1925–26 National Football League (Ireland)

1925–26 National Football League
League details
Dates 1925 – 19 September 1926
League champions
Winners Laois (1st win)
Captain Dick Miller
League runners-up
Runners-up Dublin

The 1925–26 National Football League was the 1st staging of the National Football League, a Gaelic football tournament for the Gaelic Athletic Association county teams of Ireland.

The inaugural NFL was won by Laois, captained by Dick Miller. They defeated Sligo in the semi-final after a lost game was ordered replayed, and beat Dublin in a low-scoring final despite losing two players, Paddy Lenihan and Bill Keeley, to emigration shortly before the final.[1][2][3]

Format

The league was organised on a provincial basis with a separate league for each province: three leagues for Leinster due to the large number of counties. The six league winners played a knockout tournament to decide the National Football League. It is mentioned that the three Leinster Group winners played off (Longford scratching, Laois beating Dublin) for a gold medal, but this does not seem to have formed part of the league proper.[4]

Knockout stage qualifiers

Group Stage

Connacht (Connacht Railway Cup)

Results

Leinster I

Results

Table

Team Pld W D L Pts Status
Dublin 3 3 0 0 6 Advance to Knockout stage
Kildare 3 2 0 1 4
Louth 3 1 0 2 2
Meath 3 0 0 3 0

Leinster II

Results

Table

Team Pld W D L Pts Status
Longford 3 3 0 0 6 Advance to Knockout stage
Wicklow 3 2 0 1 4
Westmeath 3 1 0 2 0
Offaly 3 0 0 3 0

Westmeath forfeited the points from their win v Offaly due to being late on the field[20]

Leinster III

Results

Table

Team Pld W D L Pts Status
Laois 3 3 0 0 6 Advance to Knockout stage
Wexford 3 2 0 1 4
Carlow 2 0 0 2 0
Kilkenny 2 0 0 2 0

Munster (Munster Football League)

Won by Kerry.

Ulster (Dr McKenna Cup)

North-West Group

Regulation games
Play-Offs

North-East Group

Regulation games
Play-Offs

Final

Final Standings

North-West Group
Team Pld W D L Pts Status
Cavan 3 2 0 1 4
Donegal 3 2 0 1 4
Tyrone 3 2 0 1 4
Fermanagh 3 0 0 3 0

North-East Group
Team Pld W D L Pts Status
Antrim 3 2 1 0 5 Advance to Knockout stage
Armagh 3 2 1 0 5
Monaghan 2 0 0 2 0
Down 2 0 0 2 0

Knockout stage

Quarter-Finals

14 February 1926
Sligo 3-1 0-5 Longford

21 March 1926
Laois 1-6 1-5 Kerry

Semi-Finals

25 April 1926
Semi-final
Dublin 0-8 0-5 Antrim
Dundalk[46]
Referee: T. Burke, Drogheda

9 May 1926
Semi-final
Sligo 3-5 2-6 Laois

An objection was successfully made and a replay ordered.


27 June 1926
Semi-final replay
Laois 4-6 1-4 Sligo

Final

19 September 1926
Laois 2-1 1-0 Dublin
Jack Brown 2-0, Tom Costello 0-1 Peter Stynes 1-0
Barrett's Park, New Ross
Referee: P McCullagh (Wexford)

Leinster League Inter-group Ties

Table

Team Pld W D L Pts Status
Laois 2 2 0 0 4 Leinster League winners
Dublin 2 1 0 1 2
Longford 2 0 02 0

Laois won the Leinster Football League. This would appear to have been a separate competition, and this ties did not form part of the National Football League proper.

References

  1. Leinster’s National Football League Winning Teams
  2. NFL Facts and Figures
  3. Laois GAA History, 1920-29
  4. "National League", Irish Independent, 07/05/1926, p. 10
  5. "Leitrim and Roscommon meet in Senior Football contest",Leitrim Observer, 12 June 1925, p. 1
  6. "Railway Cup Semi-Final",Irish Independent, 22 June 1925, p. 9
  7. Irish Independent, 29 October 1925, p. 9
  8. "Kildare v Meath",Kildare Observer, 19 September 1925, p. 5
  9. "Dublin's success",Irish Independent, 12 October 1925, p. 11
  10. "Dublin defeat Meath",Cork Examiner, 19 October 1925, p. 5
  11. "National Football League",Irish Independent, 27 October 1925, p. 9
  12. "Leinster Football League",Cork Examiner, 9 November 1925, p. 6
  13. "Leinster Football League",Meath Chronicle, 14 November 1925, p. 7
  14. "National Football League", Westmeath Examiner, 18 July 1925, p. 8
  15. Irish Independent, 12 October 1925, p. 11
  16. "Belated victory", Irish Independent, 26 October 1925, p. 9
  17. "Goalkeeper's busy", Irish Independent, 16 November 1925, p. 11
  18. "A point victory", Irish Independent, 23 November 1925, p. 11
  19. “League Figures” Irish Independent, Friday 20 November 1925
  20. Irish Independent, 4 August 1925, p. 9
  21. Irish Independent, 20 September 1925, p. 10
  22. Irish Independent, 12 October 1925, p. 11
  23. Irish Independent, 12 October 1925, p. 11
  24. "Kerry's easy victory", The Kerryman, 21 November 1925, p. 2
  25. "Kerry defeat Waterford", The Kerryman, 28 November 1925, p. 2
  26. "Munster football league", The Kerryman, 5 December 1925, p. 2
  27. "Match at Dungarvan", Cork Examiner, 30 November 1925, p. 8
  28. "GAA leagues", Irish Independent, 1 March 1926, p. 9
  29. "McGrath Cup league", Cork Examiner, 10 March 1926, p. 5
  30. "Kerry wins McGrath Cup", The Kerryman, 19 June 1926, p. 5
  31. "GAA News", Fermanagh Herald, 14 November 1925, p. 5,
  32. "Ulster League Tie", Ulster Herald, 5 December 1925, p. 12,
  33. "Ulster Football Surprise", Irish Independent, 30 November 1925, p. 10,
  34. "Gaelic Games", Irish Independent, 22 December 1925, p. 10,
  35. "Gaelic Games", Irish Independent, 22 December 1925, p. 10,
  36. "Irish Independent", Ulster Herald, 19 January 1926, p. 10,
  37. "Ulster Tie Drawn", Irish Independent, 01 March 1926, p. 9,
  38. "Ulster Football League", Ulster Herald, 20 March 1926, p. 3,
  39. "Gaelic Pastimes", Meath Chronicle, 3 April 1926, p. 7,
  40. "Ulster Football League", Irish Independent, 3 November 1925, p. 10,
  41. "Ulster League Surprise", Irish Independent, 7 December 1925, p. 10,
  42. "Ulster League", Irish Independent, 15 December 1925, p. 10,
  43. "Ulster Senior League", Irish Independent, 8 March 1926, p. 10,
  44. "Champions beaten", Irish Independent, 12/04/1926, p. 9,
  45. "Narrow defeat for Antrim", Irish Independent, 26/04/1926, p. 9
  46. "Leix defeat Sligo in Semi-Final", Irish Independent, 28/06/1926, p. 9
  47. "Level scoring", Irish Independent, 30/11/1925, p. 10
  48. “Unpleasant incident”. Sunday Independent, 13/12/1923, p. 7
  49. "Leinster Football League", Irish Independent, 01/02/1926, p. 9
  50. "Leix win Group honours", Irish Independent, 21/12/1925, p. 9
  51. "Longford not to play", Irish Independent, 26/02/1926, p. 9
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 8/4/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.