2015 NFL season, Player movement, Free agency
Four players were assigned the non-exclusive franchise tag by their teams, which ensured that the team would receive compensation were the player to sign a contract with another team. These players were wide receivers Dez Bryant (Cowboys) and Demaryius Thomas (Broncos), linebacker Justin Houston (Chiefs), and defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul (Giants). One other team used the transition tag, which offers the player's current team a chance to match offers from other franchises and also guarantees draft pick compensation (at a lesser level than the franchise tag) if a tagged player signs elsewhere. The player given the transition tag was Charles Clay (Dolphins). On March 19, 2015, Clay signed a five-year, $38M contract with the Buffalo Bills, after the Dolphins elected not to match the offer.


2015 NFL season, Player movement, Trades
An unusually large number of big name players switched teams via trade prior to the 2015 season. Eagles coach Chip Kelly used his newly obtained GM powers to make many blockbuster trades. The Philadelphia Eagles traded 2-time All-Pro running back LeSean McCoy to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for linebacker Kiko Alonso.


2015 NFL season, Player movement, Trades
The Eagles also traded Pro Bowl quarterback Nick Foles along with their selection in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft to the St. Louis Rams for quarterback Sam Bradford; the deal also included a swap of draft picks in the 2015 NFL Draft as well as a possible additional 2016 draft pick from the Rams contingent on Bradford's playing time with the Eagles.


2015 NFL season, Player movement, Trades
The New Orleans Saints traded All-Pro tight end Jimmy Graham along with their fourth-round selection in the draft to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for All-Pro center Max Unger and the Seahawks' first-round selection in the draft. The Saints also traded away Pro Bowl guard Ben Grubbs (to the Kansas City Chiefs for a fifth round selection in the 2015 NFL Draft) and wide receiver Kenny Stills (to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for linebacker Dannell Ellerbe and a third rounder in the 2015 draft). The Detroit Lions acquired All-Pro defensive tackle Haloti Ngata from the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for draft picks to help make up for the loss of Ndamukong Suh in free agency.


2015 NFL season, Player movement, Draft
The 2015 NFL Draft was held April 30 – May 2, 2015, in Chicago. The draft process began with the NFL Scouting Combine, where draft-eligible players were evaluated by team personnel, which was held in Indianapolis on February 17–23. On October 2, 2014, Auditorium Theatre in Chicago was announced as the official site of the draft. The previous fifty NFL drafts (since 1965) had been held in New York.


2015 NFL season, Player movement, Draft
The 2015 NFL Draft was the first to feature an outdoor component, where fans would be able to see the Commissioner on the Auditorium Theatre stage from across the street in Grant Park; this area was called Draft Town. In the draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made Florida State University quarterback Jameis Winston the first overall selection.


2015 NFL season, New officials
Referee Bill Leavy retired after the 2014 season. On May 13, 2015, the NFL promoted line judge John Hussey to the referee position. In addition to Hussey's promotion to referee, the NFL hired 10 more officials, including the first full-time female official in NFL history, Sarah Thomas, who will work as a line judge, as well as Walt Coleman IV, the son of referee Walt Coleman, who will work as a side judge.


2015 NFL season, Rule changes
The following rule changes were passed for the 2015 NFL season at the owners' meeting on March 25, 2015:


2015 NFL season, Rule changes
The following changes to the extra point rules were passed for the 2015 NFL season at the owners' meeting on May 19, 2015:


2015 NFL season, Rule changes
The following changes to game ball protocol were passed for the 2015 NFL season on July 27, 2015:


2015 NFL season, 2015 deaths
The following people associated with the NFL (or AFL) died in 2015.


2015 NFL season, 2015 deaths
Frank Gifford died on August 9, just a week shy of his 85th birthday. Gifford had a 12-year playing career with the New York Giants in the 1950s and 1960s. He was a 4-time All-Pro, played in eight Pro Bowls and was named to the 1950s All-Decade Team. In 1956 Gifford was named the NFL's Most Valuable Player. After his playing career Gifford transitioned to sports broadcasting, most notably joining ABC's Monday Night Football in the program's second season and serving as the broadcast's play-by-play announcer and later color commentator for the next 27 seasons. Gifford was a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame as well as the College Football Hall of Fame.


2015 NFL season, 2015 deaths
Chuck Bednarik died on March 31 at age 89. Bednarik was the first player selected in the 1949 NFL Draft and played linebacker and center for the Philadelphia Eagles for fourteen seasons. He won championships with the Eagles in 1949 and 1960. He was a 5-time first team All-Pro and played in eight Pro Bowls. Bednarik was selected as a member of the NFL's 75th Anniversary All-Time Two-Way Team and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1967. He was also a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.


2015 NFL season, 2015 deaths
Ken Stabler died on July 8 at age 69. Stabler had a fifteen-year NFL career as a quarterback for the Oakland Raiders, Houston Oilers and New Orleans Saints in the 1970s and 1980s. He was named the league's MVP in 1974, led the Raiders to their first championship in Super Bowl XI and was a member of the 1970s All-Decade Team.


2015 NFL season, 2015 deaths
Ed Sabol died on February 9 at age 98. Sabol founded NFL Films in 1962 where he pioneered a documentary style of capturing the game of football that many credit as a driver of the huge surge in the NFL's popularity. Sabol was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.


2015 NFL season, 2015 deaths
Charlie Sanders died on July 2 at age 68. Sanders played tight end for the Detroit Lions for ten seasons. He was twice named first-team All-Pro, was selected for seven Pro Bowl teams and was a member of the 1970s All-Decade Team. After his playing career he continued to be involved with the Lions, first as a broadcaster and later as a coach and scout. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007.


2015 NFL season, 2015 deaths
Garo Yepremian died on May 15 at age 70. Yepremian had a fourteen-year career as a placekicker for four NFL teams, most notably with the Miami Dolphins of the 1970s. He was twice named a first-team All-Pro and was a member of two Pro Bowl teams as well as a 2-time Super Bowl champion. He led the league in field goal accuracy three times and was named to the 1970s All-Decade Team.


2015 NFL season, 2015 deaths
Bob St. Clair died on April 20 at age 84. St. Clair had an eleven-year career as an offensive tackle for the San Francisco 49ers in the 1950s and 1960s. He played in the Pro Bowl five times and was named to the 1950s All-Decade Team. St. Clair was the mayor of Daly City, California from 1958 through 1964. St. Clair was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990.


2015 NFL season, Preseason
Training camps for the 2015 season began July 22 and continued through the end of preseason, September 3. The normal training camp window ran from late July to late August or early September. Most of the camps had rookies report first, then veterans. At that point, some teams practiced versus another organization, like the Bills practiced against the Browns this year. Teams started training camp no earlier than fifteen days before the team's first scheduled preseason game. At that point, the rosters for each team were open to 90 players. Those rosters were cut to 75 by Week 3 of preseason, and the final 53-man roster was submitted at the end of preseason.


2015 NFL season, Preseason
Prior to the start of the regular season, each team played at least four exhibition games. The preseason schedule got underway with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on Sunday evening, August 9. The Hall of Fame game is a traditional part of the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame induction weekend celebrating new Hall of Fame members. It was played at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium which is located adjacent to the Hall of Fame building  in Canton, Ohio.


2015 NFL season, Preseason
The game, which was televised in the U.S. on NBC, featured the Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers; as in previous years, each team had an inductee in the class of 2015 (Mick Tingelhoff for the Vikings, Jerome Bettis for the Steelers). The 65-game preseason schedule ended on Thursday, September 3, a week before the start of the regular season, with each team having played four preseason games, except for the Steelers and Vikings, who played five games. The preliminary preseason schedule was released Thursday, April 9.


2015 NFL season, Regular season
The 2015 regular season featured 256 games played out over a seventeen-week schedule which began on the Thursday night following Labor Day. Each of the league's 32 teams played a 16-game schedule with one bye week for each team scheduled between weeks four and eleven. The slate also featured seventeen games on Monday night, two of which were played at the end of the first week of the regular season. Additionally, there was no Monday Night game at the end of the final week of the regular season, the same as in previous years.


2015 NFL season, Regular season
There were games played on Thursday, including the opening game of the regular season on Thursday, September 10 and three games on Thanksgiving Day. The regular season concluded with a full slate of 16 games on Sunday, January 3, all of which were intra-divisional matchups, as it has been since 2010, with the Minnesota Vikings beating the Green Bay Packers on NBC Sunday Night Football


2015 NFL season, Regular season
Under the NFL's scheduling formula, each team plays each of the other three teams in their own division twice (one home and one away). In addition, a team plays against all four teams in one other division within the conference, on a 3-year rotation; and one division from the opposite conference, on a 4-year rotation.


2015 NFL season, Regular season
Two games on a team's schedule are against the two teams in the team's own conference in the divisions the team was not set to play who finished the previous season in the same rank in their division (e.g. the team which finished first in its division the previous season would play each other team in their conference that also finished first in its respective division). The pre-set division pairings for 2015 are as follows:


2015 NFL season, Regular season
Intra-conferenceAFC East vs. AFC SouthAFC North vs. AFC WestNFC East vs. NFC SouthNFC North vs. NFC West


2015 NFL season, Regular season
Inter-conferenceAFC East vs. NFC EastAFC West vs. NFC NorthAFC North vs. NFC WestAFC South vs. NFC South


2015 NFL season, Postseason
The 2015 playoffs opened with the Wild Card playoff round on the weekend of Saturday, January 9 and Sunday, January 10, 2016, with the winner of each of the games visiting the top two seeded teams in each conference. The Divisional round games were then played on the weekend of Saturday, January 16 and Sunday, January 17, 2016. The Conference championships were held on Sunday, January 24, 2016 with the AFC Championship Game and the NFC Championship Game.


2015 NFL season, Postseason
The 2016 Pro Bowl was held on January 31, 2016 at the Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The game continued the "unconferenced/draft" format that was started in 2014, with Jerry Rice and Michael Irvin serving as the alumni captains. Team Irvin defeated Team Rice 49–27.


2015 NFL season, Postseason
Super Bowl 50 decided the 2015 NFL Champion and was played at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California on Sunday, February 7, 2016. Instead of naming it Super Bowl L with Roman numerals like in previous Super Bowls, this game was marketed with the Arabic numeral "50". According to Jaime Weston, the league's vice president of brand and creative, the primary reason was that the league's graphic designers had difficulty designing a suitable, aesthetically pleasing logo with only the Roman numeral "L".


