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Ireland national football team (IFA)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Association | Irish Football Association | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Most caps | Olphert Stanfield (30; 1887-1897) [ Elisha Scott (31; 1920-1936)] |
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| Top scorer | Olphert Stanfield (11; 1887-1897) [ Billy Gillespie (12; 1913-1931) & Joe Bambrick (12; 1929-38)] |
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| FIFA code | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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First international Ireland 0 - 13  England(Belfast, February 18, 1882) |
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Biggest win Ireland 7 - 0  Wales(Belfast, February 1, 1930) |
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| Biggest defeat Ireland 0 - 13 England (Belfast, February 18, 1882) |
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Ireland was the name of the national team organised by the Irish Football Association (IFA) that represented Ireland in association football from 1882. The IFA's current team is the Northern Ireland national football team. The IFA was formed in 1880 in Belfast to organise football throughout the island of Ireland. Together with England, Scotland and Wales, Ireland competed regularly in the British Home Championship. In 1914 Ireland were British Champions and in 1950 they played in the qualifying rounds of the World Cup.
After 1921 the right of the IFA to field an all-Ireland team was challenged by the rival Dublin - based Football Association of Ireland when it began organising it's own national team. In subsequent years there were in effect two Ireland teams. Both the IFA and FAI claimed jurisdiction over the whole of Ireland and selected players from the whole island. The situation remained unresolved until 1950 when both teams entered the qualifying rounds of the 1950 FIFA World Cup - the first time the two teams had competed in the same competition. As a result several players found themselves playing for two national teams in the same competition. FIFA intervened and decreed that for future World Cups, the IFA team would compete as Northern Ireland, while the FAI team would be officially known as the Republic of Ireland.
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On February 18 1882, two years after the founding of the IFA, Ireland made their international debut against England, losing 13-0 in a friendly played at Bloomfield Park in Belfast. This remains the record win for England and the record defeat for an IFA XI. The Irish line-up that day included Samuel Johnston, who at the age of 15 years and 153 days became the youngest international debutant of the 1800s. On February 25 1882 Ireland played their second international against Wales at the Racecourse Ground, Wrexham and an equaliser from Johnston became Ireland’s first ever goal. The goal also saw Johnston became the 1800s youngest ever international goalscorer.
In 1884 Ireland competed in the inaugural British Home Championship and lost all three games. Ireland did not win their first game until February 19 1887, a 4-1 win over Wales in Belfast. Between their debut and this game, they had a run of 14 defeats and 1 draw, the longest run without a win in the 1800s. Despite the end of this run, heavy defeats continued to blight Ireland’s record. On March 3 1888 they lost 11-0 to Wales and three weeks later on March 24 they lost 10-2 to Scotland. Further heavy defeats came on March 15 1890 when they lost 9-1 to England, on February 18 1899 when they lost 13-2 to England and on February 2 1901 when they lost 11-0 to Scotland.
However their was also some brighter moments. On February 7 1891 an Ireland team featuring Jack Reynolds and four-goal hero Olphert Stanfield defeated Wales 7-2, providing Ireland with their second win. Reynolds international performances attracted the interest of West Bromwich Albion who signed him in March 1891. It was then discovered that Reynolds was actually English. On March 3 1894 at the Solitude Ground in Belfast, after thirteen attempts Ireland finally avoided defeat to England. Against an England team that included Fred Spiksley and Reynolds, who had since switched allegiances, Ireland gained a 2-2 draw. Goals from Stanfield and W.K. Gibson inspired Ireland to come back from 2-0 down to gain a 2-2 draw.
Lacking the strength in depth enjoyed by England and Scotland, Irish internationals of this era started younger and their careers lasted longer then their English or Scottish contemporaries. As a result Ireland fielded both the youngest and oldest national teams during the 1800s. Samuel Johnston had led the way in the early 1880s. Then on February 27 1886 Shaw Gillespie, at the age of 18 became the youngest goalkeeper of the 1800s. Both Olphert Stanfield and W.K. Gibson were only 17 when they made their debuts. Another 17 year old debutant was future England cricketer, George Gaukrodger. In Johnston, Gibson and Gaukrodger, Ireland also had three of the four youngest goalscorers in the 1800s. Stanfield would go on to win 30 caps for Ireland, making him the most capped international of the 1800s.
Ireland’s greatest success on the football field came when they won the 1914 British Home Championship. However the foundations for that success had been laid over a decade earlier when Ireland had pioneered the use of national team coaches. The first time in the history of modern football that a national team had a coach was on February 20 1897 when Billy Crone was in charge of the Ireland team that lost 6-0 to England. For the wins against Wales on February 19 1898 and on March 4 1899, Ireland was coached by Hugh McAteer. In 1914 McAteer would return to coach Ireland to their greatest success. On February 24 1900 Robert Torrans coached Ireland for the game against Wales.
