Linfield Football Club is a
Northern Irish
Northern Irish people is a demonym for all people born in Northern Ireland or people who are entitled to reside in Northern Ireland without any restriction on their period of residence. Most Northern Irish people either identify as Northern ...
professional
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 ...
club based in south
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
which plays in the
NIFL Premiership
The NIFL Premiership, known as the Danske Bank Premiership for sponsorship purposes, and colloquially as the Irish League or Irish Premiership, is a professional association football league which operates as the highest division of the Northe ...
– the highest level of the
Northern Ireland Football League
The Northern Ireland Football League (commonly abbreviated to NIFL), known historically, and still colloquially, as the Irish League, is the national football league of Northern Ireland. The Irish League was originally formed in 1890, with the l ...
. The fourth-oldest club on the island of
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, Linfield was founded as ''Linfield Athletic Club'' in March 1886 by workers at the Ulster Spinning Company's Linfield Mill.
Since 1905, the club's home ground has been
Windsor Park
Windsor Park is a football stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is the home ground of Linfield F.C. who own the land the stadium is built on, while the Irish Football Association own and operate the stadium and pay Linfield an annual rent ...
,
which is also the home of the
Northern Ireland national team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. From 1882 to 1920, all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Foo ...
and is the
largest football stadium in Northern Ireland. The club's badge displays
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history.
The original cast ...
, in reference to the ground's namesake.
Historically, Linfield shared a fierce rivalry with
Belfast Celtic
Belfast Celtic Football Club was a football club. Founded in 1891 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, it was one of the most successful teams in Ireland until it withdrew permanently from the Irish League in 1949. The club left the league for polit ...
until Celtic's withdrawal from the league for political reasons in 1949. Since then, the club's main rival has been
Glentoran
Glentoran Football Club is a professional football club that plays in the NIFL Premiership. The club was founded in 1882.
History
Early history
In 1914, Glentoran won the Vienna Cup, becoming the first United Kingdom team to win a European t ...
, with the duo known locally as the ''
Big Two
Big two (also known as deuces, capsa, pusoy dos, dai di and various other names) is a card game of Cantonese origin. It is similar to the games of winner, daifugō, president, crazy eights, cheat, and other shedding games. The game is very popul ...
''. This rivalry traditionally includes a
league derby played on
Boxing Day
Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (26 December). Though it originated as a holiday to give gifts to the poor, today Boxing Day is primarily known as a shopping holiday. It ...
each year, which usually attracts Northern Ireland's highest domestic attendance of the season, excluding cup finals. For the 2021–22 season, Linfield's average league home attendance was approximately 2,900, the highest in the division and more than double the league's overall average of around 1,400.
The team, nicknamed ''The Blues'', is managed by former Northern Ireland international and the country's all-time record goalscorer,
David Healy. Healy was appointed on 14 October 2015 to succeed
Warren Feeney
Warren James Feeney (born 17 January 1981) is a football manager and former Northern Ireland international footballer, who is currently manager of Welling United.
In making his debut for the Northern Ireland national team, he became the third ...
,
following Feeney's resignation.
Domestically, Linfield has been one of the most successful clubs in the world, holding several domestic and world records. The club has won 110 League titles, Irish Cups and League Cups combined, as well as numerous other domestic cup competitions – taking their trophy count to well over 200. The club was one of the eight founding members of the Irish League in 1890, won the
inaugural league title, and is one of only three clubs to have gone on to compete in every season of the Irish League's top division since; a joint world record for the
longest continuous membership of a national league's top division. Linfield has won a world record 56 league championships to date – more than twice as many titles as any other Northern Irish club. In the 1921–22 season, Linfield completed an unprecedented clean sweep of all seven available trophies – to date, this is the only recorded instance of a seven-trophy season being achieved in world football.
In the modern era, the club won all four available domestic trophies in 2006 to complete a
domestic quadruple, and has also won three
domestic trebles. The club also holds the world record for the most
domestic doubles, with 25.
Linfield is one of only three clubs to have completed an Irish League campaign unbeaten, having done so on four occasions. The club has lifted the
Irish Cup
The Irish Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly referred to as the Irish Cup (currently known as the Samuel Gelston's Whiskey Irish Cup for sponsorship purposes) is the primary football knock-out cup competition in Northern Ireland. Ina ...
44 times, the second-highest number of national cup wins worldwide. Linfield has also won the
League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
a record ten times, and has won 4
all-Ireland
All-Ireland (sometimes All-Island) refers to all of Ireland, as opposed to the separate jurisdictions of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. "All-Ireland" is most frequently used to refer to sporting teams or events for the entire islan ...
cup competitions. The club has never won a
European
European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to:
In general
* ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe
** Ethnic groups in Europe
** Demographics of Europe
** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...
trophy, with the club's best finish being the quarter-finals of the
1966–67 European Cup
The 1966–67 season of the European Cup football club tournament was won by Celtic for the first time in the final against Internazionale, who eliminated defending champions Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, making them the first British team in ...
.
Club history
Formation and early years (1886–1918)
The club was founded in March 1886 in an area of south Belfast known as
Sandy Row
Sandy Row () is a large inner city estate in south Belfast, Northern Ireland. It lends its name to the surrounding residential community, which is predominantly Protestant working-class. The Sandy Row area had a population of 2,153 in 2001; in 2 ...
by workers at the Ulster Spinning Company's Linfield Mill.
Originally known as Linfield Athletic Club, the team initially played on an area of land located at the back of the mill owned by the company, which was known as the Meadow. Originally, the club had intended to have a rule in place to limit membership to employees of the mill only.
However, this idea was quickly scrapped to allow for the strongest team possible, with six of the club's first eleven players being non-employees. Linfield was credited with originating the passing game in Ireland, where a dribbling based approach had been the norm until around 1890,
and for three seasons during the club's early years they competed in the English
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
. In the
1888–89 qualifying rounds they defeated
Ulster
Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United King ...
and
Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...
to reach the fourth qualifying round, where they faced
Cliftonville
Cliftonville is a coastal area of the town of Margate, situated to the east of the main town, in the Thanet district of Kent, South East England, United Kingdom. It also contains the area known as Palm Bay.
The original Palm Bay estate was ...
. After two draws, they won 7–0 in the second replay, which was played on 25 December 1888. This is notable for being the only FA Cup match ever to be played on
Christmas Day
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...
.
This victory meant they qualified for the
first round proper
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 ...
for the first and only time, where they were drawn to face
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...
in what would turn out to be a controversial tie. Linfield had earned an impressive 2–2 draw in
Nottingham
Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...
, which meant a replay back in Belfast. In an apparent cup upset, Linfield then defeated Forest 3–1 at the
Ulster Cricket Ground
The Ulster Cricket Ground in Ballynafeigh Park was a sports venue in Ballynafeigh, Belfast. Opened in 1879, it was the home ground of both Ulster Cricket Club and Ulster F.C. During the 1880s, it also hosted several Irish Cup finals and Ireland i ...
in
Ballynafeigh
Laganbank was one of the nine district electoral areas in Belfast, Northern Ireland which existed from 1985 to 2014. Located in the south of the city, the district elected five members to Belfast City Council and contained the wards of Ballynaf ...
, with the large crowd celebrating the fact that Linfield had progressed to the second round. However, a few days later the
Belfast Telegraph
The ''Belfast Telegraph'' is a daily newspaper published in Belfast, Northern Ireland, by Independent News & Media. Its editor is Eoin Brannigan. Reflecting its unionist tradition, the paper has historically been "favoured by the Protestant po ...
revealed that the 'replay' had actually been played as nothing more than a friendly. Prior to the match, Linfield had conceded the tie after discovering that they had inadvertently fielded an ineligible player, William Johnston, in the first match. Officials from both clubs had agreed not to reveal this information to the players or the public before the match, in order to play the match as planned.
In any case, Linfield would have been unlikely to have played any further part in the cup, as the costs of travelling to
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
to play the second round tie against
Chatham
Chatham may refer to:
Places and jurisdictions Canada
* Chatham Islands (British Columbia)
* Chatham Sound, British Columbia
* Chatham, New Brunswick, a former town, now a neighbourhood of Miramichi
* Chatham (electoral district), New Brunswic ...
at an open ground with no gate income would have been prohibitive. Linfield made their final FA Cup appearance during the
1890–91 first qualifying round, being defeated 5–4 by
Nantwich
Nantwich ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. It has among the highest concentrations of listed buildings in England, with notably good examples of Tudor and Georgian architecture. ...
. This was the last season in which Irish clubs entered the competition.
Success on the field meant that the club had to accommodate bigger crowds, bringing about a move to Ulsterville Avenue in 1889. In 1890,
Bob Milne
Robert 'Bob' Milne is an American ragtime musician and concert pianist. Considered as a "very good specialist of ragtime boogie", he was referred to as a "national treasure" after he was interviewed and documented for future generations by the U.S. ...
signed for the club from the
Gordon Highlanders
Gordon may refer to:
People
* Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters
* Gordon (surname), the surname
* Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War
* Clan Gordon, ...
. The Scot would soon become a key member of the team, helping the Blues to lift the Irish Cup at the young age of 20.
The club stayed at Ulsterville for five years before housing development on the ground in 1894 meant that the club had to move on once again. Between 1894 and 1897, Linfield played all of their home games at opponents' grounds until the president of the club, Robert Gibson – who had donated the Gibson Cup trophy to the Irish League for the championship – along with other club members eventually secured a ground lease at Myrtlefield in the Balmoral area of the city. However, this was another temporary home. The club stayed here until 1905, when they moved into Windsor Park.
The club's first silverware at Windsor arrived in the 1906–07 season, with the club lifting both the
league title and the
County Antrim Shield
The County Antrim & District Football Association Senior Shield (more commonly known as the County Antrim Shield) is a football competition in Northern Ireland. The competition is open to senior teams who are members of the North East Ulster Foo ...
. This would be the first of a trio of league titles, with the
1907–08 and
1908–09 league titles to follow.
In 1910, team captain Bob Milne left the club with a legacy as one of Linfield's best ever players. He had amassed nine Irish Cups, eight league titles, and had earned 27 international caps for the
Ireland national team during his time at the club.
