Ulster Senior Football Championship

Ulster Senior Football Championship
Current season or competition: 2024 Ulster Senior Football Championship
Code	Gaelic football
Founded	1888
Region	Ulster (GAA)
Trophy	Anglo-Celt Cup
No. of teams	9
Title holders	Donegal (11th title)
Most titles	Cavan (40 titles)
Sponsors	Vodafone Ulster Bank Toyota

The Ulster Senior Football Championship is an inter-county and cross-border competition for Gaelic football teams in the Irish province of Ulster. It is organised by the Ulster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) and begins in April. The final is played in May, but, traditionally, was usually played on the third Sunday in July.

All nine Ulster counties participate. It is regarded as hardest to win of the four provincial football championships. ^{[1] [2]} At a referee conference in January 2015, David Coldrick said about officiating in the competition: "Ulster makes or breaks you. It can be a graveyard. The games are different. There is an extra dimension and intensity, and you must be at your best. If you aren't prepared physically and mentally, the chances are you will be caught out. But when you are appointed for your first Ulster championship match, that's making progress". ^[3]

The winners receive the Anglo-Celt Cup, which was presented to the Ulster Council in 1925 by John F. O'Hanlon, who was editor of The Anglo-Celt newspaper based in Cavan.

Cavan have won the most championships (40). Donegal are the title holders, defeating Armagh on penalties in the 2024 final.

History

Cavan are the most successful team in Ulster SFC history, having won the competition on 40 occasions. ^[4] Cavan maintain the record for consecutive appearances in Ulster Finals. During the 1930s and 1940s, they appeared in and won seven consecutive Ulster SFC titles. Fermanagh remain the only team not to have won an Ulster SFC title. The Ulster Senior Football Championship celebrated its 125th year in 2013. ^[5]

For many decades, winning the Ulster Senior Football Championship was considered as much as a team from Ulster could hope for, as the other provinces were usually much stronger and more competitive.

Before 1990, only Cavan in 1933, 1935, 1947, 1948 and 1952, and Down in 1960, 1961 and 1968, had won the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship title. In the 1990s however, a significant sea change took place, as the Ulster Champions won the All-Ireland in four consecutive years from 1991 to 1994. Since then Ulster has produced more All-Ireland winning teams than any other province. ^[6]

Currently the Ulster Senior Football Championship is considered one of the toughest provinces to compete in. Ulster teams have gained considerable dominance on the All-Ireland scene, having won three All-Irelands from four in the early 2000s, including in 2003 when for the first time ever, the All-Ireland football final was competed for by two teams from one province.^{[ citation needed ]}

The Ulster SFC final is normally played on the third Sunday in July, usually at St Tiernach's Park in Clones. From 2004 until 2006, it was staged at Croke Park in Dublin. ^[7] The 2007 final—contested by Monaghan and Tyrone —marked a return to Clones, with Tyrone emerging victorious.^{[ citation needed ]} The Athletic Grounds in Armagh hosted the 2020 final, as the fixture was played behind closed doors due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Gaelic games. ^[8] The final was last played in Belfast in 1971. ^[9]

In the 2000s, Armagh were a dominant force in Ulster, winning six titles in eight years between 1999 and 2006. Donegal won consecutive Ulster SFC titles from the preliminary round in 2011 and 2012 (a feat achieved by no other county) and added the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship in 2012.^{[ citation needed ]}

The 2019 final had the highest score for the winning team in the final (Donegal that year) since 1933 when Cavan won, and the second highest score ever. It also had the highest Ulster SFC final score for the losing team ever (Cavan on this occasion). ^[10]

Format

Overview

The Ulster Senior Football Championship is a single elimination tournament. Each team is afforded only one defeat before being eliminated from the championship. Pairings for matches are drawn at random and there is currently no seeding. Each match is played as a single leg. If a match is drawn there is a period of extra time, however, if both sides are still level at the end of extra time a replay takes place and so on until a winner is found.

Qualification for subsequent competitions

• The winner and runner-up of the championship qualify for the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship group stage. The remaining seven Ulster teams may also qualify for the All-Ireland SFC group stage via the National Football League. Those who fail to do so qualify for the Tailteann Cup.
• Note: Before the introduction of the qualifiers in 2001, the winners of the Ulster SFC went straight to the semi-final stage of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, along with the winners of the Leinster, Munster and Connacht Championships.

Progression

	Teams entering in this round	Teams advancing from previous round
Preliminary round (2 teams)	Two teams drawn at random
Quarter-finals (8 teams)	Seven teams drawn at random	Winner from the preliminary-round
Semi-finals (4 teams)		4 winners from the quarter-finals
Final (2 teams)		2 winners from the semi-finals

Teams

The province of Ulster is located in the north of Ireland.

The Ulster SFC is contested by the nine traditional counties in the Irish province of Ulster. The province comprises the six counties of Northern Ireland, plus the counties of Cavan, Donegal and Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland. It is the only provincial championship with most participating teams being from the UK.

