Down Intermediate Football Championship

The Down Intermediate Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football competition contested by mid-tier Down GAA clubs. The national media covers the competition.[3]

Down Intermediate Football Championship
Current season or competition:
2023 Down Intermediate Football Championship
IrishCluiche Ceannais Péil An Dúin
Founded1973
TrophyWJ Farrell Cup
Title holders Liatroim Fontenoys (2nd title)
Most titles Ballyholland Harps
Atticall
Warrenpoint
(3 titles)
SponsorsThe Parador Lodge[1][2]

Liatroim are the title holders (2023) defeating Rostrevor in the Final.

Format

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16 clubs compete in the competition.

History

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Bredagh won their maiden title in 2016.[4]

The 2022 final between Rostrevor and Saval pitted Benny Coulter and Danny Hughes (teammates when Down got as far as the 2010 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final) against each other on the sideline.[5]

Honours

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The trophy presented to the winners is the ? The winner of the Down IFC qualifies to play in the Down Senior Football Championship. The Down IFC winner also qualifies for the Ulster Intermediate Club Football Championship.[6][7] It is the only team from Down to qualify for this competition. The Down IFC winner may enter the Ulster Intermediate Club Football Championship at either the preliminary round or the quarter-final stage. They often do well there, with the likes of Rostrevor[8][9] among the clubs from Down to play in at least one Ulster Championship final after winning the Down Intermediate Football Championship. Liatroim Fontenoys won Ulster in 1998. Warrenpoint won Ulster in 2014.[10] Then Loughlinisland won Ulster in 2015.[11]

The Down IFC winner — by winning the Ulster Intermediate Club Football Championship — may qualify for the All-Ireland Intermediate Club Football Championship, at which it would enter at the semi-final stage, providing it hasn't been drawn to face the British champions in the quarter-finals.

Finals listed by year

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Also won the Ulster and All-Ireland competitions in the same season
Also won the Ulster competition in the same season
Year Winner Score Score Opponents
1973 Greencastle
1990   Dromara   Ballymartin
1991   Glenn   Drumaness
1992   Drumaness   Ballymartin
1993   Ballymartin
1994   Ballyholland Harps   Annaclone
1995   Saval[12] Newry Bosco
1996   Newry Bosco
1997   Atticall   Annaclone
1998   Liatroim Fontenoys
1999   Ballyholland Harps
2000   Atticall
2001   Warrenpoint   Longstone
2002   Longstone   Saval
2003   Ballyholland Harps
2004   Atticall
2005   RGU Downpatrick
2006   Drumgath   Atticall
2007   RGU Downpatrick 0–12 0–09   Ballymartin
2008   Annaclone 1–13 0–13   Darragh Cross
2009   Ballymartin 0–15 0–07   Darragh Cross
2010   Tullylish 4–07 4–06   Annaclone
2011   Kilclief 1–09 0–09   Ballymartin
2012[13]   Warrenpoint[14] 1–08 0–08   Newry Bosco
2013   Drumgath 0–15 1–07   Newry Bosco
2014   Warrenpoint[15] 1–22 1–09   Ballymartin
2015   Loughinisland[16] 3–11 0–08   An Ríocht
2016[17][18]   Bredagh 3–13 1–10   An Ríocht
2017   Rostrevor[19] 1–10 1–06   Annaclone
2018[20][21]   Bredagh 3–13 1–17   Liatroim Fontenoys
2019[22]   Glenn 1–12 1–10   Newry Shamrocks
2020[23]   Saul 3–10 0–14   Drumgath
2021[24]   An Ríocht 2–06 0–11   Darragh Cross
2022   Saval[25][26] 1–12 1–09   Rostrevor
2023   Liatroim Fontenoys 1-13 1-12   Rostrevor

Wins listed by club

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# Team Wins Years won
1   Ballyholland Harps
3
1994, 1999, 2003
  Atticall 1997, 2000, 2004
  Warrenpoint 2001, 2012, 2014
4   Glenn
2
1991, 2019
  Ballymartin 1993, 2009
  Saval 1995, 2022
  RGU Downpatrick 2005, 2007
  Drumgath 2006, 2013
  Bredagh 2016, 2018
10 Greencastle
1
1973
  Dromara 1990
  Drumaness 1992
  Newry Bosco 1996
  Liatroim Fontenoys 1998, 2023
  Longstone 2002
  Annaclone 2008
  Tullylish 2010
  Kilclief 2011
  Loughinisland 2015
  Rostrevor 2017
  Saul 2020
  An Ríocht 2021