2015 NFL season, Notable events
In May, after a lengthy investigation led by Ted Wells, the external investigator appointed by the NFL, the league levied its punishment against the Patriots in the so-called "Deflategate" scandal. The scandal stemmed from the discovery that several of the footballs used by the Patriots during the previous season's AFC championship game were not within the league's inflation guidelines. The Patriots were fined $1 million and stripped of their first-round selection in the 2016 NFL draft and their fourth-round selection in the 2017 NFL draft. Quarterback Tom Brady, who the league's report determined was likely aware of a scheme to manipulate inflation levels, was suspended for four games. Additionally, two locker room attendants employed by the Patriots were suspended indefinitely.


2015 NFL season, Notable events
While the team agreed not to appeal the fine and draft pick revocation, Brady appealed his suspension. League commissioner Roger Goodell heard the appeal and confirmed the sentence on July 28. Immediately upon the announcement of the appeal verdict, the league filed suit against the NFL Players Association in civil court in an effort to gain a ruling upholding the punishment. Judge Richard M. Berman pushed the two sides hard to reach a settlement, but when they were unable to he ruled for Brady and the union vacating the suspension imposed by the league. Although the league appealed Judge Berman's ruling, Brady's suspension was lifted clearing the way for him to play in the season opener.


2015 NFL season, Notable events
The two Patriots employees, assistant equipment manager John Jastremski and officials locker room attendant Jim McNally, who had previously been suspended by the team were allowed by the league to be reinstated in September. As a condition for the lifting of the suspensions, neither employee is allowed to be involved with the handling or preparation of game balls.


2015 NFL season, Notable events
A number of relatively young NFL players walked away from the game prior to the 2015 season. The San Francisco 49ers lost three potential starters as linebackers Patrick Willis and Chris Borland and offensive tackle Anthony Davis all announced their retirements. Former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Jason Worilds and Tennessee Titans quarterback Jake Locker also both retired despite having yet to reach the age of 30.


2015 NFL season, Notable events
Willis, who was regarded as one of the best middle linebackers in the league, played in just six games in 2014 as he dealt with a toe injury. He announced in March his decision to retire at age 30 due to the chronic nature of the foot injuries he had endured in his eight-year career.


2015 NFL season, Notable events
Borland led the 49ers with 107 tackles in his rookie season in 2014 despite starting just eight games after being selected in the third round of the 2014 draft. Borland cited concerns over the potential long-term impact to his brain health in continuing to play the game in announcing his retirement which he did in March just days after Willis' announcement.


2015 NFL season, Notable events
Davis missed four games in 2014 with his first diagnosed concussion. In announcing his retirement in June, he said that he planned to take "a year or so away from the NFL" to "allow my brain and body a chance to heal."


2015 NFL season, Notable events
Worilds was entering free agency after playing for the Steelers the previous five seasons. He turned down contract offers worth tens of millions of dollars in order to devote more time to his Jehovah's Witnesses faith.


2015 NFL season, Notable events
Locker played four years for the Titans after they made him the eighth overall selection in 2011 draft. He was a free agent when he announced that he would be retiring because he had lost "the burning desire necessary to play the game for a living."


2015 NFL season, Notable events
The 2015 season marked the hiring of the first female NFL coach and first female NFL on-field official. Jen Welter was hired by the Arizona Cardinals as a coaching intern. Welter worked with the team's inside linebackers through the off-season and pre-season. Welter's internship with the Cardinals expired after the team's third preseason game on August 30.


2015 NFL season, Notable events
Sarah Thomas became the NFL's first female on-field official when she was hired by the league in April. Thomas had previously become the first female to officiate a major college football game as well as the first to officiate a bowl game.


2015 NFL season, Notable events
The NFL suspended side judge Rob Vernatchi (from Pete Morelli's crew) for Week 6 of the regular season due to a timekeeping blunder that occurred during a game the previous week. The host San Diego Chargers kicked a field goal to take a 3-point lead over the Pittsburgh Steelers with 2:56 remaining in the fourth quarter. The subsequent kickoff was a touchback, which shouldn't have resulted in any time coming off the game clock. However, when the Steelers took over on offense the scoreboard clock read 2:38. Vernatchi was responsible for keeping the official game time, but he did not notice the 18-second discrepancy. The Steelers ended up scoring a touchdown to secure a win with no time left on the clock.


2015 NFL season, Notable events
The referee crew led by Pete Morelli had been assigned to officiate a Sunday Night Football game between the Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 13, but was reassigned to a different game (Philadelphia Eagles at New England Patriots), due to heavy criticism for questionable calls made during the previous week's Arizona Cardinals–San Francisco 49ers game. Morelli's crew drew the ire of Cardinals' head coach Bruce Arians and 49ers' safety Eric Reed, including a botched roughing-the-passer call on Cardinals' quarterback Carson Palmer that aided the Cardinals' eventual game-winning drive, as well as a missed delay-of-game penalty.


2015 NFL season, Notable events
Morelli's crew had previously been the subject of criticism, following a clock error during a Week 5 game — see above. In addition, Morelli's crew was involved in a missed call at the end of the Jacksonville Jaguars–Baltimore Ravens game in Week 10, where they missed a false start penalty against the Jaguars before the final snap that resulted in a facemask penalty against the Ravens when time expired, allowing the Jaguars to gain 15 yards and kick the game-winning field goal.


2015 NFL season, Notable events, Discipline for off-field incidents
A total of 26 players were suspended by the league as of the season's first week. Most of these suspensions were for violations of the league's performance-enhancing drug (PED), substance abuse and personal conduct policies.


2015 NFL season, Notable events, Discipline for off-field incidents
Cleveland Browns general manager Ray Farmer was suspended by the league for the first four games of the 2015 season due to a texting scandal which occurred in 2014. The league found that Farmer had used a cellphone to communicate with personnel on the Browns' sideline "on multiple occasions during games" in violation of league rules which prohibit such communications. In addition to Farmer's suspension, the team was assessed a fine of $250,000.


2015 NFL season, Notable events, Discipline for off-field incidents
The league stripped the Atlanta Falcons of their selection in the fifth round of the 2016 draft after it was determined that they had been using pre-recorded crowd noise during the team's home games throughout 2013 and into 2014. In addition to losing the draft pick the franchise was fined $350,000 and team president Rich McKay was suspended from his post as chairman of the league's Competition Committee for three months starting in April. The team fired event marketing director Roddy White who they determined was directly responsible for the violation.


2015 NFL season, Notable events, Discipline for off-field incidents
Buffalo Bills offensive line coach Aaron Kromer was suspended by the team for the first six weeks of the season after he was arrested for an altercation during which Kromer allegedly punched a teenager. The incident occurred in July near Kromer's home in Florida. Charges in the matter were eventually dropped.


2015 NFL season, Notable events, Discipline for off-field incidents
Cleveland Browns offensive line coach Andy Moeller was suspended indefinitely by the Browns in September after in incident in which police were called to Moeller's house after a female houseguest alleged that Moeller physically assaulted her. Prosecutors declined to press charges related to the incident despite their conclusion that "it is quite clear an incident of volatile nature took place." On September 29, 2015, the Browns officially parted ways with Moeller.


2015 NFL season, Awards, Individual season awards
The 5th Annual NFL Honors, saluting the best players and plays from 2015 season, was held at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, California on February 6, 2016.


2015 NFL season, Awards, All-Pro team
The following players were named First Team All-Pro by the Associated Press:


2015 NFL season, Awards, Players of the week/month
The following were named the top performers during the 2015 season:


2015 NFL season, Head coach/front office personnel changes, Head coach, Offseason
Quinn, who never held a head coaching position prior to 2015, had served as defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks. Due to league anti-tampering rules, the Falcons had to wait until after the completion of the Seahawks' playoff run, before formally hiring Quinn.


2015 NFL season, Head coach/front office personnel changes, Head coach, Offseason
On January 12, 2015, the Bills hired Rex Ryan as their head coach. Ryan had spent the previous six seasons as head coach of the New York Jets.


2015 NFL season, Head coach/front office personnel changes, Head coach, Offseason
Fox was hired on January 16, 2015 to become the head coach. Fox spent the past 4 seasons as the head coach of the Denver Broncos.


2015 NFL season, Head coach/front office personnel changes, Head coach, Offseason
Kubiak was hired on January 19, 2015 to become the head coach. Kubiak, formerly head coach of the Houston Texans from 2006 to 2013, spent the past season as the offensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens.


2015 NFL season, Head coach/front office personnel changes, Head coach, Offseason
Bowles was hired on January 14, 2015, to become their head coach after serving as defensive coordinator for Arizona Cardinals since 2013; he previously served as interim head coach of the Miami Dolphins in 2011.


2015 NFL season, Head coach/front office personnel changes, Head coach, Offseason
Sparano, formerly head coach of the Miami Dolphins, finished the season as interim head coach, compiling a record of 3–9. He then became tight ends coach for the San Francisco 49ers.


2015 NFL season, Head coach/front office personnel changes, Head coach, Offseason
Jack Del Rio was hired on January 14, 2015, to become their head coach after serving as defensive coordinator for Denver Broncos since 2012; he previously served as head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2003 to 2011.


2015 NFL season, Head coach/front office personnel changes, Head coach, Offseason
On January 14, 2015, Jim Tomsula was promoted to head coach after serving as defensive line coach with the team since 2007; it is his second time at the helm, as he previously served as the 49ers' interim head coach for one game, after Mike Singletary's firing in 2010.


2015 NFL season, Head coach/front office personnel changes, Front office, Offseason
On January 13, 2015, the Jets hired Maccagnan as new general manager of the team. He was the director of college scouting for the Houston Texans prior to his hiring.


2015 NFL season, Head coach/front office personnel changes, Front office, Offseason
Pace was hired on January 8, 2015, after serving as the director of player personnel with the Saints since 2013.


2015 NFL season, Stadiums
The stadium in Nashville where the Tennessee Titans play their home games was renamed Nissan Stadium in an agreement with automobile manufacturer Nissan. Though financial terms remain undisclosed, the naming rights deal is expected to last for twenty years. Nissan operates two plants in Tennessee and is one of middle Tennessee's largest employers. Since 2006, the facility had been branded as "LP Field," under a naming rights agreement with Nashville-based building materials manufacturer Louisiana-Pacific. This is the third name change for the venue since its 1999 opening.


2015 NFL season, Stadiums
The Minnesota Vikings played at TCF Bank Stadium on the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis for the second straight season. The Vikings arranged to play there for two years after their former home, the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, was closed after the 2013 season and demolished so U.S. Bank Stadium, their new stadium, could be built on the site. In August, a construction worker who was working on the new stadium died in a fall from the structure's roof.


