2008 National Hurling League
The 2008 National Hurling League, known for sponsorship reasons as the Allianz National Hurling League, was the 77th edition of the National Hurling League (NHL), an annual hurling competition for the GAA county teams. Tipperary won the league, beating Galway in the final. The tournament saw the first appearance of Fingal and South Down as "county" teams in the NHL. Format The 2008 format of the National Hurling League was 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 team 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 team 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 team plays all the others once. The