| League details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 15 May – 19 June 2021 |
| Teams | 31 |
| League champions | |
| Winners | Kerry/Dublin (22nd and 14th win) |
| Other division winners | |
| Division 2 | Kildare and Mayo |
| Division 3 | Derry |
| Division 4 Shield | Wexford |
← 2020 2022 → | |
The 2021 National Football League, known for sponsorship reasons as the Allianz National Football League, was the 90th staging of the National Football League (NFL), an annual Gaelic football tournament for Gaelic Athletic Association county teams. Thirty-one county teams from the island of Ireland compete; Kilkenny do not participate. London did not participate, due to restrictions around travel in place to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.[1][2]
In December 2020, it was announced that each division would be divided into North and South sections in order to reduce fixtures and minimise cross-border matches.[3] This plan had been hinted at as early as September 2020.[4] Teams would play three league games, plus possibly two knockout matches, allowing the tournament to be finished in just five rounds of games.[5][6][7] In February 2021, it was announced that the league would be delayed due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Gaelic games and that cancelling it would be a last resort.[8][9][10] It began on 15 May 2021.[11][12]
Due to COVID-19, finals were not played if a team had a championship game scheduled for the following week. This resulted in three divisions having their finals cancelled and being awarded jointly. Kerry and Dublin shared the Division 1 title; Kildare and Mayo Division 2; and Antrim and Louth Division 4.[13][14] Offaly and Derry would have shared the Division 3 title, but chose to play the final instead. It was a pilot COVID test event with 2,400 spectators permitted, and Derry won.[15]
- ^ Connaughton, Gary (18 October 2020). "Promotion & Relegation Permutations For All Four Divisions Of National Football League". Balls.ie.
- ^ "Allianz FL results & reports: Mayo and Leitrim go down". 25 October 2020 – via www.rte.ie.
- ^ "Inter-county leagues and championships revamped for 2021 season". BBC Sport. 21 December 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
- ^ Keys, Colm (23 September 2020). "Shorter inter-county season on the cards for 2021 as GAA braced for more Covid disruption". Irish Independent. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
- ^ Fogarty, John (19 December 2020). "New League structure as GAA master calendar for 2021 revealed". Irish Examiner.
- ^ "Longford pitted with provincial champions in 2021 National Football League". www.longfordleader.ie.
- ^ "2021 League and Championships – Overview". www.gaa.ie.
- ^ "No Activity For Clare GAA Sides Until Easter At The Earliest". 11 February 2021.
- ^ Fogarty, John (27 January 2021). "What will the delayed GAA season look like? Here are four possible scenarios". Irish Examiner.
- ^ Fogarty, John (26 January 2021). "GAA officials redrawing League and Championship calendars". Irish Examiner.
- ^ GBFM, Sport (8 April 2021). "GAA: 2021 Inter-County Fixtures Plan Released".
- ^ Nolan, Pat (12 April 2021). "Dublin set to be left without a home game in Allianz League". Irish Mirror.
- ^ "Dublin share League title with Kerry after win over Donegal: As it happened". independent.
- ^ Fogarty, John (10 June 2021). "As leagues that may or may not have finals conclude, the GAA's obscure history of shared titles". Irish Examiner.
- ^ McCormack, Richie. "GAA confirm limited attendance for NFL Division 3 final at Croke Park". Newstalk.