- Ulster Cup
The Ulster Cup was an annual football competition held by the
Irish Football League for senior clubs. 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 toIrish 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:
Winners
Winners of the Ulster Cup by season ["Belfast Telegraph Northern Ireland Soccer Yearbook 1999/2000" Ed. Dr. Malcolm Brodie MBE]
*1948/49 Linfield
*1949/50 Larne
*1950/51 Glentoran
*1951/52 "(not held)*"
*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**
*1998/99 Distillery**
*2002/03 Dungannon Swifts**
** *Ballymena United won a one-off Festival of Britain Cup played instead of the Ulster Cup in 1951/52.
** **The last three editions were open to First Division sides only.ummary of Winners
References
ee also
*
Irish Football League Cup
*Irish League Floodlit Cup
*Irish Cup
*County Antrim Shield External links
* [http://home.online.no/~smogols/ifcp/UntitledFrameset-15.htm Irish Football Club Project]
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