LFA President's Cup


The LFA President's Cup was an association football cup competition featuring League of Ireland clubs affiliated to the Leinster Football Association. It was played for between 1930 and 2002. It was a de facto national super cup and on twenty four occasions featured the League of Ireland champions against the FAI Cup winners. The Football Association of Ireland also organised similar competitions, such as the Top Four Cup and the FAI Super Cup, both of which co-existed with the LFA President's Cup. Since 2014 the FAI has organised their own similarly named super cup, the President's Cup.

History

Early years

The LFA President's Cup was originally introduced as fundraiser to help cover the costs of the LFA's new headquarters at Parnell Square. The top four placed LFA affiliated clubs from the 1929–30 League of Ireland season took part in two semi-finals. Shelbourne defeated Brideville 1–0 at Harold's Cross Stadium in the first game on Sunday, 4 May 1930. Three days later the 1929–30 FAI Cup winners Shamrock Rovers defeated the league champions, Bohemians 2–0 at Dalymount Park. In the inaugural final on 23 May, Rovers and Shelbourne drew 1–1 at Shelbourne Park. For some reason the final was never replayed. In the 1930–31 final Dundalk beat Rovers 7–3. This became the competitions highest scoring final. Rovers won the cup for the first time outright in 1932–33. They would go on to become the competition's most successful club, winning it on twenty one occasions. They were also runners-up on a further ten occasions. The 1941–42 competition took nearly an entire year to compete despite a single tie format been used. Shamrock Rovers and Drumcondra drew in August 1941, drew in the replay in April 1942 before Rovers, in Bob Fullam's first competitive match in charge, won the second replay in August 1942.

Format

The most common format used throughout LFA President's Cup history saw the top placed LFA affiliated club from the League of Ireland play-off against the LFA affiliated club that had progressed the furthest in the FAI Cup. This match was usually a one-off fixture played before the following season. However the earliest competitions in 1930s featured as many as ten clubs and were played at the end of the season. There was no competition held between 1933 and 1938 and when it returned in 1939–40 it adopted the two club single match format. This format continued throughout the 1940s, 1950s and early 1960s. Between 1964 and 1965 and 1972–73, with the exception a single tie final in 1968–69, it reverted to a knockout tournament featuring up to eight clubs. In 1973–74 the LFA broke with tradition when they arranged an all-Munster final for the first and only time. Waterford, who had been League of Ireland champions for six out of the eight previous seasons, played Cork Hibernians, the winners of the two previous FAI Cup finals. Alfie Hale scored both goals, including one penalty, as Waterford won 2–0 at Flower Lodge on 29 August 1973. From 1973 to 1974 onwards the LFA President's Cup continued with the two club single match format, except between 1980 and 1981 and 1983–84 when the finals were played over two legs.

Super Cup

When the LFA President's Cup was first established in 1929–30
every previous League of Ireland winner had come from Leinster and only two teams from outside Leinster – Alton United and Fordsons – had won the FAI Cup.
This Leinster dominance would continue and the League of Ireland's traditional top four clubs – Shamrock Rovers, Shelbourne, Bohemians and Dundalk – all came from the province. As a result the LFA President's Cup developed into a de facto national super cup. On twenty four occasions the final featured the League of Ireland champions against the FAI Cup winners. Between 1954 and 1955 and 1959–60 they met in six consecutive finals. Of the 64 finals played only nine did not feature either the League of Ireland champion or the FAI Cup winner.