2015 NFL season, Stadiums
NRG Stadium, home of the Houston Texans, converted from a natural grass field to an artificial turf field after week 1. Despite various attempts to improve field conditions, players from both the Texans and the visiting Kansas City Chiefs complained of poor field conditions in their week 1 game. The decision to convert was made 5 days later, and the turf field was installed in time for the Texans next home game against Tampa Bay in Week 3.


2015 NFL season, Stadiums, NFL relocation candidates, Oakland Raiders
The team's lease at the Oakland Coliseum expired after the 2013 season, and the Raiders after that point became tenants of the Coliseum on a year-to-year basis.


2015 NFL season, Stadiums, NFL relocation candidates, Oakland Raiders
On July 29, 2014, reports surfaced that the Oakland Raiders might consider relocating to San Antonio in 2015 after owner Mark Davis met with San Antonio civic leaders the week before at the encouragement of former Raider Cliff Branch, whom Davis was in town to visit for a local ceremony for Branch. The Raiders themselves acknowledged Davis being in San Antonio for the event for Branch before news broke about a possible relocation, but would not confirm nor deny that Davis also mentioned being there discussing moving his team east.


2015 NFL season, Stadiums, NFL relocation candidates, Oakland Raiders
Among the two existing NFL teams in Texas, Houston Texans' then-owner Bob McNair and Dallas Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones—the latter of which has San Antonio as part of his territorial rights and previously voiced support of an NFL team moving there when the New Orleans Saints temporarily played in San Antonio in 2005 due to damages to the Superdome following Hurricane Katrina — both favored an NFL team playing in San Antonio.


2015 NFL season, Stadiums, NFL relocation candidates, Oakland Raiders
On September 3, 2014, the city of Oakland reached a tentative deal to build a new football stadium in Oakland, which would have resulted in the Coliseum being demolished; Davis did not respond to the proposal, which would have also forced the Oakland Athletics to build a new stadium of their own (which they did not agree to do), while Alameda County (then co-owners of the coliseum) indicated they would probably not have supported the plan. Davis, in the meantime, had team officials scout the Alamodome to determine if it would be suitable for the NFL.


2015 NFL season, Stadiums, NFL relocation candidates, Oakland Raiders
On February 19, 2015, the Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers announced plans for a privately financed $1.7 billion stadium that the two teams would build in Carson, California, if they were to move to the Los Angeles market. Such a move would have marked a return to the nation's second-largest market for both teams; the Raiders played in Los Angeles from 1982 to 1994 while the Chargers called LA home for their inaugural season in the American Football League.


2015 NFL season, Stadiums, NFL relocation candidates, Oakland Raiders
The Chargers were at the time the only NFL team to play in Southern California, with San Diego being a 125-mile (201 km) distance from Los Angeles and had Los Angeles as a secondary market. The Chargers had been looking to replace Qualcomm Stadium (which, like the O.co Coliseum opened in the late 1960s) since at least 2003, and had an annual out clause in which it could move in exchange for paying a fine to the city of San Diego for its remaining years on its lease.


2015 NFL season, Stadiums, NFL relocation candidates, Oakland Raiders
Due to television contracts, NFL bylaws, and being in the same division if both of the longstanding division rivals moved to Los Angeles, one of the teams would have had to move to the National Football Conference and the NFC West, something that Mark Davis volunteered the Raiders to be willing to do. The Raiders' move to the National Football Conference and the NFC West would have been considered ironic because Davis's father Al Davis was a staunch opponent of the NFL during its rivalry and eventual merger with the AFL.


2015 NFL season, Stadiums, NFL relocation candidates, Oakland Raiders
If such a realignment had occurred, one of the existing NFC West teams would have took their spot in the AFC West. The early rumor was that the Seattle Seahawks, who played in the AFC West from 1977 to 2001, would have been the favorite to switch conferences with the Raiders. However, that team's then growing rivalry with the San Francisco 49ers (who are assured of staying in the NFC West) pointed to either the Arizona Cardinals or the St. Louis Rams (if the latter had stayed in St. Louis) moving to the AFC West to take the Raiders' spot. If the Rams stayed in St. Louis, switching them to the AFC would have allowed for a yearly home-and-home with the cross-state Kansas City Chiefs.


2015 NFL season, Stadiums, NFL relocation candidates, Oakland Raiders
On October 23, 2015, Chargers spokesperson Mark Fabiani confirmed that the team planned to officially notify the NFL about its intentions to relocate to Los Angeles in January during the timetable for when teams can request to relocate.


2015 NFL season, Stadiums, NFL relocation candidates, St. Louis Rams
The Rams and the St. Louis CVC (Convention & Visitors Commission) began negotiating deals to get the Rams' home stadium, the Edward Jones Dome, into the top 25 percent of stadiums in the league (i.e., top eight teams of the thirty-two NFL teams in reference to luxury boxes, amenities and overall fan experience). Under the terms of the lease agreement, the St. Louis CVC was required to make modifications to the Edward Jones Dome in 2005. However, then-owner Georgia Frontiere waived the provision in exchange for cash that served as a penalty for the city's noncompliance.


2015 NFL season, Stadiums, NFL relocation candidates, St. Louis Rams
The City of St. Louis, in subsequent years, made changes to the scoreboard and increased the natural lighting by replacing panels with windows, although the overall feel remained dark. The minor renovations which totaled about $70 million did not bring the stadium within the specifications required under the lease agreement. On February 1, 2013, an arbitrator (3 panel) selected to preside over the arbitration process found that the Edward Jones Dome was not in the top 25% of all NFL venues as required under the terms of the lease agreement between the Rams and the CVC. The arbitrator further found that the estimated $700 million in proposed renovations by the Rams was not unreasonable given the terms of the lease agreement. Finally, the City of St. Louis was Ordered to pay the Rams attorneys' fees which totaled a reported $2 million.


2015 NFL season, Stadiums, NFL relocation candidates, St. Louis Rams
Publicly, city, county and state officials expressed no interest in providing further funding to the Edward Jones Dome in light of those entities, as well as taxpayers, continuing to owe approximately $300 million more on that facility. As such, if a resolution was not reached by the end of the 2014–15 NFL season and the City of St. Louis remained non-compliant in its obligations under the lease agreement, the Rams were free to nullify their lease and relocate.


2015 NFL season, Stadiums, NFL relocation candidates, St. Louis Rams
On January 31, 2014, both the Los Angeles Times and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that Rams owner Stan Kroenke had purchased 60 acres of land adjacent to the Forum in Inglewood, Los Angeles County, California. It was, by the most conservative estimates, sufficient land on which an NFL-proper stadium could be constructed. The purchase price was rumored to have been US$90–100 million. Commissioner Roger Goodell represented that Kroenke informed the league of the purchase. As an NFL owner, any purchase of land in which a potential stadium could be built must be disclosed to the league.


2015 NFL season, Stadiums, NFL relocation candidates, St. Louis Rams
This development further fueled rumors that the Rams intended to return its management and football operations to Southern California. The land was initially targeted for a Walmart Supercenter but Walmart could not get the necessary permits to build the center. Kroenke is married to Ann Walton Kroenke, who is a member of the Walton family and many of Kroenke's real estate deals have involved Walmart properties. On January 5, 2015, The Los Angeles Times reported that Kroenke Sports & Entertainment and Stockbridge Capital Group were partnering to develop a new NFL stadium owned by Kroenke.


2015 NFL season, Stadiums, NFL relocation candidates, St. Louis Rams
The project included a stadium of up to 80,000 seats and a performance venue of 6,000 seats while reconfiguring the previously approved Hollywood Park plan for up to 890,000 square feet of retail, 780,000 square feet of office space, 2,500 new residential units, a 300-room hotel and 25 acres of public parks, playgrounds, open space and pedestrian and bicycle access.


2015 NFL season, Stadiums, NFL relocation candidates, St. Louis Rams
In lieu of this the city of St. Louis responded on January 9, 2015, by unveiling an outdoor, open-air, riverfront stadium that could accommodate the Rams and an MLS team with the hopes that the NFL bylaws would force them to stay. On February 24, 2015, the Inglewood City Council approved the stadium and the initiative with construction on the stadium beginning in December 2015.


2015 NFL season, Stadiums, NFL relocation candidates, St. Louis Rams
With the Chargers, Raiders and Rams proposing their own stadiums as part of their Los Angeles relocation contingency plans, the proposed Farmers Field project was permanently scrapped in March 2015. Farmers Field was a proposal from Anschutz Entertainment Group to lure an NFL team to Los Angeles by promising a new stadium, but AEG placed restrictions on any relocation that the rest of the league found unacceptable, and the project had lain dormant since 2012.


2015 NFL season, Super Bowl 50 promotion
To mark the 50th Super Bowl, various gold-themed promotions and initiatives were held during the 2015 season, including gold-tinted logos across all NFL properties, the numbering of the 50-yard line on fields being painted in gold, sideline jackets and hats featuring gold-trimmed logos from week 7 onward, and Pro Bowl jersey designs incorporating gold numbering. Gold footballs were given to each high school that has had a player or coach appear in the Super Bowl, and "homecoming" events were held by teams at games.


2015 NFL season, Super Bowl 50 promotion
Through their first two home games, the Oakland Raiders declined to participate in the use of gold paint to mark the 50-yard line.


2015 NFL season, Super Bowl 50 promotion
On September 22, Sports Business Daily reported that NFL VP/Communications Brian McCarthy stated it was because the Oakland Athletics were still playing at the O.co Coliseum (the only stadium that is still shared by both an NFL team and a Major League Baseball team, which forces the Raiders to play on its dirt infield until the baseball season concludes), but the Coliseum's General Manager Chris Wright responded by saying that the Raiders told him not to apply the gold marks for the remaining regular season games. One day later, Raiders owner Mark Davis confirmed that the gold markings would be used after the conclusion of the Athletics season, boasting that because they had appeared in five of them, "nobody respects the Super Bowl more than Raiders".


2015 NFL season, New uniforms and patches
After it had been leaked months before by the Packers that both teams were allowed to wear their colored jerseys for Thursday Night Football contests, on October 30, 2015, the NFL announced "Color Rush," a series of four Thursday contests in which all eight teams will wear one-time, specially designed and monochromatic alternate uniforms.


2015 NFL season, New uniforms and patches
The Carolina Panthers and Tennessee Titans wore their regular alternate uniforms (with the Panthers debuting "Carolina blue" pants), while the Dallas Cowboys revived their white "Double Star" uniforms from the mid-1990s (while debuting white pants) and the St. Louis Rams wore a gold version of their 1973–99 throwbacks for the games. The other four teams involved (Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers) wore all-new uniforms for the games. The November 12 game between the Bills and Jets was particularly problematic, with the Bills' all-red uniforms (the first time the team has ever worn a red jersey on the field) and the Jets' kelly green outfits being indistinguishable to those with color blindness.


