Organising body | County Antrim & District F.A. |
---|---|
Founded | 1888 |
Region | Northern Ireland |
Current champions | Larne (2023–24) |
Most successful club(s) | Linfield (43 titles) |
Website | County Antrim F.A. |
The County Antrim & District Football Association Senior Shield (more commonly known as the County Antrim Shield) is a football competition in Northern Ireland. The competition is open to senior teams who are members of the North East Ulster Football Association (also known as the County Antrim & District Football Association) (membership of which extends geographically beyond County Antrim itself), often plus intermediate teams who qualify via the Steel & Sons Cup, depending on the numbers required. [1] For the 2010–11 and 2011-12 seasons, only the winners took part.
The current Shield champions are Larne, who beat Glentoran 2–1 in the 2023–24 final, winning the trophy for a fourth successive year. [2]
The County Antrim & District Football Association was founded on April 23, 1888 by the clubs Ballyclare, Beechmount, Belfast Athletic, Clarence, Cliftonville, Distillery, Linfield, Mountcollyer, Oldpark, Whiteabbey and YMCA. The County Antrim FA has organised the competition for the County Antrim Shield annually ever since. Originally only clubs from County Antrim (to which most but not all of Belfast belonged) could enter; in 1896 it was extended to incorporate clubs from south east Belfast (in particular Glentoran and Ulster), which belonged to County Down (other clubs from County Down to have entered later on include Ards, Bangor and Newry City). Glenavon from Lurgan (County Armagh) first entered in 1912. In 1971/72 and 1972/73, the final was played over 2 legs. [2]
During the later 1980s and early 1990s, the North East Ulster F.A. invited senior clubs from outside its jurisdiction to participate. Hence the Shield has been won by Newry Town (later Newry City) and Glenavon, neither of which are members of the North East Ulster Football Association. [3]
The Shield has been regularly sponsored since the late 1980s. The 2014–15 competition was sponsored by Toals Bookmakers.
Key:
Scores level after 90 minutes. A replay was required. | |
( a.e.t. ) | Scores level after extra time. A replay was required. |
( a.e.t. ) | Scores level after 90 minutes. Winner was decided in extra time with no penalty shootout required. |
( a.e.t. )(g.g.) | Scores level after 90 minutes. Winner was decided in extra time by golden goal. |
( a.e.t. )pens. | Scores level after extra time. A penalty shootout was required to determine the winner. |
pens. | Scores level after 90 minutes. A penalty shootout was required to determine the winner. |
Two-legged final. Aggregate score across two legs determined the winner with a penalty shootout required if score was level. | |
To mark the centenary of the County Antrim F.A., a Centenary Chalice was played for in 1987–88. Glentoran won it, defeating Ballymena United 4–2 in the final. [4]
Glentoran Football Club is a professional football club based in East Belfast, that plays in the Irish League Premiership. The club was founded in 1882 and has since won more than 130 honours.
Linfield Football Club is a Northern Irish professional football club, based in south Belfast, which plays in the Irish Premiership – the highest level of the Irish League. The fourth-oldest club on the island of Ireland, Linfield was founded in 1886 by workers at the Ulster Spinning Company's Linfield Mill. Since 1905, the club's home ground has been Windsor Park, which is also the home of the Northern Ireland national team and is the largest football stadium in Northern Ireland. The club's badge displays Windsor Castle, in reference to the ground's namesake. Linfield is also the world's most successful club in terms of league titles won; it has 56 league titles, the last being won in the 2021/22 season.
The Irish Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly referred to as the Irish Cup is the primary football knock-out cup competition in Northern Ireland. Inaugurated in 1881, it is the fourth-oldest national cup competition in the world. Prior to the break-away from the Irish Football Association by clubs from what would become the Irish Free State in 1921, the Irish Cup was the national cup competition for the whole of Ireland.
Glenn Ferguson is a Northern Irish former football player and manager.
The Irish Intermediate Cup is a Northern Irish football competition for teams of intermediate status, including NIFL Premiership reserve sides. It is a straight knock-out tournament and is currently sponsored by McCombs Coach Travel.
Martin "Marty" Quinn is a former Irish League footballer and a current manager. Quinn is well known for leading Cliftonville to become Irish League champions in 1998, and leading Coleraine to Irish Cup glory in 2003.
The 1924–25 Irish League was the 31st edition of the Irish League, the highest level of league competition in Northern Irish football. The league comprised 12 teams, and Glentoran won the championship.
The 1928–29 Irish League was the 35th edition of the Irish League, the highest level of league competition in Northern Irish football. The league comprised 14 teams, and Belfast Celtic won the championship.
The 1929–30 Irish League was the 36th edition of the Irish League, the highest level of league competition in Northern Irish football. The league comprised 14 teams, and Linfield won the championship.
The 1930–31 Irish League was the 37th edition of the Irish League, the highest level of league competition in Northern Irish football. The league comprised 14 teams, with Glentoran winning the championship.
The 1932–33 Irish League was the 39th edition of the Irish League, the highest level of league competition in Northern Irish football. The league comprised 14 teams, and Belfast Celtic won the championship.
The 1934–35 Irish League was the 41st edition of the Irish League, the highest level of league competition in Northern Irish football. The league comprised 14 teams, and Linfield won the championship.
The 1998–99 Irish League was the 98th edition of the Irish League, the highest level of league competition in Northern Irish football. The league consisted of 10 teams, and Glentoran won the championship.
The Mid-Ulster Cup is a senior football competition in Northern Ireland run by the Mid-Ulster Football Association. The competition has historically featured teams based in County Armagh, east County Tyrone, and west County Down, though teams from outside the Mid-Ulster FA's jurisdiction have also competed on occasion, with Bangor winning the cup in 1995/96.
The County Antrim & District Football Association is the largest of the four regional football associations within Northern Ireland and affiliated to the Irish FA, the others being the Mid-Ulster FA, the North-West of Ireland FA and the Fermanagh & Western FA.
The North Belfast derby is the name given to association football matches between Cliftonville and Crusaders who play in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The two are separated by around 1.5 miles with Cliftonville based at Solitude on Cliftonville Road and Crusaders at Seaview on the Shore Road.
The Big Two derby, also referred to simply as the Big Two or Bel Classico, is the name given to the Irish League association football derby between Belfast clubs, Linfield and Glentoran. The derby is also sometimes referred to as the Belfast derby. They are the two most successful and most supported clubs in Irish League Football. They traditionally face each other on Boxing Day each year which usually attracts the largest Irish Premiership attendance of the season. They regularly play each other in the league, and have contested more cup finals together than any other two clubs. They also make up two of the three clubs that have competed in every season of the Irish League's top flight since its inception in 1890 – neither club ever suffering relegation.
The Northern Ireland Football League, also known as the Irish League, is the national football league of Northern Ireland. The Irish League was originally formed in 1890, with the league in its current format created in 2013 to assume independent collective management of the top three levels of the Northern Ireland football league system; namely the Premiership, Championship and Premier Intermediate League.
The 1889–90 County Antrim Shield was the 2nd edition of the County Antrim Shield, a cup competition in Irish football.
The 1989–90 County Antrim Shield was the 101st edition of the County Antrim Shield, a cup competition in Northern Irish football.