Another
Scottish
Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including:
*Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland
*Scottish English
*Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...
player,
Marshall McEwan
Marshall McEwan (26 June 1883 – 6 January 1966) was a Scottish association football, footballer who played in the English Football League, Football League for Blackpool F.C., Blackpool, Bolton Wanderers F.C., Bolton Wanderers and Chelsea F.C., ...
, joined the club in 1911 at the age of 26.
He had previously played for English clubs
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
,
Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...
and
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
. McEwan is perhaps best remembered for his performance in the 1913 Irish Cup final, described by some fans as the best in years.
McEwan retired in 1916, but remained in Belfast and later opened several businesses in the city.
In 1915, the Irish League was suspended as a result of the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. In its place, a temporary unofficial league known as the ''Belfast & District League'' was set up and ran for four seasons until the return of the Irish League in 1919. As this was an unofficial competition, any titles during this time are not counted as Irish League Championships. Linfield won this competition twice, in 1915–16 along with the Irish Cup, and in 1917–18.
Two seven-trophy seasons (1921–22 & 1961–62)
In the 1921–22 season, the club achieved a clean sweep of all the domestic competitions they entered – the
Irish League, Irish Cup, County Antrim Shield, Alhambra Cup, Belfast Charity Cup,
Gold Cup and the
City Cup
The City Cup was a rugby league competition involving Australian premiership teams. The post season tournament was a regular feature in the years 1912–1925. City Cups were also played in 1937, 1942 and 1959.
The inaugural city cup was contested ...
.
The club followed this up the next season by winning a treble including the Irish League, Irish Cup and County Antrim Shield in 1922–23. In 1927,
Joe Bambrick
Joseph Gardiner Absolom Bambrick (3 November 1905 – 13 October 1983) was a Northern Irish footballer who played for Chelsea, Walsall, Glentoran, and Linfield.
A former gas worker of medium build, he was a prolific goalscorer in the Irish L ...
signed for the Blues, and would become one of the club's all-time top goal scorers.
In the
1929–30 season, Bambrick scored a remarkable 94 goals – a record that surprisingly stood for only one season, until Glentoran's
Fred Roberts
Frederick Clark Roberts (born August 14, 1960) is an American former basketball player who played power forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 13 seasons, a career spanning from 1983 to 1997, becoming a successful journeymen in ...
scored an incredible 96 goals during the following campaign.
In 1930, Bambrick scored six goals in one game for
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
– a 7–0 win over
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
.
The
1931–32,
1933–34 and
1934–35 league titles followed for Linfield, before Bambrick left the club to join
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
in 1935 having scored 286 league goals in just 183 games for Linfield – a remarkable ratio of 1.56 goals per game.
The Irish League was once again suspended in 1940 as a result of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, with another temporary unofficial league set up which was called the ''Northern Regional League''. Linfield won this league three times – in 1942–43, 1944–45 and 1945–46. This league ran for seven seasons until the return of the Irish League once again in 1947.
In 1957,
Jackie Milburn
John Edward Thompson "Jackie" Milburn (11 May 1924 – 9 October 1988) was a football player principally associated with Newcastle United and England, though he also spent four seasons at Linfield. He was also known as Wor Jackie (particularly ...
famously signed for the Blues as
player-manager
A player-coach (also playing coach, captain-coach, or player-manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. A player-coach may be a head coach or an assistant coach. They may make changes to the sq ...
from
Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
, and won the
Ulster Footballer of the Year
The Ulster Footballer of the Year is the older of two association football player of the year awards in Northern Ireland. (The other is the Northern Ireland Football Writers' Association award.) It is awarded by Castlereagh Glentoran Supporters ...
award for his performances during his first season at the club.
Milburn's presence dramatically increased average crowds at matches, with the
Belfast Telegraph
The ''Belfast Telegraph'' is a daily newspaper published in Belfast, Northern Ireland, by Independent News & Media. Its editor is Eoin Brannigan. Reflecting its unionist tradition, the paper has historically been "favoured by the Protestant po ...
calling it the "''signing of the century''".
Milburn is famous for scoring Linfield's first ever goals in European competition. In September 1959, he scored both goals against
IFK Göteborg
Idrottsföreningen Kamraterna Göteborg (officially IFK Göteborg Fotboll), commonly known as IFK Göteborg, IFK (especially locally) or simply Göteborg, is a Swedish professional football club based in Gothenburg. Founded in 1904, it is the ...
in a 2–1 Linfield win at Windsor Park in the first leg of the
1959–60 European Cup
The 1959–60 European Cup was the fifth season of the European Cup, Europe's premier club football tournament. The competition was won by Real Madrid, who beat Eintracht Frankfurt 7–3 in the final at Hampden Park, Glasgow. It remains the recor ...
preliminary round tie – the club's European debut. Milburn was also the Irish league's top goal scorer on two occasions before leaving the club in 1960 to join
Yiewsley
Yiewsley ( ) is a large suburban village in the London Borough of Hillingdon, England, 2 miles (3 km) south of Uxbridge, the borough's commercial and administrative centre. Yiewsley was a chapelry in the ancient parish of Hillingdon, Middl ...
.
In 1962, forty years after Linfield's remarkable seven-trophy season, the club repeated the feat in the 1961–62 season under manager Isaac McDowell. They won another seven-trophy haul including the
Irish League, Irish Cup, County Antrim Shield, Gold Cup, City Cup and the
Ulster Cup
The Ulster Cup was an annual football competition held by the Irish Football League
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Eu ...
.
They also won the
North-South Cup
The North-South Cup was a short-lived all-Ireland football tournament. It was played for two seasons in the 1960s and on both occasions won by teams from Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-S ...
final that season, but it was actually the conclusion of the 1960–61 competition. Fixture congestion had meant that the final could not be played before the end of the previous season, so it was rescheduled to take place during the 1961–62 season. A commemorative event was held in April 2012, celebrating the 90th and 50th anniversaries of the 1921–22 and 1961–62 seven-trophy-winning teams.
Roy Coyle's 31-trophy haul (1975–1990)
Following a spell in England playing for
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of ...
and
Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that in the 2022–23 season will compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system, following the victory in ...
,
Roy Coyle
Robert Irvine Coyle (born 31 January 1946) is a former Northern Ireland international footballer. Coyle is the most successful manager in the history of the Irish Football League. He is the Director of Football at Glentoran.
Playing career
Co ...
joined the club as player-manager, taking over the reins from outgoing manager
Billy Campbell
William Oliver Campbell (born July 7, 1959) is an American film and television actor. He first gained recognition for his recurring role as Luke Fuller in the TV series ''Dynasty''. Then he became known for playing Rick Sammler on '' Once and A ...
. After a tough start to his managerial career at the club, Coyle went on to become the most successful Linfield manager in history, winning numerous trophies during his time at Windsor Park. His first season in charge was without silverware. In fact, having been Irish Cup runners-up the previous season when Coleraine defeated the Blues 1–0 after two replays, Linfield suffered one of the biggest upsets in Northern Irish football history when
B Division B Division, Division B, or variant may refer to:
* ''B Division'' (New York City Subway)
* ''B Division'' (Irish League), association football
* ''Division B'' (Scottish Football League)
* ''Divizia B'' (Romanian Football League)
* Moldovan "B ...
club
Carrick Rangers
Carrick Rangers Football Club is a semi-professional Northern Irish football club playing in NIFL Premiership. The club, founded in 1939, hails from Carrickfergus, County Antrim and plays its home matches at
Taylors Avenue which is known as ...
defeated the Blues 2–1 in the 1975–76 Irish Cup final on 10 April 1976. This giant-killing act in which a
junior
Junior or Juniors may refer to:
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* ''Junior'' (Junior Mance album), 1959
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Films
* ''Junior'' (1994 ...
club defeated a senior club in the Irish Cup final had only happened twice before in the cup's history, and not since 1955. The club stuck by Coyle however, and it was not long before he brought silverware to the club. His first honour arrived in the 1976–77 season in the form of the County Antrim Shield. However, the Blues suffered defeat in the Irish Cup final for the third consecutive season when they lost 4–1 against Coleraine. The 1977–78 season saw the club win an Irish League, Irish Cup and Ulster Cup treble. Runners-up in the last three Irish Cup finals, this time they were not to be denied. A 3–1 victory over Ballymena United secured the club's third trophy of the season.
Coyle retired from playing duties in 1980, but continued as manager. In 1982, future manager
David Jeffrey
David Jeffrey (born 28 October 1962) is a Northern Irish football manager and former player, who currently manages Ballymena United. He is best known for managing Linfield between 1997 and 2014. He began his professional playing career with t ...
joined the club following a stint in the
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
youth team and played for Coyle under many of his trophy successes, captaining the side for much of that time. One of Coyle's biggest achievements as manager was leading the club to six consecutive league titles between
1981–82 and
1986–87, equalling the record for the most consecutive titles which was set by
Belfast Celtic
Belfast Celtic Football Club was a football club. Founded in 1891 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, it was one of the most successful teams in Ireland until it withdrew permanently from the Irish League in 1949. The club left the league for polit ...
in
1947–48. 1986 was the year that
Noel Bailie
Noel Bailie (born 23 February 1971) is a former semi-professional footballer from Northern Ireland who spent his entire career playing for Linfield. He played as a sweeper and wore shirt number 11. With 40 club titles with Linfield, he is the ...
began what would turn out to be a 25-year career at the club. Although a defender for most of that time, Bailie began as a left midfielder.
Coyle's final trophy as Linfield manager was the Gold Cup in 1989–90. During his 15 years at the club he had amassed 10 League titles, 3 Irish Cups, 7 Gold Cups, 4 Ulster Cups, 5 County Antrim Shields, the Irish League Cup, and the Tyler Cup – 31 major honours in total. Coyle left the club in April 1990.
Eric Bowyer
Eric Bowyer was a Northern Irish footballer who played in the Irish League with Linfield, Glenavon, Bangor and Carrick Rangers in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. He was named as the Ulster Footballer of the Year for 1974–75.
