Wikipedia

1980–81 National Football League (Ireland)


The 1980–81 National Football League was the 50th staging of the National Football League (NFL), an annual Gaelic football tournament for the Gaelic Athletic Association county teams of Ireland.

1980–81 National Football League
League details
DatesOctober 1980 – 10 May 1981
League champions
WinnersGalway (3rd win)
CaptainBarry Brennan
League runners-up
Runners-upRoscommon
CaptainDanny Murray

Galway defeated Roscommon in an all-Connacht final.[1][2][3]

Format

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Titles

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Teams in all four divisions competed for one league title.

Divisions

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  • Division One: 8 teams
  • Division Two: 8 teams
  • Division Three: 8 teams
  • Division Four: 8 teams

Round-robin format

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Each team played every other team in its division once, either home or away.

Points awarded

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2 points were awarded for a win and 1 for a draw.

Knockout stage qualifiers

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  • Division One: top 4 teams [4]
  • Division Two: top 2 teams
  • Division Three: top team
  • Division Four: top team

Knockout phase structure

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In the Preliminary quarter-finals, the match-ups were as follows

  • Preliminary Quarter-final 1: Fourth-placed team in Division One v First-placed team in Division Four
  • Preliminary Quarter-final 2: Second-placed team in Division Two v First-placed team in Division Three

In the quarter-finals, the match-ups were as follows

  • Quarter-final 1: Winner Preliminary Quarter-final 1 v First-placed team in Division Two
  • Quarter-final 2: Winner Preliminary Quarter-final 2 v Third-placed team in Division One

The semi-final match-ups are:

  • Semi-final 1: First-placed team in Division One v Winner Quarter-final 1
  • Semi-final 2: Second-placed team in Division One v Winner Quarter-final 2

Separation of teams on equal points

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In the event that teams finish on equal points, then a play-off will be used to determine group placings if necessary, i.e. where to decide relegation places or quarter-finalists.

League stage

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Division One

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Regulation Games

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5 October 1980 Round 1 Cork 0-10 — 0-13 Kerry Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork[5]
5 October 1980 Round 1 Roscommon 3-14 — 0-8 Kildare Dr. Hyde Park, Roscommon[6]
5 October 1980 Round 1 Armagh 3-10 — 0-9 Offaly Athletic Grounds, Armagh[7]

Division One play-offs

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15 March 1981 For 3rd Place Dublin 1-7 — 1-5 Armagh Croke Park, Dublin[8]

Tables

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Team Pld W D L Pts Notes
  Kerry 7 5 1 1 11 Qualified for Knockout Stages
  Roscommon 7 4 2 1 10
  Dublin 7 4 1 2 9
  Armagh 7 4 1 2 9
  Cork 7 3 2 2 8
  Offaly 7 2 2 3 6
  Down 7 1 1 5 3 Relegated to Division Two of the 1981–82 NFL
  Kildare 7 0 0 7 0

[9]

Division Two

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Division Two Regulation Games

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5 October 1980 Round 1 Derry 2-12 — 2-3 Laois Ballinascreen[10]

Tables

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Team Pld W D L Pts Notes
  Galway 7 5 2 0 12 Promoted to Division One of the 1981–82 NFL and qualified for Knockout Stages
  Mayo 7 3 4 0 10
  Tyrone 7 3 2 2 8
  Derry 7 3 1 3 7
  Meath 7 3 1 3 7
  Monaghan 7 2 1 4 5
  Laois 7 2 0 5 4 Relegated to Division Three of the 1981–82 NFL
  Antrim 7 1 1 5 3

[11]

Division Three

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Team Pld W D L Pts Notes
  Fermanagh 7 6 1 0 13 Promoted to Division Two of the 1981–82 NFL and Qualified for Knockout Stages
  Cavan 7 5 0 2 10 Promoted to Division Two of the 1981–82 NFL
  Donegal 7 3 2 2 8
  Louth 7 3 1 3 7
  Wexford 7 3 0 4 6
  Tipperary 7 3 0 4 6
  Sligo 7 2 0 5 4 Relegated to Division Four of the 1981–82 NFL
  Clare 7 1 0 6 2

[12]

Division Four

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Team Pld W D L Pts Notes
  Wicklow 7 7 0 0 14 Promoted to Division Three of the 1981–82 NFL and Qualified for Knockout Stages
  Westmeath 7 6 0 1 12 Promoted to Division Three of the 1981–82 NFL
  Longford 7 4 1 2 9
  Waterford 7 3 1 3 7
  Leitrim 7 2 1 4 5
  Limerick 7 2 1 4 5
  Carlow 7 2 0 5 4
  Kilkenny 7 0 0 7 0

[13]

Knockout stage

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Preliminary quarter-finals

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Armagh2-11 – 1-10Wicklow
Mayo2-9 – 0-9Fermanagh

Quarter-finals

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Mayo1-11 – 1-10Dublin
Galway1-11 – 2-3Armagh

Semi-finals

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Galway0-10 – 0-8Kerry
Roscommon1-11 – 1-6Mayo

Final

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Galway1-11 – 1-3Roscommon
Attendance: 22,876[17]
Referee: Paddy Collins (Westmeath) [18]

References

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  1. ^ GAA Final Teams
  2. ^ Terrace Talk 1981
  3. ^ GAA Archive 1981[permanent dead link‍]
  4. ^ "League play-offs cause confusion", Cork Examiner, 10 March 1982, p. 15
  5. ^ "GAA Results at a glance", Irish Press, 06/10/1980, p. 13,
  6. ^ "GAA Results at a glance", Irish Press, 06/10/1980, p. 13,
  7. ^ "GAA Results at a glance", Irish Press, 06/10/1980, p. 13,
  8. ^ "GAA in brief", Irish Press, 16/03/1981, p. 14,
  9. ^ "GAA Results in Brief", Irish Independent, 02/03/1981, p. 9
  10. ^ "GAA Results at a glance", Irish Press, 06/10/1980, p. 13,
  11. ^ "GAA Results in Brief", Irish Independent, 02/03/1981, p. 9
  12. ^ "GAA Results in Brief", Irish Independent, 02/03/1981, p. 9
  13. ^ "GAA Results in Brief", Irish Independent, 02/03/1981, p. 9
  14. ^ "Scores at a glance", Irish Press, 23/03/1981, p. 14
  15. ^ "Mayo regain form to edge out Dublin", Irish Independent, 06/04/1981, p. 10
  16. ^ "Galway underline Armagh weakness", Irish Independent, 06/04/1981, p. 10
  17. ^ "For The Record, A History of the National Football and Hurling League Finals", Tom Morrison, Collins Press, 2002, ISBN 9781903464151
  18. ^ "For The Record, A History of the National Football and Hurling League Finals", Tom Morrison, Collins Press, 2002, ISBN 9781903464151
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