Irish Football Association

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the Northern Ireland football association. For the Republic of Ireland football association, see Football Association of Ireland.

Irish Football Association
UEFA
Founded18 November 1880; 143 years ago (1880-11-18)
HeadquartersBelfast
FIFA affiliation
  • 1911–1920
  • 1924–1928
  • 1946–present
UEFA affiliation1954
IFAB affiliation1886
PresidentConrad Kirkwood
Websitewww.irishfa.com

The Irish Football Association (IFA) is the governing body for association football in Northern Ireland. It organised the Ireland national football team from 1880 to 1950, which after 1954, became the Northern Ireland national football team.

History

Original Irish FA crest

Foundation of the IFA

The IFA was formed on 18 November 1880 by seven football clubs mostly in the

England
, losing 13–0 (which remains a record for both teams; a record win for England, and a record loss for (Northern) Ireland).

North/South split and the foundation of the Football Association of Ireland

Belfast Headquarters of the Irish Football Association at 20 Windsor Avenue, Belfast.

Shortly after the

Irish war of independence, the IFA reneged on a promise to play the replay in Dublin and scheduled the rematch again for Belfast. Shelbourne refused to comply and forfeited the Cup.[2] Such was the anger over the issue that the Leinster Football Association broke away from the IFA and formed its own national association. Those behind the FAI believed that football should be regulated by a federation based in the Irish Free State's capital, Dublin; they also accused the IFA of neglecting the development of the game in the South. The IFA's supporters argued that the federation should be based where the game was mainly played – namely Ulster, and its principal city Belfast
.

Both associations claimed to represent the whole of the island, each competing internationally under the name "Ireland" and selecting players from both the rival national leagues, which also split at this time. Interventions by

Irish Football League
and the cup competition stand as Northern Irish records.

Summary

Irish Football Association mural
1880 – IFA founded in Belfast, representing all of Ireland ("Ireland")
1921 – FAI founded in Dublin, representing Southern Ireland ("Irish Free State")
1936 – FAI begins also selecting Northern players ("Ireland"/"Éire")
1946 – FAI stops selecting Northern players ("Republic of Ireland" as of 1954)[3]
1950 – IFA stops selecting Southern players ("Northern Ireland" as of 1954)[3]

Therefore,

IFA (today Northern Ireland) represented all of Ireland between 1880–1950
FAI (today Republic of Ireland) represented all of Ireland between 1936–1946

Along with the other Home Nations' associations (the English FA, the Scottish Football Association, and the Football Association of Wales), the IFA sits on the International Football Association Board, which is responsible for the laws of the game. The IFA continues to have responsibility for the running of the Northern Irish national team.

Women's football

The

Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure Carál Ní Chuilín threatened to cut the IFA's funding unless it stopped treating women's football as "an after thought".[5]

Presidents

[9]

See also

References

  1. ^ M. Brodie (1980) 100 Years of Irish Football. Belfast:Blackstaff Press
  2. ^ "Football Association of Ireland".
  3. ^
    ISBN 1-85158-939-2
    . pp. 50
  4. ^ "Irish Football Association Camps". pitchbooking.com. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  5. ^ "Irish Football Association must give girls equal status or I'll cut cash: Sports Minister Caral Ni Chuilin". Belfast Telegraph. 9 April 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  6. ^ "Jim Shaw elected Irish Football Association president". BBC News. 25 November 2010. Retrieved 25 November 2010.
  7. ^ "David Martin elected as new IFA president at council meeting". BBC Sport. 28 June 2016.
  8. ^ "Irish FA staff".
  9. ^ M. Brodie (ed.) (n.d.) The Northern Ireland Soccer Yearbook 2008/2009. Belfast: Ulster Tatler Publications

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Irish Football Association.
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