2011 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final
| Event | 2011 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship | ||||||
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| Date | 18 September 2011 | ||||||
| Venue | Croke Park, Dublin | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Kevin Nolan | ||||||
| Referee | Joe McQuillan (Dublin) | ||||||
| Attendance | 82,300 | ||||||
| Weather | Sunny/Overcast 15 °C (59 °F) |
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The 2011 All-Ireland Football Final was the 124th event of its kind. It was the culmination of Gaelic football's premier competition, the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, and was played between Kerry and Dublin on 18 September 2011 at Croke Park, Dublin.
Dublin were victorious by a single point, achieving their first All-Ireland Senior Football Championship title since 1995. This was the first Kerry–Dublin final since 1985. History was made as the winning point was scored by a goalkeeper, Stephen Cluxton of Dublin, the first time this had ever happened in the final. Cluxton's point gave the title to Dublin as, with the teams level, the match would have had to be replayed at a later date had it ended with both teams on the same score. RTÉ called it "one of the most gripping Sam Maguire Cup deciders of the modern era" and the BBC said it was a "dramatic comeback victory."
Going into the 2011 Championship Cork were the defending champions after defeating Down in the 2010 final. However, Cork were eliminated in the quarter-finals in 2011 by Mayo. On 30 August 2011, Joe McQuillan was confirmed as the referee for the senior final. This was his first time to referee an All Ireland Senior Football final. Ahead of the game, Irish politicians Leo Varadkar and Aodhán Ó Ríordáin were censured by officials for flying unauthorised flags from their car windows in public. The flags favoured the Dublin team. After the game, Dublin captain Bryan Cullen was offered the role of coaching Leinster Rugby's academy players.
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