| League: | 1997–98 National Football League |
| Dates: | 19 October 1997 – 26 April 1998 |
| Teams: | 33 |
| Team1: | Offaly |
| Captain1: | Finbarr Cullen |
| Manager1: | Tommy Lyons |
| Titles: | 1st |
| Team2: | Derry |
| Captain2: | Kieran McKeever |
| Previous: | 1996–97 |
| Next: | 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]
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 13 | Advance to knockout stage and moved to Division One of the 1998–99 NFL | |
| 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 12 | ||
| 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 10 | Moved to Division One of the 1998–99 NFL | |
| 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 9 | ||
| 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 6 | Moved to Division Two of the 1998–99 NFL | |
| 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | ||
| 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | ||
| 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 13 | Advance to Knockout stage and moved to Division One of the 1998–99 NFL | |
| 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 11 | ||
| 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 10 | Moved to Division One of the 1998–99 NFL | |
| 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 9 | ||
| 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 6 | Moved to Division Two of the 1998–99 NFL | |
| 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | ||
| 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 13 | Advance to knockout stage and moved to Division One of the 1998–99 NFL | |
| 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 9 | ||
| 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 8 | Moved to Division One of the 1998–99 NFL | |
| 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 8 | ||
| 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 8 | Moved to Division Two of the 1998–99 NFL | |
| 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 4 | ||
| 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | Pts | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 12 | Advance to quarter-finals and moved to Division One of the 1998–99 NFL | |
| 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 12 | ||
| 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 12 | Moved to Division One of the 1998–99 NFL | |
| 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 9 | ||
| 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 9 | Moved to Division Two of the 1998–99 NFL | |
| 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 8 | ||
| 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | ||
| 8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 1 |
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