FAI Cup

Infobox sports league
current_season=FAI Cup 2008
logo=FAIFordCup.pngpixels=100px
sport=Football
founded=1922
teams=44
country=IRL
champion=Cork City F.C.

The FAI 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 (as well as Derry City from Northern Ireland). Organised by the FAI (Football Association of Ireland), it is of similar format to the FA Cup played in England and the Scottish Cup in Scotland. The competition is currently sponsored by the car manufacturer, Ford. It was originally called the Free State Cup, after the Irish Free State. Shamrock Rovers hold the record of most wins with 24.

Since 2003, Irish domestic football has moved from the traditional European August-May season to a summer set-up, as favoured in Scandinavia. As an "interim" season was played in the second half of 2002, two FAI Cup Finals took place that year - Dundalk winning April's Cup, Derry City lifting the trophy in November.

After two defeats in Cup Finals in the 1970s, Drogheda United finally reached the summit in 2005. Goals from Gavin Whelan (whose father, Paul, captained Bohemians to the 1992 cup and whose grandfather, Ronnie, won 2 cups with St. Patrick's Athletic) and captain Declan O'Brien helped "the Drogs" to a 2-0 win over Cork City.

Shelbourne , Bohemians and Derry City are the only clubs to win both the (Northern) Irish Cup and the FAI Cup, although Shelbourne and Bohemians only won it before partition, while Derry City remained in the Northern Irish league system until 1973, entering the League of Ireland in 1985.

The last ever soccer game to be played at the old Lansdowne Road was the 2006 final, contested between St. Patrick's Athletic and Derry City , who ran out eventual 4-3 winners after extra-time. The original FAI Cup was also retired after the game with a brand new version of the trophy to be used in the following seasons.

FAI Cup Final results

Performance By Club

Notes

*Includes Cork United
*Includes Waterford
*Includes Limerick United
*Includes Drogheda

Resources

* [http://www.rsssf.com/tablesi/iercuphist.html Ireland - List of Cup Finals]
* [http://www.rsssf.com/tablesi/iercuphistfull.html Ireland - FA of Ireland Cup 1921/22-1993/94]
* [http://www.rte.ie/sport/2006/1205/faicup.html Ford named as new FAI Cup sponsors until 2010]