| League: | 1987–88 National Football League |
| Dates: | October 1987 – 22 May 1988 |
| Team1: | Meath |
| Captain1: | Mick Lyons |
| Manager1: | Seán Boylan |
| Titles: | 5th |
| Team2: | Dublin |
| Captain2: | Barney Rock |
| Manager2: | Gerry McCaul |
| Previous: | 1986–87 |
| Next: | 1988–89 |
The 1987–88 National Football League, known for sponsorship reasons as the Royal Liver National Football League, was the 57th staging of the National Football League (NFL), an annual Gaelic football tournament for the Gaelic Athletic Association county teams of Ireland.
Meath won the league, beating Dublin in a replayed final.[1] [2] [3]
Each team played every other team in its division (or group where the division is split) once, either home or away.
2 points were awarded for a win and 1 for a draw.
Teams in all three divisions competed for the National Football League title.
In the quarter-finals, the match-ups were as follows:
The semi-final match-ups are:
The final match-up is: Winner Semi-final 1 v Winner Semi-final 2.
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.
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 12 | Advance to quarter-finals | |
| 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 10 | ||
| 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 9 | ||
| 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | Relegated to Division Two of the 1988–89 NFL | |
| 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 11 | Advance to quarter-finals; promoted to Division One of the 1988–89 NFL | |
| 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 11 | ||
| 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 9 | ||
| 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 9 | ||
| 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | Relegated to Division Three of the 1988–89 NFL | |
| 7 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 13 | Advance to quarter-finals; promoted to Division Two of the 1988–89 NFL | |
| 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 10 | ||
| 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 9 | ||
| 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 7 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 4 | ||
| 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 10 | Advance to quarter-finals; promoted to Division Two of the 1988–89 NFL | |
| 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 10 | ||
| 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 10 | ||
| 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 10 | ||
| 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 4 | ||
| 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 4 | ||
| 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 |
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