Ulster Senior League (association football)
Encyclopedia
The Ulster Senior League is an amateur football
league in the Republic of Ireland
. Despite the name, the league's membership is mainly from County Donegal
. A total of fourteen clubs currently compete in the league. Teams that compete in this division also compete in the FAI Intermediate Cup
and the FAI Cup
. The most successful club in the league has been Fanad United
with 13 Ulster Senior League titles to their name, five of which were won consecutively.
, Dick Duffy and Patrick McFadden to seek affiliation to the FAI
.
In 2006 the Ulster Senior League moved to the summer league.
. Players to have played in the league include Shay Given
, who played for Lifford Celtic F.C. as a youth, Packie Bonner
, who played for Keadue Rovers F.C.
, Kevin McHugh
who played for Killea F.C. and Paul Hegarty
, former manager of Finn Harps
.
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
league in the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. Despite the name, the league's membership is mainly from County Donegal
County Donegal
County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...
. A total of fourteen clubs currently compete in the league. Teams that compete in this division also compete in the FAI Intermediate Cup
FAI Intermediate Cup
The FAI Intermediate Cup is an annual knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland outside of the League of Ireland and also not open to clubs who play in leagues permitting the use of public pitches...
and the FAI Cup
FAI Cup
The Football Association of Ireland Challenge Cup, known as the FAI Ford Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland...
. The most successful club in the league has been Fanad United
Fanad United F.C.
Fanad United Football Club is a football club currently playing in the A Championship. The club was founded by Fr. Michael Sweeney, the current club President, in 1975 in Fanad, Co. Donegal and are one of the founding members of the league. Fanad play their home games at Tragh-a-Lough...
with 13 Ulster Senior League titles to their name, five of which were won consecutively.
History
Football in the area, prior to 1972, was centred around what was known as 'Summer Cup football'. This was soccer organised on a non-competitive basis and it was left to various clubs to organise these. In 1972 the current Donegal League was set up and this organised football along competitive lines. Among the founder members were Michael Sweeney, club President of Fanad UnitedFanad United F.C.
Fanad United Football Club is a football club currently playing in the A Championship. The club was founded by Fr. Michael Sweeney, the current club President, in 1975 in Fanad, Co. Donegal and are one of the founding members of the league. Fanad play their home games at Tragh-a-Lough...
, Dick Duffy and Patrick McFadden to seek affiliation to the FAI
Football Association of Ireland
The Football Association of Ireland is the governing body for the sport of association football in the Republic of Ireland. It should not to be confused with the Irish Football Association , which is the organising body for the sport in Northern Ireland.For the full history, statistics and records...
.
In 2006 the Ulster Senior League moved to the summer league.
Teams
- The following is a list of teams that currently play in the Ulster Senior League for the 2009 season.
|
|
Champions table
- The following is an incomplete list of Ulster Senior League champions through the years.
| Year | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Fanad United F.C. | |
| 2010 | ||
| 2009 | Letterkenny Rovers Letterkenny Rovers F.C. Letterkenny Rovers Football Club is a football club from Ireland currently competing in the Ulster Senior League. The club is based in Letterkenny and the team play their home games at Leckview Park.... |
Kildrum Tigers |
| 2008 | Kildrum Tigers | Fanad United F.C. Fanad United F.C. Fanad United Football Club is a football club currently playing in the A Championship. The club was founded by Fr. Michael Sweeney, the current club President, in 1975 in Fanad, Co. Donegal and are one of the founding members of the league. Fanad play their home games at Tragh-a-Lough... |
| 2007 | Kildrum Tigers | Fanad United F.C. |
| 2006/07 | Fanad United F.C. | Kildrum Tigers |
| 2005/06 | Fanad United F.C. | Kildrum Tigers |
| 2004/05 | Letterkenny Rovers Letterkenny Rovers F.C. Letterkenny Rovers Football Club is a football club from Ireland currently competing in the Ulster Senior League. The club is based in Letterkenny and the team play their home games at Leckview Park.... |
Kildrum Tigers |
| 2003/04 | Kildrum Tigers | Letterkenny Rovers F.C. |
| 2002/03 | Quigleys Point Swifts | Letterkenny Rovers F.C. |
| 2001/02 | Quigleys Point Swifts | ? ? or is a letter derived from the Latin alphabet. Both glyphs of the majuscule and minuscule forms of this letter are based on the rotated form of a minuscule e; a similar letter with identical minuscule is used in the Pan-Nigerian Alphabet and some alphabets based on the African reference... |
| 2000/01 | Fanad United F.C. | Quigleys Point Swifts |
| 1999/00 | Swilly Rovers | Keadue Rovers Keadue Rovers F.C. Keadue Rovers Football Club is a football club based in County Donegal currently playing in the Ulster Senior League. Founded in 1896, Keadue play their soccer at Central Park. Nicknamed "The Gulls", Keadue are a well-respected junior football club in Ireland. The club's most famous past player is... |
| 1998/99 | Finn Harps Reserves Finn Harps F.C. Finn Harps Football Club are a professional Irish football club playing in the First Division of the League of Ireland. The club was founded in 1954 and elected to the league in 1969. They hail from Ballybofey, County Donegal and play their home matches at Finn Park. The club's colours are blue... |