At Linfield, he w ...
was appointed as Coyle's replacement, but it was a relatively unsuccessful reign that only lasted for two years until he was sacked in 1992, with David Jeffrey also leaving the club that year to join
Ards
Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a type of respiratory failure characterized by rapid onset of widespread inflammation in the lungs. Symptoms include shortness of breath (dyspnea), rapid breathing (tachypnea), and bluish skin color ...
. Next into the managerial hot seat was
Trevor Anderson
Trevor Anderson (born 3 March 1951) is a Northern Irish former footballer and manager. He played as a forward.
Playing career
Born in Belfast, Anderson began his playing career at Portadown before signing for Manchester United in October 1972. ...
, who brought more silverware to the club during his five years in charge between 1992 and 1997, including 2 Irish League titles and 2 Irish Cups. After retiring as a player in 1996 following a one-year spell at
Larne
Larne (, , the name of a Gaelic Ireland, Gaelic territory) is a town on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, with a population of 18,755 at the United Kingdom census, 2011, 2011 Census. It is a major passenger and freight Roll-on/ro ...
, David Jeffrey returned to the club as Anderson's assistant manager. This partnership lasted until Anderson resigned on the morning of 4 January 1997. Anderson later became
Director of Football
A sporting director, or director of sport, is an executive management position in a sports club. The role is well known as a manager role for European football clubs, which are sometime also "sports clubs", offering many types of sports. The sport ...
at
Newry Town
Newry City Football Club was a Northern Irish association football, football club founded in 1918 and dissolved in 2012. It was based in Newry, County Down and played its home matches at The Showgrounds (Newry), the Showgrounds. Club colours we ...
.
The David Jeffrey years (1997–2014)
Jeffrey took charge of the team in a caretaker capacity for a league match against
Portadown
Portadown () is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town sits on the River Bann in the north of the county, about southwest of Belfast. It is in the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council area and had a population of a ...
that afternoon, and remained as caretaker manager for the following match against
Ballyclare Comrades
Ballyclare Comrades Football Club is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club playing in the NIFL Championship. The club hails from Ballyclare, County Antrim and plays its home matches at Dixon Park. Club colours are red and white. The ...
in the
Floodlit Cup on 7 January. He was officially appointed as manager on a permanent basis on 8 January 1997. In his first full season in charge he led the club to three trophies – the
League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
, County Antrim Shield, and Floodlit Cup – and narrowly missed out on the
league title to champions
Cliftonville
Cliftonville is a coastal area of the town of Margate, situated to the east of the main town, in the Thanet district of Kent, South East England, United Kingdom. It also contains the area known as Palm Bay.
The original Palm Bay estate was ...
by four points. Jeffrey won his first league title as manager in the
1999–2000 season however, along with a third consecutive
League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
triumph. The Blues retained the league title the
following season, and also won the
Charity Shield and the County Antrim Shield. The 2001–02 season saw the club win a cup double, lifting both the Irish Cup and the League Cup. In 2005, the inauguration of the
Setanta Cup
The Setanta Sports Cup was a club football competition featuring teams from both football associations on the island of Ireland. Inaugurated in 2005, it was a cross-border competition between clubs in the League of Ireland from the Republic of Ir ...
meant the return of an all-Ireland cup competition for the first time since 1980. The Blues qualified as
league champions, but started the competition poorly – losing 2–1 away to
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 ...
. They recovered from that opening defeat to eventually reach the final against
Shelbourne, with the Blues being major underdogs going into the match against full-time professional
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 ...
opposition. However, they overcame the odds with a 2–0 victory to become
inaugural winners of the competition. Incidentally, Linfield were in fact the reigning all-Ireland champions at the time, having won the final staging of the
Tyler Cup
The Tyler Cup was an association football competition played between clubs in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The competition ran from 1978 to 1980, and was similar to the earlier Blaxnit Cup, North-South Cup, Dublin and Belfast In ...
in 1980 before the competition was discontinued.
The 2005–06 season was the most successful of Jeffrey's tenure, with the Blues achieving a clean sweep of all four domestic competitions; the
Irish Premier League,
Irish Cup
The Irish Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly referred to as the Irish Cup (currently known as the Samuel Gelston's Whiskey Irish Cup for sponsorship purposes) is the primary football knock-out cup competition in Northern Ireland. Ina ...
,
Irish League Cup
The Northern Ireland Football League Cup (BetMcLean League Cup for sponsorship purposes), also known colloquially as the Irish League Cup, is a national football knock-out cup competition in Northern Ireland open to all member clubs of the Nort ...
, and County Antrim Shield. However, they failed to retain the
Setanta Cup
The Setanta Sports Cup was a club football competition featuring teams from both football associations on the island of Ireland. Inaugurated in 2005, it was a cross-border competition between clubs in the League of Ireland from the Republic of Ir ...
as defending champions when they were narrowly beaten 1–0 at Windsor Park in the semi-finals by eventual winners,
Drogheda United
Drogheda United Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Dhroichead Átha Aontaithe) is a semi-professional Irish association football club based in Drogheda, County Louth playing in the League of Ireland Premier Division. They play their home matches ...
. In April 2010, former captain Noel Bailie made his 1,000th appearance for the club when he played in a 0–0 draw against
Crusaders
The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were in ...
in the league. A few days later, Linfield won their 49th league title after a 1–0 home win against Cliftonville. The following year, a landmark 50th league title arrived during the club's 125th anniversary year. Bailie retired from football in April 2011 at the age of 40, after making 1,013 appearances for the club in all competitions since making his debut against Ballymena United in March 1989. Linfield subsequently retired the number 11 shirt in his honour. In the 2011–12 season, Linfield won a league and cup double for the third consecutive season and the sixth time in seven seasons – a record 51st league title, 42nd Irish Cup win, and 23rd double overall.
The 2012–13 season was undoubtedly a low ebb for the club under Jeffrey's reign. The Blues were off the pace for most of the
league campaign – their season encapsulated in a 3–1 home defeat by newly-promoted
Ballinamallard United
Ballinamallard United Football Club is a semi-professional Northern Irish football club playing in the NIFL Championship. The club, re-formed in 1975 after being dormant since the 1960s, hails from Ballinamallard, near Enniskillen, County Ferma ...
in October 2012. Cliftonville were the eventual champions, securing their fourth league title after defeating Linfield 3–2 at
Solitude
Solitude is a state of seclusion or isolation, meaning lack of socialisation. Effects can be either positive or negative, depending on the situation. Short-term solitude is often valued as a time when one may work, think, or rest without distu ...
on 13 April 2013. Crusaders secured the runners-up place, leaving the Blues in third place – a distant 29 points behind the champions. The club went out of the
2013 Setanta Sports Cup after a heavy aggregate defeat in the quarter-finals, went out of the
League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
at the semi-final stage, and exited the
Irish Cup
The Irish Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly referred to as the Irish Cup (currently known as the Samuel Gelston's Whiskey Irish Cup for sponsorship purposes) is the primary football knock-out cup competition in Northern Ireland. Ina ...
in the fifth round after a replay. The club's first Irish Cup defeat in four years was also the first time in 16 years they had lost their opening tie of the competition.
When the
2014 Setanta Sports Cup was confirmed in December 2013, the club opted not to enter the competition, citing inconvenient fixture scheduling, reduced prize money, and the difficulties faced for Linfield supporters to attend away games as the reasons behind their withdrawal. At the time, the club did not rule out future participation, however, they would never enter the competition again. League champions Cliftonville also withdrew from the competition for similar reasons, with the next two highest placed sides from the previous season's league table (Ballinamallard United and Coleraine) being drafted in as replacements. In February 2014, Jeffrey announced that he would be stepping down at the end of the 2013–14 season, bringing an end to his trophy-laden reign after 17 years. In March 2014, the Blues lifted the County Antrim Shield for a record 43rd time by defeating Crusaders 4–1 on penalties following a 0–0 draw after extra time in the final. This was a significant milestone for Jeffrey – his 31st and last trophy as Linfield manager, equalling Roy Coyle's record.
Jeffrey still had the opportunity to win a record-breaking 32nd trophy as manager in the form of the 2013–14 league title. However, despite topping the league table for much of the season, the Blues had to settle for the runners-up spot, six points behind champions Cliftonville. Jeffrey's reign came to a winning end with a 5–2 victory over
Glenavon
Glenavon Football Club is a Northern Irish semi-professional football club that competes in the NIFL Premiership. Founded in 1889, the club hails from Lurgan and plays its home matches at Mourneview Park. Club colours are blue and white. Gar ...
on the final day of the 2013–14 league season.
Feeney & Healy (2014–present)
Former Northern Ireland international Warren Feeney succeeded Jeffrey as Linfield manager. Feeney had been player-assistant manager at English
Conference Premier
The National League, known as the Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest level of the National League System and fifth-highest of the overall English football league system. It is the highest league that is semi-profess ...
side
Salisbury City
Salisbury City Football Club was an English football club based in Salisbury, Wiltshire. They were formed in 1947 and played at The Raymond McEnhill Stadium. Salisbury had gained back-to-back promotions in recent years, first to the Conference S ...
at the time of his appointment. His cousin,
Lee Feeney, played for Linfield in two spells between 1997–1999 and 2002–2003. Former
Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. T ...
player,
Andy Todd, was appointed as Feeney's assistant.
Feeney's only full season in charge of the club ended without silverware. The Blues challenged for the
league title for most of the season, but ultimately had to settle for the runners-up spot for the second successive season, behind champions Crusaders. One positive for the season was the team's record in the four "Big Two" league derbies against Glentoran, of which the Blues won three and drew the other. The lowest point of the season for the team was undoubtedly a shock 1–0 loss against second-tier side Ballyclare Comrades in the second round of the
2014–15 League Cup, while their
2014–15 Irish Cup
The 2014–15 Irish Cup was the 135th edition of the premier knock-out cup competition in Northern Irish football since its introduction in 1881. The competition began on 23 August 2014 with the first round, and concluded on 2 May 2015 with the fi ...
campaign ended when they were eliminated in the quarter-finals after losing 3–2 to eventual runners-up Portadown.
