1986–87 National Football League (Ireland)

The 1986–87 National Football League, known for sponsorship reasons as the Ford National Football League, was the 56th staging of the National Football League (NFL), an annual Gaelic football tournament for the Gaelic Athletic Association county teams of Ireland.

The quarter-final rounds were notable for the Dublin–Cork tie. After the game ended in a draw, Cork refused to play extra time and Dublin took the field unopposed, Barney Rock scoring a goal into an empty net before the referee awarded them victory (later chosen as one of the Top 20 GAA Moments). The Dubs went on to defeat Kerry in the final.

Divisions

 * Division One: 8 teams
 * Division Two: 8 teams
 * Division Three: 16 teams. Split into two regional groups of 8 (North and South)

Round-robin format
Each team played every other team in its division (or group where the division is split) once, either home or away.

Points awarded
2 points were awarded for a win and 1 for a draw.

Titles
Teams in all three divisions competed for the National Football League title.

Knockout stage qualifiers

 * Division One: top 4 teams
 * Division Two: top 2 teams
 * Division Three (North): group winners
 * Division Three (South): group winners

Knockout phase structure
In the quarter-finals, the match-ups were as follows: The semi-final match-ups are:
 * Quarter-final 1: First-placed team in Division One v First-placed team in Division Three (South)
 * Quarter-final 2: Second-placed team in Division One v First-placed team in Division Three (North)
 * Quarter-final 3: Third-placed team in Division One v Second-placed team in Division Two
 * Quarter-final 4: Fourth-placed team in Division One v First-placed team in Division Two
 * Semi-final 1: Winner Quarter-final 1 v Winner Quarter-final 4
 * Semi-final 2: Winner Quarter-final 2 v Winner Quarter-final 3

The final match-up is: Winner Semi-final 1 v Winner Semi-final 2.

Promotion and relegation

 * Division One: bottom 2 teams demoted to Division Two
 * Division Two: top 2 teams promoted to Division One. Bottom 2 teams demoted to Division Three.
 * Division Three (North): group winners promoted to Division Two.
 * Division Three (South): group winners promoted to Division Two.

Separation of teams on equal points
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.

Quarter-finals

 * Cork refused to play extra time and so Dublin were awarded the game.