2015 NFL season, Media
This was the second season under broadcast contracts with ESPN, CBS, Fox, and NBC. This included "cross-flexing" (switching) Sunday afternoon games between CBS and Fox before or during the season, regardless of whether the visiting team is in the AFC (which CBS normally airs) or the NFC (which is normally carried by Fox). NBC continued to air Sunday Night Football, the annual Kickoff game, and the primetime Thanksgiving game. ESPN continued carrying Monday Night Football and the Pro Bowl. Under a new eight-year deal, DirecTV continued to be the exclusive distributor of the NFL Sunday Ticket service.


2015 NFL season, Media
On May 12, 2015, it was announced that ABC would simulcast ESPN's wildcard game, marking the first time that ABC has broadcast any NFL game in nearly 10 years. Fox also expanded its pre-game coverage by moving Fox NFL Kickoff to the main Fox network from Fox Sports 1, serving as a lead-in to Fox NFL Sunday.


2015 NFL season, Media
After its successful inaugural season under the arrangement, the NFL extended CBS's contract for Thursday Night Football into the 2015 season; as with the previous season, CBS produced all games, and the first seven games (weeks 2-7), as well as week 13, were broadcast by the CBS network. All games, including those not aired by CBS, were broadcast by NFL Network. The package also included one Saturday game in Week 15 and one in Week 16, both exclusive to NFL Network


2015 NFL season, Media
On March 23, 2015, league owners voted to, as an experiment, suspend the NFL's blackout rules for the 2015 season; no games were blacked out in their home markets because of insufficient ticket sales. These moves came after the Federal Communications Commission's September 2014 decision to stop enforcing blackout rules on terrestrial television stations, and the fact that, ultimately, no games were blacked out at all during the 2014 season.


2015 NFL season, Media
The NFL also experimented with online streaming as part of the International Series game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills. The game was streamed worldwide by Yahoo!, who handled hosting, promotion, and advertising sales for the stream, while CBS produced the telecast. The game only aired on television in the team's home markets (in accordance with NFL policies), as well as in the United Kingdom on BBC Two and Sky Sports, and in China.


2015 NFL season, Media
Brian Rolapp, the league's executive vice president of media, explained that the experiment was part of the NFL's efforts to attempt alternative distribution models for games, such as those that would appeal to viewers who do not subscribe to pay television. Yahoo! was reported to have paid $15 million for the rights fees, plus an additional $2 million "marketing fee," and beat out Amazon.com, Twitter, and YouTube—some of whom had made higher bids but would have planned to place the broadcast behind a paywall, which the league resisted.


2015 NFL season, Media
The NFL entered into a social media partnership with Snapchat to present live stories with behind-the-scenes and fan perspectives from selected games.


2015 NFL season, Television viewers and ratings, Most watched regular season games
*Note — Late DH matchups listed in table are the matchups that were shown to the largest percentage of the market.


2015 NHK Trophy
The 2015 NHK Trophy was the final event of six in the 2015–16 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Big Hat in Nagano on November 27–29. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing. Skaters earned points toward qualifying for the 2015–16 Grand Prix Final.


2015 NHK Trophy, Results, Men
Yuzuru Hanyu set a new world record for the short program (106.33), for the free skating (216.07), and for the combined total (322.40). He became the first person to have broken 200-point in the free skating and 300-point in the combined total as well as 100-point in the short program (2014 Winter Olympics).


2015 NHL Entry Draft
The 2015 NHL Entry Draft was the 53rd NHL Entry Draft. The draft was held on June 26–27, 2015, at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida. The first three selections were Connor McDavid going to the Edmonton Oilers, Jack Eichel going to the Buffalo Sabres, and Dylan Strome going to the Arizona Coyotes.


2015 NHL Entry Draft, Eligibility
Ice hockey players born between January 1, 1995, and September 15, 1997, were eligible for selection in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. Additionally, undrafted, non-North American players born in 1994 were eligible for the draft, and those players who were drafted in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, but not signed by an NHL team and who were born after June 30, 1995, were also eligible to re-enter the Draft.


2015 NHL Entry Draft, Draft lottery
Since the 2012–13 season, all 14 teams not qualifying for the Stanley Cup playoffs have a "weighted" chance at winning the first overall selection. Beginning with the 2014–15 season, the NHL changed the weighting system that was used in previous years. Under the new system, the odds of winning the draft lottery for the four lowest finishing teams in the League decreased, while the odds for the other non-playoff teams increased. The Edmonton Oilers won the 2015 draft lottery that took place on April 18, 2015, thus moving them from the third overall pick to the first overall pick.


2015 NHL Entry Draft, Selections by round
The order of the 2015 Entry Draft is listed below.


2015 NHL Stadium Series
The 2015 NHL Stadium Series was an outdoor regular season National Hockey League (NHL) game, part of the Stadium Series of games held at football or baseball stadiums. The Los Angeles Kings played against the San Jose Sharks at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California on February 21, 2015. This was the only game in the Stadium Series during the 2014–15 NHL regular season (as opposed to multiple games in 2014 and 2016). The game coincided with NBC Sports' "Hockey Day in America" coverage, and aired on NBCSN in the United States, while it was the second game of CBC's Hockey Night in Canada doubleheader.


2015 NHL Stadium Series
The Kings defeated the Sharks 2–1 on a goal by Marián Gáborík early in the third period to extend the Kings' winning streak to seven games, while the Sharks fell to 2–5–1 in their last eight games. With the victory, the Kings overtook the Sharks for the final wild card spot in the Western Conference.


2015 NHL Stadium Series, Initial announcement
After the success of the 2014 NHL Stadium Series game at Dodger Stadium, it was widely rumored that there was going to be an outdoor game in Northern California with Levi's Stadium, AT&T Park and Stanford Stadium as the three most likely options to host the outdoor game. On August 6, 2014, it was officially announced that Levi's Stadium was going to host the game between the Sharks and the Kings. The NHL was originally reportedly looking to hold four outdoor games, including the Winter Classic. Besides Levi's Stadium, other possible sites for the Stadium Series games included Coors Field (Denver), Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Massachusetts), Target Field (Minneapolis), Beaver Stadium (Pennsylvania State University), and an as-yet-unnamed venue in the Phoenix area. Foxborough, Minneapolis and Denver will instead host 2016 outdoor contests.


2015 NHL Stadium Series, Game summary
Kings goalie Jonathan Quick stopped 31 of 32 shots in the win. Kyle Clifford got Los Angeles on the board first at 2:46 in the first period. Brent Burns then scored the equalizer for the Sharks at 18:56 late in the first period. After a scoreless second period, Marian Gaborik scored at 4:04 in the third period in what proved to be the game-winning goal for the Kings.


2015 NHL Stadium Series, Team rosters, Pregame/Anthem/Entertainment
Before puck-drop Kris Allen and the Symphony Silicon Valley performed and sang the anthem


2015 NHL Winter Classic
The 2015 NHL Winter Classic was an outdoor regular season National Hockey League (NHL) game, part of the Winter Classic series, played on January 1, 2015, at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. The game, the seventh Winter Classic, matched the Chicago Blackhawks against the Washington Capitals. The Capitals were victorious with a final score of 3–2 after right winger, Troy Brouwer, scored the go-ahead goal with less than 13 seconds remaining in regulation play.


2015 NHL Winter Classic
This marked the first time in Winter Classic history that the home team won in regulation, the 2010 Winter Classic was the first one to be won by the home team which came in overtime. The game garnered an attendance of 42,832, and was televised nationally in the United States on NBC and in Canada on CBC.


2015 NHL Winter Classic
The 2015 Winter Classic marked the Capitals' second victory in as many outdoor games (the first being in the 2011 NHL Winter Classic), and the Blackhawks' second loss in three outdoor games (the previous two being a loss in the 2009 NHL Winter Classic and a victory in the 2014 NHL Stadium Series). The game was one of two to be held outdoors during the 2014–15 NHL season, the other being the 2015 NHL Stadium Series in February.


2015 NHL Winter Classic, Background, Site selection
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman promised before the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals in Chicago that the Capitals would get to host the Winter Classic within two or three years. However, the 2013 NHL Winter Classic was postponed by a year due to the 2012–13 NHL lockout, and the Capitals therefore had to wait until at least 2015 to host the Winter Classic.


2015 NHL Winter Classic, Background, Stadium selection
The Baltimore–Washington metroplex has several stadiums that meet the NHL's criteria for hosting the Winter Classic, and speculation included RFK Stadium and Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.; FedExField in Landover, Maryland; and Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore. A desire to keep the game in the city proper and Nationals Park's more modern amenities made Nationals Park the early favorite.


2015 NHL Winter Classic, Background, Stadium selection
On September 10, 2014, the NHL confirmed the game would be played at Nationals Park.


2015 NHL Winter Classic, Background, Opponent selection
On June 20, 2014, nine months after the Capitals were named as hosts, the media reported they would play the Chicago Blackhawks, although the NHL did not immediately confirm the reports until they announced the 2014–15 regular season schedule two days later. This marked the second Winter Classic appearance for both the Capitals and the Blackhawks. In the 2009 Winter Classic, the Blackhawks lost to the Detroit Red Wings 4–6. In the 2011 Winter Classic, the Capitals defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 3–1.


2015 NHL Winter Classic, Uniforms
Chicago's jerseys were based on their 1957 jerseys, white with red and black striping on the bottom, lace-up collars and the tomahawk logo near the elbows. Washington's jerseys represented a combined look back at hockey in D.C.: red sweaters (in a darker shade of red than the team's normal uniforms) with white stripes atop the shoulders and along the bottom, the front featuring the team's name in white over a large blue 'W', with the center of the 'W' stylized like the Washington Monument. Images of Washington's new logo and uniforms were published by Russian Machine Never Breaks before the official unveiling by the team.


2015 NHL Winter Classic, Game summary
The Capitals built a 2–0 lead in the first period off of goals by Eric Fehr and Alexander Ovechkin. The Blackhawks then scored goals by Patrick Sharp and Brandon Saad to tie the game in the second period. In the waning minutes of the third period with Washington on the power play, Ovechkin was slashed by Saad, and as the referee was signaling for the delayed penalty, Troy Brouwer picked up the loose puck that Ovechkin had lost and beat Corey Crawford for the game winning goal with 13 seconds left in the game.


