Irish Football Research Articles

The influence of date and place of birth on youth player selection to a National Football Association elite development programme

ABSTRACTAim: This study sought to examine whether the place and date of birth of elite youth Irish footballers influences their selection onto the Football Association of Ireland's primary development pathway; 12 regional centres of excellences called the “Emerging Talent Programme” (ETP). The proposed hypothesis was that players born earlier in the year would be over-represented compared to those born later in their age band. A secondary hypothesis was that access to the ETP would be independent of place of birth. Methods: The dates and place of birth of all elite youth footballers (n = 1936) selected onto the ETP since its inception were examined. χ2 tests were used to establish if the dates of birth differed from the expected population distribution. Odds ratios were used to identify spatial variation in relation to place of birth and talent production. Results: The results showed that admission to the ETP is not independent of quarter of birth (P .05, χ2 = 256.817, w = .388). Place of birth analysis showed an unequal geographical distribution of players gaining selection onto the ETP. Selection onto the ETP was not independent of place of birth (P < .05, χ2 = 149.457, w = .278). Footballers developed in counties that had an ETP centre were almost 50% more likely to gain selection than those without a centre (OR 1.455, 95% CI 1.314 -1.612). Conclusion: The current programme demonstrates inequitable distribution of opportunities to access elite development pathways due to biases related to date and place of birth.

The Social Background of Ireland’s Pre-World War I Association Football Clubs, Players and Administrators: The Case of South and West Ulster

This paper examines the development of association football in the South and West Ulster counties of Fermanagh, Tyrone, Cavan, and Monaghan in the pre-World War One era against the backdrop of the sporting ‘revolution’ and the political and social climate in Ireland at that time. While the Irish Football Association was founded in Belfast in 1880 and the game’s early growth in Ireland was centred in East Ulster, South and West Ulster were areas which were rather dislocated from the hearth of soccer in the province’s largest city, where professional structures were in place by 1894 and where senior and junior association football clubs were strongest. The origins of a number of clubs are examined and it will be shown that despite a lack of major industry and a professional structure, by the early 1900s, the game of soccer had established a strong role within society in many local communities in the area. An examination of the social backgrounds of players and administrators illustrates that leagues and cups were played on a cross-community basis in many areas and that patronage, as well as player participation and administration, came from nationalists as well as unionists.

Association Football in the Shamrock Shire’s Hy Brasil: The ‘Socker’ Code in Connacht, 1879–1906

Connacht was the only Irish province outside the penumbral aura of a Victorian-era Irish Football Association (IFA) division. Throughout the Gaelic Renaissance, this western province quintessentially represented the primitivistic and joyful aesthetic trope of Hy Brasil. It informed the transmundane thinking of those Celtophiles who classified soccer as a ‘garrison game'. Though the historiography of soccer in this isolated outpost is an impoverished habitus, within key urban sportive oubliettes resided sequestered soccer pioneers. This paper considers themes to include the introduction, agency, lucid diffusion and participation of the ‘socker code' in Connacht. Its inherently bottom-up organization, responses to top-down oppositional nativist fusillades, local mythos (often amid complex class and regional sporting allegiances) are expressed through multi-vocal identities and ethno-religious mentalities. The belated fin-de-siècle fizzle of rural soccer and veracity of perpetuated contentions regarding the British military’s key role as soccer’s sole provincial emissary are also appraised.

The development of schoolboy coaching structures for association football in Ireland, 1945–1995

This article offers a comparison in progress in developing coaching structures for schoolboys’ soccer in Ireland in the period from the end of the Second World War until 1995. It will be shown that in Northern Ireland, the Belfast-based Irish Football Association’s implementation of coaching courses was at a more advanced level in the decades immediately following the war, while the Dublin-centred Football Association of Ireland was hindered by a lack of facilities and funds for most of the twentieth century. In Northern Ireland, links between soccer organizers and governing bodies for physical recreation were stronger, and the IFA had begun to develop a coherent structure for the qualification of coaches by the early 1950s. This contrasted greatly to the structures put in place by the FAI and it was not until the Jack Charlton era (1986–1995) that they were able to implement a more comprehensive nationwide system.

Football unity during the Northern Ireland Troubles?

This article looks at the attempts during the 1970s and early 1980s between the Irish Football Association and the Football Association of Ireland to heal the split that had been in place in Irish soccer since 1921. These attempts were made against the backdrop of the Northern Ireland Troubles of 1968–1998. This paper explores the reasons why the talks took place at this juncture. It examines the main issues discussed at the conferences that took place from 1973 to 1980 between these national governing bodies for football and assesses the main factors leading to their ultimate failure.

