1968–69 National Football League (Ireland)


The 1968–69 National Football League was the 38th staging of the National Football League (NFL), an annual Gaelic football tournament for the Gaelic Athletic Association county teams of Ireland.

1968–69 National Football League
League details
DatesOctober 1968 – 29 June 1969
League champions
WinnersKerry (8th win)
CaptainJohnny Culloty
League runners-up
Runners-upNew York
CaptainMickey Moynihan

Kerry beat Offaly in the home final, and then New York in the two-legged final.[1][2][3][4]

Format edit

Divisions edit

  • Division One: 8 teams. Split into two groups of 4.
  • Division Two: 8 teams. Split into two groups of 4.
  • Division Three: 8 teams. Split into two groups of 4.
  • Division Four: 8 teams. Split into two groups of 4.

The top 2 in each group progressed to the Division Semi-finals. The winners of the Division Finals played off in the NFL semi-finals.

Round-robin format edit

  • Division Three (A): Played as a double round-robin.
  • All other groups: Single Round-Robin. Each team played every other team in its division (or group where the division is split) once, either home or away.

Points awarded edit

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

Titles edit

Teams in all four divisions competed for the National Football League title.

Promotion and relegation edit

None. All divisions had equal status.

Knockout-phase results and tables edit

Division One edit

Division One (A) regulation games edit

16 February 1969 Round 2 Down 1-7 — 0-7 Meath Navan
9 March 1969 Round 3 Down 1-7 — 0-6 Antrim Newcastle

Division One (B) play-offs edit

9 March 1969 For 1st Place Dublin 0-7 — 0-3 Westmeath Raheny[5]

Division One inter-group play-offs edit

16 March 1969 Semi-final Westmeath 0-13 — 1-8 Down Carrickmacross[6]
16 March 1969 Semi-final Dublin 1-10 — 0-9 Meath Drogheda[7]
30 March 1969 Final Westmeath 1-8 — 1-6 Dublin Navan[8]

Division Two edit

Division Two (A) play-offs edit

2 March 1969 For 1st Place Sligo 0-12 — 0-7 Donegal Sligo[9]

Division Two inter-group play-offs edit

9 March 1969 Semi-final Donegal 2-10 — 1-7 Derry Dungannon[10]
23 March 1969 Semi-final Cavan 2-10 — 1-3 Sligo Carrick-on-Shannon[11]
30 March 1969 Final Donegal 0-10 — 1-6 Cavan Dungannon[12]

Division Three edit

Division Three (A) regulation games edit

9 March 1969 Round 5 Clare 1-7 — 0-4 Mayo Kilrush[13]
9 March 1969 Round 5 Galway 1-5 — 0-7 Roscommon Ballinasloe[14]
23 March 1969 Round 6 Mayo 0-6 — 2-9 Roscommon Crossmolina[15]
23 March 1969 Round 6 Clare 0-4 — 0-13 Galway Milltown Malbay[16]

Division Three (A) play-offs edit

30 March 1969 For 2nd Place Mayo 2-7 — 0-8 Roscommon Ballinasloe[17]

Division Three inter-group play-offs edit

30 March 1969 Semi-final Cork 3-8 — 1-8 Galway Gaelic Grounds, Limerick[18]
13 April 1969 Semi-final Kerry 0-11 — 0-11 Mayo Gaelic Grounds, Limerick[19]
Attendance: 4,000
20 April 1969 Semi-final Replay Kerry 2-9 — 1-5 Mayo Galway[20]
27 April 1969 Final Kerry 2-5 — 0-9 Cork Cork Athletic Grounds[21]

Division Four edit

Division Four (B) play-offs edit

9 March 1969 For 1st Place Kildare 6-11 — 0-3 Waterford Newbridge[22]

Division Four inter-group play-offs edit

16 March 1969 Semi-final Offaly 2-12 — 2-3 Waterford Tullamore
16 March 1969 Semi-final Kildare 2-7 — 0-13 Laois Tullamore
23 March 1969 Semi-final Replay Kildare 1-17 — 1-6 Laois Carlow[23]
30 March 1969 Final Offaly 1-8 — 1-8 Kildare O'Moore Park, Portlaoise[24]
13 April 1969 Final replay Offaly 0-8 — 1-2 Kildare O'Moore Park, Portlaoise

