The Belfast Charity Cup was a football competition which ran from 1883 to 1941, and was based on a similar tournament in Scotland, the Glasgow Merchants Charity Cup. The competition was open to senior sides from Belfast and invited intermediate teams.[1]

Belfast Charity Cup
Organising bodyIrish Football Association
Founded1883
Abolished1940
RegionNorthern Ireland Northern Ireland
Most successful club(s)Linfield (24 titles)

The last tournament was played in 1940. The following year, instead of the tournament being played, the holders Belfast Celtic played a representative match against players with cross-channel experience. The representative team won 3-1.[2]

List of finals edit

 
1889–90 Belfast Charity Cup Final, Black Watch 5–2 Gordon Highlanders, Ulster Football and Cycling News, 2 May 1890

Key:

Scores level after 90 minutes. A replay was required.
(a.e.t.) Scores level after extra time. A replay was required.
(a.e.t.) Scores level after 90 minutes. Winner was decided in extra time with no penalty shootout required.
Scores level after 90 minutes. Trophy was shared.


# Season Winner
(number of titles)
Score Runner-up Venue
1 1883–84 Cliftonville (1) 2 – 0 Distillery Ulster Cricket Ground, Belfast
2 1884–85 Oldpark (1) 1 – 0 Cliftonville Ulster Cricket Ground, Belfast
3 1885–86 Cliftonville (2) 5 – 1 Glentoran Ulster Cricket Ground, Belfast
4 1886–87 Cliftonville (3) 3 – 2 YMCA Ulster Cricket Ground, Belfast
5 1887–88 Cliftonville (4) 3 – 2 Linfield Athletic Ulster Cricket Ground, Belfast
6 1888–89 Cliftonville (5) 4 – 2 Distillery Solitude, Belfast
7 1889–90 Black Watch (1) 5 – 2 Gordon Highlanders Ulster Cricket Ground, Belfast
8 1890–91 Linfield (1) 7 – 1 Ulster Solitude, Belfast
9 1891–92 Linfield (2) 1 – 0 Distillery Solitude, Belfast
10 1892–93 Linfield (3) 3 – 2 Distillery Solitude, Belfast
11 1893–94 Linfield (4) 3 – 0 Glentoran Solitude, Belfast
12 1894–95 Linfield (5) 3 – 1 Cliftonville Solitude, Belfast
13 1895–96 Glentoran (1) 1 – 0 Cliftonville Solitude, Belfast
14 1896–97 Cliftonville (6) 1 – 1 Distillery Solitude, Belfast
Replay 6 – 2 Solitude, Belfast
15 1897–98 North Staffordshire Regiment (1) 4 – 0 Glentoran Solitude, Belfast
16 1898–99 Linfield (6) 2 – 1 Distillery Solitude, Belfast
17 1899–1900 Distillery (1) 5 – 0 Linfield Solitude, Belfast
18 1900–01 Linfield (7) 4 – 1 Distillery Solitude, Belfast
19 1901–02 Glentoran (3) 2 – 0 Linfield Solitude, Belfast
20 1902–03 Linfield (8) 2 – 0 Glentoran Solitude, Belfast
21 1903–04 Belfast Celtic (1) 1 – 0 Glentoran Solitude, Belfast
22 1904–05 Linfield (9) 2 – 0 Glentoran Solitude, Belfast
23 1905–06 Cliftonville (6) 1 – 1 (a.e.t.) Distillery Solitude, Belfast
Replay 2 – 0 Grosvenor Park, Belfast
24 1906–07 Glentoran (4) 2 – 0 Linfield Solitude, Belfast
25 1907–08 Cliftonville (7) 3 – 1 Linfield Grosvenor Park, Belfast
26 1908–09 Cliftonville (8) 0 – 0 Distillery Solitude, Belfast
Replay 2 – 0 Grosvenor Park, Belfast
27 1909–10 Belfast Celtic (2) 2 – 2 (a.e.t.) Distillery Solitude, Belfast
Replay 2 – 1 Grosvenor Park, Belfast
28 1910–11 Glentoran 4 – 2 Belfast Celtic Solitude, Belfast
29 1911–12 Belfast Celtic 3 – 0 Distillery Solitude, Belfast
30 1912–13 Linfield 3 – 1 Belfast Celtic Solitude, Belfast
31 1913–14 Linfield 1 – 0 Glentoran Solitude, Belfast
32 1914–15 Linfield 1 – 0 Belfast Celtic Grosvenor Park, Belfast
33 1915–16 Distillery 1 – 0 Linfield Solitude, Belfast
34 1916–17 Linfield 1 – 0 Glentoran Solitude, Belfast
35 1917–18 Linfield 1 – 0 Glentoran Solitude, Belfast
36 1918–19 Linfield 1 – 0 Glentoran Solitude, Belfast
37 1919–20 Belfast Celtic 3 – 0 Distillery Solitude, Belfast
38 1920–21 Distillery 2 – 0 Glentoran Solitude, Belfast
39 1921–22 Linfield 3 – 0 Cliftonville Olympic Solitude, Belfast
40 1922–23 Glentoran 2 – 1 Crusaders Solitude, Belfast
41 1923–24 Cliftonville 1 – 0 (a.e.t.) Barn Solitude, Belfast
42 1924–25 Glentoran 2 – 1 Belfast Celtic Solitude, Belfast
43 1925–26 Belfast Celtic
Glentoran
1 – 1† Solitude, Belfast
44 1926–27 Linfield 5 – 2 Glentoran Solitude, Belfast
45 1927–28 Linfield 4 – 0 Belfast Celtic Solitude, Belfast
46 1928–29 Distillery
Glentoran
3 – 3† Solitude, Belfast
47 1929–30 Linfield 2 – 0 Belfast Celtic Solitude, Belfast
48 1930–31 Distillery 4 – 2 Belfast Celtic Grosvenor Park, Belfast
49 1931–32 Belfast Celtic 2 – 0 Linfield Solitude, Belfast
50 1932–33 Linfield 3 – 0 Distillery Solitude, Belfast
51 1933–34 Linfield 4 – 1 Distillery Solitude, Belfast
52 1934–35 Linfield 1 – 1 Belfast Celtic Solitude, Belfast
Replay 2 – 1 Solitude, Belfast
53 1935–36 Belfast Celtic
Linfield
2 – 2† Solitude, Belfast
54 1936–37 Belfast Celtic 1 – 0 Distillery Solitude, Belfast
55 1937–38 Linfield 3 – 1 Glentoran Solitude, Belfast
56 1938–39 Belfast Celtic 1 – 0 Linfield Solitude, Belfast
57 1939–40 Belfast Celtic 3 – 0 Glentoran Solitude, Belfast

