1985–86 National Football League (Ireland)
| League details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | October 1985 – 4 May 1986 |
| League champions | |
| Winners | Laois (2nd win) |
| Captain | Colm Browne |
| Manager | Kieran Brennan |
| League runners-up | |
| Runners-up | Monaghan |
| Captain | Eugene Sherry |
|
← 1984–85
1986–87 →
|
|
The 1985–86 National Football League, known for sponsorship reasons as the Ford National Football League, was the 55th staging of the National Football League (NFL), an annual Gaelic football tournament for the Gaelic Athletic Association county teams of Ireland.
Laois won their second title to bridge a sixty-year gap.[1][2][3]
Format
1985-86 saw a change in format of the National League. Divisions Three and Four were amalgamated into a new Division Three, which was split by region.[4]
Divisions
- 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
Each team played every other team in its division (or group where the division is split) once, either home or away.
Points awarded
2 points were awarded for a win and 1 for a draw.
Titles
Teams in all three divisions competed for the National Football League title.
Knockout stage qualifiers
- Division One: top 4 teams
- Division Two: top 2 teams
- Division Three (North): group winners
- Division Three (South): group winners
Knockout phase structure
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
- Division One: bottom 2 teams demoted to Division Two
- Division Two: top 2 teams promoted to Division One. Bottom 2 teams demoted to Division Three.
- Division Three (North): group winners promoted to Division Two.
- Division Three (South): group winners promoted to Division Two.
Separation of teams on equal points
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.
League Tables
Division One
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20px Down | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 13 | Advance to quarter-finals |
 Monaghan |
7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 11 | |
| 20px Meath | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 9 | |
| 20px Armagh | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 | |
| 20px Kerry | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 6 | |
 Roscommon |
7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | |
 Kildare |
7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | Relegated to Division Two of the 1986–87 NFL |
 Tyrone |
7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 |
Division Two
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Mayo |
7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 11 | Advance to quarter-finals; promoted to Division One of the 1986–87 NFL |
| 20px Dublin | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 10 | |
| 20px Donegal | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 9 | |
 Cork |
7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 9 | |
| 20px Cavan | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 7 | |
| 20px Longford | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 6 | |
 Galway |
7 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | Relegated to Division Three of the 1986–87 NFL |
 Wexford |
7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
Division Three
Division Three (North) Table
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20px Derry | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 12 | Advance to quarter-finals; promoted to Division Two of the 1986–87 NFL |
| 20px Louth | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 10 | |
 Offaly |
7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 10 | |
| 20px Antrim | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 9 | |
 Sligo |
7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 8 | |
 Leitrim |
7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | |
| 20px Fermanagh | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 4 | |
| 20px Westmeath | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
Division Three (South) Table
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Laois |
7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 13 | Advance to quarter-finals; promoted to Division Two of the 1986–87 NFL |
| 20px Carlow | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 10 | |
| 20px Wicklow | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 8 | |
| 20px Limerick | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 8 | |
| 20px Clare | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 7 | |
| 20px Tipperary | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 7 | |
| 20px Waterford | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | |
 Kilkenny |
7 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 |
Knockout Stages
Quarter-finals
|
30 March 1986
Quarter-Final |
| Mayo | 0-15 – 1-7 | Armagh |
|---|---|---|
|
Croke Park, Dublin[6]
Referee: Seamus Aldridge (Kildare) |
Semi-finals
Final
References
- ↑ GAA Final Teams
- ↑ Laois G.A.A. History 1947 - 1999
- ↑ GAA Archive 1986
- ↑ "Football League's new Div 3, North and South", Sunday Independent,25 August 1985, p.24
- ↑ "Your GAA Scoreboard", Irish Independent 03/03/1986, p. 11
- ↑ "Mayo soon sort out enigmatic Armagh!". Irish Independent, 31/03/1986, p. 9
- ↑ "Meath fail to break brave Dublin resolve". Irish Independent, 31/03/1986, p. 9
- ↑ "Laois in on merit!". Irish Independent, 07/04/1986, p. 10
- ↑ "Monaghan unimpressive, but...". Irish Independent, 07/04/1986, p. 10
- ↑ "Talented Laois shock hotly-fancied Dublin". Irish Independent, 21/04/1986, p. 12
- ↑ "For The Record, A History of the National Football and Hurling League Finals", Tom Morrisson, Collins Press, 2002, ISBN 9781903464151
- ↑ "For The Record, A History of the National Football and Hurling League Finals", Tom Morrisson, Collins Press, 2002, ISBN 9781903464151
- ↑ "For The Record, A History of the National Football and Hurling League Finals", Tom Morrisson, Collins Press, 2002, ISBN 9781903464151
