1976–77 National Football League (Ireland)
 | |
| League details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | October 1976 – 17 April 1977 |
| Teams | 32 |
| League champions | |
| Winners | Kerry (13th win) |
| Captain | John O'Keeffe |
| Manager | Mick O'Dwyer |
| League runners-up | |
| Runners-up | Dublin |
| Captain | Tony Hanahoe |
| Manager | Tony Hanahoe (player-manager) |
← 1975–76 1977–78 → | |
The 1976–77 National Football League was the 46th staging of the National Football League (NFL), an annual Gaelic football tournament for the Gaelic Athletic Association county teams of Ireland.
Kerry narrowly beat Dublin in the final.[1][2][3]
Format
[edit]All 32 counties of Ireland compete: 12 in Division 1 and 20 in Division 2.
Division 1 is composed of two groups of 6 teams (North and South). Each team plays the other teams in its group once, earning 2 points for a win and 1 for a draw.
- The first-placed team in each group advances to the NFL semi-finals.
- The second-placed team in each group advances to the NFL quarter-finals.
- The last-placed team is relegated.
Division 2 is composed of two groups of 10 teams (North and South). Each of these is further divided into two groups of 5. The top two in each group play semi-finals and finals, with the North champions and the South champions advancing to the NFL quarter-finals and being promoted.
Group stage
[edit]Division One (North)
[edit]Play-offs
[edit]Table
[edit]| Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Mayo
|
5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | Qualified for knockout stages |
 Roscommon
|
5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | |
 Tyrone
|
5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 6 | |
 Derry
|
5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | |
 Antrim
|
5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | |
 Sligo
|
5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | Relegated to Division Two of the 1977–78 NFL |
Division One (South)
[edit]Play-offs
[edit]| 13 March 1977 For 5th Place | Galway | 0-16 — 2-6 | Meath | O'Connor Park, Tullamore |
Table
[edit]| Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Kerry
|
5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 9 | Qualified for Knockout Stages |
 Dublin
|
5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 7 | |
| Cork
|
5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | |
 Kildare
|
5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | |
 Galway
|
5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2 | |
| Meath
|
5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2 | Relegated to Division Two of the 1977–78 NFL |
Division Two (North)
[edit]Group B play-offs
[edit]| 16 January 1977 For 1st Place | Cavan | 2-10 — 1-5 | Leitrim | Pearse Park, Longford |
Inter-group play-offs
[edit]| 6 March 1977 Final | Cavan | 0-12 — 0-9 | Donegal | Irvinestown |
Group A Table
[edit]| Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Armagh
|
4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | |
 Down
|
4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | |
 Monaghan
|
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | |
| Westmeath
|
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | |
| Louth
|
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Group B Table
[edit]| Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cavan
|
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | Qualified for Knockout Stages; promoted to Division One of the 1977–78 NFL |
| Donegal
|
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | |
| Leitrim
|
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | |
 Fermanagh
|
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | |
| Longford
|
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Division Two (South)
[edit]Inter-group play-offs
[edit]| 6 February 1977 Semi-Final | Offaly | 4-14 — 2-2 | Wicklow | Croke Park, Dublin |
| 6 March 1977 Final | Offaly | 2-13 — 0-9 | Laois | Croke Park, Dublin |
Group A Table
[edit]| Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Offaly
|
4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | Qualified for Knockout Stages; promoted to Division One of the 1977–78 NFL |
| Laois
|
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |
 Clare
|
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | |
| Tipperary
|
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | |
| Limerick
|
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Group B Table
[edit]| Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waterford
|
4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | |
| Wicklow
|
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |
 Carlow
|
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | |
 Wexford
|
4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | |
 Kilkenny
|
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Knockout stage
[edit]Quarter-Finals
[edit]Semi-finals
[edit]Finals
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Final Teams". gaa.ie. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021.
- ^ "Terrace Talk :: Kerry Football :: :: 1977 League :: Final :: Kerry Vs Dublin". www.terracetalk.com.
- ^ "'Hanno's Heroes', All-Ireland Semi-Final, 1977". dublincitypubliclibraries.com. 16 May 2011. Archived from the original on 20 December 2012. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
- ^ "GAA Results and Tables", Irish Independent, 6 December 1976, p. 11
- ^ "Leitrim crash in extra time", Irish Independent, 31 January 1977, p. 11
- ^ "Terrace Talk :: Kerry Football :: 1977 League". www.terracetalk.com.
- ^ a b "For The Record, A History of the National Football and Hurling League Finals", Tom Morrison, Collins Press, 2002, ISBN 9781903464151