the
Gaelic Athletic Association county teams of Ireland
.
Format
Divisions
- Division One: 16 teams. Split into two groups of 8.
- Division Two: 16 teams. Split into two groups of 8.
Round-robin format
Each team played every other team in its division (or group where the division is split) once, either home or away.
Points awarded
2 points were awarded for a win and 1 for a draw.
Titles
- Teams in Division One competed for the National Football League title.
- Teams in Division Two competed for the National Football League Division Two title.
Knockout stage structure
In the Semi-Finals, the match-ups were as follows:
- Quarter-final 1: First-placed team in Division One (A) v Second-placed team in Division One (B)
- Quarter-final 2: Second-placed team in Division One (A) v First-placed team in Division One (B)
The final match-up is: Winner Semi-final 1 v Winner Semi-final 2.
Separation of teams on equal points
In the event that teams finish on equal points, then teams were separated according to points average(goals scored divided by goals conceded).[6]
Division One
Tables
Group A
|
Group B
|
|
Division two
Tables
Group A
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | Aver | Pts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Longford | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 106 | 58 | 1.828 | 14 | Qualify for Knockout Stage; promoted to Division One of the 1972–73 NFL |
| Roscommon | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 123 | 52 | 2.365 | 12 | |
| Carlow | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 99 | 84 | 1.179 | 8 | |
| Clare | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 70 | 81 | 0.864 | 7 | |
| Limerick | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 84 | 96 | 0.875 | 6 | |
| Wexford | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 83 | 93 | 0.892 | 5 | |
| Wicklow | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 65 | 104 | 0.625 | 2 | |
| Kilkenny | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 68 | 130 | 0.523 | 2 |
Group B Table
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | Aver | Pts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cavan | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 97 | 47 | 2.064 | 12 | Qualify for Knockout Stage; promoted to Division One of the 1972–73 NFL |
| Westmeath | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 109 | 81 | 1.346 | 10 | |
| Monaghan | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 76 | 60 | 1.267 | 10 | |
| Tyrone | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 60 | 61 | 0.984 | 8 | |
| Louth | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 76 | 75 | 1.013 | 7 | |
| Armagh | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 72 | 89 | 0.809 | 4 | |
| Donegal | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 64 | 99 | 0.646 | 3 | |
| Leitrim | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 73 | 115 | 0.635 | 2 |
Knockout stage
Division One
| 9 April 1972 Semi-Final | Derry | Croke Park, Dublin |
| 16 April 1972 Semi-Final | Offaly | Croke Park, Dublin |
| 30 April 1972 Semi-Final Replay | Offaly | Croke Park, Dublin |
| 14 May 1972 Final | Mayo | Croke Park, Dublin | ||
| Liam Higgins 1-4; Mick Gleeson 1-0; Mick O'Connell 0-3; Donal Kavanagh 0-2; Mick O'Dwyer, Jackie Walsh 0-1 each | W McGee 1-1; T O’Malley, J Corcoran 0-3 each, S Kilbride, J Higgins 0-1 each | Attendance: 32,883[7] Referee: P O'Tiarnain (Cavan)[8] |
Division two
| 9 April 1972 Semi-Final | Cavan | Croke Park, Dublin[9] |
| 16 April 1972 Semi-Final | Westmeath | Pearse Park, Longford[10] |
| 30 April 1972 Final | Roscommon | Páirc Seán Mac Diarmada, Carrick-on-Shannon[11] |
References
- ^ GAA Final Teams
- ^ Mayo GAA Blog
- ^ "Terrace Talk".
- ^ 20.06.1971 NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE FINAL - Irish Photo Archive
- ^ Irish Photo Archive
- ^ "Monaghan pipped", Irish Independent, 28/02/1972, p. 13
- ISBN 9781903464151
- ISBN 9781903464151
- ^ "Second-half goals enough for Roscommon", Irish Independent, 10/04/1972, p. 10
- ^ "Score margin doesn't flatter Longford", Irish Independent, 17/04/1972, p. 12
- ^ "Longford's unique success", Irish Press, 01/05/1972, p. 22