Linfield F.C.
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| Full name | Linfield Football and Athletic Club | ||
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| Nickname(s) | "The Blues" | ||
| Founded | 1886 | ||
| Ground | Windsor Park, Belfast | ||
| Capacity | 18,000 | ||
| Chairman | Jim Kerr | ||
| Manager | David Jeffrey | ||
| League | IFA Premiership | ||
| 2008-09 | 2nd | ||
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Linfield F.C. (full name Linfield Football & Athletic Club, is a Northern Irish football club playing in the IFA Premiership. Founded in March 1886 in south Belfast, Linfield play at Windsor Park, which is also the home of the Northern Ireland international team.
Windsor Park
Linfield's home ground is Windsor Park, which is located in south Belfast. The governing body of Northern Irish football, the Irish Football Association, leases the ground for use by the Northern Ireland national football team. The club currently receives 15% of Northern Ireland international gate receipts. However due to capacity concerns, the IFA no longer consider Windsor Park a suitable international venue, and are currently trying to break the contract negotiated in the 1980s.[1] There are controversial plans to develop a multi-sports stadium for Northern Ireland at the disused Maze prison outside Lisburn for the use of Rugby, Gaelic games and football.[2]
In 2009, plans were dropped for the National stadium at the former Maze prison, and plans were drawn up by Linfield for long and short-term fixes for Windsor Park, involving the building of new South and Railway stands at a cost of £3million, with capacity unchanged.
Another proposal would be to bring capacity up to 20,000 with both new Railway and South stands, renovation work to the current North Stand, and minor upgrades to the existing Kop Stand, new floodlights, and a new pitch, at a cost of just under £20million
If either of these proposals are to go ahead, the Irish Football Association will be asking Linfield F.C. to renegotiate their lease contract regarding the use of Windsor Park for International football and major local cup finals, which still has 87 years to run.
European record
As the province's most dominant club side, Linfield have been regular campaigners in European football. Their most notable achievement was reaching the quarter-finals of the European Cup in the 1966-1967 season. After beating FC Aris Bonnevoie of Luxembourg and Valerenga of Norway, they faced CSKA Sofia in the last eight. This resulted in a 2-2 draw at home and 1-0 defeat away.
In the 1984-85 season, after overcoming Shamrock Rovers on away goals, Linfield faced eventual semi-finalists Panathinaikos in the second round. After a 2-1 defeat away, Linfield went 3-0 up in the return leg at Windsor Park only to draw 3-3.
In the 1987-88 campaign Linfield's home game against Lillestrom was marred by missile throwing, resulting in UEFA sanctions which meant that the club had to play their next two home games in European competitions at Welsh club Wrexham in the 1988-89 and 1989-90 seasons.
The 1993–94 UEFA Champions League saw Linfield drawn with Dynamo Tbilisi of Georgia. After losing 3-2 on aggregate, they were reinstated when their opponents were expelled from the competition for alleged match fixing and paying the officials. Linfield faced FC Copenhagen in the first round proper. They won the first leg 3-0, and lost the second leg 4-0 after extra time. This proved costly, as victory would have meant a lucrative financial tie against eventual champions AC Milan in the next round.
Success
The club, which has the biggest fan base of any Irish League side[3], has a playing record unsurpassed in domestic football, winning the Premiership title 48 times (the 48th time on the 26 April 2008). They have also won the Irish Cup a record 39 times. In 2005-2006 they won a domestic clean sweep winning all four trophies available in the Irish league, the Gibson Cup (Irish League championship), the Irish Cup, the Irish Football League Cup), and the County Antrim Shield. This was the 3rd time Linfield have achieved a domestic clean sweep, winning it in the 1921/22 and 1961/62 seasons.
Not only are Linfield the most successful domestic team in Ireland, but have also won more trophies domestically than any other club in the world, with over 200 honours. Due to the fact that the IFA the sports governing body funds linfield with a minimum of £400,000 per year for use of the stadium for the northern ireland team
They won the double in 2006 and added a second consecutive 'double' in 2007, the first team to achieve this feat in over seventy years, and followed that with a third successive double (and 20th overall) in 2008, a feat which had not been achieved in 115 years.
In 2005, Linfield won the inaugural Setanta Cup, a competition between the top teams of both the Republic of Ireland's and Northern Ireland's Premier Leagues when they beat strong favourites Shelbourne 2-0 in Dublin.
Despite winning the first ever Setanta Cup competition, Linfield Football Club failed to reach the same feat in the tournament the following year, losing 1-0 to eventual winners, Drogheda United, at the semi-final stage. In 2006/07 they topped their group for the third successive season, becoming the only side to progress beyond the group stages in every year of the competition, and reached the final where they were again defeated by Drogheda United, this time on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw.
Linfield's illustrious history has been documented in print and film. Belfast Telegraph journalist Malcolm Brodie wrote 'Linfield : 100 Years', as part of the clubs centenary year in 1986.
A Linfield encyclopedia is scheduled to be released in 2011, to coincide with the club's 125th anniversary. Most of the book will be compiled from research by former Linfield chairman David Crawford, who died in 2007. The club announced that work would continue on the book, as a tribute to him
A video documenting the club's history, titled 'Weavers to Winners' was released in 1992, with commentary by UTV reporter and Linfield fan, Ivan Little. Among fans pictured in crowd scenes in the video was a teenage Davy Larmour, who went on to play for the club from 1997 to 2006. So far, there are no plans to re-release 'Weavers to Winners' on DVD.
An updated club history DVD, 'Into The Blue', produced by NVTV, was released on 1 August 2009.