Linfield’s ‘Hawk of Peace’: pre-Ceasefires reconciliation in Irish League football

In Northern Irish football, Linfield are unrivalled in support and success. Yet historically, the Blues have been dogged by accusations of sectarianism. Controversy at the club in the early 1990s allowed Linfield to improve its unwanted image, and also indicated before the Ceasefires and Agreement, reconciliation was in the air. In late 1991, manager Eric Bowyer stated it was ‘almost impossible for us to sign Catholics.’ The press, politicians and lobbyists seized upon his words and placed enormous pressure on the club. On the back of the furore, Linfield brought in Catholic player Dessie Gorman – the ‘Dundalk Hawk.’ His performances helped the Blues to the Irish League title and revolutionized perceptions of the club. The press predicted Linfield fans couldn’t stomach supporting a Catholic, yet Gorman was idolized. The political changes, hailed later in the decade, were apparent in the social fibres of local football long before.

From Sands to Sanchez: The Making of a National Sports Stadium for Northern Ireland

This article examines debates concerning the proposed construction of a ‘national’ stadium for Northern Ireland. In so doing, it considers both the philosophical issues that are central to these debates, not least in relation to Northern Ireland’s contested claim to nationhood, and also some of the technical and legal concerns raised by the project, specifically in terms of questions of ownership and use. In passing, the article also comments of the question of nationality and eligibility within the context of Northern Irish football. It is agued that whilst debates about the need for a new stadium have tended to focus to date on political and conceptual matters, it is likely that, in the foreseeable future, legal, financial and technical difficulties will predominate.

Irish-born players in England's Football Leagues, 1945–2010: an historical and geographical assessment

Studies on the places of origin of Irish footballing migrants have been scarce. During the period from 1945 to 2010, 500 Republic of Ireland-born footballers and 417 players born in Northern Ireland played league football in England. This article will illustrate that while the majority of Irish footballers who migrated to England in this period were born in Dublin and Belfast, there were a number of reasons why rates of production were significantly lower outside these cities. The lack of street football in more rural areas, the role of schools, the slow establishment of local leagues and strong competition from other football codes help explain this disparity. An outline of scouting networks across Ireland will be given and the recent emergence of players from more peripheral regions will also be discussed. It will determine which English clubs were initially favoured by these players and the most significant Irish source clubs will be identified. Using interviews conducted with players and biographical information gathered, an assessment of their schoolboy-playing experiences will be offered while the migration of young players from more peripheral counties to clubs on the east coast of Ireland will also be examined.

Networking Structures and Competitive Association Football in Ulster, 1880–1914

This article examines attempts to develop formalised structures for association football in regional Ulster in the late Victorian and early Edwardian periods. Using the counties of Donegal, Tyrone, Fermanagh and Cavan as case studies, it will be shown that many clubs in these areas were rather isolated from the hearth of activity in the north-east of the province and developed independently without the assistance of the Irish Football Association. These regional soccer administrators struggled to organise their own county structures and instead relied heavily on cross-county fixtures. The failure of association football to develop a coherent identity throughout each of these counties is discussed while the importance of patronage and the railway network in the organisation of matches is highlighted.

Long Balls in the Dying Moments: Exploring the Decline of South Africa's National Football League, 1970–1977

During the 1970s, a number of prominent British and Irish footballers – the likes of which included Gordon Banks, George Best, Bobby Charlton, Geoff Hurst and Bobby Moore – played as ‘guest players’ on a short-term basis for various clubs in South Africa's National Football League (NFL), a ‘whites-only’ professional league that spanned the period 1959–1977. Coupled with this, NFL clubs from the outset also secured the services of additional foreign players of lesser standing on longer term contracts in an attempt to improve the standard of play. The strategy of importing high-profile ‘guests’ during the 1970s ultimately proved unsuccessful in sustaining the league as it disbanded after the 1977 season. Utilising archival documentation, contemporary media reports and existing football works, this essay aims to establish the reasons behind the NFL's demise. Two particular factors under consideration are the erosion of the league's entertainment value and the deteriorating economic conditions within South Africa at the time. These elements are juxtaposed with additional factors such as the rise in popularity of multiracial football, the resulting drain of sponsorship away from the white professional game, as well as political machinations within South Africa during this period.

