NIFL Charity Shield

(Redirected from Irish FA Charity Shield)

The Northern Ireland Football League Charity Shield is the national association football super cup in Northern Ireland. It has been held on an occasional basis since its inauguration in 1992. It pits together the previous campaign's NIFL Premiership champions and Irish Cup winners, providing the opening match of the Irish League season.

NIFL Charity Shield
Founded1992
RegionNorthern Ireland Northern Ireland
Number of teams2
Current championsLarne (2024)
Most successful club(s)Linfield – 4 titles
(3 outright, 1 shared)
WebsiteNI Football League

Larne are the current holders, after they defeated Cliftonville 2–1 in the 2024 edition to win the competition for the first time.[1]

Sponsorship

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McEwan's Lager sponsored the competition between 1992 and 1994, and Wilkinson Sword were sponsors from 1998 until 2000, both of whom also sponsored other competitions in Irish League football. The proceeds from the 2014 and 2015 editions were donated to the Northern Ireland Hospice.[2]

Format

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The Shield is held in early August as a single match. In the 1992 and 1993 editions, the trophy was shared between the two competing sides for six months when both matches finished level at full-time. However, the rules were later changed to ensure an outright winner. In the 2014 edition, a penalty shoot-out was used to determine the winner when the match ended level after 90 minutes, without extra time being played.

Results

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Key:

& Title was shared after match finished in a draw
pens. Scores level after extra time. A penalty shootout was required to determine the winner.


Year Date Winner Score Runner-up Venue Attendance Ref
1992 8 August Glenavon
Glentoran
1–1& Windsor Park, Belfast 2,000 [3]
1993 10 August Bangor
Linfield
1–1& Windsor Park, Belfast
1994 3 August Linfield 2–0 Bangor Windsor Park, Belfast
1998 8 August Cliftonville 1–0 Glentoran The Oval, Belfast 2,000 [4]
1999 8 August Portadown 2–1 Glentoran Mourneview Park, Lurgan 2,000 [5]
2000 5 August Linfield 2–0 Glentoran Windsor Park, Belfast 10,500 [6]
2014 2 August Cliftonville 0 0 – 0 (a.e.t.) (4 – 2 pens.) Ballymena United Solitude, Belfast [7]
2015 1 August Glentoran 1–0 Crusaders Solitude, Belfast [8]
2016 30 July Glenavon 1–0 Crusaders Mourneview Park, Lurgan [9]
2017 5 August Linfield 3–1 Coleraine The Oval, Belfast [10]
2022 6 August Crusaders 2–0 Linfield Windsor Park, Belfast [11]
2023 1 July Crusaders 2–0 Larne Inver Park, Larne [12]
2024 5 July Larne 2–1 Cliftonville Inver Park, Larne [1]

Performance by club

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Team Wins Years Runner-up
Linfield 4 (1 shared) 1993 (shared), 1994, 2000, 2017 2022
Crusaders 2 2022, 2023 2015, 2016
Cliftonville 2 1998, 2014 2024
Glentoran 2 (1 shared) 1992 (shared), 2015 1998, 1999, 2000
Glenavon 2 (1 shared) 1992 (shared), 2016
Larne 1 2024 2023
Portadown 1 1999
Bangor 1 (shared) 1993 (shared) 1994
Ballymena United 2014
Coleraine 2017
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References

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  1. ^ a b "Larne come from behind to win Charity Shield". BBC Sport. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  2. ^ "NI FOOTBALL LEAGUE CHARITY SHIELD". nifootballleague.com. 25 June 2014. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  3. ^ "Quigley's Bolt For Lurgan Blues". Sunday Life. 9 August 1992. p. 60.
  4. ^ "Char Grilled...Reds Mac flying start". Sunday Life. 9 August 1998. p. 75.
  5. ^ "A Real "Off" Day". Ireland's Saturday Night. 7 August 1999. p. 1.
  6. ^ "No Charity From Blues". Ireland's Saturday Night. 5 August 2000. p. 1.
  7. ^ "Cliftonville beat Ballymena in Charity Shield shoot-out". BBC Sport. 2 August 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  8. ^ "Glentoran beat Crusaders 1-0 in Charity Shield at Solitude". BBC Sport. 1 August 2015. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  9. ^ "Charity Shield: Ten-man Glenavon defeat Crusaders". BBC Sport. 30 July 2016. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  10. ^ "Charity Shield: Linfield defeat Bannsiders in Oval curtain-raiser". BBC Sport. 5 August 2017. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  11. ^ "Charity Shield: Crusaders beat Linfield 2-0 in season curtain-raiser at Windsor Park". BBC Sport. 6 August 2022. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
  12. ^ "NIFL Charity Shield: Jarlath O'Rourke and James Teelan goals see Crusaders defeat Larne 2-0". BBC Sport. 1 July 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2023.