Ulster Cup
The Ulster Cup was an annual football competition held by the Irish Football League for senior clubs.
History
Beginning in 1949, it was held on fifty-one occasions until being suspended after the 1998/99 season and discontinued after a one-off re-appearance in 2002/03. The last three editions were only open to First Division sides. From the mid-1980s to the early-1990s the competition was known as the Lombard Ulster Cup due to a sponsorship deal with the Lombard & Ulster Bank. It had previously been sponsored by Morans.
Format
The format of the Ulster Cup varied from season to season. It often employed a league format, with each club playing each other once and the winner declared as the team with the most points; and sometimes a group basis, with the winners decided by a play-off.
The format over the years was as follows:
| Years | No. of seasons | Format |
|---|---|---|
| 1948–1951 and 1952–56 | 7 | group system plus final |
| 1956–1957 | 1 | league |
| 1957–1965 | 8 | group system plus final |
| 1965–1983 | 18 | league |
| 1983–1996 | 16 | group system plus final |
| 1996–1997 | 1 | knock-out |
| 1997–1999 and 2002–03 | 3 | league (First Division clubs only) |
List of winners
Winners of the Ulster Cup by season[1]
- 1948–49 Linfield
- 1949–50 Larne
- 1950–51 Glentoran
- 1951–52 Ballymena United[nb 1]
- 1952–53 Glentoran
- 1953–54 Crusaders
- 1954–55 Glenavon
- 1955–56 Linfield
- 1956–57 Linfield
- 1957–58 Distillery
- 1958–59 Glenavon
- 1959–60 Linfield
- 1960–61 Ballymena United
- 1961–62 Linfield
- 1962–63 Glenavon
- 1963–64 Crusaders
- 1964–65 Linfield
- 1965–66 Coleraine
- 1966–67 Glentoran
- 1967–68 Linfield
- 1968–69 Coleraine
- 1969–70 Coleraine
- 1970–71 Linfield
- 1971–72 Linfield
- 1972–73 Coleraine
- 1973–74 Ards
- 1974–75 Linfield
- 1975–76 Coleraine
- 1976–77 Glentoran
- 1977–78 Linfield
- 1978–79 Linfield
- 1979–80 Linfield
- 1980–81 Ballymena United
- 1981–82 Glentoran
- 1982–83 Glentoran
- 1983–84 Glentoran
- 1984–85 Linfield
- 1985–86 Coleraine
- 1986–87 Coleraine
- 1987–88 Larne
- 1988–89 Glentoran
- 1989–90 Glentoran
- 1990–91 Portadown
- 1991–92 Bangor
- 1992–93 Linfield
- 1993–94 Crusaders
- 1994–95 Bangor
- 1995–96 Portadown
- 1996–97 Coleraine
- 1997–98 Ballyclare Comrades[nb 2]
- 1998–99 Distillery[nb 2]
- 2002–03 Dungannon Swifts[nb 2]
Performance by club
Senior
| Club | Winners | Winning years |
|---|---|---|
| Linfield | 15 | 1948–49, 1955–56, 1956–57, 1959–60, 1961–62, 1964–65, 1967–68, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1974–75, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1984–85, 1992–93 |
| Glentoran | 9 | 1950–51, 1952–53, 1966–67, 1976–77, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1988–89, 1989–90 |
| Coleraine | 8 | 1965–66, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1972–73, 1975–76, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1996–97 |
| Ballymena United | 3 | 1951–52, 1960–61, 1980–81 |
| Crusaders | 3 | 1953–54, 1963–64, 1993–94 |
| Glenavon | 3 | 1954–55, 1958–59, 1962–63 |
| Larne | 2 | 1949–50, 1987–88 |
| Bangor | 2 | 1991–92, 1994–95 |
| Portadown | 2 | 1990–91, 1995–96 |
| Ards | 1 | 1973–74 |
| Distillery | 1 | 1957–58 |
First Division only
| Club | Winners | Winning years |
|---|---|---|
| Ballyclare Comrades | 1 | 1997–98 |
| Distillery | 1 | 1998–99 |
| Dungannon Swifts | 1 | 2002–03 |
Notes
- The tournament was renamed the Festival of Britain Cup for 1951–52.
- The last three editions were open to First Division sides only.
References
- "Belfast Telegraph Northern Ireland Soccer Yearbook 1999/2000" Ed. Dr. Malcolm Brodie MBE