Knockout-phase results edit

Semi-finals edit

Offaly2-13 – 1-3Donegal

Kerry2-12 – 2-8Westmeath

Finals edit

Kerry3-11 – 0-8Offaly
Mick O'Dwyer 2-2; Dom O'Donnell 1-0; Brendan Lynch 0-3; Mick O'Connell, DJ Crowley, Eamonn O'Donoghue 0-2 each
Attendance: 35,936[27]
Referee: Mick Loftus, Mayo[28]

Kerry0-12 – 0-12New York
Mick O'Dwyer 0-6; Brendan Lynch 0-4; Eamonn O'Donoghue, Pat Moynihan 0-1 each
Attendance: 10,000[29]
Referee: Paul Kelly (Dublin)[30]

Kerry2-21 – 2-12New York
Mick O'Connell 0-9; Brendan Lynch 1-3; Mick O'Dwyer 0-5; Tom Prendergast 1-1; Eamonn O'Donoghue 0-2; DJ Crowley 0-1
Referee: Paul Kelly (Dublin)[31]

Kerry win 39–30 on aggregate.

References edit

  1. ^ GAA Final Teams
  2. ^ GAA Archive 1969[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ Terrace Talk 1969
  4. ^ "Kerry Defeats New York In Gaelic Football Finale" - NYT
  5. ^ "Dublin in fine form", Irish Press, 10/03/1969, p. 16
  6. ^ "GAA facts", Irish Press, 17/03/1969, p. 13
  7. ^ "GAA facts", Irish Press, 17/03/1969, p. 13
  8. ^ "Results at a glance", Irish Press, 31/03/1969, p. 12
  9. ^ "GAA in brief", Irish Press, 03/03/1969, p. 12
  10. ^ "Donegal dash Kerry's National League hopes", Irish Independent, 10/03/1969, p. 15
  11. ^ "Cavan oust Sligo: now meet Donegal", Irish Independent, 24/03/1969, p. 13
  12. ^ "Results at a glance", Irish Press, 31/03/1969, p. 12
  13. ^ "Chambers' goal made Clare safe", Irish Independent, 10/03/1969, p. 15
  14. ^ "Galway win with late Keenan point", Irish Independent, 10/03/1969, p. 15
  15. ^ "Roscommon reap decisive success from switches", Irish Independent, 24/03/1969, p. 12
  16. ^ "Galway had to fight", Irish Independent, 24/03/1969, p. 12
  17. ^ "GAA in brief", Irish Independent, 31/03/1969, p. 16
  18. ^ "GAA in brief", Irish Independent, 31/03/1969, p. 16
  19. ^ "Mick O'Connell saves Kerry with a late point", Cork Examiner, 14/04/1969, p. 10
  20. ^ "GAA Results at a glance", Irish Press, 21/04/1969, p. 13
  21. ^ "GAA facts at a glance", Irish Press, 28/04/1969, p. 15
  22. ^ "Easy for Kildare", Irish Independent, 10/03/1969, p. 15
  23. ^ "Kildare sparkle", Irish Independent, 24/03/1969, p. 12
  24. ^ "Kildare-Offaly tie ends level", Irish Independent, 31/03/1969, p. 16
  25. ^ "GAA Results at a glance", Irish Press, 21/04/1969, p. 13
  26. ^ "Kerry for league final", Irish Independent, 12/05/1969, p. 12
  27. ^ "For The Record, A History of the National Football and Hurling League Finals", Tom Morrison, Collins Press, 2002, ISBN 9781903464151
  28. ^ "For The Record, A History of the National Football and Hurling League Finals", Tom Morrison, Collins Press, 2002, ISBN 9781903464151
  29. ^ "For The Record, A History of the National Football and Hurling League Finals", Tom Morrison, Collins Press, 2002, ISBN 9781903464151
  30. ^ "For The Record, A History of the National Football and Hurling League Finals", Tom Morrison, Collins Press, 2002, ISBN 9781903464151
  31. ^ "For The Record, A History of the National Football and Hurling League Finals", Tom Morrison, Collins Press, 2002, ISBN 9781903464151