Swilly Rovers |
| 1997/98 | Fanad United F.C. | |Swilly Rovers |
| 1996/97 | Fanad United F.C. | ? ? or is a letter derived from the Latin alphabet. Both glyphs of the majuscule and minuscule forms of this letter are based on the rotated form of a minuscule e; a similar letter with identical minuscule is used in the Pan-Nigerian Alphabet and some alphabets based on the African reference... |
| 1995/96 | Fanad United F.C. | Derry City Reserves Derry City F.C. Derry City Football Club is a professional football club based in Derry, Northern Ireland. It plays in the League of Ireland Premier Division... |
| 1994/95 | Fanad United F.C. | ? ? or is a letter derived from the Latin alphabet. Both glyphs of the majuscule and minuscule forms of this letter are based on the rotated form of a minuscule e; a similar letter with identical minuscule is used in the Pan-Nigerian Alphabet and some alphabets based on the African reference... |
| 1993/94 | Fanad United F.C. | ? ? or is a letter derived from the Latin alphabet. Both glyphs of the majuscule and minuscule forms of this letter are based on the rotated form of a minuscule e; a similar letter with identical minuscule is used in the Pan-Nigerian Alphabet and some alphabets based on the African reference... |
| 1992/93 | Fanad United F.C. | ? ? or is a letter derived from the Latin alphabet. Both glyphs of the majuscule and minuscule forms of this letter are based on the rotated form of a minuscule e; a similar letter with identical minuscule is used in the Pan-Nigerian Alphabet and some alphabets based on the African reference... |
| 1991/92 | Fanad United F.C. | ? ? or is a letter derived from the Latin alphabet. Both glyphs of the majuscule and minuscule forms of this letter are based on the rotated form of a minuscule e; a similar letter with identical minuscule is used in the Pan-Nigerian Alphabet and some alphabets based on the African reference... |
| 1990/91 | Fanad United F.C. | ? ? or is a letter derived from the Latin alphabet. Both glyphs of the majuscule and minuscule forms of this letter are based on the rotated form of a minuscule e; a similar letter with identical minuscule is used in the Pan-Nigerian Alphabet and some alphabets based on the African reference... |
| 1989/90 | Fanad United F.C. | ? ? or is a letter derived from the Latin alphabet. Both glyphs of the majuscule and minuscule forms of this letter are based on the rotated form of a minuscule e; a similar letter with identical minuscule is used in the Pan-Nigerian Alphabet and some alphabets based on the African reference... |
| 1988/89 | Buncrana Hearts Buncrana Hearts F.C. Buncrana Hearts F.C. is a football club based in the Inishowen peninsula, County Donegal, that play in the Ulster Senior League. They play in Castle Park in Buncrana... |
? ? or is a letter derived from the Latin alphabet. Both glyphs of the majuscule and minuscule forms of this letter are based on the rotated form of a minuscule e; a similar letter with identical minuscule is used in the Pan-Nigerian Alphabet and some alphabets based on the African reference... |
| 1987/88 | Culdaff F.C. | ? ? or is a letter derived from the Latin alphabet. Both glyphs of the majuscule and minuscule forms of this letter are based on the rotated form of a minuscule e; a similar letter with identical minuscule is used in the Pan-Nigerian Alphabet and some alphabets based on the African reference... |
| 1986/87 | Fanad United F.C. | ? ? or is a letter derived from the Latin alphabet. Both glyphs of the majuscule and minuscule forms of this letter are based on the rotated form of a minuscule e; a similar letter with identical minuscule is used in the Pan-Nigerian Alphabet and some alphabets based on the African reference... |
Reputation
In recent years, the league's reputation has grown and many young players have represented their teams in such youth cups as the Foyle CupFoyle Cup
The Foyle Cup is a youth soccer tournament held every year in Derry City. Along with the Milk Cup, which takes place around the same time, The Foyle Cup is one of Ireland and indeed Europe's premier youth tournaments.-History:...
. Players to have played in the league include Shay Given
Shay Given
Séamus John James "Shay" Given is an Irish footballer who plays for Aston Villa and the Republic of Ireland national team as a goalkeeper. He won the PFA's Player of the Year in 2002....
, who played for Lifford Celtic F.C. as a youth, Packie Bonner
Packie Bonner
Patrick Joseph "Packie" Bonner is an Irish former football goalkeeper for Celtic and the Republic of Ireland, who earned 80 caps after making his debut on his 21st birthday...
, who played for Keadue Rovers F.C.
Keadue Rovers F.C.
Keadue Rovers Football Club is a football club based in County Donegal currently playing in the Ulster Senior League. Founded in 1896, Keadue play their soccer at Central Park. Nicknamed "The Gulls", Keadue are a well-respected junior football club in Ireland. The club's most famous past player is...
, Kevin McHugh
Kevin McHugh
Kevin McHugh ; born 19 January 1980 in Letterkenny, Ireland) is an Irish football player currently with Finn Harps.-Career:McHugh was born in Letterkenny and raised in the border-town of Killea in Co...
who played for Killea F.C. and Paul Hegarty
Paul Hegarty (Irish footballer)
Paul Hegarty is a past Irish footballer and the current manager of League of Ireland First Division club Finn Harps.-Playing career:...
, former manager of Finn Harps
Finn Harps F.C.
Finn Harps Football Club are a professional Irish football club playing in the First Division of the League of Ireland. The club was founded in 1954 and elected to the league in 1969. They hail from Ballybofey, County Donegal and play their home matches at Finn Park. The club's colours are blue...
.