2015 NHL Winter Classic, Television ratings
The 2015 NHL Winter Classic was the second least watched Winter Classic to date, and was the least-watched one until 2016. NBC reported a 2.3 overnight rating and 3.47 million viewers. CBC barely crossed the 1 million viewer line.


2015 NHL Winter Classic, Pregame/Anthem/Entertainment
Billy Idol performed prior to the start of the game


2015 NHL Winter Classic, Pregame/Anthem/Entertainment
The national anthem was performed by the U.S. Army Chorus from The United States Army Band


2015 NHL Winter Classic, Pregame/Anthem/Entertainment
Gavin DeGraw performed during the first intermission. In the second intermission, Lee Greenwood, accompanied by the U.S. Army Chorus, performed God Bless the U.S.A.


2015 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series
The 2015 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Season was announced on August 25, 2014.


2015 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series
There were 24 Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Pro Stock car events, and 16 Pro Stock Motorcycle events scheduled.


2015 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, Schedule
1 The rules for the 4-Wide Nationals differ from other races:


2015 NLL season
The 2015 National Lacrosse League season, the 29th in the history of the NLL, began on January 2, 2015, and ended with Game 2 of the Champion's Cup Finals series on June 5, 2015. In the finals, the Edmonton Rush defeated the Toronto Rock two games to none to win their first-ever Champion's Cup.


2015 NLL season, Final standings
x: Clinched playoff berth; c: Clinched playoff berth by crossing over to another division; y: Clinched division; z: Clinched best regular season record; GP: Games PlayedW: Wins; L: Losses; GB: Games back; PCT: Win percentage; Home: Record at Home; Road: Record on the Road; GF: Goals scored; GA: Goals allowedDifferential: Difference between goals scored and allowed; GF/GP: Average number of goals scored per game; GA/GP: Average number of goals allowed per game


2015 NLL season, Division Finals and Champion's Cup Finals individual game results, East Division Finals
Saturday, May 16 - Game 1 at Blue Cross Arena, Rochester, New York: Rochester Knighthawks 10, Toronto Rock 9Saturday, May 23 - Game 2 at Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario: Toronto Rock 11, Rochester Knighthawks 8Saturday, May 23 - Game 3 at Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario: Toronto Rock 8, Rochester Knighthawks 2Toronto wins series, 2–1.


2015 NLL season, Division Finals and Champion's Cup Finals individual game results, West Division Finals
Friday, May 15 - Game 1 at Rexall Place, Edmonton, Alberta: Edmonton Rush 10, Calgary Roughnecks 8Saturday, May 23 - Game 2 at Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, Alberta: Calgary Roughnecks 12, Edmonton Rush 9Saturday, May 23 - Game 3 at Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, Alberta: Edmonton Rush 4, Calgary Roughnecks 1Edmonton wins series, 2–1.


2015 NLL season, Division Finals and Champion's Cup Finals individual game results, Champion's Cup Finals
Saturday, May 30 - Game 1 at Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario: Edmonton Rush 15, Toronto Rock 9Friday, June 5 - Game 2 at Rexall Place, Edmonton, Alberta: Edmonton Rush 11, Toronto Rock 10Edmonton wins series, 2–0.


2015 NLL season, Player statistics, Scoring leaders
The following players lead the league in regular season points at the conclusion of games played on May 3, 2015.


2015 NLL season, Player statistics, Leading goaltenders
The following goaltenders lead the league in regular season goals against average at the conclusion of games played on May 3, 2015.


2015 NLL season, Awards, Monthly awards
Awards are presented monthly for the best overall player and best rookie.


2015 NNSW FFA Cup Qualifying Rounds
The 2015 NNSW FFA Cup Qualifying Rounds and Finals Series was a knockout competition run in Northern New South Wales, by Northern NSW Football, used to determine the two Northern NSW entrants to the national 2015 FFA Cup. For the Preliminary Rounds, Football Far North Coast kicked off the overall competition with matches on 13 February.


2015 NNSW FFA Cup Qualifying Rounds, Format
Due to travel distances and time restraints, the competition was divided into two pools, the Northern Pool and the Southern Pool.


2015 NNSW FFA Cup Qualifying Rounds, Northern Pool
The four Northern Pool Zones play off within their respective district-based zones. The Zone winners then played off for two places in the Quarter Finals stage of the Preliminary Round.


2015 NNSW FFA Cup Qualifying Rounds, Southern Pool, Third Round
The winners from the Second Round played the seeded NNSW NPL teams. The Second Round took place on the weekend of 28 February - 1 March 2015.


2015 NNSW FFA Cup Qualifying Rounds, NNSW Finals
The NNSW Football Finals Series will take place on the weekend of 20–21 June 2015. The finals will be composed of:


2015 NNSW FFA Cup Qualifying Rounds, NNSW Finals, Quarter Finals
The Quarter Finals took place at the Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility on 20 June 2015.


2015 NNSW FFA Cup Qualifying Rounds, NNSW Finals, Semi Finals
The Semi Finals took place at the Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility on 21 June 2015.


2015 NORCECA Women's Champions Cup (Final Four)
The 2015 Women's NORCECA Champions Cup (Final Four) was played from June 5 to June 7 in Havana, Cuba. The Dominican Republic won the tournament and together with Cuba, both qualified for the 2015 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Cup in Japan.


2015 NORCECA Women's Champions Cup (Final Four), Qualification
The top four teams from the NORCECA confederation who did not yet qualify for the 2015 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Cup played a single round robin system playoff. The United States did not play because they were already qualified as 2014 World Champions. The next three best NORCECA ranking joined the host country for the tournament.


2015 NORCECA Women's Champions Cup (Final Four), Pool standing procedure
Match won 3–0: 5 match points for the winner, 0 match points for the loserMatch won 3–1: 4 match points for the winner, 1 match point for the loserMatch won 3–2: 3 match points for the winner, 2 match points for the loser


2015 NP300 Navara Winton Super Sprint
The 2015 NP300 Navara Winton Super Sprint was a motor race for V8 Supercars held on the weekend of 15–17 May 2015. The event was held at Winton Motor Raceway in Benalla, Victoria, and consisted of two sprint races, each over a distance of 60 kilometres (37 miles) and one endurance race over a distance of 200 kilometres (124 miles). It was the fourth round of fourteen in the 2015 International V8 Supercars Championship.


2015 NP300 Navara Winton Super Sprint
After scoring his first two pole positions of his career, Prodrive Racing Australia's Chaz Mostert added another two poles for both Saturday races. He was to start alongside Michael Caruso for Race 10 – his and Nissan's first front row start for the year. Mostert stayed at the front of the field to take his first race win of the year, ahead of teammate Mark Winterbottom. Caruso held on to finish on the podium.


2015 NP300 Navara Winton Super Sprint
Race 11 saw Winterbottom take the lead early from Mostert at the first corner, while in the mid pack, it was not so great for the Holden Racing Team drivers. James Courtney drove in deep at turn 1 taking out his teammate Garth Tander, with Lee Holdsworth and James Moffat also forced off the road. Andre Heimgartner was also unlucky after being spun around by Dale Wood on the old pit straight. Winterbottom and Mostert stayed out of trouble to finish first and third respectively. Rick Kelly finished in second place – his first podium finish since 2011.


2015 NP300 Navara Winton Super Sprint
Again the Ford FG X Falcons were fast in qualifying and Mostert took a clean sweep of pole positions for the weekend, with Winterbottom on the front row. It was smooth sailing for Mostert until after first pit stops were completed, where he lost the rear of the car by driving wide on entry to turn 4 and backing into the tyre barrier on exit. Craig Lowndes was in a position to take his 100th career victory, but Winterbottom was too quick – taking his fourth victory of the year. Fabian Coulthard again scoring well in the 200 kilometres (124 miles) races by taking second place, with Lowndes coming home in third position.


2015 NPF Draft
The 2015 NPF College Draft is the twelfth annual collegiate draft for NPF, and was held on Wednesday, April 1, 2015, 5:30 pm CST at the CMA Theater in the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee. Draft order was determined by regular season standings from 2014, but subsequent trades and transactions altered the overall draft order. The draft was broadcast live on CBS Sports Network


2015 NPF Draft, The Draft
With the addition of the Dallas Charge, a league expansion team in 2015, the Draft has added a 6th round and four additional bonus selections for Dallas. Dallas was given bonus selections in the fourth and sixth rounds for a total of 10 selections. The additional round and selections will total 34 overall picks in the 2015 Draft.


2015 NPF Draft, The Draft
However, Dallas chose to exercise a previous option offered to them, and made a “Market Choice Selection.”  Exercising their Market Choice Selection allowed Dallas Charge to choose a player either originally from the state of Texas or who played college softball for a Texas school. Exercising the Market Choice Selection reduced the overall number of Draft picks for Dallas to nine instead of the original ten. The 34th was replaced by the Market Choice Selection by Dallas. A trade of draft picks with the USSSA Pride brought Dallas' total back to ten draft selections.


2015 NPF Draft, The Draft
Drafting an athlete gives an NPF affiliate team the rights to that athlete for two full seasons.


2015 NPF Draft, The Draft, Draft Selections
Position key: C = catcher; INF = infielder; SS = shortstop; OF = outfielder; UT = Utility infielder; P = pitcher; RHP = right-handed pitcher; LHP = left-handed pitcherPositions will be listed as combined for those who can play multiple positions.


2015 NPF transactions
The following is a list 2015 NPF transactions that have occurred in the National Pro Fastpitch softball league since the completion of the 2014 season and during the 2015 season. It lists which team each player has been traded to, signed by, or claimed by, and for which player(s) or draft pick (s), if applicable. Players who have retired are also listed.


2015 NPF transactions, Transactions
Source:Any transactions listed below without a reference were originally announced on


2015 NPSL season
The 2015 National Premier Soccer League season was the 103rd season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer in the United States, and the 13th season of the NPSL. Sixty eight clubs competed in the semi-professional soccer leagues.


2015 NPSL season, Playoffs, Southeast Conference Playoffs
Bold = winner* = after extra time, ( ) = penalty shootout score


2015 NPSL season, Playoffs, Regional and National Playoffs
Note: Teams in national semifinal were reseeded and paired based on those seeds (1 vs. 4, 2 vs. 3). Bold = winner* = after extra time, ( ) = penalty shootout score


2015 NRL Auckland Nines
The 2015 NRL Auckland Nines (known as the Dick Smith NRL Auckland Nines due to sponsorship) was the second NRL Auckland Nines tournament, contested between all sixteen teams of the National Rugby League. The draw was released on 16 September 2014. It was a two-day, nine-a-side, knockout tournament held at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand. All sixteen NRL clubs and 288 players competed over the one weekend (31 January – 1 February) with AUD$2.4 million prize money split between the teams. In 2015, the pool names were chosen by a public vote. The pool names were: Rangitoto, Waiheke, Piha and Hunua Ranges. The event included two international women's teams, the Kiwi Ferns and the Jillaroos, who competed in a three-game series with the Kiwi Ferns winning 2-1.