2025 Championship

Nine counties will compete in the 2025 Ulster Senior Football Championship:

County team	Location	Stadium	Position in 2024 Championship	Ulster SFC titles	Last Ulster SFC title	All-Ireland SFC titles	Last All-Ireland SFC title
Antrim	Belfast	Corrigan Park	Quarter-finalist	10	1951	0	—
Armagh	Armagh	Athletic Grounds	Runner-up	14	2008	1	2024
Cavan	Cavan	Breffni Park	Quarter-finalist	40	2020	5	1952
Derry	Derry	Celtic Park	Quarter-finalist	9	2023	1	1993
Donegal	Ballybofey	MacCumhaill Park	Winner	11	2024	2	2012
Down	Newry	Páirc Esler	Semi-finalist	12	1994	5	1994
Fermanagh	Enniskillen	Brewster Park	Quarter-finalist	0	—	0	—
Monaghan	Clones	St Tiernach's Park	Preliminary round exit	16	2015	0	—
Tyrone	Omagh	Healy Park	Semi-finalist	16	2021	4	2021

Personnel and kits

County team	Manager	Captain(s)	Sponsors
Antrim	Andy McEntee [11]	Peter Healy [12] [13]	Fibrus
Armagh	Kieran McGeeney	Aidan Forker [14]	Simply Fruit
Cavan	Mickey Graham	Raymond Galligan	Kingspan Group
Derry	Mickey Harte	Conor Glass	Errigal Contracts
Donegal	Jim McGuinness	Paddy McBrearty	Circet
Down	Conor Laverty [15]	Pierce Laverty	EOS IT Solutions
Fermanagh	Kieran Donnelly	Eoin Donnelly	Tracey Concrete
Monaghan	Vinny Corey [16] [17]	Ryan Wylie	All Boro Floor Services
Tyrone	Feargal Logan Brian Dooher	Pádraig Hampsey [18] [19]	McAleer & Rushe Ltd

