Teams 32 Captain Gary Kirby Runners-up Galway | Winners Limerick (11th win) Manager Éamonn Cregan | |
Dates 9 March – 5 October 1997 | ||
The 1997 National Hurling League, known for sponsorship reasons as the Church & General National Hurling League, was the 66th edition of the National Hurling League (NHL), an annual hurling competition for the GAA county teams. Limerick won, beating Galway in the final. This was the first NHL season to take place in a single calendar year.
Structure
There are eight teams in each division. Each plays each other team once, home or away, and receives two points for a win and one for a draw.
The top two teams in Division 1 advance to the semi-finals. The third- and fourth-placed teams in Division 1 go into the quarter-finals, as do the top two teams in Division 2.
The top three teams in Divisions 2, 3 and 4 are promoted for the following season. The bottom three in Divisions 1, 2 and 3 are relegated.