2015 NRL Grand Final
The 2015 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2015 NRL season and was played on Sunday 4 October at Sydney's ANZ Stadium between the Brisbane Broncos and North Queensland Cowboys. North Queensland won the match 17–16 in golden point extra time, claiming their first premiership title in their twentieth year of competition. Due to its dramatic ending, the match has been regarded as one of the greatest grand finals in rugby league history, drawing comparisons with the 1989 NSWRL Grand Final and the 1997 ARL Grand Final. Cowboys co-captain Johnathan Thurston, who kicked the winning field goal for his team, was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal as the best player on the ground. Pre -match entertainment was headlined by Australian rock band Cold Chisel.


2015 NRL Grand Final, Background
The Brisbane Broncos qualified for their first grand final appearance since 2006, and had never previously been defeated in a grand final, winning all six they have featured in – 1992, 1993, 1998, 2000, 2006, and 1997 for Super League. It was Broncos coach Wayne Bennett's eighth involvement in a grand final after coaching the club in all of their previous grand final appearances, and winning a premiership title for the St George Illawarra Dragons in 2010.


2015 NRL Grand Final, Background
The North Queensland Cowboys reached the premiership deciding game for the second time in their history since their inception into the competition in 1995, after losing to the Wests Tigers in their first appearance in 2005. It was the second time in history that no New South Wales team had featured in the grand final after 2006 which featured the Broncos up against the Melbourne Storm, and is the first time that a grand final featured two Queensland-based clubs. It was also the first time that two clubs captained by Indigenous Australians played a NRL grand final.


2015 NRL Grand Final, Background, 2015 season
Brisbane, who finished second in the regular season ladder, and North Queensland, who finished third, faced each other during the first week of the finals series in a qualification game, with the Broncos prevailing 16-12 in a tight contest at Suncorp Stadium to earn a week off and the right to host a grand final qualifier. The Broncos defeated minor premiers the Sydney Roosters 31-12 in the preliminary final at Suncorp Stadium to claim the first spot in the grand final.


2015 NRL Grand Final, Background, 2015 season
In losing to the Broncos, North Queensland were forced to play an extra week in the finals and faced the sixth-placed Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks at their home venue of 1300SMILES Stadium, beating them convincingly 39-0. They then qualified for the grand final after defeating the Melbourne Storm 32-12 in their preliminary final at AAMI Park.


2015 NRL Grand Final, Match summary, 1st half
After an even opening five minutes, the first points of the game were scored by the Broncos in the sixth minute, when a Cowboys handling error in midfield followed shortly by a penalty allowed Corey Parker to kick a 40-metre penalty goal. The Broncos then returned the first tackle after the restart for the opening try of the game, after a late offload on his own ten-metre line from Adam Blair to Anthony Milford allowed Milford to set up a line-break down the left wing, culminating in a try to Corey Oates; Parker converted the try and Brisbane led 8–0.


2015 NRL Grand Final, Match summary, 1st half
The Broncos then knocked on shortly after the restart, and North Queensland scored its opening try from the ensuing scrum set piece, with Jake Granville breaking the line to set up Justin O'Neill for the try; Johnathan Thurston converted and Brisbane led 8–6. North Queensland nearly scored again three minutes later, with Oates making a try-saving tackle on Kyle Feldt after a pass from Lachlan Coote.


2015 NRL Grand Final, Match summary, 1st half
Over the ensuing fifteen minutes, North Queensland had the better of possession and field position. In the 24th minute, attacking from a repeat set which had followed a grubber kick, James Tamou took the first pass out of dummy half and scored under the posts; Thurston converted the try to give North Queensland a 12–8 lead.


2015 NRL Grand Final, Match summary, 1st half
Brisbane scored an opportunistic try in the 34th minute, when Thurston lost the ball in a tackle in North Queensland territory, and Matt Gillett recovered for Brisbane and broke the line to put Jack Reed over for a try; Jordan Kahu converted and Brisbane regained a 14–12 lead which it took to half time.


2015 NRL Grand Final, Match summary, 2nd half
Jordan Kahu kicked a penalty goal in the 43rd minute to extend Brisbane's lead to 16–12. From that point, the game played out as a defensive battle in Brisbane territory. North Queensland had the better of possession and field position, and generated several repeat sets in attack, but were unable to score due to a combination of poor execution and Brisbane's stout goal line defence. The Broncos actively sought to defend its lead, kicking for touch on sixth tackle throughout most of the second half to wind down the clock and to slow the game down to manage fatigue.


2015 NRL Grand Final, Match summary, 2nd half
North Queensland's two closest opportunities came in the 61st minute, when Kane Linnett dropped a cut-out pass from Thurston which would have seen him score out wide; and in the 64th minute, when fullback Coote was tackled around the legs by Gillett just short of the try line – Coote reached out to put the ball over the line and was penalised for a double movement.


2015 NRL Grand Final, Match summary, 2nd half
With four minutes remaining, and the ball deep in North Queensland's territory, Ben Hunt conceded a penalty for a dangerous lifting tackle on Linnett, giving North Queensland field position. North Queensland failed to score on the ensuing set; but on Brisbane's following set, the Broncos failed to get to a sixth tackle kick away, after Feldt stripped the ball one-on-one from Hunt at midfield on fourth tackle with one minute remaining.


2015 NRL Grand Final, Match summary, 2nd half
North Queensland attacked, and on the sixth tackle, after a couple of powerful runs from forwards Taumalolo, Tamou and Scott, Thurston received the ball on the left edge, beat a couple of tackles, looked left before floating a pass right to link up with his 5/8 Michael Morgan who ran diagonally right, cut in to draw three Brisbane defenders then as the full time siren sounded, 5 metres out flicked a short outside pass to winger Feldt who Oates left unmarked providing him the opportunity to score just inside the right corner post to level the match up at 16-16.


2015 NRL Grand Final, Match summary, 2nd half
Jonathon Thurston had a conversion attempt from the right touchline after full time to win the match. He took a long time to compose himself for the kick, however the ball failed to break enough to the left, hitting the right upright half way up and bouncing out, leaving the game tied up at 16–16 and heading into golden point extra time to break the deadlock.


2015 NRL Grand Final, Match summary, Extra time
North Queensland kicked off first in extra time, and the opening kick-off was knocked on by Ben Hunt, immediately giving North Queensland an attacking scrum on Brisbane's ten-metre line. North Queensland set up for the game-winning field goal, and after aborting attempts on the first and third tackles due to strong defensive pressure from the Broncos, Johnathan Thurston was able to make up for his missed conversion by slotting the field goal on the fourth tackle from 20 metres out to win the game 17–16. It was the first time an NRL Grand Final had been decided in Golden Point.


2015 NRL Grand Final, Match summary, Post-match
At the post-match ceremony, Johnathan Thurston received the Clive Churchill medal as best on ground. This was then followed by the championship ring ceremony and the co-captains holding the Provan-Summons trophy.


2015 NRL Grand Final, Match summary, Post-match
Thurston drew praise for his post-match conduct, notably consoling Ben Hunt. Many consider the image of Thurston hugging his daughter to be the 'best image' of the grand final.


2015 NRL Grand Final, Aftermath
Most commentators, analysts and fans rate the 2015 Grand Final as one of, if not the greatest ever played, ranking it alongside the 1989 decider.


2015 NRL Grand Final, Aftermath
Both grand finalists, North Queensland and Brisbane, as well as minor premiers the Sydney Roosters, qualified for the second World Club Series, played in the 2016 pre-season against clubs from the  Super League.


2015 NRL State Championship
The 2015 NRL State Championship was a rugby league match held between the winners of the 2015 New South Wales Cup and the 2015 Queensland Cup. It was the second edition of the State Championship, following the inaugural 2014 edition, and was played on 4 October 2015, as a curtain raiser to the 2015 NRL Grand Final. The Ipswich Jets won the match, defeating the Newcastle Knights 26-12.


2015 NRL State Championship, Background
For the 2015 NRL State Championship, The Newcastle Knights won the NSW Cup by defeating the Wyong Roos 20-10 in the Grand Final, and the Ipswich Jets won the QLD Cup by defeating the Townsville Blackhawks 32-20 in the Grand Final.


2015 NRL Under-20s season
This is the current revision of this page, as edited by Dl2000 (talk | contribs) at 19:03, 15 June 2020 (en-AU). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this version.


2015 NRL Under-20s season
The 2015 NRL Under-20s season (known commercially as the 2015 Holden Cup) was the eighth season of the National Rugby League's Under-20s competition. The draw and structure of the competition mirrored that of the 2015 NRL Telstra Premiership season.


2015 NRL Under-20s season, Holden Cup Team of the Year
The 2015 NYC Team of the Year was announced on 14 September.


2015 NRL season
The 2015 NRL season was the 108th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 18th season of the National Rugby League in Australia and New Zealand. The season started in New Zealand with the annual Auckland Nines, which was followed by the Rugby League All Stars Match, returning after a one-year hiatus, and the World Club Series. North Queensland Cowboys won their first premiership in only the second Grand Final to be decided in extra time and their second ever grand final.


2015 NRL season, Season launch and advertising
The season launched with a gala event at the Queens Wharf, Auckland on 29 January attended by a selection of the code's stars including Shaun Johnson and Greg Inglis. It was the first time the event had been held outside Australia.


2015 NRL season, Season launch and advertising
The NRL and their longstanding ad agency MJW Haukuhodo used, for the second year running, Robbie Williams' "Let Me Entertain You" as the commercial soundtrack. The launch commercial takes members and supporters on a journey from the outback plains of Western Queensland to an inner city boot camp in Sydney and features more than fifty NRL club members and fans in a range of scenarios that include a rendition of a Haka on a Sydney train and a focus on  Greg Inglis' trademark Goanna post-try celebration.


2015 NRL season, Season launch and advertising
The second Sunday afternoon match began at 4:10 pm instead of the traditional 3:10 pm. This change was to allow the Nine Network to show the match live into New South Wales and Queensland, and use it as a lead-in to their respective 6:00 pm news bulletins.


2015 NRL season, Teams
The lineup of teams remained unchanged for the 9th consecutive year. The NRL's salary cap for the clubs' top 25 players will be $A6.3M for 2015.


