Down Intermediate Football Championship Explained

Currentlyrunning:2023 Down Intermediate Football Championship
Down Intermediate Football Championship
First:1973
Sponsors:The Parador Lodge[1] [2]
Trophy:WJ Farrell Cup
Irish:Cluiche Ceannais Péil An Dúin
Current: Liatroim Fontenoys
Currentordinal:2
Super:th
Most: Ballyholland Harps
Atticall
Warrenpoint
Mostordinal:3

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]

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

Format

16 clubs compete in the competition.

History

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

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

Also won the Ulster and All-Ireland competitions in the same season
Also won the Ulster competition in the same season
YearWinnerScoreScoreOpponents
1973Greencastle
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 Downpatrick0–120–09 Ballymartin
2008 Annaclone1–130–13 Darragh Cross
2009 Ballymartin0–150–07 Darragh Cross
2010 Tullylish4–074–06 Annaclone
2011 Kilclief1–090–09 Ballymartin
2012[13] Warrenpoint[14] 1–080–08 Newry Bosco
2013 Drumgath0–151–07 Newry Bosco
2014 Warrenpoint[15] 1–221–09 Ballymartin
2015 Loughinisland[16] 3–110–08 An Ríocht
2016[17] [18] Bredagh3–131–10 An Ríocht
2017 Rostrevor[19] 1–101–06 Annaclone
2018[20] [21] Bredagh3–131–17 Liatroim Fontenoys
2019[22] Glenn1–121–10 Newry Shamrocks
2020[23] Saul3–100–14 Drumgath
2021[24] An Ríocht2–060–11 Darragh Cross
2022 Saval[25] [26] 1–121–09 Rostrevor
2023 Liatroim Fontenoys1-131-12 Rostrevor

Notes and References

  1. News: Saval to give Reds their fill. Newry Democrat. 15 October 2022. 3 December 2022. Steve. Malone.
  2. News: Bredagh regain Down Intermediate Football honours. Belfastmedia.com. 26 October 2018. 3 December 2022.
  3. News: Alan Davidson and Daniel Hughes power Bredagh to title. The Irish News. 26 September 2016. 3 December 2022. Tony. Bagnall.
  4. News: Bredagh crowned champions. Down Recorder. 28 September 2016. 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. News: Previews: Down Senior, Intermediate and Junior Football finals. Gaelic Life. 13 October 2022. 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. News: Down champions Bredagh travel south for Ulster Intermediate clash with Cavan outfit Mullahoran. The Irish News. 3 November 2018. 3 December 2022. Andy. Watters. 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. News: Down champions Saval make Ulster championship debut against Monaghan's Corduff. The Irish News. 12 November 2022. 3 December 2022. Andy. Watters. 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. News: Saval to give Reds their fill. 15 October 2022. 3 December 2022. Steve. Malone. 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. News: Cavanagh keeps mighty Moy on upward curve. Irish Independent. 27 November 2017. 27 November 2017.
  10. News: Ulster club IFC final: Warrenpoint come good in second. Hogan Stand. 30 November 2014. 2 December 2014.
  11. News: Loughinisland stun Bundoran with late show. 29 November 2015. Irish Independent. 2 December 2015.
  12. News: Saval to give Reds their fill. 15 October 2022. 3 December 2022. Steve. Malone. Saval last won the Championship in 1995.
  13. News: Kilcoo Take County Title. newry.ie. 23 October 2012.
  14. News: Cookstown win is extra special . 3 December 2012 . . 3 December 2012.
  15. News: Ulster club IFC final: Warrenpoint come good in second. Hogan Stand. 30 November 2014. 2 December 2014.
  16. News: Loughinisland stun Bundoran with late show. 29 November 2015. Irish Independent. 2 December 2015.
  17. News: Alan Davidson and Daniel Hughes power Bredagh to title. The Irish News. 26 September 2016. 3 December 2022. Tony. Bagnall.
  18. News: Bredagh crowned champions. Down Recorder. 28 September 2016. 3 December 2022.
  19. News: Saval to give Reds their fill. 15 October 2022. 3 December 2022. Steve. Malone. 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. News: Bredagh regain Down Intermediate Football honours. Belfastmedia.com. 26 October 2018. 3 December 2022.
  21. News: Down champions Bredagh travel south for Ulster Intermediate clash with Cavan outfit Mullahoran. The Irish News. 3 November 2018. 3 December 2022. Andy. Watters. Jody Gormley steered Bredagh to the Down Intermediate title this year.
  22. News: Captains character inspires Glenn. Newry Democrat. Steve. Malone. 16 October 2019.
  23. News: Saul's hat-trick of majors ensures victory in Down IFC final. The Irish News. Padraig. O Meiscill. 21 September 2020.
  24. News: An Ríocht chasing more glory days. Gaelic Life. 4 December 2021. 3 December 2022. Shaun. Casey. 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. News: Down champions Saval make Ulster championship debut against Monaghan's Corduff. The Irish News. 12 November 2022. 3 December 2022. Andy. Watters. Saval clinched their maiden Down intermediate title with victory over Rostrevor on October 15.
  26. News: Saval to give Reds their fill. 15 October 2022. 3 December 2022. Steve. Malone.