The National Hurling League is an annual

inter-county Inter-county, is Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) List of Gaelic games terminology, terminology which refers to competitions or matches between County (Gaelic games), counties, as used in Gaelic games (differently from legal counties). The term c ...

hurling Hurling (, ') is an outdoor Team sport, team game of ancient Gaelic culture, Gaelic Irish origin, played by men and women. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goa ...

competition featuring teams from Ireland and England. Founded in 1925 by the

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sports, amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional Irish sports o ...

, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation within the league system. The league has 35 teams divided into five divisions, with seven teams in each division. Promotion and relegation between these divisions is a central feature of the league. Although primarily a competition for Irish teams, teams from England – currently

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and Warwickshire – also take part, while in the past

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

also fielded a team for the latter stages of the league. Teams representing subdivisions of counties, such as

Fingal Fingal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is one of three successor counties to County Dublin, which ...

and South Down have also participated at various times. The National Hurling League has been associated with a title sponsor since 1985.

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

, Royal Liver and Church & General have all served as sponsors of the league since then. The competition is currently sponsored by

Allianz Allianz SE ( , ) is a German Multinational corporation, multinational financial services company headquartered in Munich, Germany. Its core businesses are insurance and asset management. Allianz is the world's largest List of largest insurance ...

and is officially known as the Allianz Hurling League. The league season runs from late January to March with each team in the group playing each other once. The top two teams in Division 1A will advance to the National Hurling League Final. The winners of the League title are awarded the

Dr Croke Cup The All-Ireland Post-Primary Schools Croke Cup, is an annual inter-schools hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association. It is the highest inter-schools hurling competition in Ireland, and has been contested every year, excep ...

and are officially regarded as the National Hurling League champions. The National Hurling League title has been won by 10 different teams, 9 of whom have won the title more than once. The all-time record-holders are Tipperary and

Kilkenny Kilkenny ( , meaning 'church of Cainnech of Aghaboe, Cainnech'). is a city in County Kilkenny, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region and in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinst ...

, who have won the league on 19 occasions.

Clare Clare may refer to: Places Antarctica * Clare Range, a mountain range in Victoria Land Australia * Clare, South Australia, a town in the Clare Valley * Clare Valley, South Australia Canada * Clare (electoral district), an electoral district * Cl ...

won the 2024 title.

History

Creation

Since

1887 Events January * January 11 – Louis Pasteur's anti-rabies treatment is defended in the Académie Nationale de Médecine, by Dr. Joseph Grancher. * January 20 ** The United States Senate allows the United States Navy to lease Pearl Har ...

, the All-Ireland Championship had been steadily growing in interest and in participation. The championship, however, was largely confined to the summer months, resulting in a lack of top class inter-county action between September and April. Inter-county tournament games were popular as a way of filling the void, while some provinces organised their own pre-championship competitions, most notably the Thomond Feis in

Munster Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the Nor ...

. Several counties had also organised inter-club leagues as a means of supplementing the county championship by providing more games. While these had proved successful, it was decided to create a national senior inter-county league to provide games during the winter and spring months.

Beginnings

The inaugural National Hurling League began on 27 September 1925 and ended on 16 May 1926. Seven teams -

Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...

Laois County Laois ( ; ) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medieval kingdom. Hist ...

Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

and Tipperary - competed in a six-game single round-robin format. At the end of the group stage the top two teams contested the league final. Cork won the 1925–26 league following a 3–7 to 1–5 defeat of Dublin in the final.

Development

While no league took place during the 1926–27 season, the 1926–27 league featured nine teams. A single round-robin format was once again used, with each team playing eight games. The second league featured no final, with Tipperary being declared champions after securing 14 points from their group stage games. The 1928-29 league featured twelve teams divided in two groups based on geographical position. The Eastern Division comprised five teams from the

province of Leinster Leinster ( ; or ) is one of the four provinces of Ireland, in the southeast of Ireland. The modern province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige, which existed during Gaelic Ireland. Following the 12th-century No ...