In 1899 the IFA also changed its rules governing the selection of non-resident players. Before then the Ireland team selected its players exclusively form the Irish League, in particular the three Belfast-based clubs Linfield, Cliftonville and Distillery. On March 4 1899 for the game against Wales, McAteer included four Irish players based in England. The change in policy produced dividends as Ireland won 1-0. Three weeks later, on March 25 one of these four players, Archie Goodall, aged 34 years and 279 days, became the oldest player to score in international football during the 1800s when he scored Ireland’s goal in a 9-1 defeat to Scotland.
Goodall remained a regular at centre-half for Ireland until he was almost 40. On March 28 1903, aged of 38 years and 283 days, he scored the opening goal in a 2-0 win against Wales and become the oldest goalscorer in Ireland’s history. The goal also helped an Ireland team, that also included Jack Kirwan, Billy Scott, Billy McCracken and Robert Milne, clinch a share in the 1903 British Home Championship. Until then the competition had been monopolised by England and Scotland. However in 1903, before goal difference was applied, Ireland forced a three way share. Despite losing their opening game 4-0 to England, the Irish had then beat Scotland for the first time with a 2-0 win at Celtic Park.
On February 15 1913, with a team captained by Val Harris and including Billy Scott and two-goal hero Billy Gillespie, Ireland beat England for the first time with a 2-1 win at Windsor Park. In 1914 Ireland went a stage further and won the championship outright. Harris and Gillespie were joined in the squad by among others, Patrick O’Connell, Louis Bookman and Bill Lacey. Gillespie scored twice as Ireland beat Wales 2-1 away, Ireland then beat England 3-0 at Ayresome Park, Middlesbrough with Lacey grabbing two of the goals. They clinched the title following a 1-1 draw with Scotland at Windsor Park.
In 1920 Ireland was partitioned into Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland. In 1922, Southern Ireland gained independence as the Irish Free State, later to become Republic of Ireland. Amid these political upheavals, a rival football association, the Football Association of Ireland, emerged in Dublin in 1921 and organised a separate league and national team. In 1923 the FAI was recognised by FIFA as the governing body of the Irish Free State on the condition that it changed its name to the Football Association of the Irish Free State. [1]. At the same time, the IFA continued to organise its national team on an all-Ireland basis, regularly calling up Free State players. [2]. During this era at least one Northerner, Harry Chatton, also played for Irish Free State and from 1936[3], the FAI began to organise their own all - Ireland team.[4][5]. Both teams now competed as Ireland and during this era at least thirty-eight players were selected to represent both teams.[6]. In an era when national teams played only a few games a year, it was rare for professional players to turn down an opportunity to play at international level.
Between 1928 and 1946 the IFA were not affiliated to FIFA and the two Ireland teams co-existed, never competing in the same competition. [7]. During this era the IFA XI enjoyed only moderate success. Highlights including beating England 2-1 at Windsor Park on October 10 1923 with a team featuring Tom Farquharson, Sam Irving, Bobby Irvine and Billy Gillespie. During the 1927-28 season the IFA XI beat both England and Scotland. On October 10 1927 Gillespie and Irving were joined by Elisha Scott as they defeated England 2-0 at Windsor Park. Then on February 25 1928 an inspired goalkeeping performance from Scott helped the IFA XI defeat Scotland 1-0, their first win against the Scots in eighteen years. Despite these two notable wins the IFA XI failed to win the British title after losing to Wales in between. On February 2 1930 the IFA XI beat Wales 7-0 with Joe Bambrick scoring six goals. This remains the teams record win.
On November 27 1946 when the IFA XI resumed official internationals after the Second World War, seven players born in the Irish Free State, including Johnny Carey, Peter Farrell and Con Martin, played in a 0-0 draw with Scotland. The draw helped the team finish as runners-up in the 1947 British Home Championship. From then until the 1949-50 season the IFA regularly selected five to seven players born in the Free State and were rewarded with some respectable results, including a 2-0 win against Scotland on October 4 1947 and a 2-2 draw with England at Goodison Park on November 5 1947.
However on March 8 1950, in a 0-0 draw with Wales at the Racecourse Ground, Wrexham, the IFA XI fielded an all-Ireland team for the last time. The team included four players - Tom Aherne, Reg Ryan, Davy Walsh and the captain Con Martin - who were born in the Irish Free State. As well as being part of the 1950 British Home Championship, the game also doubled up as a qualifier for the 1950 FIFA World Cup. All four players had previously played for the FAI XI in their qualifiers and as a result had played for two different associations in the same FIFA World Cup tournament.