List of finals

DateWinnerScoreRunners-upVenue
1929–30Shamrock Rovers1–1ShelbourneShelbourne Park
1930–31Dundalk1–1Shamrock RoversShelbourne Park
ReplayDundalk7–3Shamrock RoversDalymount Park
1931–32This competition was not completed
1932–33Shamrock Rovers2–0DundalkDalymount Park
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1939–40Shelbourne2–1Shamrock RoversShelbourne Park
1940–41Shamrock Rovers2–1St James's GateShelbourne Park
1941–42Shamrock Rovers3–3DrumcondraTolka Park
ReplayShamrock Rovers4–4DrumcondraDalymount Park
2nd ReplayShamrock Rovers5–3DrumcondraGlenmalure Park
1942–43No competition
1943–44Shamrock Rovers3–2DundalkGlenmalure Park
1944–45Shamrock Rovers2–0DrumcondraGlenmalure Park
1945–46Shamrock Rovers3–2ShelbourneGlenmalure Park
1946–47Drumcondra2–2Shamrock RoversDalymount Park
ReplayDrumcondra1–0Shamrock RoversDalymount Park
1947–48Drumcondra2–2ShelbourneTolka Park
1948–49Shamrock Rovers3–2DrumcondraGlenmalure Park
1949–50Drumcondra2–1DundalkTolka Park
1950–51Drumcondra2–0TransportTolka Park
1951–52Dundalk2–1DrumcondraTolka Park
1952–53St Patrick's Athletic1–1DundalkTolka Park
ReplaySt Patrick's Athletic5–0DundalkDalymount Park
1953–54St Patrick's Athletic2–2ShelbourneTolka Park
ReplaySt Patrick's Athletic3–1ShelbourneTolka Park
1954–55Shamrock Rovers2–1DrumcondraTolka Park
1955–56St Patrick's Athletic3–1Shamrock RoversTolka Park
1956–57Shamrock Rovers1–0St Patrick's AthleticDalymount Park
1957–58Shamrock Rovers3–3DrumcondraDalymount Park
ReplayShamrock Rovers1–0DrumcondraDalymount Park
1958–59Drumcondra4–3DundalkDalymount Park
1959–60Shamrock Rovers1–1St Patrick's AthleticDalymount Park
ReplayShamrock Rovers2–0St Patrick's AthleticTolka Park
1960–61Shelbourne1–1Shamrock RoversDalymount Park
ReplayShelbourne1–1Shamrock RoversTolka Park
2nd ReplayShelbourne3–1Shamrock RoversTolka Park
1961–62Drumcondra3–0St Patrick's AthleticDalymount Park
1962–63Shamrock Rovers1–0ShelbourneDalymount Park
1963–64Dundalk4–3ShelbourneDalymount Park
1964–65Dundalk1–1Shamrock RoversDalymount Park
ReplayDundalk4–2Shamrock RoversDalymount Park
1965–66Bohemians1–1Shamrock RoversDalymount Park
ReplayBohemians3–2Shamrock RoversDalymount Park
1966–67Drumcondra1–0Shamrock RoversTolka Park
1967–68Bohemians0–0DrumcondraDalymount Park
ReplayBohemians3–2DrumcondraTolka Park
1968–69Shamrock Rovers3–2DundalkTolka Park
1969–70Shamrock Rovers4–3St Patrick's AthleticTolka Park
1970–71Shamrock Rovers3–3DroghedaDalymount Park
ReplayShamrock Rovers3–1DroghedaTolka Park
1971–72St Patrick's Athletic0–0BohemiansDalymount Park
ReplaySt Patrick's Athletic2–1BohemiansTolka Park
1972–73Shamrock Rovers3–1DundalkDalymount Park
1973–74Waterford2–0Cork HiberniansFlower Lodge
1974–75Bohemians4–1St Patrick's AthleticTolka Park
1975–76Bohemians4–0Home FarmDalymount Park
1976–77Bohemians1–1DundalkDalymount Park
ReplayBohemians1–0DundalkOriel Park
1977–78Bohemians2–1DundalkOriel Park
1978–79Bohemians3–1Shamrock RoversGlenmalure Park
1979–80Dundalk2–1BohemiansOriel Park
1980–81Dundalk1–1St Patrick's AthleticRichmond Park
Dundalk3–0St Patrick's AthleticOriel Park
1981–82Dundalk2–1Athlone TownOriel Park
Dundalk2–2Athlone TownSt Mel's Park
1982–83Bohemians1–0DundalkDalymount Park
Bohemians2–3DundalkOriel Park
1983–84Athlone Town2–1BohemiansSt Mel's Park
Athlone Town3–0BohemiansDalymount Park
1984–85Shamrock Rovers3–2UCDTolka Park
1985–86Shamrock Rovers1–0BohemiansGlenmalure Park
1986–87Shamrock Rovers3–2DundalkOriel Park
1987–88Shamrock Rovers0–0DundalkOriel Park
1988–89Dundalk3–2St Patrick's AthleticTolka Park
1989–90Dundalk3–1Bray WanderersCarlisle Grounds
1990–91St Patrick's Athletic2–2Bray WanderersCarlisle Grounds
1991–92
1992–93Bohemians0–0ShelbourneTolka Park
1993–94Shelbourne3–2BohemiansTolka Park
1994–95Bohemians2–1Shamrock RoversDalymount Park
1995–96Shelbourne2–1DundalkTolka Park
1996–97St Patrick's Athletic0–0ShelbourneDalymount Park
1997–98Bohemians1–0ShelbourneDalymount Park
1998–99Shelbourne4–0St Patrick's AthleticRichmond Park
1999–2000No competition
2000–01Bohemians0–0ShelbourneDalymount Park
2001–02Bohemians1–1ShelbourneDalymount Park
2002–03Shelbourne2–0DundalkTolka Park

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List of winners by club

;Notes