The migration of Irish-born footballers to England, 1945–2010

This article will look at the experiences and achievement levels of Irish-born post-war football migrants to England using player interviews and secondary sources. The problems of cultural adaption, ‘bullying’ and anti-Irish abuse will be examined. The majority of Irish footballing migrants between 1945 and 2010 have not played in English football’s top division or gained senior international honours. Increasing recruitment of foreign players means that the number of Republic of Ireland-born footballers featuring in top-flight English football, and gaining senior international caps, has declined significantly over the last two decades. In addition, there has also been a decrease in the number of Northern Ireland-born footballers playing at the highest level of English league football since the 1986–1995 period. Despite this, there are no plans in place at government level or within Irish football’s administrative bodies to create an alternative structure to English professional football strong enough to prevent Ireland’s aspiring players from migrating at an early age and without sufficient education to fall back on should they fail to make it in the game.

Football’s Irish exodus: Examining the factors influencing Irish player migration to English professional leagues

The intention of this paper is to examine the range of interdependent processes that influence the decisions of Irish footballers to migrate from teams based in the League of Ireland to English Premier League and Football League clubs. Using data derived from a series of qualitative interviews conducted with a group of Irish players that had relocated to English clubs at different points over a 20-year period, the analysis reveals that the players’ decisions to migrate are predicated upon the interdependency of a number of processes that push the migrants from Ireland and pull them to England. The paper shows how these processes are reflected in a series of migrations where the players are not simply passive social agents but, rather, dynamic interlocutors whose decisions must be framed within the local contexts between which their movements are situated.

‘Darling of the Gods’: Tom Farquharson, Irish footballing migrant

This article examines the footballing career of Dublin-born goalkeeper Tom Farquharson. Using his appearance at the 1927 FA Cup final when Cardiff City beat Arsenal as an anchor this article seeks to explore Farquharson’s career both as a Cardiff City and Irish international player as a case study of Irish men playing their football in Football League in the interwar period. Farquharson’s refusal in 1931 to accept his selection by the Northern Ireland-based Irish Football Association was a significant moment in the attempts of the Irish Free State’s own Football Association to be recognized as the rightful association to use the term Ireland in international competition, being the first time a player refused of their volition. Analysing this and his footballing career more generally, we can intersect sports, labour, migration and diaspora history and begin to understand what it was like to be an Irishman playing football in interwar England.

Sport, the Northern Ireland peace process, and the politics of identity

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the implications of the Northern Ireland Good Friday Agreement (GFA) through the lens of sport, particularly football, and with reference to theoretical literature on peace-making processes. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is structured in such a way as to review theoretical literature, to consider the nature of the Northern Ireland problem and its implications for sport, to critique the current settlement and to demonstrate its failings using sport as an exemplar. The methods used are a critical review of relevant literature combined with reflections on the author's own involvement in sport and community relations. Findings – The paper argues that the GFA has resulted in a consociational “solution” to the Northern Ireland problem. The example of sport, and especially the standing of the Northern Ireland football team, indicates that such a settlement fails to address the central problem of two divided communities with different political aspirations and attitudes towards national identity. Research limitations/implications – The analysis is limited to the extent that it adopts an essentially top down approach. The findings deserve to be confirmed (or indeed refuted) at some future point by a gathering data from football fans and others. However, the implications are that the terms of the GFA should be revisited in the light of evidence of the failings of the current settlement not only as found in this paper but based on recent political developments. Practical implications – The Irish Football Association has to address the perception that appears prevalent amongst some Catholic players that they are not wanted by the national association. Politicians need to renew their efforts to create greater mutual understanding instead of fooling themselves that so long as they can talk to each other, the communities they represent will remain peaceful. Originality/value – I doubt if any academic author has had the same degree of involvement in relation to the role of sport in the Northern Ireland peace process. What gives the paper its particular value, however, is the fact that it is probably unique in looking at sport in Northern Ireland with specific reference to political science peace-making literature.

The ‘silent’ Irish – football, migrants and the pursuit of integration

Much has been written about life and sport in Ireland. In Northern Ireland, such discourse has rarely strayed from the issue of identity politics and all aspects of society appear, even in an era of peace, to reflect some degree of partisanship, including within the realm of association football. In the Republic of Ireland, the emphasis has increasingly been on the growing multiculturalism of that state and at present there exists a real challenge to all aspects of civic society to do more to integrate ‘new arrivals’ into Irish life in a more convincing manner than has been the case to date. And so, this is essentially what this article intends to examine – the role football authorities in Ireland can and do play in utlising the game as a means of integrating ethnic minorities into everyday life. There are examples of impactful work already taking place in this regard – notably on the part of the Irish Football Association’s (IFA’s) innovative World United programme, whilst there also remains shortcomings around the approach adopted both by the IFA and the Football Association of Ireland and these are critically engaged with throughout this article. Finally, in the spirit of finding a constructive way forward, the somewhat recalcitrant and authoritarian approach to granting eligibility to some of the very best young footballers on the island, including those living in the Republic of Ireland’s designated refugee centre north of Dublin, is afforded due recognition.