In May 2015, the Blues were invited to compete in the Setanta Sports Cup scheduled to take place in June 2015. The club declined once again, with inconvenient fixture scheduling still remaining a concern. The competition was ultimately cancelled, when suitable fixture dates could not be agreed upon. With the Blues top of the table after 10 games of the
2015–16 NIFL Premiership
The 2015–16 NIFL Premiership (known as the Danske Bank Premiership for sponsorship reasons) was the eighth season of Northern Ireland's highest national football league in this format since its inception in 2008, the 115th season of Irish league ...
season, Feeney's reign came to an end in October 2015, when he resigned to become assistant manager (and subsequently the manager) of English
Football League Two
The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
side
Newport County.
Former Northern Ireland striker and the country's all-time record international goalscorer
David Healy was appointed as Feeney's successor,
with Andy Todd staying on as Healy's assistant manager. However, in January 2016 Todd also departed the club to join Newport County and reunite with Warren Feeney, who had subsequently been promoted to County's manager following the departure of
John Sheridan. Todd once again became Feeney's assistant manager.
League and cup history
Recent seasons
Stadium
![Windsor Park football stadium - Empty](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/Windsor_Park_football_stadium_-_Empty.JPG)
Since 1905, Windsor Park in south Belfast has been Linfield's home ground. In the initial years after the club was formed in 1886, Linfield had to change grounds several times for various reasons such as housing development. The numerous ground changes and the club's desire to have a permanent home with which to build an identity resulted in the purchase of a piece of land known as the 'bog meadows' just off lower Windsor Avenue on 1 October 1904. Later known as Windsor Park,
this became the club's permanent home as well as the venue for international matches. The first game at Windsor took place on 29 August 1905, with Linfield playing out a 0–0 draw against Distillery in a friendly match arranged to officially commemorate the opening of the stadium. The first competitive game played at the stadium took place just a few days later on 2 September 1905, and ended with a 1–0 win for Linfield over Glentoran – the other half of the "Big Two" Belfast teams – though
Belfast Celtic
Belfast Celtic Football Club was a football club. Founded in 1891 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, it was one of the most successful teams in Ireland until it withdrew permanently from the Irish League in 1949. The club left the league for polit ...
were Linfield's main rivals at the time.
Windsor Park is the largest Association football stadium in Northern Ireland, with Glentoran's ground, the
Oval
An oval () is a closed curve in a plane which resembles the outline of an egg. The term is not very specific, but in some areas (projective geometry, technical drawing, etc.) it is given a more precise definition, which may include either one or ...
, being the next largest. The governing body of Northern Irish football, the
Irish Football Association
The Irish Football Association (IFA) is the governing body for association football in Northern Ireland. It organised the Ireland national football team from 1880 to 1950, which after 1954, became the Northern Ireland national football team.
...
, manages the stadium, while Linfield retains ownership of the land. In 2012, Linfield and the IFA were in talks to agree a new 51-year contract for the use of Windsor Park. The club would receive an annual payment as rent for the IFA to use the ground for the
Northern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. From 1882 to 1920, all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team (1882–1950), Ireland natio ...
, but would no longer receive 15% of the ticket sales, TV rights, and commercial rights from international matches as they did under the old agreement. The 51-year agreement took effect from May 2014, with Linfield receiving an annual payment of £200,000 - subject to review (being adjusted for inflation etc.) every four years. This was increased to £214,000 per year in 2018, and due to increase again in 2022. The contract will expire in 2065.
In 2010,
UEFA
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
provided €500,000 towards substantial refurbishment of the stadium, to increase capacity and improve safety.
The following year, the
Northern Ireland Executive
The Northern Ireland Executive is the devolved government of Northern Ireland, an administrative branch of the legislature – the Northern Ireland Assembly. It is answerable to the assembly and was initially established according to the ter ...
allocated £138 million for a major programme of stadium redevelopment throughout Northern Ireland, with £28 million allocated to the redevelopment of Windsor Park. In June 2012, further details of the stadium's redevelopment were released. The plan was to redevelop Windsor Park into an 18,000 all-seater stadium with a series of phased works originally intended to begin in the middle of 2013. The redevelopment would include the demolition of the existing East and South Stand structures, to be replaced by new purpose built stands that would partially enclose the stadium; complete renovation of the existing North and West Stands; and construction of both new conferencing facilities and a new headquarters facility for the IFA.
In February 2013, planning permission for the redevelopment was granted. The cost of the project was estimated to be around £29.2 million, of which £25.2 million would come from government funding. It was initially planned for the work to begin in September 2013. Two months later however, Crusaders began legal proceedings against the redevelopment. The club called for the process to be judicially reviewed, believing it to be against
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
competition laws and also a form of
State aid
State aid in the European Union is the name given to a subsidy or any other aid provided by a government that distorts competitions. Under European Union competition law the term has a legal meaning, being any measure that demonstrates any of the ...
towards Linfield. They, along with other Irish League clubs, felt that this gives Linfield an unfair advantage by allowing them to offer more attractive wages and have a larger squad than all of the other clubs. When Crusaders played Linfield at Windsor Park at the end of April, their club officials were allegedly informed that they would not be welcome in the directors box or the boardroom during the game – an apparent reaction to Crusaders' legal challenge of the stadium redevelopment. In a hearing that took place on 22 May 2013, Crusaders' request was granted. It was ruled that it was a possibility for the redevelopment to be classed as state aid towards Linfield. The aspect of the challenge concerning competition law however, was dismissed.
In July 2013, Crusaders agreed to a possible settlement brought forward by the judicial review. The details of the settlement were not made public, but Crusaders said that it had the ''"potential to benefit the entirety of the football family"''. In September 2013, sports minister
Carál Ní Chuilín
Carál Ní Chuilín (; born 18 December 1964), formerly known as Caroline Cullen, is an Irish Sinn Féin politician and former Provisional IRA member. She has been a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for Belfast North since 2007 and serv ...
said that she was still committed to making sure the redevelopment went ahead as scheduled, after previously stating that she would not sign off on the funding until the IFA resolved "governance issues" surrounding David Martin's return to the role of deputy president.
In December 2013, three months after the work was originally scheduled to begin, the redevelopment was finally given the green light. The sports minister signed off on £31 million to complete the project. The redevelopment finally got under way on 6 May 2014 after the 2013–14 domestic season had finished, eight months later than originally planned. On 31 March 2015, the West Stand of the stadium was sealed off after cracks in the structure were discovered. Construction work related to the stadium redevelopment had been ongoing behind the stand in the weeks prior to the damage, but it was not known if that was directly related. Originally planned for refurbishment as part of the redevelopment, the West Stand was demolished and rebuilt. The redevelopment was completed in October 2016, with an official capacity of 18,434.
Supporters and rivalry
Big Two rivalry
Linfield's main rivals are
Glentoran
Glentoran Football Club is a professional football club that plays in the NIFL Premiership. The club was founded in 1882.
History
Early history
In 1914, Glentoran won the Vienna Cup, becoming the first United Kingdom team to win a European t ...
from east Belfast – a rivalry which is commonly referred to as the ''Big Two''. However, this term did not always refer to Linfield and Glentoran; up until 1949, the ''Big Two'' consisted of Linfield and
Belfast Celtic
Belfast Celtic Football Club was a football club. Founded in 1891 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, it was one of the most successful teams in Ireland until it withdrew permanently from the Irish League in 1949. The club left the league for polit ...
, as they had traditionally been the two most successful clubs in Northern Irish football to that point. However, after Belfast Celtic withdrew from the league in 1949, Glentoran gradually established themselves as Linfield's biggest rivals. The earliest recorded match between the two clubs was played on 1 October 1887 – just over a year after Linfield's formation. A friendly match played at King's Field, Westbourne in
Ballymacarrett
Ballymacarrett or Ballymacarret () is the name of both a townland and electoral ward in Belfast. The townland is in County Down and the electoral ward is part of the Titanic district electoral area of Belfast City Council.
The ward was create ...
was won 3–1 by Linfield (then known as Linfield Athletic). In 1890, the two teams played each other competitively for the first time, during the
inaugural Irish League season. Linfield won 7–0 at
Musgrave Park on 18 October, and 6–0 at Ulsterville Avenue on 21 March 1891. The first meeting at the Oval took place on 8 October 1892, and the first meeting at Windsor Park took place 13 years later on 2 September 1905.
During the second World War in 1941, the Oval – including most of Glentoran's assets – was severely damaged in a German aerial bombing raid on the nearby
Harland & Wolff
Harland & Wolff is a British shipbuilding company based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It specialises in ship repair, shipbuilding and offshore construction. Harland & Wolff is famous for having built the majority of the ocean liners for the Wh ...
shipyard. Glentoran approached
Distillery F.C to play at
Grosvenor Park, which they did until the Oval was rebuilt with help from other clubs. During this time, Glentoran considered resigning from senior football to become a junior club, but after borrowing kits from Distillery and Crusaders they continued to compete at Grosvenor until 1949. Out of 14 league games at Grosvenor Park however, they were only victorious over Linfield on one occasion.
Traditionally, the two clubs play each other in the league on
Boxing Day
Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (26 December). Though it originated as a holiday to give gifts to the poor, today Boxing Day is primarily known as a shopping holiday. It ...
every year, with the match usually attracting the largest attendance of any league match that season. In 2009, the Irish Football Association initially banned the fixture from taking place on Boxing Day for two years due to crowd trouble at Windsor Park.
However, this decision was later reversed on appeal, and the fixture returned to the calendar.
Ultimately, however, the 2009 and 2010 fixtures did not take place in the end anyway, as they were both postponed due to bad weather. The fixture returned to the fixture list in 2011, with each club hosting the match in alternate years.
