1992–93 National Football League (Ireland)

1992–93 National Football League

League details
Dates	October 1992 – 9 May 1993
League champions
Winners	Dublin (8th win)
Captain	Pat O'Neill
Manager	John O'Leary
League runners-up
Runners-up	Donegal
Captain	Anthony Molloy
Manager	Brian McEniff
← 1991–92 1993–94 →

The 1992–93 National Football League, known for sponsorship reasons as the Royal Liver Assurance National Football League, was the 62nd staging of the National Football League (NFL), an annual Gaelic football tournament for the Gaelic Athletic Association county teams of Ireland.

Dublin defeated Donegal in the final after a replay, getting some revenge after losing the 1992 All-Ireland Final. Both finals were ill-tempered games, with two red cards in the first game and one in the second.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

Format

This was a one-off format for the National Football League. In order to re-format the league into four divisions, the 1992-93 league consisted of four "mixed ability" groups of eight teams each. The experimental format threw up some of the most unusual pairings in league history, and was credited with boosting attendances by as much as 60 per cent.^[6]

Divisions

There was one division comprising 32 teams, split into four groups of eight teams each.

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 four groups competed for the National Football League title.

Knockout stage qualifiers

• Group A: top 2 teams
• Group B: top 2 teams
• Group C: top 2 teams
• Group D: top 2 teams

Promotion and Relegation

Teams qualified for the four divisions of the 1993-94 National Football League based on their position in their group.

• Division One: teams placed first and second in each group
• Division Two: teams placed third and fourth in each group
• Division Three: teams placed fifth and sixth in each group
• Division Four: teams placed seventh and eight in each group

League Tables

Group A

Team	Pld	W	D	L	Pts	Status
Dublin	7	6	0	1	12	Advance to Quarter-Final and enter Division One of 1993–94 NFL
Derry	7	6	0	1	12
Galway	7	5	0	2	10	Enter Division Two of 1993–94 NFL
Louth	7	3	2	2	8
Wexford	7	4	0	3	8	Enter Division Three of 1993–94 NFL
Antrim	7	2	0	5	4
Sligo	7	1	1	5	3	Enter Division Four of 1993–94 NFL
Limerick	7	1	0	6	2

^[7]

Group B

Team	Pld	W	D	L	Pts	Status
Donegal	7	7	0	0	14	Advance to Quarter-Final and enter Division One of 1993–94 NFL
Kildare	7	6	0	1	12
Cork	7	4	1	2	9	Enter Division Two of 1993–94 NFL
Leitrim	7	4	1	2	9
Cavan	7	3	0	4	6	Enter Division Three of 1993–94 NFL
Tipperary	7	2	0	5	4
Longford	7	1	0	6	2	Enter Division Four of 1993–94 NFL
Carlow	7	0	0	7	0

Group C

Team	Pld	W	D	L	Pts	Status
Kerry	7	6	1	0	13	Advance to Quarter-Final and enter Division One of 1993–94 NFL
Mayo	7	5	1	1	11
Fermanagh	7	4	0	3	8	Enter Division Two of 1993–94 NFL
Laois	7	3	1	3	7
Tyrone	7	3	0	4	6	Enter Division Three of 1993–94 NFL
Armagh	7	3	0	4	6
Wicklow	7	2	1	4	5	Enter Division Four of 1993–94 NFL
Kilkenny	7	0	0	7	0

^[8]

Group D

Team	Pld	W	D	L	Pts	Status
Clare	7	4	3	0	11	Advance to Quarter-Final and enter Division One of 1993–94 NFL
Meath	7	4	2	1	10
Down	7	4	2	1	10	Enter Division Two of 1993–94 NFL
Monaghan	7	3	1	3	7
Offaly	7	2	3	2	7	Enter Division Three of 1993–94 NFL
Roscommon	7	3	1	3	7
Westmeath	7	2	0	5	4	Enter Division Four of 1993–94 NFL
Waterford	7	0	0	7	0

^[9]

Knockout Stages

Quarter-Finals

Kerry v Down

4 April 1993

Kerry	0-16 – 0-15 AET	Down

Croke Park[10] Attendance: 11,724 Referee: S Prior, Leitrim

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Donegal v Derry

11 April 1993

Donegal	0-10 – 2-3	Derry

Breffni Park[11]

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Dublin v Kildare

11 April 1993

Dublin	1-13 – 0-8	Kildare

Croke Park[12]

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Clare v Mayo

11 April 1993

Clare	0-9 – 0-8	Mayo

MacHale Park, Castlebar[13]

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Semi-Finals

Dublin v Kerry

18 April 1993

Dublin	1-10 – 0-11	Kerry

Croke Park, Dublin[14]

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Donegal v Clare

18 April 1993

Donegal	1-12 – 1-7	Clare

Croke Park, Dublin[15]

Finals

Dublin v Donegal

2 May 1993 Final

Dublin	0-9 – 0-9	Donegal

Croke Park, Dublin Attendance: 51,179[16] Referee: Brian White (Wexford)[17]

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Dublin v Donegal

9 May 1993 Final Replay

Dublin	0-10 – 0-6	Donegal

Croke Park, Dublin Attendance: 59,703 Referee: Brian White (Wexford)[18]

References

1. GAA Final Teams
2. GAA Archive 1993
3. Photos of final
4. Here’s how the Dubs won their last football league title…20 years ago - The42
6. "End of experiment", Irish Independent, 30 July 1993
7. "Gaelic Games Scoreboard", Irish Independent, 15/03/1993, p. 36
8. "Gaelic Games Scoreboard", Irish Independent, 15/03/1993, p. 36
9. "Gaelic Games Scoreboard", Irish Independent, 15/03/1993, p. 36
10. "Peter's saving grace", Irish Independent Sports Supplement, 5 April 1993, p. 5
11. "Derry toppled", Irish Independent Sports Supplement, 12 April 1993, p. 4
12. "Lilies wilt under blue barrage", Irish Independent Sports Supplement, 12 April 1993, p. 5
13. "Battling Banner are the best in the west", Irish Independent Sports Supplement, 12 April 1993, p. 5
14. "Dubs' goal leaves Kerry blue", Irish Independent Sports Supplement, 19 April 1993, p. 1
15. "Donegal flair rocks Clare", Irish Independent Sports Supplement, 19 April 1993, p. 4
16. "For The Record, A History of the National Football and Hurling League Finals", Tom Morrison, Collins Press, 2002, ISBN 9781903464151
17. "For The Record, A History of the National Football and Hurling League Finals", Tom Morrison, Collins Press, 2002, ISBN 9781903464151
18. "For The Record, A History of the National Football and Hurling League Finals", Tom Morrison, Collins Press, 2002, ISBN 9781903464151

External links

• 1993 GAA Division One League Semi Finals (feat Donegal v Clare) on YouTube