The Development of Gaelic football and Soccer Zones in County Donegal, 1884–1934

This article examines the geography of Gaelic and Association football zones in Donegal between 1884 and 1934. It will illustrate where these sports were initially played and will show how, by the early twentieth century, soccer was the number one team game in the county. With the decline of competitive soccer in Donegal after 1915, a vacuum existed for the organisation of competitive structures for Gaelic football and the Donegal Gaelic Athletic Association county board was refounded in 1919, having run initially from 1905–1907. County championships were soon organised and these provided a competitive form of football on a regular basis as players could adapt to each code fairly easily. However, many local sports organisers in the north-east of the county were eager to continue with soccer and it was through the organisation of local leagues and cup competitions that they managed to do this. A deep tradition of soccer and strong connections with Derry city and Scotland also meant that association football received priority there. In contrast, by 1934, Gaelic football had become firmly entrenched in the south and south-west. The importance of local organisers within the county and the failure of both the Irish Football Association and the Football Association of the Irish Free State to develop soccer in this peripheral area will also be outlined.

Transcending the borders of Irish identity? Narratives of northern nationalist footballers in Northern Ireland

In light of a growing trend by which Northern Irish-born footballers opt to pledge their sporting allegiance to the Republic of Ireland, the issue of player eligibility has become the subject of much public and political debate across the island of Ireland. In seeking to shed light on this controversial topic, this article examines the myriad factors which are negotiated by northern nationalist footballers when faced with the choice of which ‘nation’ to which they belong. Based on extracts from a series of interviews with northern nationalist players, the study situates their lived experiences within the broader socio-political landscape of Northern Ireland, highlighting a range of factors from the perceived culpability of the Irish Football Association (IFA) to sporting pragmatism on the part of the players. The research is theoretically grounded in the writings of Norbert Elias and Pierre Bourdieu, in particular by utilizing their respective interpretations of the socio-psychological concept of habitus in an attempt to understand the interplay between the relatively superficial and potentially temporary nature of sporting identity and a more deeply ingrained sense of national or political identification.

Ambiguity, complexity and convergence: The Evolution of Liverpool's Irish football clubs

Previously, the impact of ethnicity on association football in Britain has been discussed in terms of its contribution to the cultural development of Scotland and Northern Ireland. By highlighting the history of football clubs formed by the Irish in a major English city, such as Liverpool, this article seeks to broaden the debate on this aspect of British football out of the ‘Celtic-centric’ parameters it has exclusively been discussed in. Primarily, we seek to explain why, in contrast to the historical development of similar ethno-religiously divided towns and cities elsewhere in Britain, football clubs emerging from the Irish community in Liverpool did not become a serious cultural force within that city.

An Opportunity for a New Beginning: Soccer, Irish Nationalists and the Construction of a New Multi‐Sports Stadium for Northern Ireland

This essay examines two issues which for some time have dominated discussions on soccer in Northern Ireland. One is the long‐standing reticence of northern nationalists, Irish nationalists living in Northern Ireland, to attend home international matches. For a range of political, social and ideological reasons large numbers of this community have stayed away from these games for more than three decades. The other is the recent decision by the British government to build a new multi‐sports stadium on the outskirts of the capital city, Belfast. Viewed together, these developments give rise to a broader argument, as the present essay points to, which suggests that notwithstanding the well‐founded opposition northern nationalists have had towards symbols of unionist hegemony in Northern Ireland, including the Irish Football Association (IFA), it is now time to move on. In so doing it offers an ideal opportunity for all concerned to contribute to the birth of a new political and social context in this most divided of western societies.

Accounting for the early success of the Gaelic Athletic Association

Writing some years after the events he was describing, Michael Cusack, the first secretary of the Gaelic Athletic Association, suggested that in its early years the ‘Association swept the country like a prairie fire’. This is perhaps a little exaggerated, but its success was striking. Eighteen months after its foundation the G.A.A. was reckoned to have 50,000 individual members. Six months later there were around 400 affiliated clubs. The relative success of the G.A.A. is particularly apparent when its progress is compared with that of two of its rival organisations. The Irish Football Association was founded in 1880. Ten years later only 124 clubs had affiliated to it. By the same date the G.A.A., founded in 1884, had 875 member clubs.