1997 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Explained

Year:1997
Dates:11 May 1997 – 28 September 1997
Teams:32
Team:Kerry
Titles:31st
Team2:Mayo
Munster:Kerry
Leinster:Offaly
Ulster:Cavan
Connacht:Mayo
Topscorer: Maurice Fitzgerald (0-28)
Next:1998

The 1997 Bank of Ireland All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was the 111th staging of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the Gaelic Athletic Association's premier inter-county Gaelic football tournament. The championship began on 11 May 1997 and ended on 28 September 1997.

Meath entered the championship as the defending champions; however, they were defeated by Offaly in the Leinster final.

On 28 September 1997 Kerry, the most successful county in Gaelic football history, claimed their 31st All-Ireland title - and their first since 1986 - with a 0–13 to 1–7 victory over Mayo.

This year also saw Ulster's most successful county, Cavan, win their first provincial title since 1969.

Munster Championship format change

A new 2 year system was introduced in Munster meaning that Kerry, Cork & Clare would have straight access to the Munster semi-finals for Limerick, Tipperary & Waterford would play in a Preliminary Round and the bye team in a lone Quarter final involved.

Fixtures and results

Munster Senior Football Championship

Preliminary round

Quarter-final

Semi-finals

Final

Leinster Senior Football Championship

First round

Second round

Quarter-finals

Semi-finals

Final

Connacht Senior Football Championship

Quarter-finals

Semi-finals

Final

Ulster Senior Football Championship

Preliminary round

Quarter-finals

Semi-finals

Final

See main article: 1997 Ulster Senior Football Championship Final.

All-Ireland Senior Football Championship

Semi-finals

Final

See main article: article and 1997 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final.

Championship statistics

Top scorers

Overall
RankPlayerCountyTallyTotalMatchesAverage
1Maurice FitzgeraldKerry0-282847.00
2Maurice SheridanMayo0-272755.20
David ReynoldsOffaly0-272755.20
4Declan DarcyLeitrim2-1925212.50
5Trevor GilesMeath2-182454.80
6Joe BrollyDerry3-142345.75
7Vinny ClaffeyOffaly2-152173.00
Ronan CarolanCavan1-182154.25
9Peter BradyOffaly2-142072.83
Pádraig GravenKildare0-202045.00
Single game
RankPlayerCountyTallyTotalOpposition
1Declan DarcyLeitrim2-1117London
2Trevor GilesMeath2-814Kildare
3Raymond GallagherFermanagh1-710Cavan
Ronan CarolanCavan1-710Fermanagh
5Niall FinneganGalway0-99Mayo
Maurice FitzgeraldKerry0-99Mayo
7Vinny ClaffeyOffaly1-58Meath
Brendan CumminsTipperary0-88Limerick
Ger KeaneClare0-88Cork
Jim ByrneWexford0-88Westmeath
Pádraig GravenKildare0-88Laois
Maurice SheridanMayo0-88Galway
Paul TaylorSligo0-88Roscommon
Declan DarcyLeitrim0-88Mayo
Oisín McConvilleArmagh0-88Tyrone

Miscellaneous