List of finals

Year	Date	Winner		Runner-up		Venue	Winning captain	Winning margin
		County team	Score	County team	Score
1887		No championship
1888		Monaghan	0-2, 0-3 (R)	Cavan	0-2, 0-1 (R)
1889		No championship
1890		Armagh	2-8	Tyrone	1-2
1891		Cavan	1-11	Armagh	0-0
1892–1900		No championship
1901–02 *		Antrim	3-5	Armagh	2-5
1903		Armagh	2-2	Antrim	1-4
1904		Cavan	0-5, 0-5 (R1), 0-8 (R2)	Armagh	0-5, 0-5 (R1), 0-4 (R2)
1905		Cavan	0-7	Monaghan	0-3
1906		Monaghan	2-10	Antrim	1-2
1907		No record
1908		Antrim	1-8	Cavan	0-4
1909		Antrim	1-9	Cavan	0-5
1910		Antrim	3-4	Cavan	0-1
1911		Antrim	2-8	Cavan	0-4
1912		Antrim	2-2	Armagh	0-1
1913		Antrim	2-1	Monaghan	1-2
1914		Monaghan	2-4	Fermanagh	0-2
1915		Cavan	3-2, 0-4 (R)	Monaghan	2-5, 0-3 (R)
1916		Monaghan	2-3	Cavan	0-2
1917		Monaghan	4-2	Armagh	0-4
1918		Cavan	3-2	Antrim	0-0
1919		Cavan	5-6	Antrim	0-2
1920		Cavan	4-6	Armagh	1-4
1921		Monaghan	2-2	Derry	1-1
1922 [note 1]		Monaghan	2-3, 3-4 (R)	Cavan	2-3, 3-3 (R)
1923		Cavan	5-10	Monaghan	1-1
1924		Cavan	1-3, 2-3 (R)	Monaghan	0-6, 1-3 (R)
1925		Cavan	2-3, 3-6 (R)	Antrim	3-0, 0-1 (R)
1926		Cavan	5-3	Antrim	0-6
1927		Monaghan	3-5	Armagh	2-5
1928		Cavan	2-6	Armagh	1-4
1929		Monaghan	1-4, 1-10 (R)	Cavan	1-4, 0-7 (R)
1930		Monaghan	4-3	Cavan	1-5
1931		Cavan	0-8	Armagh	2-1
1932		Cavan	2-4	Armagh	0-2
1933		Cavan	6-13	Tyrone	1-2
1934		Cavan	3-8	Armagh	0-2
1935		Cavan	2-6	Fermanagh	2-1
1936		Cavan	1-7	Monaghan	0-7
1937		Cavan	0-13	Armagh	0-3
1938		Monaghan	2-5	Armagh	2-2
1939		Cavan	2-3, 2-3 (R)*	Armagh	1-3, 1-4 (R)
1940		Cavan	4-10	Down	1-5
1941		Cavan	3-9	Tyrone	0-5
1942		Cavan	5-11	Down	1-3
1943		Cavan	2-3	Monaghan	0-5
1944		Cavan	1-9	Monaghan	1-6
1945		Cavan	4-10	Fermanagh	1-4
1946		Antrim	2-8	Cavan	1-7
1947		Cavan	3-4	Antrim	1-6
1948		Cavan	2-12	Antrim	2-4
1949		Cavan	1-7	Armagh	1-6
1950		Armagh	1-11	Cavan	1-7
1951		Antrim	1-7	Cavan	2-3
1952		Cavan	1-8	Monaghan	0-8
1953		Armagh	1-6	Cavan	0-5
1954		Cavan	2-10	Armagh	2-5
1955		Cavan	0-11	Derry	0-8
1956		Tyrone	3-5	Cavan	0-4
1957		Tyrone	1-9	Derry	0-10
1958		Derry	1-11	Down	2-4
1959		Down	2-16	Cavan	0-7
1960		Down	3-7	Cavan	1-8
1961		Down	2-10	Armagh	1-10
1962		Cavan	3-6	Down	0-5
1963		Down	2-11	Donegal	1-4
1964		Cavan	2-10	Down	1-10
1965		Down	3-5	Cavan	1-8
1966		Down	1-7	Donegal	0-8
1967		Cavan	2-12	Down	0-8
1968		Down	0-16	Cavan	1-8
1969		Cavan	2-13	Down	2-6
1970		Derry	2-13	Antrim	1-12
1971		Down	4-15	Derry	4-11
1972		Donegal	2-13	Tyrone	1-11
1973		Tyrone	3-13	Down	1-11
1974		Donegal	1-14, 3-9 (R)	Down	2-11, 1-12 (R)
1975		Derry	1-16	Down	2-6
1976		Derry	1-8, 0-22 (R)	Cavan	1-8, 1-16 (R)
1977		Armagh	3-10	Derry	1-5
1978		Down	2-19	Cavan	2-12
1979		Monaghan	1-15	Donegal	0-11
1980		Armagh	4-10	Tyrone	4-7
1981		Down	3-12	Armagh	1-10
1982		Armagh	0-10	Fermanagh	1-4
1983		Donegal	1-14	Cavan	1-11
1984		Tyrone	0-15	Armagh	1-7
1985		Monaghan	2-9	Derry	0-8
1986		Tyrone	1-11	Down	0-10		Eugene McKenna
1987		Derry	0-11	Armagh	0-9
1988		Monaghan	1-10	Tyrone	0-11
1989		Tyrone	0-11, 2-13 (R)	Donegal 0-11, 0-7 (R)
1990		Donegal	0-15	Armagh	0-14		Anthony Molloy	1
1991		Down	1-15	Donegal	0-10		Paddy O'Rourke	8
1992		Donegal	0-14	Derry	1-9		Anthony Molloy	2
1993		Derry	0-8	Donegal	0-6		Henry Downey	2
1994		Down	1-17	Tyrone	1-11		D. J. Kane	6
1995		Tyrone	2-13	Cavan	0-10		Ciarán Corr	9
1996		Tyrone	1-9	Down	0-9			3
1997		Cavan	1-14	Derry	0-16			1
1998		Derry	1-7	Donegal	0-8			2
1999		Armagh	3-12	Down	0-10		Jarlath Burns	11
2000		Armagh	1-12	Derry	1-11		Kieran McGeeney	1
2001		Tyrone	1-13	Cavan	1-11			2
2002		Armagh	1-14	Donegal	1-10		Kieran McGeeney	4
2003		Tyrone	1-17, 0-23 (R)	Down	4-8, 1-5 (R)		Peter Canavan	15 (R)
2004		Armagh	3-15	Donegal	0-11		Kieran McGeeney	13
2005		Armagh	2-8, 0-13 (R)	Tyrone	0-14, 0-11 (R)		Kieran McGeeney	2 (R)
2006		Armagh	1-9	Donegal	0-9			3
2007		Tyrone	1-15	Monaghan	1-13			2
2008		Armagh	2-8, 1-11 (R)	Fermanagh	1-11, 0-8 (R)			6 (R)
2009		Tyrone	1-18	Antrim	0-15			6
2010		Tyrone	1-14	Monaghan	0-7			10
2011		Donegal	1-11	Derry	0-8		Michael Murphy	6
2012		Donegal	2-18	Down	0-13		Michael Murphy	11
2013 [20]		Monaghan	0-13	Donegal	0-7			6
2014 [21]	20 July	Donegal	0-15	Monaghan	1-9	St Tiernach's Park	Michael Murphy	3
2015	19 July	Monaghan	0-11	Donegal	0-10	St Tiernach's Park	Conor McManus	1
2016	17 July	Tyrone	0-13	Donegal	0-11	St Tiernach's Park	Seán Cavanagh	2
2017	16 July	Tyrone	2-17	Down	0-15	St Tiernach's Park	Seán Cavanagh	8
2018	24 June	Donegal	2-18	Fermanagh	0-12	St Tiernach's Park	Michael Murphy	12
2019	23 June	Donegal	1-24	Cavan	2-16	St Tiernach's Park	Michael Murphy	8
2020	22 November	Cavan	1-13	Donegal	0-12	Athletic Grounds	Raymond Galligan	4
2021	31 July	Tyrone	0-16	Monaghan	0-15	Croke Park	Pádraig Hampsey	1
2022	29 May	Derry	1-16	Donegal	1-14	St Tiernach's Park	Chrissy McKaigue	2
2023	14 May	Derry	1-15 ( a.e.t. ) (3–1 p)	Armagh	0-18 ( a.e.t. ) (3–1 p)	St Tiernach's Park	Conor Glass	Penalties
2024	12 May	Donegal	0-20 ( a.e.t. ) (6–5 p)	Armagh	0-20 ( a.e.t. ) (6–5 p)	St Tiernach's Park	Patrick McBrearty	Penalties

