The FAI Intermediate Cup ( ga, Corn Comortais Peile na hÉireann), also known as the FAI Umbro Intermediate Cup and the Pat O'Brien Intermediate Challenge Cup, is a

cup competition A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...

organized by the Football Association of Ireland for intermediate association football clubs from the Republic of Ireland. These include clubs competing in the Leinster Senior League, the Munster Senior League and the Ulster Senior League. It was originally known as the FAI Qualifying Cup and from the beginning it has been used as a qualifying competition for the senior

FAI Cup The Football Association of Ireland Senior Challenge Cup (FAI Cup), known as the Extra.ie FAI Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland (as well as Derry ...

. It is currently sponsored by

Umbro Umbro is an English sports equipment manufacturer founded in 1924 in Wilmslow, Cheshire and based in Manchester. They specialise in football and rugby sportswear featuring their ''Double Diamond'' logo. Umbro products are marketed in over 100 c ...

and has previously been sponsored by Carlsberg.

History

FAI Qualifying Cup

The competition was originally known as the FAI Qualifying Cup before it was renamed the FAI Intermediate Cup at the start of the 1931–32 season. The cup's first winners were Drumcondra who beat

Cobh Ramblers Cobh Ramblers Football Club (CRFC) ( ga, Cumann Peile Chóstóirí Chóbh) is an Irish football club. The club, founded in 1922 and elected to the League of Ireland in 1985, hails from Cobh, County Cork and play their home matches at St. Colm ...

in the inaugural 1926–27 final. Drumcondra, who at the time were playing in the Leinster Senior League, subsequently went onto complete a cup double when they defeated Brideville 1–0 in the 1926–27 FAI Cup final. The competition continues to act a qualifying competition for the

with clubs who reach the Round of Sixteen being invited to compete in the senior cup.

League of Ireland

In addition to being the inaugural winners, Drumcondra were also the first of several future

League of Ireland The League of Ireland ( ga, Sraith na hÉireann), together with the Football Association of Ireland, is one of the two main governing bodies responsible for organising association football in the Republic of Ireland. The term was originally us ...

clubs to win the FAI Intermediate Cup. Cork Bohemians,

Sligo Rovers Sligo Rovers Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Ruagairí Shligigh) is an Irish professional football club playing in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland. The club is based in Sligo in the west of Ireland. The club was founded in 1928 ...

Longford Town Longford () is the county town of County Longford in Ireland. It has a population of 10,008 according to the 2016 census. It is the biggest town in the county and about one third of the county's population lives there. Longford lies at the meet ...

, UCD,

, St Patricks Athletic, Albert Rovers, Bray Wanderers, Home Farm and

Cork Hibernians Cork Hibernians F.C. were an Irish football club based in Cork. They played in the League of Ireland between 1957 and 1976 and, from 1962, played their home games at Flower Lodge. In 1971, they were League of Ireland champions. History The ...

, playing as AOH, all subsequently won the cup before joining the national league.

Athlone Town Athlone Town Association Football Club () is an Irish football club from Athlone who are playing in the League of Ireland. The club is the oldest in the League as it was founded in 1887. First elected to the League of Ireland in 1922, they pl ...

were also finalists on one occasion.

Jacobs Jacobs may refer to: Businesses and organisations *Jacob's, a brand name for several lines of biscuits and crackers in Ireland and the UK *Jacobs (coffee), a brand of coffee * Jacobs Aircraft Engine Company, former American aircraft engine compan ...

, St. James's Gate and

Transport Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land (rail and road), water, cable, pipeline, an ...

all won the cup after leaving the League of Ireland. With five wins, Longford Town were the competitions most successful club until Bluebell United equalled their record in 1999–2000 and Avondale United surpassed it in 2013–14. The

reserve team In sports, a reserve team is a team composed of players under contract to a club but who do not normally play in matches for the first team. Reserve teams often include back-up players from the first team, young players who need playing time to i ...

s of League of Ireland clubs have also won the cup on several occasions. These include

Bohemians Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Beer * National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst * Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...

, Shelbourne, Drumcondra and St Patrick's Athletic. Limerick B and UCD Reserves were also runners up.

2000s and 2010s

During the 2000s and 2010s Avondale United and Crumlin United have been the cup's most successful clubs. In 2013–14 Avondale United became only the second club after

Distillery Distillation, or classical distillation, is the process of separating the components or substances from a liquid mixture by using selective boiling and condensation, usually inside an apparatus known as a still. Dry distillation is the heati ...

to win the cup four times in a row. In 2012 the FAI introduced a new cup, the Tom Hand Memorial Cup, which saw the winners of the FAI Intermediate Cup play off against the winners of the FAI Junior Cup. Avondale United won the inaugural match, defeating Sheriff Y.C. 2–1 at the

AUL Complex The Athletic Union League is an association football league featuring junior and amateur teams mainly from Northside, Dublin. The AUL currently operates thirteen divisions. Its senior division is known as the Premier A. Teams from the AUL also co ...

. In 2014 it was announced that future finals would be hosted at the

Aviva Stadium Aviva Stadium (also known as Lansdowne Road) is a sports stadium located in Dublin, Ireland, with a capacity for 51,700 spectators (all seated). It is built on the site of the former Lansdowne Road Stadium, which was demolished in 2007, and r ...

. The 2014–15 and 2015–16 finals were both played as double headers along with the FAI Junior Cup finals.

History

FAI Qualifying Cup

League of Ireland

2000s and 2010s

Finals

List of winners by club

References