, while the Southwestern Division had seven teams from the

province of Munster Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the No ...

and Galway. The top teams in each division played off in the final to determine the champions. This format was used on a number of occasions until the 1934–35, when the league reverted to a straightforward one-group league with the top-placed team being declared the champions. This format was used again during the leagues in 1935–36 and 1936–37. Ten teams entered the 1937–38 league, with two groups of five teams competing. A third group was added in 1938–39 as the number of teams increased to thirteen. These formats were regularly used over the following seasons, depending on the number of teams participating. Between 1941 and 1945 the league was suspended due to the Emergency. The 1955–56 league saw the introduction of a major change in format. As a result of a lack of interest from defeated first-round teams in recent years, Central Council introduced a two-division league featuring a new system of relegation and promotion. Division 1 was confined to ten teams in two groups of five. The bottom-placed team in each group would play off to decide which of the two teams would be relegated. Division 2 was made up of the 'second tier' hurling teams and featured eight teams divided into two groups. Limerick became the first team to be relegated, while Antrim became the first team to gain promotion under the new system.

Format history

* 2009–2011: Division 1 (8), Division 2 (8), Division 3A (6), Division 3B (7), Division 4 (6). *

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

–2019: Division 1A (6), Division 1B (6), Division 2A (6), Division 2B (6), Division 3A (6), Division 3B (5). *

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

–

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

: Division 1 (12), Division 2A (6), Division 2B (6), Division 3A (6), Division 3B (5). * 2025–present: Division 1A (7), Division 1B (7), Division 2 (7), Division 3 (7), Division 4 (7).

Schedule

In the 20th century, National League fixtures were played during inter-county windows in the later and early months of the calendar year, while the

SHC SHC may refer to: Science * Src homology 2 domain-containing, in structural biology, a structural domain in signal transduction proteins * SHC1, a human gene * Sirohydrochlorin, a chemical precursor to various enzymes. * Specific heat capacity, i ...

occupied the inter-county window during those months that made up the middle of the year, e.g. May, August. Club competitions of lesser importance occurred alongside the inter-county games so as to provide meaningful game time for players possessed of insufficient ability to compete at the higher (inter-county) level. From

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

, National League fixtures were played during the early months of the calendar year, preceding the SHC, which remained in the traditional mid-year position. An April club window allowed inter-county players to return to their clubs to participate in some early rounds of the more important club competitions, i.e. championship fixtures. This arrangement was disrupted during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Due to the impact of the pandemic on Gaelic games, the 2020 National League was suspended in March and all Gaelic games ceased until the middle of the year, when club fixtures were first to resume. The National League was then completed in October, ahead of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship (which was completed in December). This led to a motion (passed at the

2021 GAA Congress The 2021 GAA Congress was held on 27 February. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it took place virtually, a first in the history of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The public could also watch it live. The conference marked the formal transition of th ...

) to adopt a "split season" model, whereby club competitions would occupy one part of the calendar year and inter-county fixtures the other part.

Sponsorship

Since 1985, the National Hurling League has been sponsored. The sponsor has usually been able to determine the league's sponsorship name.

Division 1

History

Division 1 has existed in its current form since the 2012 league. Prior to this, Division 1 had existed as a single division of eight teams. The new division, comprising two groups, was created using the final rankings from the 2011 league. The top six teams from that year's Division 1 were added to the new Division 1A. The bottom two teams from Division 1 and the top four teams from Division 2 were added to the new Division 1B. In 2012 and

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

, the top two teams in Division 1B contested a final, with the winners joining the top three teams from Division 1A in the semi-finals of the league proper. This format was abandoned when the quarter-final stage was introduced during the 2014 league.

Format

There are currently seven teams in Division 1A. During the course of a season (from February to March) each team plays the others once (a single round-robin system) for a total of 21 games. Teams receive two points for a win and one point for a draw. No points are awarded for a loss. Where two teams are level on points, the team that wins the head-to-head match is ranked ahead. If this game is a draw, points difference (total scored minus total conceded in all games) is used to rank the teams. Where three or more teams are level on points, points difference is used to rank them. The top two teams in Division 1A contest the National Hurling League final. The bottom two teams in Division 1A are relegated to Division 1B.

2025 Teams

The following seven teams are competing in Division 1A during the 2025 league.

Venues

Attendances

Stadium attendances are a significant source of regular income for Central Council and for the teams involved. For the knock-out stages of the 2017 league, average attendances were 12,474 with a total aggregate attendance figure of 87,321 for the seven games.

Group stage

The league is operated using a home and away basis every second year. Fixtures in the five group stage rounds of the league are played at the home ground of one of the two teams involved. Each team is guaranteed at least two home games.

