1938–39 National Football League (Ireland) Explained

League:	1938–39 National Football League
Dates:	November 1938 – 14 May 1939
Team1:	Mayo
Captain1:	Paddy Moclair
Titles:	6th
Team2:	Meath
Captain2:	Matt Gilsenan
Previous:	1937–38
Next:	1939–40

The 1938–39 National Football League was the 12th staging of the National Football League, an annual Gaelic football tournament for the Gaelic Athletic Association county teams of Ireland.

30 counties participated in the league, with Kilkenny and Fermanagh being the non-participants.^[1]

Mayo won the league for the sixth consecutive season, beating Meath in the final.^{[2] [3] [4]}

Format

There were seven groups.

Group A had originally been drawn with five teams. When Mayo entered, they were added to Group A, which was then split into two sections for the round-robin stage.^[5]

The winners of Groups A, B and C qualified automatically for the semi-final.,^{[6] [7]}

The winners of Groups D, E, F and G played off for the remaining semi-final place

Results and Tables

Group A

Section One play-offs

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Section One Table

Team	Pld	W	D	L	Pts	Status
	2	1	0	1	2	Advance to Knockout Stage
	2	1	0	1	2
	2	1	0	1	2

Section Two Table

Team	Pld	W	D	L	Pts	Status
	2	1	1	0	4
	2	1	0	1	2
	2	0	1	1	0

• Laois were awarded full points for their draw v Offaly, as Offaly were late fielding out.^[8]

Group B

Team	Pld	W	D	L	Pts	Status
	4	4	0	0	8	Advance to Semi-final
	4	2	1	1	5
	4	2	1	1	5
	4	1	0	3	2
	4	0	0	4	0

^[9]

Group C

Play-Off

Team	Pld	W	D	L	Pts	Status
	6	4	2	0	10	Advance to Knockout Stage
	6	4	2	0	10
	6	3	3	0	9
	6	2	1	3	5
	6	2	0	4	4
	6	1	0	5	2
	6	1	0	5	2

^[10]

Group D

Team	Pld	W	D	L	Pts	Status
	2	2	0	0	4	Advance to inter-group play-offs
	2	1	0	1	2
	2	0	0	1	0

Group E

Team	Pld	W	D	L	Pts	Status
	2	2	0	0	4	Advance to inter-group play-offs
	2	1	0	1	2
	2	0	0	1	0

Group F

Team	Pld	W	D	L	Pts	Status
	2	2	0	0	4	Advance to inter-group play-offs
	2	1	0	1	2
	2	0	0	1	0

Group G

Team	Pld	W	D	L	Pts	Status
	2	2	0	0	4	Advance to inter-group play-offs
	2	1	0	1	2
	2	0	0	1	0

Inter-group play-offs

Final

Semi-finals

--------

National League Final

Notes and References

1. "New draws in National Football League", Irish Independent, 25 October 1938, p. 16
2. http://mayogaablog.com/?page_id=5946 Mayo results archive
3. http://www.gaa.ie/about-the-gaa/gaa-history/final-teams/0/6/0/0/16/ GAA Final Teams
4. Web site: Croke Park archive page . 2015-07-13 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150923211332/http://www.crokepark.ie/gaa-museum/gaa-archive/gaa-years/2000-2009-(6)/1984-(7) . 2015-09-23 . dead .
5. "New draws in National Football League", Irish Independent, 25 October 1938, p. 16
6. "How They Stand Now", Irish Independent, 27 February 1939, p. 13
7. "What the results now mean"; Irish Independent, 27 March 1939, p.10
8. "How They Stand Now", Irish Independent, 27 February 1939, p. 13
9. "What the results now mean"; Irish Independent, 27 March 1939, p.10
10. "What the results now mean"; Irish Independent, 27 March 1939, p.10