References

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  1. ^ Malone, Steve (15 October 2022). "Saval to give Reds their fill". Newry Democrat. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  2. ^ "Bredagh regain Down Intermediate Football honours". Belfastmedia.com. 26 October 2018. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  3. ^ Bagnall, Tony (26 September 2016). "Alan Davidson and Daniel Hughes power Bredagh to title". The Irish News. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  4. ^ "Bredagh crowned champions". Down Recorder. 28 September 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2022. The brilliance of deadly duo Donal Hughes and Alan Davidson sent An Riocht packing as Bredagh claimed their first ever IFC title at Pairc Esler on Sunday.
  5. ^ "Previews: Down Senior, Intermediate and Junior Football finals". Gaelic Life. 13 October 2022. Retrieved 3 December 2022. Former teammates Benny Coulter and Danny Hughes, who helped Down reach the All-Ireland final in 2010, will face off on the sideline this weekend and this one could go right down to the wire.
  6. ^ Watters, Andy (3 November 2018). "Down champions Bredagh travel south for Ulster Intermediate clash with Cavan outfit Mullahoran". The Irish News. Retrieved 3 December 2022. Down champions Bredagh swap the city streets of south Belfast for small town county Cavan this afternoon for a run-in with the once all-conquering 'Dreadnoughts'.
  7. ^ Watters, Andy (12 November 2022). "Down champions Saval make Ulster championship debut against Monaghan's Corduff". The Irish News. Retrieved 3 December 2022. Seventy-three years since their foundation, Down champions Saval make their Ulster debut against a Corduff side that passed their first test at this level with a nerve-jangling victory over Armagh's Shane O'Neill's in last weekend's preliminary round.
  8. ^ Malone, Steve (15 October 2022). "Saval to give Reds their fill". Retrieved 3 December 2022. Rostrevor won the title in 2017 and reached the Ulster Final where they lost to Moy by a point, who went on to win the Intermediate All-Ireland.
  9. ^ "Cavanagh keeps mighty Moy on upward curve". Irish Independent. 27 November 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  10. ^ "Ulster club IFC final: Warrenpoint come good in second". Hogan Stand. 30 November 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  11. ^ "Loughinisland stun Bundoran with late show". Irish Independent. 29 November 2015. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  12. ^ Malone, Steve (15 October 2022). "Saval to give Reds their fill". Retrieved 3 December 2022. Saval last won the Championship in 1995
  13. ^ "Kilcoo Take County Title". newry.ie. 23 October 2012.
  14. ^ "Cookstown win is extra special". Irish Examiner. 3 December 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
  15. ^ "Ulster club IFC final: Warrenpoint come good in second". Hogan Stand. 30 November 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  16. ^ "Loughinisland stun Bundoran with late show". Irish Independent. 29 November 2015. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  17. ^ Bagnall, Tony (26 September 2016). "Alan Davidson and Daniel Hughes power Bredagh to title". The Irish News. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  18. ^ "Bredagh crowned champions". Down Recorder. 28 September 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  19. ^ Malone, Steve (15 October 2022). "Saval to give Reds their fill". Retrieved 3 December 2022. Rostrevor won the title in 2017 and reached the Ulster Final where they lost to Moy by a point, who went on to win the Intermediate All-Ireland.
  20. ^ "Bredagh regain Down Intermediate Football honours". Belfastmedia.com. 26 October 2018. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  21. ^ Watters, Andy (3 November 2018). "Down champions Bredagh travel south for Ulster Intermediate clash with Cavan outfit Mullahoran". The Irish News. Retrieved 3 December 2022. Jody Gormley steered Bredagh to the Down Intermediate title this year
  22. ^ Malone, Steve (16 October 2019). "Captains character inspires Glenn". Newry Democrat.
  23. ^ O Meiscill, Padraig (21 September 2020). "Saul's hat-trick of majors ensures victory in Down IFC final". The Irish News.
  24. ^ Casey, Shaun (4 December 2021). "An Ríocht chasing more glory days". Gaelic Life. Retrieved 3 December 2022. An Ríocht picked up their first ever championship success at senior level with a 2-6 to 0-11 win over Darragh Cross in the Intermediate final. It was a historic day for the Kingdom and a result that didn't look likely heading into the last water break. Bernie Ruane's side trailed 0-11 to 0-5 but late goals from Eoin Sloan and Kory Colgan completed a comeback that will live long in the memory.
  25. ^ Watters, Andy (12 November 2022). "Down champions Saval make Ulster championship debut against Monaghan's Corduff". The Irish News. Retrieved 3 December 2022. Saval clinched their maiden Down intermediate title with victory over Rostrevor on October 15
  26. ^ Malone, Steve (15 October 2022). "Saval to give Reds their fill". Retrieved 3 December 2022.