2015 NRL season, Pre-season
The 2015 pre-season featured the second Auckland Nines tournament, held over a weekend at Auckland's Eden Park in which the South Sydney Rabbitohs defeated the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the final. This tournament took place on the last weekend of January, and the All Stars match was played on Friday 13 February at Cbus Super Stadium in Robina. The 2015 World Club Series took place in England with 2014 premiers the South Sydney Rabbitohs taking on Super League champions St. Helens in the showpiece match, which South Sydney won.


2015 NRL season, Regular season
Bold – Opposition's Home gameX – ByeOpponent for round listed above margin


2015 NRL season, Finals series
A new record was set for overall attendance in Week 1 of the Finals with a combined total of 131,794.


2015 NRL season, Regular season player statistics
The following statistics are of the conclusion of Round 26.


2015 NRL season results
The 2015 NRL season consisted of 26 weekly regular season rounds starting on Thursday March 5, and concluded on Sunday October 4 with the Grand Final.


2015 NWSL College Draft
The 2015 NWSL College Draft was held on January 16, 2015 at the NSCAA Convention in Philadelphia, PA.


2015 NWSL Expansion Draft
The 2015 NWSL Expansion Draft was a special draft held on November 2, 2015 by the National Women's Soccer League to allow  expansion side Orlando Pride to select players from existing teams in the league. The Pride were allowed to select up to ten players total from the existing nine NWSL teams from a list of unprotected players previously provided by the clubs.


2015 NWSL Expansion Draft, Expansion draft results
The following players were selected by the Orlando Pride during the Expansion Draft on Monday, November 2, 2015.


2015 NWSL Expansion Draft, Expansion draft results
1On October 26, 2015, it was announced that the expansion Orlando Pride had trade the #1 pick in the 2015 NWSL Expansion Draft as well as the #1 pick in the 2016 NWSL College Draft and an international roster spot for the 2016 and 2017 seasons to the Portland Thorns FC in exchange for USA star forward Alex Morgan and Canadian midfielder Kaylyn Kyle.


2015 Nadeshiko League
The 2015 Nadeshiko League season was won by NTV Beleza, who have won the title 13 times.


2015 Nadia riots
Nadia riots was a communal riot  that occurred in Kaliganj block, Nadia district of West Bengal during 5 May 2015. 4 people were killed and 8 injured . The victims were from Scheduled Caste Hindus and accused are Muslims. Nadia has seen communal tensions in the past.


2015 Nadia riots, Riot
Clash started when a Hindu procession, which was returning from Dharmaraj Mela at Jamalpur in Purbasthali, was attacked while passing by a mosque in Juranpur village. Firing and hurling of petrol bombs were reported. The attackers were well prepared and managed to source weapons and explosives quickly.


2015 Nagorno-Karabakh parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic on 3 May 2015.


2015 Nagorno-Karabakh parliamentary election, Background
Nagorno-Karabakh declared its independence from Azerbaijan in 1991. The First Nagorno-Karabakh War took place between 1988 and 1994 which resulted in Nagorno-Karabakh, with Armenian support, becoming de facto independent from Azerbaijan. However it has not been internationally recognised and Azerbaijan still claims the area as part of its state.


2015 Nagorno-Karabakh parliamentary election, Conduct
More than 100 representatives from 30 countries observed the elections.


2015 Nagorno-Karabakh parliamentary election, Reactions
Azerbaijan, the European Union, the United States and Turkey all said that they did not recognise the elections.


2015 Nagoya Grampus season
The 2015 Nagoya Grampus season is Nagoya Grampus' 23rd season in the J.League Division 1 and 33rd overall in the Japanese top flight. It is Akira Nishino's second season as manager.


2015 Nagoya Grampus season, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2015 Nagoya Grampus season, Squad, Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2015 Nagoya Grampus season, Transfers, Winter
In:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2015 Nagoya Grampus season, Transfers, Winter
Out:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2015 Nagoya Grampus season, Transfers, Summer
In:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2015 Nagoya Grampus season, Transfers, Summer
Out:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2015 Naiste Meistriliiga
The 2015 Naiste Meistriliiga was the 23rd season of women's league football in Estonia.


2015 Naiste Meistriliiga
The season was played between 4 April 2015, and 18 October 2015. The defending Champions were Pärnu JK, who successfully for the fifth year running defended their title. It is their 11th league title overall and gave them qualification to the 2016–17 UEFA Women's Champions League.


2015 Naiste Meistriliiga, League clubs
The following clubs competed in the 2015 Naiste Meistriliiga season:


2015 Naiste Meistriliiga, Format
The 8 teams play each other twice, for a total of 14 matches, with the top four teams qualifying for a championship round and the bottom four teams playing a relegation round.


2015 Naiste Meistriliiga, Final Stage, Championship Group
Points and goals in the second stage are just added to the first stage. Each team will end on 20 games.


2015 Naisten Liiga
The 2015 Naisten Liiga, part of the 2015 Finnish football season, was the 9th season of Naisten Liiga since its establishment in 2007. The season started on 18 April 2015 and ended on 10 October 2015. Tikkurilan Palloseura was promoted.


2015 Naisten Liiga
The season featured 10 teams. After 18 matches played, the league was divided to Championship Group of six and Relegation Group of four. PK-35 Vantaa were the 2014 season champions and successfully defended their title and qualified for the first qualifying round of the 2016–17 UEFA Women's Champions League. Merilappi United was relegated to the Naisten Ykkönen for the 2016 season.


2015 Naisten Liiga, Format
Teams played each other twice, after that the top six teams formed a championship group and the bottom four a relegation group. At the championship group teams played each other once more while at the relegation group, teams played each other twice.


2015 Naisten Liiga, Regular season
The regular season had a total of 18 matches per club.


2015 Naisten Liiga, Final stage
Points and goals of the final stage are just added to the regular season.


2015 Namibian local and regional elections
Namibia held elections for their local and regional councils on 27 November 2015. Ballots were cast using electronic voting.


2015 Namibian local and regional elections, Electoral system
Elections to regional councils are held using the first-past-the-post electoral system. Voters in each constituency elect one councillor to represent them on their regional council. Local authority councillors are elected by a system of proportional representation.


2015 Namibian local and regional elections, Results
Regional and local elections taken together elected 199 woman out of the 499 available seats, partly because affirmative action for women is required by law in local authority elections.


2015 Namibian local and regional elections, Results, Regional elections
There are 121 constituency councillors to be elected. In twenty-eight of them SWAPO was announced as winner in October because no opposition party nominated a candidate.


2015 Namibian local and regional elections, Results, Local election
Local elections determine the population of the village, town, and city councils and have a direct influence on who will become mayor, as this position is elected among all councillors. Contrary to the regional elections, local elections in Namibia are determined by party, not by individual. There are 57 local authorities to be elected. In five of them (Okahao, Omuthiyagwiipundi, Oniipa, Outapi and Tsandi) SWAPO was announced as winner in October because no opposition party nominated a candidate.


2015 Nana Trophy
The 2015 Nana Trophy was a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the fourth edition of the tournament and part of the 2015 ITF Women's Circuit, offering a total of $50,000 in prize money. It took place in Tunis, Tunisia, on 4–10 May 2015.


2015 Nana Trophy, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2015 Nana Trophy – Doubles
Andrea Gámiz and Valeria Savinykh were the defending champions, however Gámiz chose not to participate. Savinykh partnered Xenia Knoll, but lost in the first round.


2015 Nana Trophy – Doubles
The top seeds María Irigoyen and Paula Kania won the title, defeating second seeds Julie Coin and Stéphanie Foretz in the final, 6–1, 6–3.


2015 Nana Trophy – Singles
Ons Jabeur was the defending champion, but lost in the quarterfinals to María Irigoyen.


2015 Nana Trophy – Singles
Irigoyen then went on to win the title, defeating Cindy Burger in the final, 6–2, 7–5.


2015 Nanjing Ladies Open
The 2015 Nanjing Ladies Open was a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the second edition of the tournament and part of the 2015 ITF Women's Circuit, offering a total of $100,000 in prize money. It took place in Nanjing, China, on 27 October to 1 November 2015.


2015 Nanjing Ladies Open, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2015 Nanjing Ladies Open – Doubles
Misaki Doi and Xu Yifan were the defending champions of 2013, the tournament was not held in 2014. Doi chose not to participate. Xu partnered Wang Yafan, but lost in the quarterfinals to Yang Zhaoxuan and Zhang Yuxuan.


2015 Nanjing Ladies Open – Doubles
Japanese-duo Shuko Aoyama and Eri Hozumi won the title, defeating Chan Chin-wei and Zhang Kailin in the final, 7–5, 6–7(7–9), [10–7].


2015 Nanjing Ladies Open – Singles
Zhang Shuai was the defending champion of 2013, as this tournament was not held in 2014, however she lost in the second round to Tian Ran.


2015 Nanjing Ladies Open – Singles
Hsieh Su-wei won the title, defeating Yulia Putintseva in the final, 7–6(7–5), 2–6, 6–2.


2015 Nasarawa State gubernatorial election
The 2015 Nasarawa State gubernatorial election occurred in Nigeria on April 11, 2015, the APC nominee Umaru Tanko Al-Makura won re-election, defeating Labaran Maku of the APGA.


2015 Nasarawa State gubernatorial election
Umaru Tanko Al-Makura emerged APC gubernatorial candidate after defeating  2 other candidates who are Reuben Audu and James Angbazo. He picked Silas Ali Agara as his running mate. Labaran Maku was the APGA candidate with Abua Alhaji Ibrahim as his running mate. 8 candidates contested in the election.


2015 Nasarawa State gubernatorial election, Electoral system
The Governor of Nasarawa State is elected using the plurality voting system.


2015 Nasarawa State gubernatorial election, Primary election, APC primary
The APC primary election was held on December 6, 2014. Umaru Tanko Al-Makura won the primary election after defeating  2 other candidates, Reuben Audu and James Angbazo.


2015 Nasarawa State gubernatorial election, Primary election, APGA primary
Labaran Maku  was granted waiver by the APGA therefore, emerged the party's flag bearer. Maku's name was sent to INEC as a substitute for Matthew Ombugaku who earlier emerged the governorship candidate in the primary election.


2015 Nasarawa State gubernatorial election, Results
A total number of 8 candidates registered with the Independent National Electoral Commission to contest in the election.


2015 Nasarawa State gubernatorial election, Results
The total number of 623,279 votes were cast and 771 votes were rejected.


2015 Nashville Venom season
The 2015 Nashville Venom season was the second and final season for the indoor football franchise, and their second in the Professional Indoor Football League (PIFL).


