| League details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 19 October 1997 – 26 April 1998 |
| Teams | 33 |
| League champions | |
| Winners | Offaly (1st win) |
| Captain | Finbarr Cullen |
| Manager | Tommy Lyons |
| League runners-up | |
| Runners-up | Derry |
| Captain | Kieran McKeever |
← 1996–97 1998–99 → | |
The 1997–98 National Football League, known for sponsorship reasons as the Church & General National Football League, was the 67th staging of the National Football League (NFL), an annual Gaelic football tournament for the Gaelic Athletic Association county teams of Ireland.
The Kerry v Cavan Round 1 game was played at the Polo Grounds, New York City, to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1947 All-Ireland Final.[1][2][3][4][5] The then Mayor of New York Rudy Giuliani threw the ball in ahead of the game.[6]
Offaly won their first and only league title.[7][8]
The teams are in four sections, three of 8 teams and one of 9. Each team plays all the other teams in its division once: either home or away. Teams earn 2 points for a win and 1 for a draw. The top two teams in each section contest the NFL quarter-finals.[9]
![[icon]](https://akarinohon.com/text/taketori.cgi/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} |
This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (July 2015)
|
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Mayo
|
7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 13 | Advance to knockout stage and moved to Division One of the 1998–99 NFL |
 Galway
|
7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 12 | |
 Laois
|
7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 10 | Moved to Division One of the 1998–99 NFL |
 Leitrim
|
7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 9 | |
 Louth
|
7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 6 | Moved to Division Two of the 1998–99 NFL |
 Fermanagh
|
7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | |
 Carlow
|
7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | |
 Kilkenny
|
7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donegal
|
7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 13 | Advance to Knockout stage and moved to Division One of the 1998–99 NFL |
| Derry
|
7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 11 | |
 Armagh
|
7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 10 | Moved to Division One of the 1998–99 NFL |
| Meath
|
7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 9 | |
 Longford
|
7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 6 | Moved to Division Two of the 1998–99 NFL |
| Westmeath
|
7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | |
 Antrim
|
7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | |
| London
|
7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Offaly
|
7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 13 | Advance to knockout stage and moved to Division One of the 1998–99 NFL |
 Monaghan
|
7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 9 | |
 Dublin
|
7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 8 | Moved to Division One of the 1998–99 NFL |
 Tyrone
|
7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 8 | |
 Sligo
|
7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 8 | Moved to Division Two of the 1998–99 NFL |
| Kerry
|
7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 6 | |
| Cavan
|
7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 4 | |
 Wexford
|
7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Down
|
8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 12 | Advance to quarter-finals and moved to Division One of the 1998–99 NFL |
| Cork
|
8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 12 | |
 Kildare
|
8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 12 | Moved to Division One of the 1998–99 NFL |
 Clare
|
8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 9 | |
| Wicklow
|
8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 9 | Moved to Division Two of the 1998–99 NFL |
| Tipperary
|
8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 8 | |
| Roscommon
|
8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | |
| Limerick
|
8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | |
| Waterford
|
8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 1 |
| Derry | 1-9 – 0-10 | Mayo |
|---|---|---|
| Offaly | 1-11 – 0-10 | Galway |
|---|---|---|
| Donegal | 2-14 – 1-9 | Cork |
|---|---|---|
| Monaghan | 2-6 – 1-8 | Down |
|---|---|---|
| Offaly | 3-10 – 1-14 | Donegal |
|---|---|---|
| Derry | 1-12 – 0-8 | Monaghan |
|---|---|---|
| Offaly | 0-9 – 0-7 | Derry |
|---|---|---|
Attendance: 22,531 [10]
Referee: Niall Barrett (Cork) [11]
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