The 1989–90 National Football League, known for sponsorship reasons as the Royal Liver Assurance National Football League, was the 59th 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 1989 – 29 April 1990 |
| League champions | |
| Winners | Meath (6th win) |
| Captain | Colm O'Rourke |
| Manager | Seán Boylan |
| League runners-up | |
| Runners-up | Down |
| Captain | Paddy O'Rourke |
← 1988–89 1990–91 → | |
The tournament introduced several experimental rules: game divided into four quarters; all kick outs from the hands from within the small rectangle; free kicks from the hands or the ground; all sideline kicks from the hands; teeing up the ball is a foul. Of these rules, only the free kick from hand or ground, and the illegality of teeing up the ball, survive to the modern day.[1] Meath defeated Down in the final.[2][3][4]
Format edit
Divisions edit
- Division One: 8 teams
- Division Two: 8 teams
- Division Three: 16 teams. Split into two regional groups of 8 (North and South)
Round-robin format edit
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 three divisions competed for the National Football League title.
Knockout stage qualifiers edit
- Division One: top 4 teams
- Division Two: top 2 teams
- Division Three (North): group winners
- Division Three (South): group winners
Knockout phase structure edit
In the quarter-finals, the match-ups were as follows:
- Quarter-final 1: First-placed team in Division One v First-placed team in Division Three (South)
- Quarter-final 2: Second-placed team in Division One v First-placed team in Division Three (North)
- Quarter-final 3: Third-placed team in Division One v Second-placed team in Division Two
- Quarter-final 4: Fourth-placed team in Division One v First-placed team in Division Two
The semi-final match-ups are:
- Semi-final 1: Winner Quarter-final 1 v Winner Quarter-final 4
- Semi-final 2: Winner Quarter-final 2 v Winner Quarter-final 3
The final match-up is: Winner Semi-final 1 v Winner Semi-final 2.
Promotion and relegation edit
- Division One: bottom 2 teams demoted to Division Two
- Division Two: top 2 teams promoted to Division One. Bottom 3 teams demoted to Division Three.
- Division Three (North): group winners promoted to Division Two. Group runners up play-off for the third promotion slot from Division Three.
- Division Three (South): group winners promoted to Division Two. Group runners up play-off for the third promotion slot from Division Three.
Separation of teams on equal points edit
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.[5]
League Tables edit
Division One edit
Play-offs edit
Table edit
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cork
|
7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 11 | Advance to quarter-finals |
 Down
|
7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 10 | |
 Donegal
|
7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 10 | |
 Dublin
|
7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 8 | |
 Armagh
|
7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 8 | |
| Kerry
|
7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 4 | |
 Cavan
|
7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | Relegated to Division Two of the 1990–91 NFL |
| Derry
|
7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 |
Division Two edit
Second Place play-offs edit
| 11 March 1990 Semi-Final | Meath | 0-15 — 0-7 | Mayo | Croke Park, Dublin[8] |
| 25 March 1990 Final | Meath | 1-20 — 1-10 | Tyrone | Breffni Park, Cavan[10] |
| Attendance: 5,000 Referee: F. Finan (Sligo) |
Table edit
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Roscommon
|
7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 11 | Advance to quarter-finals; Promoted to Division One of the 1990–91 NFL |
| Meath
|
7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 8 | |
 Tyrone
|
7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 8 | |
 Antrim
|
7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 8 | |
 Mayo
|
7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 8 | |
 Monaghan
|
7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | Relegated to Division Three of the 1990–91 NFL |
| Louth
|
7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 4 | |
 Wexford
|
7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 4 |
Division Three edit
Division Three (North) play-offs edit
Division Three (South) play-offs edit
Division Three Promotion play-offs edit
Division Three (North) table edit
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Longford
|
7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 12 | Advance to quarter-finals; Promoted to Division Two of the 1990–91 NFL |
| Leitrim
|
7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 9 | Promoted to Division Two of the 1990–91 NFL |
 Offaly
|
7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 9 | |
 Galway
|
7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 8 | |
| Laois
|
7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 8 | |
 Fermanagh
|
7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 6 | |
 Sligo
|
7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | |
| Westmeath
|
7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 |
Division Three (South) table edit
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Kildare
|
7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 12 | Advance to quarter-finals; Promoted to Division Two of the 1990–91 NFL |
| Wicklow
|
7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 12 | |
| Limerick
|
7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 10 | |
| Tipperary
|
7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 8 | |
 Clare
|
7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 7 | |
| Waterford
|
7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | |
 Carlow
|
7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | |
 Kilkenny
|
7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 |
Knockout stages edit
Quarter-finals edit
Semi-finals edit
Final edit
References edit
- ^ GAA's previous experimental rules - Irish Independent
- ^ GAA Final Teams Archived 2015-07-17 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "GAA Archive 1990". Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
- ^ Photos of final
- ^ "Ups and Downs of the League", Irish Independent, 05 March 1990, p. 14
- ^ "Bad-tempered spectacle!", Irish Independent, 12 March 1990, p. 13
- ^ "GAA Results", Irish Independent, 05/03/1990, p. 15
- ^ "Meath are Masters", Irish Press, 12 March 1990, p. 47
- ^ "Tyrone to fore against Antrim", Irish Independent, 12 March 1990, p. 13
- ^ "Meath are ready to bloom again", Irish Independent, 26 March 1990, p. 14
- ^ "Leitrim one-two floors Offaly", Irish Independent, 19 March 1990, p. 11
- ^ "Kildare struggle to end hard Wicklow challenge", Irish Independent, 26 March 1990, p. 14
- ^ "Slick Leitrim back in big time", Irish Press, 16 April 1990, p. 51
- ^ "Two defectors sink Kildare", Irish Independent, 02 April 1990, p. 9
- ^ "Roscommon Roar!", Irish Independent, 02 April 1990, p. 9
- ^ "Beggy goals lift Meath out of gloom", Irish Independent, 02 April 1990, p. 9
- ^ "Longford are Down and out", Irish Independent, 02 April 1990, p. 9
- ^ "Down men are just perfect!", Irish Press, 16 April 1990, p. 49