Notes

• 1887 No Ulster SFC
• 1888 Ulster Senior Football Championship Inniskeen Grattans of (Monaghan) v Maghera MacFinns of (Cavan) game went to a replay.
• 1889 No Ulster SFC
• 1890 Armagh Harps, (Armagh) v Owen Roe O'Neill's (Tyrone)
• 1891 Cavan Slashers (Cavan) v Armagh Harps (Armagh) game abandoned Smithboro Co Monaghan game replayed Cavan 1-11 Armagh 0-00
• 1892–1900 No championship. Cavan played in Leinster Senior Football Championship in 1895.
• 1900 Antrim were to have represented Ulster but gave walkover to Galway.
• 1901–1902 the championship was played over two seasons and only counts as one Ulster SFC title.
• 1907 No official final result in records
• 1939 Game abandoned – replay ordered
• 2020 No crowd attendance due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Gaelic games

Team records and statistics

Main article: Ulster Senior Football Championship records and statistics

Roll of honour

Legend

• Golden background – Ulster SFC winner or runner-up also won the All-Ireland SFC that year.

Performance by team

County team	Title(s)	Runner-up	Years won	Years runner-up
Cavan [22]	40	23	1891, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1915, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1922, [note 2] 1923, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1928, 1931, 1932, 1933 , 1934, 1935 , 1936, 1937, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1947 , 1948 , 1949, 1952 , 1954, 1955, 1962, 1964, 1967, 1969, 1997, 2020	1888, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1916, 1922, 1929, 1930, 1946, 1950, 1951, 1953, 1959, 1960, 1965, 1968, 1976, 1978, 1983, 1995, 2001, 2019
Monaghan [23]	16	12	1888, 1906, 1914, 1916, 1917, 1921, 1922, [note 3] 1927, 1929, 1930, 1938, 1979, 1985, 1988, 2013, 2015	1905, 1913, 1923, 1924, 1936, 1943, 1944, 1952, 2007, 2010, 2014, 2021
Tyrone [24]	16	7	1956, 1957, 1973, 1984, 1986, 1989, 1995, 1996, 2001, 2003 , 2007, 2009, 2010, 2016, 2017, 2021	1890, 1941, 1972, 1980, 1988, 1994, 2005
Armagh [25]	14	22	1890, 1902, 1950, 1953, 1977, 1980, 1982, 1999, 2000, 2002 , 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008	1891, 1901–02, 1904, 1912, 1917, 1920, 1927, 1928, 1931, 1932, 1934, 1938, 1939, 1949, 1954, 1961, 1981, 1984, 1987, 1990, 2023, 2024
Down [26]	12	15	1959, 1960 , 1961 , 1963, 1965, 1966, 1968 , 1971, 1978, 1981, 1991 , 1994	1940, 1942, 1958, 1962, 1967, 1969, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1986, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2012, 2017
Donegal [27]	11	14	1972, 1974, 1983, 1990, 1992 , 2011, 2012 , 2014, 2018, 2019, 2024	1963, 1966, 1979, 1991, 1993, 1998, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2020, 2022
Antrim [28]	10	9	1900, 1901, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1946, 1951	1903, 1906, 1918, 1919, 1925, 1926, 1947, 1948, 2009
Derry [29]	9	10	1958, 1970, 1975, 1976, 1987, 1993 , 1998, 2022, 2023	1921, 1955, 1957, 1971, 1977, 1985, 1992, 1997, 2000, 2011
Fermanagh [30]	0	6		1914, 1935, 1945, 1982, 2008, 2018

Team progress: 2001–2019

Below is a record of each county's performance following the introduction of the qualifier system to the All-Ireland series in 2001. Before 2001 only the Ulster SFC title winner contested the All-Ireland SFC. Qualifiers did not occur from 2020–2021 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Gaelic games. They are no longer held, with weaker teams, such as Cavan, Fermanagh and Antrim, moving aside, to instead play in the Tailteann Cup.

Key

Winner

Finalist

Semi-finalist

Quarter-finalist / Super 8s

Qualifier Rounds 1–4 / Tommy Murphy Cup

Team	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019
Antrim	Q2	Q1	Q2	Q1	Q1	Q1	TM	TM	Q4	Q1	Q3	Q3	Q1	Q2	Q2	Q2	Q1	Q1	Q2
Armagh	Q3	W	F	QF	SF	QF	Q1	QF	Q1	Q3	Q3	Q1	Q3	QF	Q2	Q1	QF	Q4	Q3
Cavan	Q4	Q1	Q2	Q2	Q4	Q1	Q1	Q1	Q2	Q2	Q1	Q2	QF	Q2	Q2	Q3	Q2	Q3	Q4
Derry	SF	Q3	Q2	SF	Q3	Q3	QF	Q1	Q3	Q3	Q4	Q1	Q3	Q1	Q3	Q4	Q2	Q1	Q2
Donegal	Q2	QF	SF	Q4	Q2	QF	Q3	Q2	QF	Q1	SF	W	QF	F	QF	QF	Q4	S8s	S8s
Down	Q1	Q1	Q4	Q2	Q2	Q1	Q1	Q3	Q3	F	Q4	QF	Q2	Q3	Q1	Q1	Q4	Q2	Q2
Fermanagh	Q1	Q3	QF	SF	Q1	Q4	Q2	Q3	Q1	Q2	Q1	Q1	Q2	Q1	QF	Q2	Q1	Q4	Q1
Monaghan	Q2	Q1	Q2	Q1	Q4	Q2	QF	Q4	Q2	Q4	Q1	Q2	QF	QF	QF	Q2	QF	SF	Q2
Tyrone	QF	Q4	W	QF	W	Q2	QF	W	SF	QF	QF	Q3	SF	Q2	SF	QF	SF	F	SF

By semi-final appearances (since 2016)

Boldindicates years team reached the final.