Quarter-finals

The quarter-finals of the league are usually played at the home venue of one of the teams involved. The team which receives home advantage is decided by using the home and away agreement or by a coin toss.

Semi-finals

The semi-finals of the league are usually played on the same day at the same venue as part of a double-header of games.

Semple Stadium FBD Semple Stadium is the home of hurling and Gaelic football for Tipperary GAA and for the province of Munster. Located in Thurles, County Tipperary, it is the second largest GAA stadium in Ireland (after Croke Park), with a capacity of 45,690 ...

Nowlan Park Nowlan Park (; ), known for sponsorship reasons as UPMC Nowlan Park, is the principal Gaelic Athletic Association stadium in Kilkenny, Ireland. Named after James Nowlan, the longest serving President of the GAA, the stadium hosts major hurling ...

and the

Gaelic Grounds The Gaelic Grounds, known for sponsorship reasons as the TUS Gaelic Grounds, is the principal GAA stadium in the city of Limerick in Ireland. Home to the Limerick hurling and football teams, it has a capacity of 44,023. History 9 October 192 ...

have all been used as the venues for the semi-finals.

Final

Since 2000, Semple Stadium has been used on ten occasions as the host venue for the league final. The Gaelic Grounds, Nowlan Park and

Croke Park Croke Park (, ) is a Gaelic games stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Named after Archbishop Thomas Croke, it is referred to as Croker by GAA fans and locals. It serves as both the principal national stadium of Ireland and headquarters of the Gaelic At ...

have also been used as the final venue during this time.

Managers

Manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

s in the National Hurling League are involved in the day-to-day running of the team, including the training, team selection, and sourcing of players from the club championships. Their influence varies from county-to-county and is related to the individual county boards. From 2018, all inter-county head coaches must be Award 2 qualified. The manager is assisted by a team of two or three selectors and an extensive backroom team consisting of various coaches. Prior to the development of the concept of a manager in the 1970s, teams were usually managed by a team of selectors with one member acting as chairman. ;Notes

Winners

By county

Notes

* Kilkenny and Galway shared the 2021 title

Wins by provinces

List of finals

Legend

List of finals

Records and statistics

By decade

The most successful team of each decade, judged by number of National Hurling League titles, is as follows: * 1920s: 1 each for Cork (1926), Tipperary (1928) and Dublin (1929) * 1930s: 5 for Limerick (1934-35-36-37-38) * 1940s: 3 for Cork (1940-41-48) * 1950s: 6 for Tipperary (1950-52-54-55-57-59) * 1960s: 5 for Tipperary (1960-61-64-65-68) * 1970s: 3 for Cork (1970-72-74) * 1980s: 3 for Kilkenny (1982-83-86) * 1990s: 2 each for Kilkenny (1990–95), Limerick (1992–97), Cork (1993–98) and Tipperary (1994–99) * 2000s: 5 for Kilkenny (2002-03-05-06-09) * 2010s: 4 for Kilkenny (2012-13-14-18) * 2020s: 2 for Limerick (2020–23)

Gaps

Top ten longest gaps between successive league titles: * 72 years: Dublin (1939–2011) * 44 years: Waterford (1963–2007) * 38 years: Clare (1978–2016) * 31 years: Clare (1946–1977) * 29 years: Kilkenny (1933–1962) * 27 years: Cork (1998–2025) * 24 years: Galway (1951–1975) * 24 years: Limerick (1947–1971) * 22 years: Limerick (1997–2019) * 21 years: Tipperary (1928–1949)

Division 1B

History

Division 1B has existed in its current form since the 2025 league. Prior to this, Division 1B teams competed in Division 1 and Division 2A. The new division was created using the final rankings from the 2024 league.

Format

There are currently seven teams in Division 1B. During the course of a season (from February to March) each team plays the others once (a single round-robin system) for a total of 21 games. Teams receive two points for a win and one point for a draw. No points are awarded for a loss. Where two teams are level on points, the team that wins the head-to-head match is ranked ahead. If this game is a draw, points difference (total scored minus total conceded in all games) is used to rank the teams. Where three or more teams are level on points, points difference is used to rank them. This is followed, if needed, by points scored, and then a play-off match. The top two teams in Division 1B contest the final and are promoted to Division 1A. The bottom two teams in Division 1B are relegated to Division 2.

2025 Teams

The following seven teams are competing in Division 1B during the 2025 league.