Performance by club edit

Club Winners Runners-up Winning Years Runners-up Years
Linfield 24 (1 shared) 8 1890–91, 1891–92, 1892–93, 1893–94, 1894–95, 1898–99, 1900–01, 1902–03, 1904–05, 1912–13, 1913–14, 1914–15, 1916–17, 1917–18, 1918–19, 1921–22, 1926–27, 1927–28, 1929–30, 1932–33, 1933–34, 1934–35, 1935–36 (shared), 1937–38 1887–88, 1899–1900, 1901–02, 1906–07, 1907–08, 1915–16, 1931–32, 1938–39
Belfast Celtic 10 (2 shared) 8 1903–04, 1909–10, 1911–12, 1919–20, 1925–26 (shared), 1931–32, 1935–36 (shared), 1936–37, 1938–39, 1939–40 1910–11, 1912–13, 1914–15, 1924–25, 1927–28, 1929–30, 1930–31, 1934–35
Cliftonville 10 3 1883–84, 1885–86, 1886–87, 1887–88, 1888–89, 1896–97, 1905–06, 1907–08, 1908–09, 1923–24 1884–85, 1894–95, 1895–96
Glentoran 8 (2 shared) 14 1895–96, 1901–02, 1906–07, 1910–11, 1922–23, 1924–25, 1925–26 (shared), 1928–29 (shared) 1885–86, 1893–94, 1897–98, 1902–03, 1903–04, 1904–05, 1913–14, 1916–17, 1917–18, 1918–19, 1920–21, 1926–27, 1937–38, 1939–40
Distillery 5 (1 shared) 15 1899–1900, 1915–16, 1920–21, 1928–29 (shared), 1930–31 1883–84, 1888–89, 1891–92, 1892–93, 1896–97, 1898–99, 1900–01, 1905–06, 1908–09, 1909–10, 1911–12, 1919–20, 1932–33, 1933–34, 1936–37
Oldpark 1 0 1884–85
Black Watch 1 0 1889–90
North Staffordshire Regiment 1 0 1897–98
YMCA 0 1 1886–87
Gordon Highlanders 0 1 1889–90
Ulster 0 1 1890–91
Cliftonville Olympic 0 1 1921–22
Crusaders 0 1 1922–23
Barn 0 1 1923–24

Sources edit

  • Malcolm Brodie, "100 Years of Irish Football", Blackstaff Press, Belfast (1980)

References edit

  1. ^ "Belfast Charity Cup". Irish Football Club Project. Archived from the original on 2015-10-31. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  2. ^ "Belfast Charity Competition. A Representative Match Instead Of Usual Cup Tourney". Belfast Telegraph. 16 May 1941. p. 6.

External links edit