The 1981–82 National Football League was the 51st staging of the National Football League (NFL), an annual Gaelic football tournament for the Gaelic Athletic Association county teams of Ireland.
| League details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | October 1981 – 24 May 1982 |
| League champions | |
| Winners | Kerry (14th win) |
| Captain | Jimmy Deenihan |
| Manager | Mick O'Dwyer |
| League runners-up | |
| Runners-up | Cork |
| Captain | Dinny Allen |
← 1980–81 1982–83 → | |
Format
editTitles
editTeams in all four divisions competed for one league title.
Divisions
edit- Division One: 8 teams
- Division Two: 8 teams
- Division Three: 8 teams
- Division Four: 8 teams
Round-robin format
editEach team played every other team in its division once, either home or away.
Points awarded
edit2 points were awarded for a win and 1 for a draw.
Knockout stage qualifiers
edit- Division One: top 4 teams[3]
- Division Two: top 2 teams
- Division Three: top team
- Division Four: top team
Knockout phase structure
editIn 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
editIn 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.
Group stage
editDivision One
editRegulation games
edit| 18 October 1981 | Cork | 2-9 — 0-9 | Mayo | Pairc Ui Chaoimh, Cork |
| 18 October 1981 | Offaly | 1-11 — 0-12 | Dublin | Croke Park[4] |
| 22 November 1981 | Roscommon | 0-9 — 0-6 | Kerry | Dr Hyde Park, Roscommon[5] |
| Attendance: 1,500 Referee: P.J. McGrath, Mayo |
Play-offs
edit| 14 March 1982 For 2nd Place | Cork | 1-11 — 0-8 | Offaly | Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork[7] |
Table
edit| Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Armagh
|
7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 10 | Qualified for Knockout Stages |
 Cork
|
7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 8 | |
 Offaly
|
7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 8 | |
 Kerry
|
7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 8 | |
 Dublin
|
7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 7 | |
 Mayo
|
7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 7 | |
 Galway
|
7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | Relegated to Division Two of the 1982–83 NFL |
 Roscommon
|
7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 |
Division Two
editPlay-offs
editTable
edit| Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Derry
|
7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 11 | Qualified for Knockout Stage; Promoted to Division One of the 1982–83 NFL |
 Down
|
7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 10 | |
| Meath
|
7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 10 | |
 Tyrone
|
7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 | |
 Kildare
|
7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 6 | |
 Cavan
|
7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 6 | |
 Fermanagh
|
7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | Relegated to Division Three of the 1982–83 NFL |
 Monaghan
|
7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 |
Division Three
editTable
edit| Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wicklow
|
7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 12 | Qualified for Knockout Stage; Promoted to Division Two of the 1982–83 NFL |
 Antrim
|
7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 11 | Promoted to Division Two of the 1982–83 NFL |
| Laois
|
7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 7 | |
 Wexford
|
7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 7 | |
| Donegal
|
7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 6 | |
| Louth
|
7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 6 | |
| Tipperary
|
7 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 5 | Relegated to Division Four of the 1982–83 NFL |
| Westmeath
|
7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 |
Division Four
edit| 7 March 1982 For 2nd Place | Longford | 1-8 — 0-9 | Sligo | Carrick-on-Shannon[9] |
Table
edit| Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Clare
|
7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 | Qualified for Knockout Stage; Promoted to Division Three of the 1982–83 NFL |
| Longford
|
7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 10 | Promoted to Division Three of the 1982–83 NFL |
 Sligo
|
7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 10 | |
| Waterford
|
7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 6 | |
 Carlow
|
7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 6 | |
| Limerick
|
7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | |
| Leitrim
|
7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | |
 Kilkenny
|
7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 |
Knockout stages
editPreliminary quarter-finals
editQuarter-finals
editSemi-finals
editFinal
editReferences
edit- ^ "Final Teams". gaa.ie. Archived from the original on 16 July 2015.
- ^ "Terrace Talk :: Kerry Football :: :: 1982 League :: Final :: Kerry Vs Cork". www.terracetalk.com.
- ^ a b "League play-offs cause confusion", Cork Examiner, 10 March 1982, p. 15
- ^ "Results at a glance", Irish Press, 19 October 1981, p. 14
- ^ "Kerry suffer first defeat", Cork Examiner, 23 November 1981, p. 14
- ^ "Terrace Talk :: Kerry Football :: 1982 League". www.terracetalk.com.
- ^ "Confident Cork hold whiphand", Irish Independent, 15 March 1982, p. 11
- ^ a b c d "GAA Results in Brief", Irish Independent, 01/03/1982, p. 9
- ^ a b "GAA Results", Irish Independent, 8 March 1982, p. 11
- ^ "Handy for Down as Wicklows defence concedes chances".
- ^ a b "GAA Results", Irish Press, 22 March 1982, p. 13
- ^ "Goalkeeping error costs Down dearly", Cork Examiner, 5 April 1982, p. 16
- ^ a b "GAA Results", Irish Press, 12 April 1982, p. 13
- ^ a b c d "For The Record, A History of the National Football and Hurling League Finals", Tom Morrison, Collins Press, 2002, ISBN 9781903464151