Team	No.	Years in semi-finals
Donegal	7	2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
Monaghan	6	2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023
Tyrone	4	2016, 2017, 2019, 2021
Cavan	4	2016, 2019, 2020, 2022
Down	4	2017, 2018, 2020, 2023
Armagh	4	2019, 2020, 2021, 2023
Derry	2	2022, 2023
Fermanagh	1	2018
Antrim	0	—

Post-COVID team results

Legend

• 1st – Winner
• 2nd – Runner-up
• SF/QF/PR – Semi-finalist / Quarter-finalist / Preliminary round exit

For each year, the number of competing teams is shown (in brackets).

Team	2023 (9)	2024 (9)	Years
Antrim	PR		2
Armagh	2nd		2
Cavan	QF		2
Derry	1st		2
Donegal	QF		2
Down	SF		2
Fermanagh	QF		2
Monaghan	SF		2
Tyrone	QF		2

Consecutive titles

Septuple

• Cavan (1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937)
• Cavan (1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945)

Sextuple

• Antrim (1908, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1913)

Quintuple

• Cavan (1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1926)

Treble

• Cavan (1903, 1904, 1905)
• Cavan (1918, 1919, 1920)
• Cavan (1947, 1948, 1949)
• Down (1959, 1960, 1961)
• Armagh (2004, 2005, 2006)

Double

• Antrim (1900, 1901)
• Monaghan (1916, 1917)
• Monaghan (1921, 1922)
• Monaghan (1929, 1930)
• Cavan (1954, 1955)
• Tyrone (1956, 1957)
• Down (1965, 1966)
• Derry (1975, 1976)
• Tyrone (1995, 1996)
• Armagh (1999, 2000)
• Tyrone (2009, 2010)
• Donegal (2011, 2012)
• Tyrone (2016, 2017)
• Donegal (2018, 2019)
• Derry (2022, 2023)

Titles by decade

The most successful team of each decade, judged by number of Ulster SFC titles, is as follows:

• 1880s: 1 for Monaghan (1888)
• 1890s: 1 for Armagh (1890), Cavan (1891)
• 1900s: 3 for Antrim (01, 08, 09)
• 1910s: 4 for Antrim (10, 11, 12, 13)
• 1920s: 6 for Cavan (20, 23, 24, 25, 26, 28)
• 1930s: 8 for Cavan (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 39)
• 1940s: 9 for Cavan (40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 47, 48, 49)
• 1950s: 3 for Cavan (52, 54, 55)
• 1960s: 6 for Down (60, 61, 63, 65, 66, 68)
• 1970s: 3 for Derry (70, 75, 76)
• 1980s: 3 for Tyrone (84, 86, 89)
• 1990s: 2 for Donegal (90, 92), Down (91, 94), Tyrone (95, 96), Derry (93, 98)
• 2000s: 6 for Armagh (00, 02, 04, 05, 06, 08)
• 2010s: 5 for Donegal (11, 12, 14, 18, 19)
• 2020s: 2 for Derry (22, 23)

Team debuts

Year	Debutants	Total
1888	Cavan, Monaghan	2
1889	None	0
1890	Antrim, Armagh, Tyrone	3
1891–1902	None	0
1903	Fermanagh	1
1904	Derry, Down	2
1905	None	0
1906	Donegal	1
1907–	None	0
Total		9

Other records

Final success rate

No county teams have appeared in the final, being victorious on all occasions.

On the opposite end of the scale, one team has appeared in the final, losing on each occasion:

• Fermanagh (1914, 1935, 1945, 1982, 2008, 2018)

Winning other trophies

Although not an officially recognised achievement, a number of teams have achieved the distinction of winning the Ulster SFC, the All-Ireland SFC and the National Football League all in the same season.

• 2, Down (1960, 1968)
• 1, Cavan (1948)
• 1, Tyrone (2003)

Gaps

• Longest gaps between successive Ulster SFC titles:
  • 48 years: Armagh (1902–1950)
  • 41 years: Monaghan (1938–1979)
  • 33 years: Antrim (1913–1946)
  • 28 years: Cavan (1969–1997)
  • 25 years: Monaghan (1988–2013)
  • 24 years: Armagh (1953–1977)
  • 24 years: Derry (1998–2022)
  • 23 years: Cavan (1997–2020)
  • 19 years: Donegal (1992–2011)
  • 18 years: Monaghan (1888–1906)
• Longest gaps between successive Ulster SFC finals:
  • 58 years: Antrim (1951–2009)
  • 51 years: Tyrone (1890–1941)
  • 37 years: Fermanagh (1945–1982)
  • 34 years: Derry (1921–1955)
  • 27 years: Monaghan (1952–1979)
  • 26 years: Fermanagh (1982–2008)
  • 21 years: Fermanagh (1914–1935)
  • 20 years: Antrim (1926–1946)
  • 19 years: Monaghan (1988–2007)
  • 18 years: Cavan (2001–2019)