Trophy dominance
Linfield and Glentoran have been the two most successful clubs in Northern Irish football to date, regularly being the two main contenders for the major domestic honours. They have won more league titles, Irish Cups, and League Cups than any other clubs. Linfield hold the record for the most League titles (56), Irish Cups (44), and League Cups (10). In comparison, Glentoran have won 23 league titles, 23 Irish Cups, and 7 League Cups. Almost half (47.2%) of the 142 Irish Cup competitions to date have been won by one of the two clubs, with at least one of the clubs reaching the final on 92 occasions (64.8% of all finals), winning the cup a combined 67 times. Of those 92 finals, the two clubs have met in 15 of them – making it the most common final. Linfield have won eight of the head-to-head final meetings compared to Glentoran's seven wins, with the most recent meeting between the two clubs in the final occurring in
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
, when Linfield won 2–1 to lift the Cup for the 37th time. Almost two-thirds (65.3%) of all Irish League titles have been won by one of the Big Two. Of the 121 completed league seasons, the title has been won by either club on 79 occasions. The duo also make up two of the three clubs that have appeared in every season of the Irish League since its inception in 1890; the other club being Cliftonville.
Up to and including the
2021–22 season, the two clubs have played each other 281 times
in the Irish League since its formation in 1890. Linfield have won 126 of the meetings, with 77 Glentoran victories and 78 drawn matches. Linfield's record victory over their rivals is 8–0. This occurred on 21 November 1891, during the
1891–92 Irish League
The 1891–92 Irish League was the 2nd edition of the Irish League, the highest level of league competition in Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north ...
season. Linfield's record post-war win over Glentoran in all competitions is by a six-goal margin – a 7–1 win over the Glens at Grosvenor Park in the 1961–62 North-South Cup, and a 6–0 victory at Windsor Park in the
2006 Setanta Sports Cup
The 2006 Setanta Sports Cup was the 2nd staging of the Setanta Sports Cup, a cross-border cup competition that takes place between football clubs from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The final was played at Tolka Park in Dublin, Rep ...
group stage.
Since 2009, the rivalry has not been as intense as it once was, with the Big Two's domination of the domestic game decreasing as competitiveness across the league has improved. This is partly due to the resurgence of
North Belfast derby
The North Belfast derby is the name given to football matches between Cliftonville and Crusaders who play in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The two are separated by around 1.5 miles with Cliftonville based at Solitude on Cliftonville Road and Cr ...
rivals Cliftonville and Crusaders, and to a lesser extent
Coleraine
Coleraine ( ; from ga, Cúil Rathain , 'nook of the ferns'Flanaghan, Deirdre & Laurence; ''Irish Place Names'', page 194. Gill & Macmillan, 2002. ) is a town and civil parish near the mouth of the River Bann in County Londonderry, Northern I ...
and
Glenavon
Glenavon Football Club is a Northern Irish semi-professional football club that competes in the NIFL Premiership. Founded in 1889, the club hails from Lurgan and plays its home matches at Mourneview Park. Club colours are blue and white. Gar ...
. In
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
, Cliftonville became the first club other than Linfield or Glentoran to win the league title since Portadown in
2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
. In
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
, Cliftonville went on to retain the title for the first time in their history, with Crusaders then winning the
2014–15 title in convincing fashion, finishing 10 points ahead of runners-up Linfield. During this time, Glentoran lifted the Irish Cup in
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
,
2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
and
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
, however the club has gone 13 years without a league title, winning only three titles since the turn of the 21st century; in
2002–03,
2004–05 and
2008–09. Since then, they have finished as low as ninth place in the
2016–17 season. The last season in which the two clubs finished as champions and runners-up in either order was 2008–09, and they have not met in a major domestic cup final since 2006, when they contested both the Irish Cup and the League Cup finals.
Sectarianism and violence
Linfield are regarded as a 'Protestant club'
and draw the vast majority of their support from that side of the community. The club has also been regarded as sectarian in the past, both in respect of its alleged employment policy and of the repeated behaviour of its fans. This sectarian reputation is partly the result of the actions of fans who have a history of anti-Catholic behaviour ranging from sectarian chanting on the terraces to outright physical violence. Part of the problem has been attributed to Windsor Park's location in a part of Belfast that was once predominantly Protestant. A relatively small number of local Catholics played for the club during the
Troubles
The Troubles ( ga, Na Trioblóidí) were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it is sometimes described as an " ...
, which led to a widespread accusation that the club held a historical policy of not signing Catholic players. However, the existence of such a policy has been continually refuted:
Sectarian tensions have long been a cause of conflict at football matches in Northern Ireland since the 1920s, and crowd trouble occasionally marred games involving Linfield throughout the twentieth century.
One of the most notable such instances occurred in 1948, at a Boxing Day match between Linfield and
Belfast Celtic
Belfast Celtic Football Club was a football club. Founded in 1891 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, it was one of the most successful teams in Ireland until it withdrew permanently from the Irish League in 1949. The club left the league for polit ...
(a team whose support was largely composed of Catholics and Irish nationalists). Immediately following a 1–1 draw in which Linfield scored in the last minute, there was a pitch invasion by Linfield supporters. In the ensuing violence, three Belfast Celtic players were seriously injured, including Protestant striker
Jimmy Jones, who was left unconscious and suffered a broken leg. Belfast Celtic subsequently withdrew from the league in protest at the end of the 1948–49 season.
In the
1979–80 European Cup
The 1979–80 season of the European Cup football club tournament was won by holders Nottingham Forest in the final against Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_ ...
, Linfield were drawn to face
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 ...
from the Republic of Ireland. In the first leg, which was played in Dundalk and ended in a 1–1 draw, crowd disturbance prompted
UEFA
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
to switch the second leg to the
Haarlem Stadion
Haarlem Stadion () is a stadium in Sportweg 8, Haarlem, Netherlands, and the home stadium of the Dutch amateur football club Haarlem Kennemerland
Haarlem Kennemerland is a Dutch football club from the city of Haarlem, established in 2010 as t ...
,
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
. Linfield were held almost entirely accountable for the events, and were forced to pay Dundalk's costs to travel to the Netherlands as well as an additional £5,000 for damage sustained to
Oriel Park
Oriel Park is a UEFA Category 2 football stadium located on the Carrickmacross Road in Dundalk, Ireland. The stadium is the home ground of Dundalk Football Club and is owned and operated by the club on land that has been leased from the Casey F ...
. Dundalk were fined £870 for providing insufficient security at the match. Dundalk eventually won the match 2–0 to progress 3–1 on aggregate. In the
1987–88 campaign, Linfield's home game against
Lillestrøm
Lillestrøm is a municipality in Viken county. It is located in the traditional district of Romerike. With a population of 85,757 inhabitants, it is the fourth most populated municipality in Viken. It was founded on 1 January 2020 as a merger be ...
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
Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...
in
1988–89 and
1989–90.
A 1997 match against
Coleraine
Coleraine ( ; from ga, Cúil Rathain , 'nook of the ferns'Flanaghan, Deirdre & Laurence; ''Irish Place Names'', page 194. Gill & Macmillan, 2002. ) is a town and civil parish near the mouth of the River Bann in County Londonderry, Northern I ...
was abandoned when Linfield fans hurled bottles onto the pitch after two Linfield players were sent off. In May 2005 there were disturbances in Dublin at the
Setanta Cup
The Setanta Sports Cup was a club football competition featuring teams from both football associations on the island of Ireland. Inaugurated in 2005, it was a cross-border competition between clubs in the League of Ireland from the Republic of Ir ...
final between Linfield and Shelbourne. In the same month, Linfield fans were banned from travelling to the Oval for a match against Glentoran, allegedly as a result of disturbances involving both sets of fans the previous month. However, Glentoran denied this was the reason behind the ban, citing health and safety regulations that forced them to close the away stand. In 2008, three Linfield fans were charged in a Dublin court with public order offences at a Setanta Cup match against
St Patrick's Athletic
St Patrick's Athletic Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Lúthchleas Phádraig Naofa) is a professional Irish association football club based in Inchicore, Dublin, that plays in the Irish Premier Division. Founded in May 1929, they played origin ...
, but were released.
The management of Linfield has continually attempted to reverse the stigma of negative press attached to the club. The club has moved forward in co-operation with the Irish Football Association, which has launched a campaign called "Give sectarianism the boot." It assisted a local
Camogie
Camogie ( ; ga, camógaíocht ) is an Irish stick-and-ball team sport played by women. Camogie is played by 100,000 women in Ireland and worldwide, largely among Irish communities.
A variant of the game of hurling (which is played by men onl ...
team who needed space to train in 2005, and also built links with the
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional ...
which has traditionally had little support from the Protestant community in Northern Ireland. In 2006
FIFA
FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
officially commended Linfield for their anti-racism initiatives. A play dealing with the conflict between Linfield and Belfast Celtic, ''Lish and Gerry at the Shrine'', was staged by the IFA at Windsor Park in October 2010, with the co-operation of the Linfield management.
Since 2008, the number of incidents has significantly decreased. However, in February 2014, Linfield were fined £3,000 and Cliftonville were fined £3,250 by the IFA following sectarian chanting from sections of both sets of supporters during a County Antrim Shield semi-final at Windsor Park in October 2013. Cliftonville's fine of an extra £250 came as a result of their fans causing a big bang during the game. Both clubs criticised the decision, and expressed their intent to appeal against the fines. In April 2014, the punishments were rescinded on appeal. There was also crowd trouble at a league fixture between the clubs at Windsor Park in March 2014, with reports of missiles being thrown after the game. The Northern Ireland Football League condemned the actions of a "''small minority''" of supporters.
In May 2014, Linfield were fined £1,200 by the Irish Football Association over the singing of sectarian songs by supporters, ruling that Linfield fans had been guilty of breaching the code of conduct during a league game at Coleraine.
In a
Champions League qualifier match on 14 July 2017, some Linfield supporters threw bottles and coins at
Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
* Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Fo ...
players. Although both a section of Linfield fans and the small group of visiting fans sang sectarian songs, it was noted that a much larger section of Linfield fans booed and drowned out these songs.
In 2022, the club reportedly "ended its voluntary association" with one of the coaches of its girls' academy after the man admitted being involved in singing a chant, which was described as "gratuitous
ysectarian" and condemned by senior members of the Orange Order, Ulster Unionists, DUP, Sinn Féin, Alliance Party and the Northern Ireland Secretary of State.
