Shamrock Bowl

Last updated

Shamrock Bowl
Sport American Football
Awarded forPlayoff champion of American Football Ireland (AFI)
Country Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland
History
First award1986
First winner Craigavon Cowboys
Most wins Dublin Rebels (10)
Most recent Belfast Trojans (6th)

The Shamrock Bowl is the championship game of the American Football Ireland (AFI), the highest level of American football on the island of Ireland, culminating a season that begins in March of the current calendar season. The Shamrock Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, similar to the Super Bowl.

Contents

The reigning champions are the Belfast Trojans, who beat UCD 27-0 at Dubarry Park to win Shamrock Bowl XXXVII. [1]

History

From 1986 to 1999, the Shamrock Bowl served as the championship game of the Irish American Football League (IAFL). This era was dominated by a handful of teams—namely the Craigavon Cowboys, Dublin Celts, Dublin Tornadoes, and Carrickfergus Knights—with at least one of these four teams appearing in every final and each securing multiple titles. [2]

Following the re-establishment of the competition under the Irish American Football Association (since rebranded as American Football Ireland) in 2001, the landscape of the Shamrock Bowl shifted. This modern era has been defined by the dominance of several programs, most notably the Dublin Rebels, who have secured a record 10 titles, and the Belfast Trojans, who have claimed the championship 6 times.

The format of the American Football Ireland (AFI) playoffs has varied over the years but generally involves the top-ranked teams from the Premier Division competing in a postseason bracket. As of 2025, the current format features a four-team playoff, with semifinal matches hosted at the home fields of the top two seeds. The winners advance to the Shamrock Bowl, which is played at a neutral venue as part of a triple-header championship event that also includes the Division 1 Harp Bowl and the women's flag football Claddagh Bowl. [3] [4] [5]

Results

No.YearDateWinnerResultRunner-upVenueMVPPositionReferences
I 19865 October 1986 Craigavon Cowboys 6–2Dublin CeltsSt Mary's RFC Templeville road DublinNigel Trimble Running back [6] [7] [8] [9]
II1987Dublin Celts43–25 Craigavon Cowboys North RFC Belfast [6] [7]
III1988Dublin Celts34–6Belfast Blitzers Terenure College RFC [6] [7]
IV19895 November 1989Dublin Celts7–6Antrim BulldogsMusgrave Park Belfast [6] [7] [8]
V19901 September 1990 [note 1] Dublin Celts40-0 Craigavon Cowboys Goodyear sports and conference centre, Craigavon [6] [7] [10]
VI1991Dublin Celts44–0Antrim BulldogsDrogheda RFC Drogheda Co. Louth [6] [7]
VII1992 Craigavon Cowboys 14–6Antrim Bulldogs Cooke Rugby Club, Belfast [6] [7]
VIII1993Dublin Tornadoes22–2Dublin Celts Iveagh Grounds [6] [7]
IX1994Dublin Tornadoes21–15 Carrickfergus Knights Pat Jennings Park, Newry, Co Down [6] [7]
X1995Dublin Tornadoes34–12 Carrickfergus Knights Islandbridge, DublinTornadoes offensive line (shared) Offensive line [6] [7] [8]
XI1996Dublin Lightning26–8Dublin TornadoesSt. Marys RFC, Dublin [6] [7]
XII1997 Carrickfergus Knights 21–0Dublin BullsQueens University Belfast [6] [7]
XIII199830 August 1998 Carrickfergus Knights 22–14Dublin TigersWoodburn Playing Fields, Carrickfergus [6] [7]
XIV199929 August 1999Dublin Tigers22–6 Carrickfergus Knights Sportslink, Santry, Dublin [6] [7]
—2000not played [6] [7]
XV200116 December 2001 Dublin Rebels 28–7 Carrickfergus Knights Woodburn Playing Fields, Carrickfergus Brian Dennehy Running back [6] [7]
XVI200216 June 2002 Carrickfergus Knights 66–0 UL Vikings University Bowl, Limerick [6] [7]
XVII200310 August 2003 Dublin Rebels 24–12 Carrickfergus Knights JJ McDowell Memorial Ground, DublinBrian Dennehy Running back [6] [7] [8]
XVIII200429 August 2004 Dublin Rebels 24–22 Carrickfergus Knights Dr. Hickey Park, Greystones [6] [7]
XIX200528 August 2005 Dublin Rebels 26–19 Belfast Bulls Grafton Arena, Deramore Park, Belfast Andrew Dennehy Quarterback [6] [7]
XX200620 August 2006 Dublin Rebels 44–12 UL Vikings Sportslink, DublinRoss McCooey Linebacker [6] [7]
XXI 200729 July 2007 UL Vikings 22–14 Cork Admirals UL Sports Ground, Limerick Seamus Hogan Running Back/Safety [6] [7] [8]
XXII 200810 August 2008 UL Vikings 14–12 Dublin Rebels CIT Stadium, Cork Adrian Garvey Running Back [6] [7] [8]
XXIII 20099 August 2009 UL Vikings 9–6(OT) Dublin Rebels Cooke Rugby Club, Belfast Adrian Garvey Running Back [6] [7]
XXIV 20107 August 2010 Dublin Rebels 15–0 UL Vikings Tallaght Stadium, DublinBrian Carter Safety [6] [7]
XXV 201131 July 2011 Dublin Rebels 14–13 UL Vikings Morton Stadium, DublinMarcus Naylor Safety [6] [7]
XXVI 201214 July 2012 Belfast Trojans 16–14 UL Vikings Tallaght Stadium, DublinNeil Mongomery Fullback [6] [7]
XXVII 201320 July 2013 Belfast Trojans 48–18 Dublin Rebels Tallaght Stadium, DublinNeil Montgomery Fullback [6] [7]
XXVIII 201410 August 2014 Belfast Trojans 7–0 Trinity College Tallaght Stadium, DublinConnor Whitla Linebacker [6] [7]
XXIX 20159 August 2015 Belfast Trojans 28–14 Trinity College Dalymount Park, DublinDave Colvin Running Back [6] [7]
XXX 20167 August 2016 Dublin Rebels 12–7 Belfast Trojans Tallaght Stadium, DublinConrad Cook Linebacker [6] [7]
XXXI 201713 August 2017 Dublin Rebels 12–6 Carrickfergus Knights Tallaght Stadium, DublinWellington Omorodion Running Back [6] [7]
XXXII 201819 August 2018 Cork Admirals 18–16 Dublin Rebels Tallaght Stadium, DublinHarris Monaghan Linebacker [6] [7]
XXXIII 20194 August 2019 Belfast Trojans 24–10 South Dublin Panthers Energia Park, Donnybrook, Dublin Thomas Morris Wide receiver [6] [7]
—2020not played [6] [7]
—2021not played [6]
XXXIV 20227 August 2022 UCD American Football 52–24 Dublin Rebels Kingspan Stadium, Belfast Tom Donovan Wide receiver [6] [11]
XXXV 202316 July 2023 Dublin Rebels 40–34 UCD American Football MTU Stadium, Cork Ty Henry Quarterback [6] [12]
XXXVI 202428 July 2024 UCD American Football 36–14 Dublin Rebels Dubarry Park, Athlone, Westmeath Tom Donovan Wide receiver [6] [13]
XXXVII 202519 July 2025 Belfast Trojans 27–0 UCD American Football Dubarry Park, Athlone, Westmeath Rayshawn Boswell Running Back [5] [14] [15]

