The 2015
FAI Senior Challenge Cup, also known as the 2015 FAI Irish Daily Mail Senior Cup for sponsorship reasons, was the 95th season of the national
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
competition of the Republic of Ireland. The winners of the competition earned a spot in the
first qualifying round
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...
of the
2016–17 UEFA Europa League
The 2016–17 UEFA Europa League was the 46th season of Europe's secondary club association football, football tournament organised by UEFA, and the eighth season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League.
The 2017 UEFA Eu ...
.
A total of 40 teams competed in the 2015 competition, which commenced in March 2015. The teams entered from the
2015 League of Ireland
The 2015 League of Ireland Premier Division was the 31st season of the League of Ireland Premier Division. Dundalk were champions and Cork City finished as runners-up.
Teams
Stadia and locations
Personnel and kits
Note: Flags indicate na ...
Premier Division and
First Division received byes into the second round stage. Four non-league clubs also received byes to the second round. The remaining 12 teams entered at the first round stage. These non-league teams are composed of the sixteen clubs, which reached the fourth round of the 2014–15 FAI Intermediate Cup, and the semi-finalists of the
FAI Junior Cup
The FAI Junior Cup is a cup competition organized by the Football Association of Ireland for junior association football clubs from the Republic of Ireland. The inaugural winners were Brideville. The competition's most successful club is Fairvi ...
in 2014–15.
Dundalk
Dundalk ( ; ga, Dún Dealgan ), meaning "the fort of Dealgan", is the county town (the administrative centre) of County Louth, Ireland. The town is on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the east coast of Ireland. It is h ...
won the cup after a 1–0 win against
Cork City
Cork ( , from , meaning 'marsh') is the second largest city in Ireland and third largest city by population on the island of Ireland. It is located in the south-west of Ireland, in the province of Munster. Following an extension to the city' ...
in the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
on 8 November.
Teams
First round
The draw for the First Round of the FAI Cup was made on 7 April 2015 at Abbotstown by FAI President Tony Fitzgerald and Brendan Clarke.
20 intermediate and junior clubs were present in the draw.
Second round
The draw for the Second Round of the FAI Cup was made on 6 May 2015 at the Aviva Stadium by
Paul McGrath and FAI President Tony Fitzgerald and contained 32 teams, with the 20 League of Ireland teams entering the competition. Ties played on the weekend ending 31 May 2015.
Third round
The draw for the third round took place in Sligo on July 17 and was made by Republic of Ireland manager
Martin O'Neill
Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill, (born 1 March 1952) is a Northern Irish professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder.
Starting his career in Northern Ireland, O'Neill moved to England where he spent most of his playi ...
and FAI president Tony Fitzgerald. Fixtures were played on the weekend of August 23.
Quarter-final
The draw for the quarter-finals of the Irish Daily Mail FAI Cup were made on August 23 with Irish under 21 manager Noel King and FAI Director of Competitions Fran Gavin overseeing proceedings.
Ties were played on Friday September 11. The draw featured 6 League of Ireland Premier Division teams and 2 non-league sides.
Semi finals
The draw was made by former Republic of Ireland international Keith Fahey, who was a member of the St Patrick’s Athletic team that won the trophy in 2014, and Fran Gavin, Director of Competitions at the Football Association of Ireland. The draw was broadcast live on RTE Radio One’s Morning Ireland programme and also on RTE News Now. On Friday, October 2 Dundalk defeated Longford Town 2 - 0. Cork City defeated Bray Wanderers 1-0 on Sunday, October 4. The match was broadcast live on RTÉ2.
Final
References
External links
Official websiteFull fixtures and results
{{2015–16 in European football (UEFA)
FAI Cup seasons