European record
As Northern Ireland's most dominant club side, Linfield have been regular competitors in European football. The club first participated in European competition in 1959 against
Göteborg
Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has a p ...
in the
1959–60 European Cup
The 1959–60 European Cup was the fifth season of the European Cup, Europe's premier club football tournament. The competition was won by Real Madrid, who beat Eintracht Frankfurt 7–3 in the final at Hampden Park, Glasgow. It remains the recor ...
.
In the first round of the
1961–62 European Cup
The 1961–62 European Cup was the seventh season of the European Cup. The competition was won by Benfica for the second time in a row, beating Real Madrid 5–3 in the final at the Olympisch Stadion in Amsterdam.
Malta entered its champion fo ...
, Linfield were drawn to face an East German team,
Vorwärts
''Vorwärts'' (, "Forward") is a newspaper published by the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). Founded in 1876, it was the central organ of the SPD for many decades. Following the party's Halle Congress (1891), it was published daily as ...
. The away leg was played, which Linfield lost 3–0. However, Vorwärts were denied visas to enter the UK to play the second leg, and (similarly to Glenavon the previous season) travelling to play the second leg in a neutral country was not financially viable for Linfield. They were therefore forced to withdraw from the competition.
Linfield's most notable achievement in European competition to date is reaching the quarter-finals of the
1966–67 European Cup
The 1966–67 season of the European Cup football club tournament was won by Celtic for the first time in the final against Internazionale, who eliminated defending champions Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, making them the first British team in ...
.
After beating
Aris Aris or ARIS may refer to:
People
* Aris (surname)
Given name
* Aris Alexandrou, Greek writer
* Aris Brimanis, ice hockey player
* Aris Christofellis, Greek male soprano
* Aris Gavelas, Greek sprinter
* Aris Howard, Former President of the Jama ...
of
Luxembourg
Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...
and
Vålerenga
Vålerenga () is a neighbourhood in the city of Oslo, Norway, belonging to the borough of Gamle Oslo. Vålerenga is located between the neighbourhoods of Gamlebyen, Jordal, Ensjø, Etterstad and Lodalen. Vålerenga is in particular known for it ...
of
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
they faced
CSKA Red Flag of
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
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
Shamrock Rovers Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Ruagairí na Seamróige) is an Irish association football club based in Tallaght, South Dublin. The club's senior team competes in the League of Ireland Premier Division and it is the most su ...
on away goals (the first and so far only series of meetings between the two Irish superpowers outside all-Ireland tournaments),
Linfield faced eventual semi-finalists
Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos ( el, Παναθηναϊκός Αθλητικός Όμιλος, literally in English: "Panathenaic Athletic Club" or Panathinaikos A.C.), also known simply as Panathinaikós , is a major Greek multi-sport club ba ...
in the second round. After a 2–1 defeat in Greece, Linfield raced into a 3–0 lead at half-time in the second leg at Windsor Park.
However, Panathinaikos staged a remarkable comeback in the second half to level the match at 3–3 and eliminate Linfield 5–4 on aggregate.
The
1993–94 UEFA Champions League
The 1993–94 UEFA Champions League was the 39th season of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA's premier club football tournament, and the second season with the UEFA Champions League logo (it was adopted in the group stage and semi-finals, the rest o ...
saw Linfield drawn with
Dinamo Tbilisi
Dinamo Tbilisi is a sports club from Tbilisi, Georgia. It was founded in 1925.
Among its highest honors, is the European trophy earned by its football team which won the Cup Winners' Cup in 1981, beating FC Carl Zeiss Jena of East Germany 2–1 i ...
of
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
. After losing 3–2 on aggregate, they were later reinstated when the Georgian side were expelled from the competition for alleged match fixing and bribing officials. Linfield faced
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
in the first round proper.
They won the first leg 3–0, but lost the second leg 4–0 after extra time. This proved costly, as victory would have meant a financially lucrative tie against eventual champions
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan (), commonly referred to as AC Milan or simply Milan, is a professional football club in Milan, Italy, founded in 1899. The club has spent its entire history, with the exception of the 1980–81 and 1982–83 seasons ...
in the next round.
The club then had to wait seven years to participate in the competition again, due to the format of the two European competitions being altered. The league's relatively low ranking in the
UEFA coefficient
In European football, the UEFA coefficients are statistics based in weighted arithmetic means used for ranking and seeding teams in club and international competitions. Introduced in 1979 for men's football tournaments, and after applied in wome ...
system has meant that the club has entered in the early qualifying rounds of either the
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
or the
UEFA Cup/Europa League,
with the Blues becoming the first Irish League side to reach the play-off round of the Europa League in 2019. In the
2012–13 UEFA Champions League
The 2012–13 UEFA Champions League was the 58th season of Europe's premier club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 21st season since it was renamed from the European Champion Clubs' Cup to the UEFA Champions League.
The final was p ...
, the Blues entered the competition in the first qualifying round, and defeated
B36 Tórshavn
B36 Tórshavn ( fo, Bóltfelagið 1936 Tórshavn) is a Faroe Islands, Faroese semi professional Association football, football club based in the capital of Tórshavn, playing in the Faroe Islands Premier League, the top tier of Faroese football. ...
4–3 on penalties to progress to the second qualifying round, after both legs ended as 0–0 draws. This was the first time since the 1984–85 season (excluding their opponent's expulsion in 1993–94) that the club had won a tie in the competition. However, they were defeated 3–0 on aggregate in the next round by
AEL Limassol
Athlitiki Enosi Lemesou ( el, Αθλητική Ένωση Λεμεσού, translation=Athletic Union of Limassol) commonly known as AEL, is a Cypriot sports club based in the city of Limassol, most famous for its football team.
AEL also maintain ...
.
The
2013–14 UEFA Europa League
The 2013–14 UEFA Europa League was the 43rd season of Europe's secondary club association football, football tournament organised by UEFA, and the fifth season under its current title.
The 2014 UEFA Europa League Final was played between Sevil ...
campaign started in record-breaking fashion. In July 2013, the club won 2–0 away from home against
ÍF Fuglafjørður of the
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.
They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway bet ...
in the first qualifying round. This was the Blues' first win in Europe since 2005, and their first away win in Europe since 1966, when they defeated Vålerenga 4–1 during their run to the quarter-finals of the
1966–67 European Cup
The 1966–67 season of the European Cup football club tournament was won by Celtic for the first time in the final against Internazionale, who eliminated defending champions Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, making them the first British team in ...
. In the second leg at Windsor Park, the Blues won 3–0 to go through to the next round 5–0 on aggregate. This was the club's largest aggregate victory in a European tie since defeating Aris Bonnevoie 9–4 on aggregate in the first round of the 1966–67 European Cup. It was also the first time that a Northern Irish club had won both legs of a European tie in any competition. They followed this up in the next round by winning away from home again. Despite being massive underdogs for the tie, a 1–0 victory away to
Xanthi
Xanthi ( el, Ξάνθη, ''Xánthi'', ) is a city in the region of Western Thrace, northeastern Greece. It is the capital of the Xanthi (regional unit), Xanthi regional unit of the modern regions of Greece, region of East Macedonia and Thrace.
A ...
of
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
made it three consecutive victories in Europe, without conceding a goal in the process – another first for the club. However, in the second leg at home they went down 2–1 after extra time, which eliminated them on the away goals rule.
The following season, Linfield's first venture into Europe under new manager Warren Feeney was in the
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.
They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway bet ...
against
B36 Tórshavn
B36 Tórshavn ( fo, Bóltfelagið 1936 Tórshavn) is a Faroe Islands, Faroese semi professional Association football, football club based in the capital of Tórshavn, playing in the Faroe Islands Premier League, the top tier of Faroese football. ...
in the
2014–15 UEFA Europa League
The 2014–15 UEFA Europa League was the 44th season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the sixth season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League.
The 2015 UEFA Europa League Final was ...
first qualifying round, which was also Feeney's first competitive game in charge of the club. Linfield came out 2–1 victors with goals coming from
Jamie Mulgrew
Jamie Mulgrew (born 5 June 1986) is a professional footballer from Northern Ireland who plays for Linfield of the NIFL Premiership and who has been capped by the Northern Ireland national team.
Club career
Mulgrew began his career with Glento ...
and
Michael Carvill
Michael Desmond Carvill (born 3 April 1988 in Belfast) is a Northern Irish footballer who is currently player-manager of Kilmore Rec.
Career
Early career
Carvill came through the youth ranks at Charlton Athletic but was released by the club i ...
. The return leg was played at
Glenavon
Glenavon Football Club is a Northern Irish semi-professional football club that competes in the NIFL Premiership. Founded in 1889, the club hails from Lurgan and plays its home matches at Mourneview Park. Club colours are blue and white. Gar ...
's ground,
Mourneview Park
Mourneview Park is a football stadium in Lurgan, County Armagh, Northern Ireland, and is the home ground of NIFL Premiership club Glenavon. The stadium holds 4,160 and was originally built in 1895. The 2008–09 Irish League Cup, 2010–11 Iris ...
, due to the redevelopment of Windsor Park. Linfield had to settle for a 1–1 draw, but that was enough to secure passage into the second qualifying round for the second successive season, where they were drawn to face
AIK
AIK Fotboll (), more commonly known simply as AIK (), an abbreviation for Allmänna Idrottsklubben (meaning ''the public'' or ''general sports club''), is a Swedish football club competing in Allsvenskan, the top flight of Swedish football. The ...
from
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
. An 87th-minute
Andrew Waterworth
Andrew Waterworth (born 11 April 1986) is a former footballer from Northern Ireland who is the interim manager of the Northern Ireland women's national team.
Club career Hamilton Academical
Waterworth joined Hamilton from Lisburn Distillery in ...
goal in the home leg at Mourneview Park ensured a 1–0 win for Linfield in their 100th competitive European match since their debut in 1959. However, the Blues fell to a 2–0 defeat in the away leg, which meant they were eliminated 2–1 on aggregate.
![AIK-Linfield (2014-15 UEL 2QR)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3c/AIK-Linfield_%282014-15_UEL_2QR%29.jpg)
As
2018–19 NIFL Premiership
The 2018–19 NIFL Premiership (known as the Danske Bank Premiership for sponsorship reasons) was the 11th season of Northern Ireland's highest national football league in this format since its inception in 2008, the 118th season of Irish league ...
champions, Linfield initially entered the
2019–20 UEFA Champions League
The 2019–20 UEFA Champions League was the 65th season of Europe's premier club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 28th season since it was renamed from the European Champion Clubs' Cup to the UEFA Champions League.
