National Hurling League 2008
Encyclopedia
The 2008 National Hurling League
was a hurling
competition contested by 34 GAA
county hurling teams, 33 from Ireland
(includes South Down
), and London
from England
.
National Hurling League
The National Hurling League is an annual hurling competition between the county teams of Ireland. Contested by 35 teams , it operates on a system of promotion and relegation between four different divisions, with Division One...
was a hurling
Hurling
Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...
competition contested by 34 GAA
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...
county hurling teams, 33 from Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
(includes South Down
Down GAA
The Down County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Down GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Down...
), and London
London GAA
The London County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or London GAA is one of the county boards outside Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in London...
from England
British GAA
The British Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association or British GAA is the only provincial council of the Gaelic Athletic Association outside Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in Great Britain...
.
Format
The 2008 format of the National Hurling League is a new system consisting of four divisions. There are thirty-four teams competing: Divisions One and Two have twelve teams in each, and there are five teams in Divisions Three and Four.Division One
Division One is made up of two groups of six teams. Each teams plays all the others in their group once. The two group winners receive a semi-final spot; second and third in each group play in the quarter-finals. The winners of the final are the 2008 NHL champions.Division Two
Division Two is made up of two groups of six teams. Each teams plays all the others in their group once. The top two in each group enter the semi-finals.Division Three
Five teams play in Division Three. Each teams plays all the others once. The top two teams contest the Division Three final.Division Four
Five teams play in Division Four. Each teams plays all the others once. The top two teams contest the Division Four final.| Promoted | Relegated | |
|---|---|---|
| Division 1 | - | 4 |
| Division 2 | 0 | 8 |
| Division 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Division 4 | 0 | - |
2009 structure
- Division One (8 teams) to consist of the top four teams in each of 1A and 1B in 2008.
- Division Two (8 teams) to consist of the fifth- and sixth-placed in each of 1A and 1B, and the top two teams in each of 2A and 2B, in 2008.
- Division Three (12 teams) to consist of the 3rd-6th teams in each of 2A and 2B, and the top four in Division 3, in 2008.
- Division Four (6 teams) to consist of fifth-placed team in Division 3, and all teams in Division 4, in 2008.