List of finals

Roll of honour

Division 2

History

Division 2 has existed in its current form since the 2025 league. Prior to this, Division 2 teams competed in Division 2A and Division 2B. The new division was created using the final rankings from the 2024 league.

Format

There are currently seven teams in Division 2. During the course of a season (from February to March) each team plays the others once (a single round-robin system) for a total of 21 games. Teams receive two points for a win and one point for a draw. No points are awarded for a loss. Where two teams are level on points, the team that wins the head-to-head match is ranked ahead. If this game is a draw, points difference (total scored minus total conceded in all games) is used to rank the teams. Where three or more teams are level on points, points difference is used to rank them. The top two teams in Division 2 contest the final and are promoted to Division 1B. The bottom two teams in Division 2 are relegated to Division 3.

2025 Teams

The following seven teams are competing in Division 2 during the 2025 league.

Roll of honour

Relegated teams

List of finals

Division 3

History

Division 3 has existed in its current form since 2025. Prior to this, Division 3 had existed as 2 divisions of six teams each. The new division was created using the final rankings from the 2024 league.

Format

There are currently seven teams in Division 3. During the course of a season (from January to March) each team plays the others once (a single round-robin system) for a total of 21 games. Teams receive two points for a win and one point for a draw. No points are awarded for a loss. Where two teams are level on points, the team that wins the head-to-head match is ranked ahead. If this game is a draw, points difference (total scored minus total conceded in all games) is used to rank the teams. Where three or more teams are level on points, points difference is used to rank them. The top two teams in Division 3 contest the final and are promoted to Division 2 the following season. The bottom two teams in Division 3 are relegated to Division 4 the following season. Their place in the division is then taken by the Division 4 champions and runners-up, who gain automatic promotion.

2026 Teams

The following seven teams are competing in Division 3 during the 2026 league.

Roll of honour

List of finals

Relegated teams

Division 4

2026 Teams

The following seven teams are competing in Division 4 during the 2026 league.

List of finals

Roll of honour

Former Divisions

Division 2B

List of finals

Roll of Honour

Relegated teams

Division 3B

Roll of Honour

List of finals

Division 3 Shield

Player records

Players with most league wins

Broadcasting rights

Setanta Sports Setanta Sports Media is a sports television company based in Dublin, Ireland and in Tbilisi, Georgia, broadcasting throughout select Eurasian countries, and the Philippines. The company was formed in 1990 to facilitate the broadcasting of Iris ...

broadcasts live matches in Australia.

also provides matches from the National Hurling League in Asia. In Ireland

TG4 TG4 (; , ) is an Irish free-to-air public service television channel. It launched on 31 October 1996 and is available online and through its on-demand service TG4 Player in Ireland and beyond. TG4 was initially known as (TnaG), before bein ...

shows live matches each week on Sunday afternoon, with deferred coverage of a second match shown straight after.

broadcasts matches live on the Saturday evening slot. Highlights for all the games are shown at 7:00pm on League Sunday on

RTÉ2 RTÉ2 (formerly branded as RTÉ 2 from 1978–88, Network 2 from 1988–97, N2 from 1997–2004 and RTÉ Two from 2004–14) is an Irish free-to-air television channel operated by public service broadcaster RTÉ. It was launched on 2 Novemb ...

References

External links

NHL Results and Fixtures

Semi-final and final results 1926-2005
{{Hurling 1 ! 1925 establishments in Ireland

Hurling Hurling (, ') is an outdoor Team sport, team game of ancient Gaelic culture, Gaelic Irish origin, played by men and women. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goa ...

History

Creation

Beginnings

Development

Format history

Schedule

Sponsorship

Division 1

History

Format

2025 Teams

Venues

Attendances

Group stage

Quarter-finals

Semi-finals

Final

Managers

Winners

By county

Notes

Wins by provinces

List of finals

Legend

List of finals

Records and statistics

By decade

Gaps

Division 1B

History

Format

2025 Teams

List of finals

Roll of honour

Division 2

History

Format

2025 Teams

Roll of honour

Relegated teams

List of finals

Division 3

History

Format

2026 Teams

Roll of honour

List of finals

Relegated teams

Division 4

2026 Teams

List of finals

Roll of honour

Former Divisions

Division 2B

List of finals

Roll of Honour

Relegated teams

Division 3B

Roll of Honour

List of finals

Division 3 Shield

Player records

Players with most league wins

Broadcasting rights

See also

References

External links