Bayern Munich d ...
first qualifying round, where they were drawn to face
Rosenborg. In naming
Charlie Allen to the final 25-man squad for this match, the Blues set a new record for the youngest UK player named to a final squad for a match in the Champions League. The
Norwegian
Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to:
*Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe
*Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway
*Demographics of Norway
*The Norwegian language, including the ...
champions had eliminated the Blues from the competition back in the 2010–11 season, and again they proved to be too strong. A 6–0 aggregate defeat saw the Blues drop down into the UEFA Europa League second qualifying round Champions Path, where they faced
Faroese champions
HB Tórshavn
HB or Hb may refer to:
Academia
* H-b index, an extension of the h-index used in determining academic impact
* H-B Woodlawn, a secondary education program in Arlington, Virginia, US
* Hathaway Brown School, an all-girls private school in Shaker H ...
– the fifth occasion since 2012 that they had faced Faroese opposition in Europe. A 3–2 win on aggregate secured a place in the third qualifying round of the Europa League for the first time, and the third stage of any European competition since a 5–2 aggregate win over
Vålerenga
Vålerenga () is a neighbourhood in the city of Oslo, Norway, belonging to the borough of Gamle Oslo. Vålerenga is located between the neighbourhoods of Gamlebyen, Jordal, Ensjø, Etterstad and Lodalen. Vålerenga is in particular known for it ...
in November 1966.
In the next round of the Europa League Linfield faced
Montenegro
)
, image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Podgorica
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, official_languages = M ...
champions
Sutjeska. A 2–1 win in the away leg was followed up with a 3–2 win in the second leg at Windsor Park, with the Blues winning 5–3 on aggregate to become the first Irish League side to reach the play-off round of the Europa League. It was only the second time that the club had won both legs of a European tie – the first being in 2013 against
ÍF. Additionally, it was only the second time that the club had ever progressed through back-to-back rounds in Europe, again the first time since November 1966. In the play-off round, Linfield were drawn to face
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
champions
Qarabağ, with the winners qualifying for the Europa League group stage.
Summary
Matches (1959–1999)
Matches (2000–)
Key: PR – ''Preliminary round''; QR – ''Qualifying round''; 1/2/3QR – ''First/Second/Third qualifying round''; POR – ''Play-off round''; 1R/2R – ''First/Second round''; QF – ''Quarter-final''; SF – ''Semi-final''; F – ''Final'';
;Notes
UEFA club ranking
Current ranking
''As of the 2022 UEFA Club Rankings.''
Ranking since 2018
Current squad
Out on loan
Retired numbers
''Numbers retired in June 2011.''
11 – In honour of
Noel Bailie
Noel Bailie (born 23 February 1971) is a former semi-professional footballer from Northern Ireland who spent his entire career playing for Linfield. He played as a sweeper and wore shirt number 11. With 40 club titles with Linfield, he is the ...
MBE (1986–2011)
13 –
Unlucky number
Numerology (also known as arithmancy) is the belief in an occult, divine or mystical relationship between a number and one or more coinciding events. It is also the study of the numerical value, via an alphanumeric system, of the letters in ...
Player of the Year
Linfield's Player of the Year award is voted for by the club's supporters.
* 2008–09:
Paul Munster
Paul Munster (born 9 February 1982) is a Northern Irish former professional footballer who played as a striker. He is currently the technical director of the Brunei national football team.
Playing career
Munster began his career at the yout ...
* 2009–10:
Jamie Mulgrew
Jamie Mulgrew (born 5 June 1986) is a professional footballer from Northern Ireland who plays for Linfield of the NIFL Premiership and who has been capped by the Northern Ireland national team.
Club career
Mulgrew began his career with Glento ...
* 2010–11:
Michael Gault
Michael Gault (born 15 April 1983) is a Northern Irish football former player who is currently manager of Linfield F.C. Swifts. He previously managed Ballymacash Rangers from 2019-20. Club career
Born in Lisburn, Gault began his senior career ...
* 2011–12:
Albert Watson
* 2012–13:
Billy Joe Burns
* 2013–14:
Andrew Waterworth
Andrew Waterworth (born 11 April 1986) is a former footballer from Northern Ireland who is the interim manager of the Northern Ireland women's national team.
Club career Hamilton Academical
Waterworth joined Hamilton from Lisburn Distillery in ...
* 2014–15: Aaron Burns
* 2015–16: Jimmy Callacher
* 2016–17:
Roy Carroll
Roy Eric Carroll (born 30 September 1977) is a Northern Irish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is best known for his spells at Wigan Athletic, Manchester United (where he won a Premier League winners medal and the 20 ...
* 2017–18:
Kirk Millar
* 2018–19: Jimmy Callacher
* 2019–20: Stephen Fallon
* 2020–21:
Shayne Lavery
Shayne Francis Lavery (born 8 December 1998) is a Northern Irish professional footballer who plays as a striker for Blackpool and the Northern Ireland national team. He has previously played for Everton, Falkirk and Linfield.
Early and per ...
* 2021–22:
Chris Shields
Chris Shields (born 27 December 1990) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Linfield in the Irish Premiership. He previously played for Bray Wanderers where he played for four seasons before joining Dundalk, where ...
Non-playing staff
*Board of Directors (Trustees): Stuart Gilmore, Jack Grundie, Richard Johnson, Peter Lunn MBE, Cameron Ramsey, Paul Weir, Jonathan Wilson, David Sales
*Board of Directors (Elected Directors): Andrew Conn, Stephen Dickson, Jonathan Lamont, Drew McCoubrey, Roy McGivern, Ronnie Morrison, Stephen Shaw, David Strain,Michael Jones
*President: Peter Lunn MBE
*Chairman: Roy McGivern
*Vice-Chairman: Stephen Dickson
*Honorary Treasurer: Richard Johnson
*General Manager:
Pat Fenlon
Patrick Fenlon (born 15 March 1969) is an Irish football coach and former player.
Fenlon played as a midfielder for St Patrick's Athletic, Bohemians, Linfield, Shamrock Rovers and Shelbourne. As a manager he won five League of Ireland titles ...
*Honorary Secretary: Stuart Gilmore
* Media Director : Jonathan Lamont
*Team Manager:
David Healy
*Assistant Manager: Ross Oliver
*Senior Coach:
George McCartney
George McCartney (born 29 April 1981) is a Northern Irish former footballer who is currently a coach at Linfield. He began his career at Sunderland in 1998 before having two spells each with West Ham United and Leeds United. He won the 2004–0 ...
*Goalkeeping Coach: Jonny Williamson
*Linfield Swifts Coach:
Michael Gault
Michael Gault (born 15 April 1983) is a Northern Irish football former player who is currently manager of Linfield F.C. Swifts. He previously managed Ballymacash Rangers from 2019-20. Club career
Born in Lisburn, Gault began his senior career ...
*Linfield Swifts Assistant Coach: Chris Kingsberry
*Linfield Rangers Coach:
Jamie Mulgrew
Jamie Mulgrew (born 5 June 1986) is a professional footballer from Northern Ireland who plays for Linfield of the NIFL Premiership and who has been capped by the Northern Ireland national team.
Club career
Mulgrew began his career with Glento ...
*Linfield Rangers Assistant Coach:
Conor Pepper
*Fitness Coach: Ricky McCann
*Linfield Ladies First Team Coach: Philip Lewis
*Linfield Ladies Assistant Coaches: Alan Perry, Mark Dickson
*Linfield Ladies Secretary: Neil Morrow
*Head of Recruitment & Development: Willie McKeown
*Scouts:
Noel Bailie
Noel Bailie (born 23 February 1971) is a former semi-professional footballer from Northern Ireland who spent his entire career playing for Linfield. He played as a sweeper and wore shirt number 11. With 40 club titles with Linfield, he is the ...
MBE, Alan Dornan, Dennis Shields
*Medical Officer: Patrick Noble
*Sports Therapist: Terry Hayes
*Physiotherapist: Paul Butler
*Trainer: Kenny McKeague
*Kit Manager: Gary Eccles
*Team Attendants: Andy Kerr MBE & Josh Eccles
*Health & Safety Officer: Gary Steele
*Chief Steward: Sammy McFarland
*Head of Youth:
Glenn Ferguson
Glenn Ferguson (born 10 July 1969) is a Northern Irish former football player and manager.
Ferguson amassed over 1,000 domestic appearances in a career where he played for Ards, Glenavon, Linfield and Lisburn Distillery, and scored a tota ...
*Supporters' Liaison Officer: Stephen Shaw
*Community Relations Liaison Officer: Andrew Conn
*Linfield Chaplain: Paul Reid
*Honorary Vice-Presidents: Noel Bailie MBE, Jim Kerr, Billy Kennedy
*Vice-Presidents: Andy Kerr, M.B.E., Robert Neill, Glenn Meikle, Gary Dickson, Jacky Stewart, Norman Morrow
Managerial history
Below is a list of the managers Linfield have appointed during the club's history. In the early years after the club was formed in 1886, the team was selected by the club committee, a standard practice by football clubs at the time. Since then, 25 different men have held the position of Linfield first team coach/manager. However, only six have been appointed since Billy Campbell's departure in 1975. David Jeffrey holds the record for the longest reign as manager, having been in charge for 17 years and 16 weeks between 4 January 1997 and 26 April 2014. Jeffrey and Roy Coyle jointly hold the record for the most trophies won as manager, having led the club to 31 major honours each.
Former Northern Ireland international Warren Feeney is the club's previous manager, having been appointed in May 2014.
He resigned in October 2015 to become assistant manager of
Newport County,
with current manager David Healy appointed as his successor.
Honours
Active competitions
Senior honours (153)
*
Irish League Championship: 56
**
1890–91,
1891–92,
1892–93,
1894–95,
1897–98,
1901–02,
1903–04
Nineteen or 19 may refer to:
* 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20
* one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019
Films
* ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film
* ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film
Music ...