This situation eventually led FIFA to intervene, after complaints from the FAI. [8]. FIFA restricted players' eligibility based on the political border. In 1953 FIFA ruled neither team could be referred to as Ireland, decreeing that the FAI team be officially designated as the Republic of Ireland, while the IFA team was to become Northern Ireland[9]. The IFA objected and in 1954 was permitted to continue using the name Ireland in the British Home Championship[10]. This practice was discontinued in the late 1970s[11].
Throughout its history Ireland, together with England, Scotland and Wales, competed regularly in the British Home Championship. As a result these three teams became Ireland’s most regular opponents. However there were occasions when Ireland played other teams. For various reasons, such as the amount of amateur players involved, the status of these internationals has been disputed.[12][13]
| February 8 1921 | |||
France  |
1–2 | Ireland |
Parc des Princes, Paris |
| J. Chambers A. Steele |
| May 22 1922 | |||
Norway  |
2–1 | Ireland |
Brann Stadion, Bergen |
| B. Johnsen 2 | H. McKenzie |
| September 24 1924 | |||
| Ireland |
1–2 |  South Africa |
Solitude Ground, Belfast |
| F. Rushe | D.J. Murray J. Green |
| February 21 1928 | |||
| France |
4–0 | Ireland |
Buffalo, Paris |
| G. Ouvray P. Nicholas 3 |
| September 9 1944 | |||
| Ireland |
4–8 | Combined Services XI[14] | Windsor Park, Belfast |
| Peter Doherty 4 | H. Carter 4 J. Mullen 2 T. Lawton S. Mortensen |
Between 1882 and 1899 Ireland played all their home internationals in Belfast, with their first international being played at Bloomfield Park. Subsequent home games during the 1880s were played at Ballynafeigh Park, also known as the Ulster Cricket Ground. During the 1890s the Solitude Ground, the home stadium of Cliftonville, hosted 11 home internationals. In the early 1900s occasional internationals were also played at Grosvenor Park, the then home of Distillery, and the Balmoral Showgrounds.
On March 17 1900, Saint Patrick's Day, Ireland played their first game in Dublin, losing 2-0 at Lansdowne Road to England. On March 26 1904 Ireland played their first game at Dalymount Park, a 1-1 draw with Scotland. Between 1904 and 1913 Dalymount hosted at least one Irish international in the years when Ireland had more than one home match. The other games were played at Windsor Park, completed in 1905. After the partition of Ireland, all subsequent home internationals were played in Belfast, mainly at Windsor Park but occasionally at Celtic Park, the home of Belfast Celtic
From the beginning Ireland wore a variety of colours, including green, white, and blue. However blue emerged as the established colour from before the First World War until September 1931, when the shirts were changed to green, the colour still worn by the modern Northern Ireland team. The choice of blue has been credited to an early example of Linfield influence within the IFA. However blue has been a national colour of Ireland since the Norman era and has been used by several other Irish sports teams, including Dublin GAA, Leinster Rugby and Dublin City. [15] [16]. The official reason given for the change was to avoid a clash with Scotland, who also wore blue. [17]
Before 1950
see also Cat:Pre-1950 IFA international footballers
Billy Crone:1897- Hugh McAteer: 1898, 1899, 1914
- Robert Torrans: 1900
- Shamrock Rovers XI vs Brazil: an exhibition match in 1973 between Brazil and a cross-border team of Irish internationals.
- ^ Byrne, Peter (1996). Football Asssociation of Ireland: 75 years. Dublin: Sportsworld, 22. ISBN 1-900110-06-7.
- ^ Byrne, op. cit. pg 59.
- ^ Ryan, Sean (1997). The Boys in Green: the FAI international story. Edinburgh: Mainstream Publishing, 31. ISBN 1-85158-939-2.
- ^ Byrne, op. cit. pg 45.
- ^ Ryan, op. cit. pg 34.
- ^ List of Dual Internationalists
- ^ Fulton, Gareth (2005). "Northern Catholic fans of Republic of Ireland soccer", in Alan Bairner: Sport and the Irish : Histories, Identites, Issues. Dublin: UCD Press, 145. ISBN 1-904558-33-X.
- ^ Ryan, op. cit. pg 59.
- ^ Byrne, op. cit., pg 68
- ^ Ryan, op. cit., pg 70.
- ^ Fulton, op. cit., pg 146.
- ^ Opponents other then England, Scotland and Wales
- ^ Combined Services XI.
- ^ This team was basically a Great Britain XI and featured, among others, Matt Busby, Stanley Matthews, Tommy Lawton and Stan Mortensen
- ^ When we wore blue article from Our Wee Country fanzine #17 about early kit colours.
- ^ Brodie, Malcolm; Billy Kennedy (2005). The IFA 125 years...the history. Edenderry print limited, 108. (IFA info)
- ^ Hayes, Dean (2005). in Jean Brown: Northern Ireland: International Football Facts. Appletree. ISBN 0862818745.
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