Active gaps

• Longest active gaps since an Ulster SFC title:
  • 73 years: Antrim (1951–)
  • 30 years: Down (1994–)
  • 16 years: Armagh (2008–)
  • 9 years: Monaghan (2015–)
  • 4 years: Cavan (2020–)
  • 3 years: Tyrone (2021–)
  • 1 year: Derry (2023–)
• Longest active gap since an Ulster SFC final appearance:
  • 15 years: Antrim (2009–)
  • 7 years: Down (2017–)
  • 6 years: Fermanagh (2018–)
  • 4 years: Cavan (2020–)
  • 3 years: Monaghan (2021–)
  • 3 years: Tyrone (2021–)
  • 1 year: Armagh (2023–)
  • 1 year: Derry (2023–)

Player records

• On 9 July 2006, Oisín McConville became the record point scorer in the history of the Ulster Senior Football Championship in that year's final at Croke Park. ^[31]

All-time top scorers: Ulster players

As of 3 June 2008, according to the BBC. ^[32] Updated list (2012)

Rank	Player	County	Tally	Total score	Championship years
1	Paddy Bradley	Derry	17–201	252	2000–2012
2	Michael Murphy	Donegal	4–223	239	2007-2022
3	Oisín McConville	Armagh	11–197	230	1997–2008
4	Peter Canavan	Tyrone	9–191	218	1989–2005
5	Paddy Doherty	Down	15–159	204	1954–1971
6	Peter Donohoe	Cavan	17–133	184	1945–1955
7	Seán O'Neill	Down	17–125	176	1959–1975
8	Charlie Gallagher	Cavan	10–142	172	1955–1969
9	Steven McDonnell	Armagh	15–111	156	2000–2011
10	Seán O'Connell	Derry	11–118	151	1957–1975

Notes:

• Includes Ulster SFC, All-Ireland SFC and SFC Qualifiers.

All-time top goalscorers: Ulster players

As of 15 June 2008, according to the Sunday Tribune . ^[33]

Rank	Player	County	Number of goals	Championship years
1=	Steven McDonnell	Armagh	17	1999–2011
1=	Peter Donohoe	Cavan	17	1945–1955
1=	Seán O'Neill	Down	17	1959–1975
4	Paddy Doherty	Down	15	1954–1971
5=	Paddy Bradley **	Derry	13	2000–2012
5=	Ger Houlahan	Armagh	13	1984–2000
5=	James McCartan Snr	Down	13	1958–1967
5=	Brendan Coulter *	Down	13	2000–2014
9=	Joe Stafford	Cavan	12	1943–1949
9=	Enda Muldoon	Derry	12	1997–2011
9=	Jason Reilly	Cavan	12	1997–2008
12=	Seán O'Connell	Derry	11	1957–1975
12=	PT Treacy	Fermanagh	11	1960–1973
12=	Oisín McConville	Armagh	11	1997–2008

Notes:

• Includes Ulster SFC, All-Ireland SFC and SFC Qualifiers.
• Since the records have been done, Brendan Coulter has become the top goal scorer with 18.
  • Paddy Bradley scored 4 more goals and finished on 17.