,
1906–07
Nineteen or 19 may refer to:
* 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20
* one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019
Films
* ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film
* ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film
Music ...
,
1907–08,
1908–09,
1910–11,
1913–14,
1921–22,
1922–23,
1929–30,
1931–32,
1933–34,
1934–35,
1948–49,
1949–50,
1953–54,
1954–55,
1955–56,
1958–59,
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,
1999–2000,
2000–01,
2003–04,
2005–06,
2006–07,
2007–08,
2009–10,
2010–11
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
,
2011–12,
2016–17,
2018–19,
2019–20,
2020–21
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
,
2021–22
*
Irish Cup
The Irish Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly referred to as the Irish Cup (currently known as the Samuel Gelston's Whiskey Irish Cup for sponsorship purposes) is the primary football knock-out cup competition in Northern Ireland. Ina ...
: 44
**
1890–91,
1891–92,
1892–93,
1894–95,
1897–98,
1898–99,
1901–02,
1903–04
Nineteen or 19 may refer to:
* 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20
* one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019
Films
* ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film
* ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film
Music ...
, 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,
2009–10,
2010–11
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
,
2011–12,
2016–17,
2020–21
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
*
Irish League Cup
The Northern Ireland Football League Cup (BetMcLean League Cup for sponsorship purposes), also known colloquially as the Irish League Cup, is a national football knock-out cup competition in Northern Ireland open to all member clubs of the Nort ...
: 10
**
1986–87,
1991–92,
1993–94,
1997–98,
1998–99,
1999–2000,
2001–02,
2005–06,
2007–08,
2018–19
*
County Antrim Shield
The County Antrim & District Football Association Senior Shield (more commonly known as the County Antrim Shield) is a football competition in Northern Ireland. The competition is open to senior teams who are members of the North East Ulster Foo ...
: 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, 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, 2013–14, 2016–17
*
Charity Shield: 4
**1993
(shared), 1994, 2000, 2017
Defunct competitions
Senior honours (119)
*
Gold Cup: 33
**1915–16, 1917–18, 1918–19, 1920–21, 1921–22, 1923–24, 1926–27, 1927–28, 1928–29, 1930–31, 1935–36, 1936–37, 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
*
City Cup
The City Cup was a rugby league competition involving Australian premiership teams. The post season tournament was a regular feature in the years 1912–1925. City Cups were also played in 1937, 1942 and 1959.
The inaugural city cup was contested ...
: 24
**1894–95, 1895–96, 1897–98, 1899–1900, 1900–01, 1901–02, 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
*
Ulster Cup
The Ulster Cup was an annual football competition held by the Irish Football League
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Eu ...
: 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
*
Top Four Cup
The Top Four Cup was an association football super cup featuring the top four clubs in the League of Ireland. It was first held in 1955–56 and last played for in 1973–74. It was played at the end of the season. Shamrock Rovers were the in ...
: 2
**1966–67, 1967–68
*
Belfast Charity Cup
The Belfast Charity Cup was a football competition which ran from 1883 to 1941, and was based on a similar tournament in Scotland, the Glasgow Merchants Charity Cup
The Glasgow Merchants' Charity Cup was a knockout football tournament open ...
: 24
**1890–91, 1891–92, 1892–93, 1893–94, 1894–95, 1898–99, 1900–01, 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 (shared), 1937–38
*
Alhambra Cup
The Alhambra Cup was a football competition played for two seasons between clubs in the Irish League in 1921-22 and 1922-23. Six teams entered each season: Cliftonville, Distillery, Glenavon, Glentoran
Glentoran Football Club is a profession ...
: 1
**1921–22
*Jubilee Cup: 1
**1935–36
*Belfast & District League: 2
**
1915–16,
1917–18
*Northern Regional league: 3
**1942–43, 1944–45, 1945–46
*Substitute Gold Cup: 2
**1942–43, 1944–45
*Manchester Charity Cup: 2
**1945–46, 1946–47
All-Ireland honours
*
North-South Cup
The North-South Cup was a short-lived all-Ireland football tournament. It was played for two seasons in the 1960s and on both occasions won by teams from Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-S ...
: 1
**1960–61
*
Blaxnit Cup
The Blaxnit Cup, is a defunct club football competition which featured teams from both football associations on the island of Ireland, in a similar format to the later Setanta Cup. It was inaugurated in 1967 as a cross-border competition between c ...
: 1
**1970–71
*
Tyler Cup
The Tyler Cup was an association football competition played between clubs in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The competition ran from 1978 to 1980, and was similar to the earlier Blaxnit Cup, North-South Cup, Dublin and Belfast In ...
: 1
**1980–81
*
Setanta Cup
The Setanta Sports Cup was a club football competition featuring teams from both football associations on the island of Ireland. Inaugurated in 2005, it was a cross-border competition between clubs in the League of Ireland from the Republic of Ir ...
: 1
**
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
Intermediate honours
''Honours won by Linfield Swifts''
*
Irish Intermediate League
The Irish Intermediate League was a Northern Irish football competition for teams of intermediate status, which also included reserve sides of senior teams. The league ran from 1915 until 1954.
History
It began in 1915 after the amalgamation of ...
: 2
**1939–40, 1945–46
*
Irish League B Division
The NIFL Premier Intermediate League is the third division of the Northern Ireland Football League, the national association football league in Northern Ireland, and the highest intermediate division in Northern Ireland, occupying level three in ...
: 3
**1951–52, 1952–53, 1975–76
*
B Division Section 2/Reserve League/Development League: 21
**1977–78, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2014–15, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19
*
County Antrim Shield
The County Antrim & District Football Association Senior Shield (more commonly known as the County Antrim Shield) is a football competition in Northern Ireland. The competition is open to senior teams who are members of the North East Ulster Foo ...
: 1
**1948–49
*
Irish Intermediate Cup
The Irish Intermediate Cup is a Northern Irish football competition for teams of intermediate status, including NIFL Premiership reserve sides. It is a straight knock-out tournament and is currently sponsored by McCombs Coach Travel.
The curre ...
: 11
**1896–97, 1898–99, 1900–01, 1928–29, 1945–46, 1948–49, 1955–56, 1956–57, 1971–72, 2001–02, 2003–04
*
Steel & Sons Cup
The Steel & Sons Cup (also referred to as the Steel Cup) is an intermediate football competition in Northern Ireland run by the North East Ulster Football Association (also known as the County Antrim & District Football Association).
The compe ...
: 11
**1895–96, 1898–99, 1915–16, 1939–40, 1946–47, 1948–49, 1972–73, 1983–84, 1997–98, 2016–17, 2019–20
*
George Wilson Cup
The George Wilson Memorial Cup is a competition open to the reserve football teams of member clubs of the NIFL Premiership. Initially it was open to all members of the B Division, both "attached and unattached" (i.e. reserve sides and independen ...
: 10
**1953–54, 1961–62, 1976–77, 1980–81, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1988–89, 1998–99, 2008–09, 2010–11
*
McElroy Cup: 5
**1928–29, 1937–38, 1939–40, 1944–45, 1945–46
(shared)
''Honours won by Linfield Rangers''
*
Irish Intermediate Cup
The Irish Intermediate Cup is a Northern Irish football competition for teams of intermediate status, including NIFL Premiership reserve sides. It is a straight knock-out tournament and is currently sponsored by McCombs Coach Travel.
The curre ...
: 2
**1921–22, 1924–25
Junior honours
*Irish Junior League: 4
**1898–99‡, 1899–1900‡, 1900–01‡, 1903–04‡
*Irish Junior Cup: 3
**1890–91†, 1893–94‡, 1905–06ƒ
*County Antrim Junior Shield: 1
**1904–05ƒ
*Harry Cavan Youth Cup: 5
**2003–04¤,2004–05¤,2006–07¤,2009–10¤,2016–17
*Belfast Youth Cup:2
**2009–10¤,2010–11¤
*Lisburn League Shield: 1
**2016–17¤
*IFA Youth Premier League: 4
**2005–06¤,2006–07¤,2008–09¤,2012–13¤
*IFA Youth League Cup/NIFL Youth League Cup:5
**2008–09¤,2012–13¤,2013–14¤,2014–15¤,2015–16¤
† 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)
Records
Doubles and trebles
The club has achieved the
double
A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another.
Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to:
Film and television
* Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character
* Th ...
of winning the League title and the national cup in the same season on 25 occasions – more than any other club in the world.
The club has also achieved the domestic treble of the League, national cup and
League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
in the same season on three occasions, and a domestic quadruple of those three trophies plus the regional
County Antrim Shield
The County Antrim & District Football Association Senior Shield (more commonly known as the County Antrim Shield) is a football competition in Northern Ireland. The competition is open to senior teams who are members of the North East Ulster Foo ...
in the same season once – in 2005–06. Most notably absent from the list are the seven-trophy hauls in the 1921–22 and 1961–62 seasons
– achieved prior to the inauguration of the League Cup in 1987.
*
Doubles:
**
League and Irish Cup: 25
*** 1890–91, 1891–92, 1892–93, 1894–95, 1897–98, 1901–02, 1903–04
B, 1921–22
B, 1922–23
B, 1929–30
B, 1933–34
B, 1949–50, 1961–62
B, 1977–78, 1979–80, 1981–82
B, 1993–94
A, 2005–06
C, 2006–07, 2007–08
A, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2016–17
B, 2020–21
**
League and League Cup: 6
*** 1986–87, 1993–94
A, 1999–2000, 2005–06
C, 2007–08
A, 2018–19
*
Trebles:
**
League, Irish Cup and League Cup: 3
*** 1993–94, 2005–06
C, 2007–08
AAs part of a domestic treble.
BAs part of a domestic treble (including the County Antrim Shield).
CAs part of a domestic quadruple (including the County Antrim Shield).
Notes
References
External links
Linfield FC official website(archived)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Linfield FC
Association football clubs established in 1886
Association football clubs in Northern Ireland
NIFL Premiership clubs
Association football clubs in Belfast
1886 establishments in Ireland
Unrelegated association football clubs