Honours
Senior honours
- Irish League/Irish Premier League: 48
- 1890/91, 1891/92, 1892/93, 1894/95, 1897/98, 1901/02, 1903/04, 1906/07, 1907/08, 1908/09, 1910/11, 1913/14, 1921/22, 1922/23, 1929/30, 1931/32, 1933/34, 1934/35, 1948/49, 1953/54, 1954/55, 1955/56, 1958/59, 1959/60, 1960/61, 1961/62, 1965/66, 1968/69, 1970/71, 1974/75, 1977/78, 1978/79, 1979/80, 1981/82, 1982/83, 1983/84, 1984/85, 1985/86, 1986/87, 1988/89, 1992/93, 1993/94, 1999/00, 2000/01, 2003/04, 2005/06, 2006/07, 2007/08
- Belfast & District League: 2
- 1915/16, 1917/18
- Northern Regional league: 3
- 1942/43, 1944/45, 1945/46
- Irish Cup: 39
- 1890/91, 1891/92, 1892/93, 1894/95, 1897/98, 1898/99, 1901/02, 1903/04, 1911/12, 1912/13, 1914/15, 1915/16, 1918/19, 1921/22, 1922/23, 1929/30, 1930/31, 1933/34, 1935/36, 1938/39, 1941/42, 1944/45, 1945/46, 1947/48, 1949/50, 1952/53, 1959/60, 1961/62, 1962/63, 1969/70, 1977/78, 1979/80, 1981/82, 1993/94, 1994/95, 2001/02, 2005/06, 2006/07, 2007/08
- Belfast Charity Cup: 21
- 1890/91, 1891/92, 1892/93, 1893/94, 1894/95, 1898/99, 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, 1937/38
- Irish League Cup: 9
- 1986/87, 1991/92, 1993/94, 1997/98, 1998/99, 1999/00, 2001/02, 2005/06, 2007/08
- County Antrim Shield: 43
- 1898/99, 1903/04, 1905/06, 1906/07, 1907/08, 1912/13, 1913/14, 1916/17, 1921/22, 1922/23, 1927/28, 1928/29, 1929/30, 1931/32, 1932/33, 1933/34, 1934/35, 1937/38, 1941/42, 1946/47, 1948/49†, 1952/53, 1954/55, 1957/58, 1958/59, 1960/61, 1961/62, 1962/63, 1965/66, 1966/67, 1972/73, 1976/77, 1980/81, 1981/82, 1982/83, 1983/84, 1994/95, 1997/98, 2000/01, 2003/04, 2004/05, 2005/06
- City Cup: 22
- 1894/95, 1897/98, 1899/00, 1900/01, 1902/03, 1903/04, 1907/08, 1909/10, 1919/20, 1921/22, 1926/27, 1928/29, 1935,36, 1937/38, 1949/50, 1951/52, 1957/58, 1958/59, 1961/62, 1963/64, 1967/68, 1973/74
- Gold Cup: 33
- 1915/16, 1920/21, 1921/22, 1923/24, 1926/27, 1927/28, 1928/29, 1930/31, 1935/36, 1936/37, 1942/43, 1946/47, 1948/49, 1949/50, 1950/51, 1955/56, 1957/58, 1959/60, 1961/62, 1963/64, 1965/66, 1967/68, 1968/69, 1970/71, 1971/72, 1979/80, 1981/82, 1983/84, 1984/85, 1987/88, 1988/89, 1989/90, 1996/97
- Ulster Cup: 15
- 1948/49, 1955/56, 1956/57, 1959/60, 1961/62, 1964/65, 1967/68, 1970/71, 1971/72, 1974/75, 1977/78, 1978/79, 1979/80, 1984/85, 1992/93
- Floodlit Cup: 2
- 1993/94, 1997/98
- North-South Cup: 1
- 1961/62
- Blaxnit Cup: 1
- 1970/71
- Tyler Cup: 1
- 1980/81
- Setanta Cup: 1
- 2005
- Top Four Trophy: 1
- 1961/62
- Alhambra Cup: 1
- 1921/22
Intermediate honours
- Irish League B Division/B Division Section 2/Reserve League: 18
- 1951/52†, 1952/53†, 1975/76†, 1977/78†, 1978/79†, 1979/80†, 1982/83†, 1983/84†, 1984/85†, 1987/88†, 1988/89†, 1990/91†, 1991/92†, 1998/99†, 1999/00†, 2003/04†, 2004/05†, 2008/09†
- Irish Intermediate Cup: 13
- 1897/98†, 1899/00†, 1901/02†, 1922/23‡, 1925/26‡, 1929/30†, 1946/47†, 1949/50†, 1956/57†, 1957/58†, 1971/72†, 2001/02†, 2003/04†
- Steel & Sons Cup: 9
- 1895/96†, 1898/99†, 1915/16†, 1939/40†, 1946/47†, 1948/49†, 1972/73†, 1983/84†, 1997/98†
- George Wilson Cup: 8
- 1953/54†, 1961/62†, 1976/77†, 1980/81†, 1983/84†, 1984/85†, 1988/89†, 1998/99†
† Won by Linfield Swifts (reserve team)
‡ Won by Linfield Rangers (reserve team)
Junior honours
- Irish Junior Cup: 3
- 1890/91†, 1893/94‡, 1905/06ƒ
- County Antrim Junior Shield: 2
- 1904/05ƒ, 1914/15#
† Won by Linfield II (reserve team)
‡ Won by Linfield Swifts (reserve team)
ƒ Won by Linfield Pirates (reserve team)
# Won by Linfield Rangers (reserve team)
Current squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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References
- ^ Belfast Telegraph
- ^ "Lord's Hansard on the question of building an NI national stadium".
- ^ Bradley, Steve. "Football's last great taboo?", ESPNsoccernet, 2005-02-22 Retrieved on 2008-12-01
External links
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