Ulster SFC top scorers: by year

• 1948 Peter Donohoe (Cavan) 3–12
• 1949 Peter Donohoe (Cavan) 4–10
• 1950 Peter Donohoe (Cavan) 3–18
• 1951 Joe McCallin (Antrim) 3–14
• 1952 John Joe Cassidy (Cavan) 1-7
• 1953 Art O'Hagan (Armagh) 3-4
• 1954 Brian Gallagher (Cavan) 0–14
• 1955 Peter Donohoe (Cavan) 0–14
• 1956 Frankie Donnelly (Tyrone) & Victor Sherlock (Cavan) 2–7
• 1957 Frankie Donnelly (Tyrone) 1–14
• 1958 Paddy Doherty (Down) 3–14
• 1959 Paddy Doherty (Down) 1–17
• 1960 Con Smith (Cavan) 1–17
• 1961 Paddy Doherty (Down) 1–16
• 1962 Seamus McMahon (Cavan) & Frankie Donnelly (Tyrone) 0–11
• 1963 Harry Laverty (Donegal) 2–10
• 1964 Charlie Gallagher (Cavan) 0-*19
• 1965 Charlie Gallagher (Cavan) 2–29
• 1966 PT Treacy (Fermanagh) 4–13
• 1967 Charlie Gallagher (Cavan) 0-*19
• 1968 Paddy Doherty (Down) 1–17
• 1969 Sean Woods (Monaghan) & Gene Cusack (Cavan) 3–7
• 1970 Andy McCallin (Antrim) 3–15
• 1971 Sean O'Connell (Derry) 1–18
• 1972 Joe Winston (Donegal) 0–26
• 1973 Patsy Hetherington (Tyrone) 0–17
• 1974 Seamus Bonner (Donegal) 6–4
• 1975 Willie Walsh (Down) 3–8
• 1976 Steve Duggan (Cavan) 1–22
• 1977 Brendan Kelly (Derry) 2–10
• 1978 Donal Donohoe (Cavan) 0–12
• 1979 Kieran Finlay (Monaghan) 1–18
• 1980 Patsy Hetherington (Tyrone) & Patsy Kerlin (Tyrone) 4–3
• 1981 Eamonn McEneaney (Monaghan) & Brendan McGovern (Down) 1–17
• 1982 John Corvan (Armagh) & Peter McGinnity (Fermanagh) 1–9
• 1983 Derek McDonnell (Cavan) 4–11
• 1984 Frank McGuigan (Tyrone) 0–19
• 1985 Eamonn McEneaney (Monaghan) 3–16
• 1986 Brendan Mason (Down) 3–17
• 1987 Enda Gormley (Derry) 0–20
• 1988 Stephen Conway (Tyrone) 0–17
• 1989 Martin McHugh (Donegal) 2–16
• 1990 Manus Boyle (Donegal) 1–16
• 1991 Ross Carr (Down) 0–21
• 1992 Enda Gormley (Derry) 0–25
• 1993 John Toner (Armagh) 0–23
• 1994 Peter Canavan (Tyrone) 1–17
• 1995 Peter Canavan (Tyrone) 0–20
• 1996 Peter Canavan (Tyrone) 3–13
• 1997 Joe Brolly (Derry) 3–15
• 1998 Joe Brolly (Derry) & Tony Boyle (Donegal) 0–13
• 1999 Oisín McConville (Armagh) 3–18
• 2000 Rory Gallagher (Fermanagh) 1–19
• 2001 Rory Gallagher (Fermanagh) 0–16
• 2002 Rory Gallagher (Fermanagh) 4–12
• 2003 Peter Canavan (Tyrone) 1–38
• 2004 Colm McFadden (Donegal) & Oisín McConville (Armagh) 1–13
• 2005 Stephen O'Neill (Tyrone) 1–26
• 2006 Oisín McConville (Armagh) 3–25
• 2007 Tommy Freeman (Monaghan) 1-15 ^[34]
• 2008 Steven McDonnell (Armagh) 1-17 ^[35]
• 2009 Paddy Bradley (Derry) 3–12
• 2010 Martin Clarke (Down) 1-30
• 2011 Martin Clarke (Down) & Seán Cavanagh (Tyrone) 2-16
• 2012 Colm McFadden (Donegal) 2-15
• 2013 Colm McFadden (Donegal) 2-12
• 2014 Conor McManus (Monaghan) 1-14
• 2015 Conor McManus (Monaghan) 1-19
• 2016 Conor McManus (Monaghan) 1-20
• 2017 Conor McManus (Monaghan) 2-13
• 2018 Paddy McBrearty (Donegal) 0-19
• 2019 Rian O'Neill (Armagh) 0-18
• 2020 Gearóid McKiernan (Cavan) 0-11 & Rian O'Neill (Armagh) 0-11 & Donal O'Hare (Down) 1-8
• 2021 Darren McCurry (Tyrone) 0-22
• 2022 Shane McGuigan (Derry) 1-17
• 2023 Shane McGuigan (Derry) 2-21
• 2024 Paddy Lynch (Cavan) 1-14

* Scores only include Ulster SFC. All-Ireland SFC and SFC Qualifiers are not included.

Managers

See also: List of Gaelic football managers

Managers in the Ulster SFC are involved in the day-to-day running of the team, including the training, team selection, and sourcing of players from the club championships. Their influence varies from county-to-county and is related to the individual county boards. From 2018, all inter-county head coaches must be Award 2 qualified. The manager is assisted by a team of two or three selectors and an extensive backroom team consisting of various coaches. Prior to the development of the concept of a manager in the 1970s, teams were usually managed by a team of selectors with one member acting as chairman.

Winning managers (1983–present)

#	Manager(s)	Winning team(s)	Titles(s)	Winning years
1	Mickey Harte	Tyrone	6	2003, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2016, 2017
2	Jim McGuinness	Donegal	4	2011, 2012, 2014, 2024
	Art McRory	Tyrone	4	1984, 1995*, 1996*, 2001*
	Joe Kernan	Armagh	4	2002, 2004, 2005, 2006
5	Brian McEniff	Donegal	3	1983, 1990, 1992
	Eugene McKenna	Tyrone	3	1995*, 1996*, 2001*
7	Seán McCague	Monaghan	2	1985, 1989
	Pete McGrath	Down	2	1991, 1994
	Brian McAlinden Brian Canavan	Armagh	2	1999, 2000
	Malachy O'Rourke	Monaghan	2	2013, 2015
	Declan Bonner	Donegal	2	2018, 2019
12	John Donnelly	Tyrone	1	1986
	Eamonn Coleman	Derry	1	1993
	Martin McHugh	Cavan	1	1997
	Brian Mullins	Derry	1	1998
	Peter McDonnell	Armagh	1	2008
	Mickey Graham	Cavan	1	2020
	Feargal Logan, Brian Dooher	Tyrone	1	2021
	Rory Gallagher	Derry	1	2022
	Ciaran Meenagh	Derry	1	2023

Notes

* = joint managers

Media coverage

In the late 1990s, matches were broadcast in Northern Ireland by UTV, before moving to BBC Northern Ireland.

