Men’s and ladies’ teams set for historic double headers during 2018 league campaign

A great idea.

8 double headers of men’s and ladies’ gaelic football games will take place during the 2018 National Leagues.

The ladies’ football games will precede the men’s outings across the board after the Ladies Gaelic Football Association’s significant progress in organising ‘double-headers’ alongside men’s National League fixtures.

The most exciting occasion is surely February 24 in McHale Park, Castlebar where All-Ireland ladies’ finalists Mayo and Dublin will play in a curtain raiser for the men’s clash of the same counties that evening.

This will be the first time for the Mayo men’s and ladies’ teams to appear in a double bill clash.

The confirmed list of ‘double-headers’ is as follows with the corresponding men’s NFL fixture in bold.

Five of the eight games are high-profile Lidl NFL Division 1 showdowns, with three matches in Division 2 also accommodated.

1.     Sunday January 28 – Lidl NFL Division 2 – Armagh v Tipperary (12.0), Athletic Grounds, Armagh. (Armagh v Sligo)
2.     Saturday February 3 – Lidl NFL Division 2 – Cavan v Armagh (5.15), Kingspan Breffni, Cavan. (Cavan v Louth)
3.     Saturday February 10 – Lidl NFL Division 1 – Dublin v Cork (5.0), Croke Park. (Dublin v Donegal)
4.     Sunday February 11 – Lidl NFL Division 1 – Monaghan v Kerry (12.0) – Páirc Grattan, Inniskeen. (Monaghan v Kerry)
5.     Sunday February 11 – Lidl NFL Division 1 – Galway v Mayo (12.0) – Pearse Stadium, Salthill. (Galway v Mayo)
6.     Saturday February 24 – Lidl NFL Division 1 – Mayo v Dublin (5.0), Elverys MacHale Park, Castlebar. (Mayo v Dublin)
7.     Saturday March 3 – Lidl NFL Division 1 – Dublin v Kerry (5.0), Croke Park. (Dublin v Kerry)
8.     Saturday March 3 – Lidl NFL Division 2 – Tyrone v Cavan (5.15), Healy Park, Omagh. (Tyrone v Donegal)

The Dublin ladies will play two of their league games in Croke Park following on from the huge success of the Dublin-Mayo clash at GAA HQ last March, the first time ever that the venue had hosted a ladies League tie.

The Capital City will entertain Lidl Division 1 champions Cork there on Saturday, February 10, and Kerry on Saturday, March 3.

Both of these games precede meetings of the men’s teams from the same counties in the Drumcondra venue.

On March 3, Kerry are the visitors to Drumcondra, ahead of the men’s fixture between the two counties.

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