Appearances by team

AppearancesTeam [note 2] WinsLossesSeason(s) [note 3]
16 Dublin Rebels 1062001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2023, 2024
10 Carrickfergus Knights 371994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2017
8 UL Vikings 352002, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
7 Belfast Trojans 612012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2025
7Dublin Celts521986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993
4Dublin Tornadoes311993, 1994, 1995, 1996
4 Craigavon Cowboys 221986, 1987, 1990, 1992
4 UCD American Football 222022, 2023, 2024, 2025
3Antrim Bulldogs031989, 1991, 1992
2 Cork Admirals 112007, 2018
2Dublin Tigers111998, 1999
2 Trinity College 022014, 2015
1Dublin Lightning101996
1Belfast Blitzers011988
1Dublin Bulls011997
1Belfast Bulls012005
1 South Dublin Panthers 012019

Notes

  1. ↑ The 1990 Shamrock Bowl is disputed between the Craigavon Cowboys and the Dublin Celts. In 1990, the Celts elected to play in the second tier of the BAFL as well as playing unofficially against Irish teams. Meanwhile, the Cowboys won the Irish league competition, defeating the Belfast Spartans 31-6 in the final on August 11. At the end of the season, a match was organised between the Cowboys and Celts, which the Celts won 40-0.
  2. ↑ Bold indicate currently active team
  3. ↑ Bold years indicate winning seasons, italic years indicate games not yet played.

References

  1. ↑ "The 2025 champions have been decided". American Football Ireland. 14 July 2025. Retrieved 19 July 2025.
  2. ↑ Journey to Thirty – American Football Ireland
  3. ↑ "2025 AFI Season Preview". Gaelic Gridiron. 19 February 2025. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
  4. ↑ UCP | AFI Weekly | The Road to Athlone is Set! – YouTube
  5. 1 2 AFI Championship Preview – Gaelic Gridiron (14 July 2025)
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 "Shamrock Bowl". Luckyshow.org. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 "American Football Ireland Shamrock Bowls 1986–Present". Eirball.ie. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Shamrock Bowls Box-Scores and Match Reports 1986–Present". Eirball.ie. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
  9. ↑ "Craigavon Cowboys Hall of Fame". Craigavon Cowboys. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
  10. ↑ "Irish American Football Association Irish League and League of Ireland 1990". Eirball. Eirball.ie. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
  11. ↑ English, Jimmy (9 August 2022). "Irish American Football 2022 Premier Division Final Power Rankings". Gaelic Gridiron. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
  12. ↑ English, Jimmy (16 February 2024). "American Football Ireland 2024 Season Preview". Gaelic Gridiron. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
  13. ↑ English, Jimmy (29 July 2024). "Ireland: University College Dublin capture Shamrock Bowl XXXVI with overwhelming win over Dublin Rebels". American Football International. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
  14. ↑ "The 2025 champions have been decided". American Football Ireland. 14 July 2025. Retrieved 19 July 2025.
  15. ↑ Strange, Mark (20 July 2025). "Belfast Trojans win Shamrock Bowl after victory over UCD". The Irish News. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
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