Venues

Belfast	Derry	Clones, County Monaghan	Omagh, County Tyrone	Enniskillen, County Fermanagh
Casement Park	Celtic Park	St Tiernach's Park	Healy Park	Brewster Park
Capacity: 31,661	Capacity: 15,000	Capacity: 29,000	Capacity: 18,500	Capacity: 16,000

Stadia and locations

County team	Location	Province	Stadium	Capacity
Antrim	Belfast	Ulster	Corrigan Park	3,700
Armagh	Armagh	Ulster	Athletic Grounds	18,500
Cavan	Cavan	Ulster	Breffni Park	25,030
Derry	Derry	Ulster	Celtic Park	18,500
Donegal	Ballybofey	Ulster	MacCumhaill Park	17,500
Down	Newry	Ulster	Páirc Esler	20,000
Fermanagh	Enniskillen	Ulster	Brewster Park	18,000
Monaghan	Clones	Ulster	St Tiernach's Park	29,000
Tyrone	Omagh	Ulster	Healy Park	17,636

See also

• Ulster Senior Football Championship records and statistics
• Ulster Senior Club Football Championship
• Ulster Senior Hurling Championship
• All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
  • Connacht Senior Football Championship
  • Leinster Senior Football Championship
  • Munster Senior Football Championship

Notes

1. Ulster GAA gives the 1922 title to both Cavan and Monaghan.
2. Ulster GAA gives the 1922 title to both Cavan and Monaghan. If removed from Cavan it would leave the county with 39 titles. But 2020 is given as the county's 40th win.
3. Ulster GAA gives the 1922 title to both Cavan and Monaghan.

References

1. "Ulster the hardest province to win - Harte". The Irish Times. 13 May 2010. Retrieved 13 May 2010.
2. Scott, Ronan (28 November 2008). "Ulster 'best' says Sean Og". Gaelic Life. p. 5.
3. "Coldrick: I should have given Conor Maginn the black card". Independent.ie. 11 January 2015.
4. "Counties/Cavan". Ulster GAA . Retrieved 26 November 2020.
5. "Summer begins with the Ulster GAA Championships". 1 May 2013. Retrieved 1 May 2013. 2013 marks the 125th Anniversary of the Ulster Football Championship and the Ulster Museum in Botanic Gardens was transformed into an exhibition of Ulster's finest memories over those 125 years.
6. Moran, Seán (26 May 2013). "Donegal hoping to avoid being fifth All-Ireland champions in 20 years to fall at first hurdle in Ulster: Uneasy lies the head that wears the northern crown". The Irish Times. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
7. "Ulster open to Croke Park final again". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
8. "Athletic Grounds to host Ulster SFC final". Hogan Stand. 15 November 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
9. Lawlor, Damian (15 October 2020). "Casement rebuild can bring 'major' events to Ireland". rte.ie. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
10. According to Mark Sidebottom, who presented BBC's live coverage of the game, in the post-match discussion. 23 June 2019.
11. "'It probably surprises me as much as anybody else'". Hogan Stand. 12 July 2022.
12. "Healy handed Antrim football captaincy". Hogan Stand. 14 May 2021.
13. "McGinley departure a surprise to Antrim players, says captain Healy". Hogan Stand. 2 June 2022.
14. "Forker handed Armagh captaincy ahead of Louth visit". hoganstand.com. 26 January 2024.
15. O'Brien, Kevin (8 August 2022). "Down appoint Conor Laverty as manager". The42.ie.
16. "Vinny Corey ratified as new Monaghan manager". RTÉ. 22 September 2022.
17. "Vinny Corey: Former Farney defender succeeds Seamus McEnaney as Monaghan boss". BBC. 22 September 2022.
18. "Team news: Hampsey is new Red Hands captain". Hogan Stand. 14 May 2021.
19. "Pádraig Hampsey is new Tyrone captain – but no sign of Cathal McShane comeback just yet". Irish Independent . 14 May 2021.
20. "Relentless Monaghan turntables on Donegal". Irish Examiner . 22 July 2013. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
21. "Ominous signs as Donegal make it three from four". Irish Examiner . 21 July 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
22. "Cavan — Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Uladh". Ulster GAA . Retrieved 15 June 2022.
23. "Monaghan — Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Uladh". Ulster GAA . Retrieved 15 June 2022.
24. "Tyrone — Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Uladh". Ulster GAA . Retrieved 15 June 2022.
25. "Armagh — Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Uladh". Ulster GAA . Retrieved 15 June 2022.
26. "Down — Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Uladh". Ulster GAA . Retrieved 15 June 2022.
27. "Donegal — Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Uladh". Ulster GAA . Retrieved 15 June 2022.
28. "Antrim — Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Uladh". Ulster GAA . Retrieved 15 June 2022.
29. "Derry — Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Uladh". Ulster GAA . Retrieved 15 June 2022.
30. "Fermanagh — Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Uladh". Ulster GAA . Retrieved 15 June 2022.
31. "Donegal 0-09 1-09 Armagh". BBC Sport. BBC. 9 July 2006. Retrieved 9 July 2006.
32. "Ulster's hot-shots". BBC Online. 3 June 2008. Retrieved 15 June 2008.
33. Shannon, Kieran; Leo McGeough (15 June 2008). "When Sunday Comes – Stevie from Killeavy: Ulster's top predator". Sunday Tribune .
34. "Ulster GAA". ulster.gaa.ie.
35. "Ulster GAA". ulster.gaa.ie.

External links

• "Anglo Celt Cup winners". BBC. 2009.
• Do you remember the last Ulster SFC final before the back door arrived?