2015 Nashville Venom season, Roster
Rookies in italics updated June 9, 201528 Active, 6 Inactive


2015 Nashville mayoral election
The 2015 Nashville mayoral election took place on August 6, 2015, to elect the Mayor of Nashville, Tennessee. As no candidate won a majority of the vote, a runoff was held on September 10 between the top two candidates.


2015 Nashville mayoral election
Incumbent Democratic Mayor Karl Dean was term limited and could not run for re-election to a third term in office.


2015 Nashville mayoral election, Election results, Runoff
No candidates received the required majority for election, therefore a runoff election took place on September 10, 2015 between the two candidates receiving the most votes, Megan Barry and David Fox.


2015 National Camogie League
The 2015 National Camogie League, known for sponsorship reasons as the Irish Daily Star National Camogie League commenced in February 2015 and was won by Galway.


2015 National Football League (Ireland)
The 2015 National Football League known for sponsorship reasons as the Allianz National Football League was the 84th staging of the National Football League (NFL), an annual Gaelic football tournament for the Gaelic Athletic Association county teams of Ireland. The League began on Saturday 31 January 2015. Thirty-one Gaelic football county teams from the island of Ireland, plus London, participated. TG4 and Setanta provided live coverage of the league with highlights shown on RTÉ2 on Sunday nights.


2015 National Football League (Ireland)
Dublin won their third title in a row and twelfth in total after a 1–21 to 2–07 win against Cork in the final on 26 April at Croke Park.


2015 National Football League (Ireland), Format, League structure
The 2015 format of the National Football League was a system of four divisions of eight teams. Each team played every other team in its division once, either home or away. 2 points were awarded for a win and 1 for a draw.


2015 National Football League (Ireland), Format, Tie-breaker
If only two teams were level on league points -


2015 National Football League (Ireland), Format, Tie-breaker
If three or more teams were level on league points, points difference was used to rank the teams.


2015 National Football League (Ireland), Format, Finals, promotions and relegations
The top four teams in Division 1 contested the 2015 NFL semi-finals (first played fourth and second played third) and final. The top two teams in divisions 2, 3 and 4 were promoted, and contested the finals of their respective divisions. The bottom two teams in divisions 1, 2 and 3 were relegated.


2015 National Football League (Ireland), Division 1, Table
Compete in Division 1 semi-finals  Automatic relegation to Division 2


2015 National Football League (Ireland), Division 2, Table
Compete in Division 2 final and automatic promotion to Division 1  Automatic relegation to Division 3


2015 National Football League (Ireland), Division 2, Table
1Roscommon are placed ahead of Meath because they won the head-to-head game between the teams (2-10 to 0-14).


2015 National Football League (Ireland), Division 2, Table
2Westmeath are placed ahead of Kildare because they won the head-to-head game between the teams (0-15 to 0-12).


2015 National Football League (Ireland), Division 3, Table
Compete in Division 3 final and automatic promotion to Division 2  Automatic relegation to Division 4


2015 National Football League (Ireland), Division 3, Table
1Armagh v. Fermanagh was a draw (1-10 each), so the teams are ranked by points difference.


2015 National Football League (Ireland), Division 3, Table
3Louth are placed ahead of Wexford because they won the head-to-head game between the two teams (1-16 to 1-10).


2015 National Football League (Ireland), Division 4, Table
Compete in Division 4 final and automatic promotion to Division 3


2015 National Games of India
The 2015 National Games of India, also known as the 35th National Games of India, was held from 31 January 2015 to 14 February 2015 across seven districts of Kerala, India. It was the second time that Kerala hosted the national games, the first being when it hosted the 27th National Games in 1987.


2015 National Games of India
The opening ceremony took place at Greenfield Stadium, on 31 January 2015 at 6.00 PM. Union Minister of Urban Development, Shri Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated the opening ceremony.


2015 National Games of India
Former cricketer Sachin Tendulkar was selected as the goodwill ambassador for the games.


2015 National Games of India, Mascot
Ammu, the Great Hornbill (the state bird of Kerala) was chosen as the mascot, reflecting a concern for conservation as this is a species facing extinction. It is also an expression of the need to preserve Kerala's rain forests and regenerate the lost habitat of this precious bird. The choice of a feminine name for the mascot is a tribute to the women of Kerala.


2015 National Games of India, Games Village
The Games Village is constructed based on the novel concept of Prefabricated Housing Technology. The Prefabricated housing would go well with the concept of ‘Green Games’ as it is environmentally friendly, lightweight, energy efficient and faster to construct. One major advantage of this technology is that the individual housing units can be dismantled and relocated to other locations after the Games with additional cost in the form of steel Flashing / trims, civil foundation, internal electrification and plumbing, hardware, floor finish, wall cladding etc.


2015 National Games of India, Games Village
A total of 365 pre-fab houses occupying 5 athletes per room while team officials and coaches will be allocated single or double rooms. Social infrastructures such as kitchen, food courts, reception desks, medical centre, recreational zone, health club, open-air theatre, conference halls etc. are included in the Games Village. Apart from these, it also has house-keeping, solid waste management, security, clean water distribution facilities and even landscaping.


2015 National Games of India, Games Village
The Games Village is a ‘miniature India' as this venue is supposed to be the most vocal and visual representation of India's national integration at the Games.


2015 National Games of India, Opening ceremony
The opening ceremony was held at Greenfield Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram. Union Minister for Urban Development, Venkaiah Naidu declared the Games open in the presence of Kerala Chief Minister, Oommen Chandy, State Sports Minister, Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, Union Minister of State for Sports, Sarbananda Sonowal, IOA president N. Ramachandran and the local M.P., Shashi Tharoor. The games torch, a cauldron shaped like a traditional Kerala lamp, was lit by athletes P. T. Usha and Anju Bobby George, and was passed to them by Sachin Tendulkar. The oath was taken on the behalf of the participants by the Kerala captain, Preeja Sreedharan.


2015 National Games of India, Sports events
There are 33 sports disciplines in 2015 Kerala Games. Yachting is a newly included event. Aquatics (50 disciplines) and athletics (44 disciplines) were the biggest and most popular events in Kerala Games 2015; shooting (38 disciplines) became another big event.


2015 National Games of India, Medals tally
The top ten ranked teams at the Games are listed below. The host state, Kerala, is highlighted.


2015 National Games of India, Greening the National Games
The 2015 National Games was associated with green protocols. This was initiated by Suchitwa Mission, aiming for "zero-waste" venues. Waste Management programmes were implemented at all 29 venues. To make the event "disposable-free", a ban on the use of disposable water bottles was enforced. The event witnessed the usage of reusable tableware and stainless steel tumblers. Athletes were provided with refillable steel flasks. It is estimated that these green practices prevented the generation of about 120 metric tonnes of disposable waste. Suchitwa Mission requested the help of volunteers to achieve the green objectives, and the service of these 700 volunteers to achieve the green objectives were applauded by the Chief Minister.


2015 National Games of India medal table
The 2015 National Games, also known as the 35th National Games of India, was a national multi-sport event held in the Indian state of Kerala, from 31 January to 14 February. An estimated total of 11,641 athletes from 37 teams participated in 405 events in 33 sports. It was the second edition to be hosted by Kerala, the first being 1987.


2015 National Games of India medal table
All of the states and union territories of India and the Indian Armed Forces' Services Sports Control Board (Services) participated in the event. Telangana made its debut at the National games after becoming a state and finished 11th with 33 medals overall. Athletes from every participating team (except Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Lakshadweep, Nagaland, Puducherry, and Sikkim) won medals. Among the medalling teams, thirty won at least one gold medal. Keralite swimmer Sajan Prakash won six gold medals and two silver medals, making him the most successful athlete of the event.


2015 National Games of India medal table
Andaman and Nicobar Islands' Rajina Kiro, Madhya Pradesh's Inaocha Devi Mayanglambam, and Maharashtra's Aakanksha Vora won five gold medals and one silver medal, becoming the most decorated female athletes at these Games. Prakash broke the national record in 400 meters freestyle and 200 meters butterfly. Kerala's Tintu Luka broke the eighteen years old national record in 800 metres. Services' swimmer Madhu PS set a new national record in the 100 and 200 meters backstroke, and won four gold medals.


2015 National Games of India medal table
A total of 1334 medals (405 gold, 406 silver and 523 bronze) were awarded. Athletics, swimming, shooting, canoeing and kayaking, wrestling, cycling, and gymnastics accounted for almost half of the total medals awarded. The Services topped the medal table for a consecutive third time, having collected 91 gold medals. The host state, Kerala, secured the second position with 54 gold medals; it also secured the most silver medals (48), the most bronze medals (60), and the most medals overall (162). Haryana athletes claimed 107 medals in total (including 40 gold), earning third spot on the table.


2015 National Games of India medal table, Medal table
The ranking in this table is consistent with Indian Olympic Association convention in its published medal tables. By default, the table is ordered by the number of gold medals the athletes from a team have won. The number of silver medals is taken into consideration next, followed by the number of bronze medals. If nations are still tied, equal ranking is given; they are listed alphabetically.


2015 National Games of India medal table, Medal table
The total number of bronze medals is greater than the total number of gold or silver medals because two bronze medals were awarded per event in twelve sports: badminton, boxing, fencing, judo, kabaddi, kho-kho, lawn bowls, squash, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, wrestling and wushu (in seven events out of fifteen). In the women's high jump event of athletics, a tie for the second position between two athletes from West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh meant that two silver medals (and no bronze) were awarded.


2015 National Hockey League All-Star Game
The 2015 National Hockey League All-Star Game was an exhibition ice hockey game played on January 25, 2015. The game was held in Columbus, Ohio, for the first time, at Nationwide Arena, home of the Columbus Blue Jackets. The team captains were chosen by NHL Hockey Operations: Nick Foligno of the All-Star Game-hosting Blue Jackets served as captain for the home team, and Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks served for the away team. Team Toews won the game 17–12, as the teams and players broke a variety of All-Star Game scoring records.


2015 National Hockey League All-Star Game
Columbus was originally scheduled to host the All-Star Game on January 27, 2013. The game was postponed two years, first because of the 2012–13 NHL lockout and then due to the league's participation in the 2014 Winter Olympics tournament.


2015 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Fan voting
On January 1, 2015, six players were voted into the All-Star Game over seven weeks of online voting. Five Chicago Blackhawks players were voted in: forwards Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, defensemen Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook and goaltender Corey Crawford. The only player voted in as a member of a different team was forward Zemgus Girgensons of the Buffalo Sabres, who was the most voted overall due to a campaign in his native Latvia.