Queen’s Park
• Clydesdale
• Vale of Leven
• Dumbreck
• Third Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers
• Eastern
• Granville
• Kilmarnock
When was the Scottish Cup first played?
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup, usually known as the Scottish Cup, started in the 1873–74 season, when it was contested by 16 teams. The trophy is the oldest national trophy in the world. The Scottish Cup was first awarded to Queen’s Park when they beat Clydesdale 2–0 in the final in front of a crowd of 3,000 people.
Quickies
Did you know …
• in September 1884 the Glasgow Evening News produced the first-ever football edition of a newspaper giving match scores from earlier that afternoon?
What is the Old Firm?
The Scottish soccer teams Celtic FC, founded in 1888, and Rangers FC, founded in 1873, both based in Glasgow, are collectively referred to as the Old Firm. It is not clear how this term came about. Some say it is because of camaraderie shown between the two clubs in their early days, while others surmise it is an ironic take on the arch rivalry that eventually developed between them. Whichever it is, the two clubs are indisputably the most successful in Scotland, having won between them 66 Scottish Cups and 93 Scottish Premier League championships as of 2008.
Quickies
Did you know …
• the Scottish club Queen’s Park FC, established in 1867, is the world’s oldest soccer club outside of England?
Who was the Welsh Wizard?
Player Billy Meredith was born in Black Park, Wales, on July 28, 1874. He worked as a coal miner and played local soccer for Chirk, but at the age of 18 he signed as an amateur with Northwich Victoria, becoming the first Welshman to play for an English club. Two years later he joined Manchester City, but returned to Wales the following year to help his national team win their first international competition. He continued to work as a miner until 1896, when his club finally insisted he give up his colliery job. The fans loved Meredith’s skills and dubbed him the “Welsh Wizard.”
Teams in the Inaugural Scottish FA Cup Competition
• Queen’s Park
• Clydesdale
• Alexandra Athletic
• Callander
• Granville
• Dumbarton
• Vale of Leven
• Eastern
• Rovers
• Dumbreck
• Renton
• Kilmarnock
• Third Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers
• Southern
• Western
• Blythswood
What is the oldest Irish soccer club?
Cliftonville Football and Athletic Club, known as The Reds, is a Northern Irish football team playing in the IFA Premiership. Founded on September 20, 1879, in the north Belfast district of Cliftonville, they are the oldest football club in Ireland and celebrated their 125th anniversary in 2004.
Quickies
Did you know …
• the Football Association of Wales, founded in 1876, is the third oldest national soccer association in the world?
Who was John McAlery?
While on his honeymoon to Scotland, Belfast businessman John McAlery attended a soccer match staged by the Scottish FA. McAlery so enjoyed the game that he returned home and placed an advertisement in the newspaper inviting players to join the “Cliftonville Association Football Club.” At the time, there was no organized football association in Ireland. One week later, Cliftonville played its first match on September 20, 1879, losing 2–1 to a group of rugby players known as Quidnunces. In 1880, McAlery was the driving force behind the formation of the Irish FA, issuing an invitation to interested parties in Belfast and district to attend a meeting on November 18, 1880, at Queen’s Hotel, from which the Irish Football Association was formed.
What 1882 game gave opposite records to Ireland and England?
On February 18, 1882, two years after the founding of the Irish FA, Ireland made their international debut against England, losing 13–0 in a friendly game played at Bloomfield Park in Belfast. This remains the record win for England and the record defeat for the Northern Ireland team.
When was the Irish league founded?
The Irish League is the second-oldest national league in the world, being formed a week earlier than the Scottish Football League. Only the Football League in England is older. Four clubs — Cliftonville, Glentoran, Linfield, and Lisburn Distillery — have retained membership of the Irish League since its inception in 1890.
Quickies
Did you know …
• Scotland’s first match outside the British Isles was on May 26, 1929? They beat Norway 7–3 in Bergen.
When was the first international game between non-UK teams?
The first soccer international game played without involving a British side was between the United States and Canada, played in Newark, New Jersey, on November 28, 1885. The Canadians won 1–0.
Quickies
Did you know …
• Ireland changed to green shirts against England on October 17, 1931? Up until then they had worn blue.
What is the difference between the Irish Football Association (IFA) and the Football Association of Ireland (FAI)?
Ireland has two FAs because Ireland itself is divided into two nations, Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Ireland, which is a sovereign state formed in 1921. Beginning with the formation of the Irish Football Association (IFA) in 1879,
