The Ulster Senior Football Championship is an inter-county competition for

Gaelic football Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by ki ...

teams in the province of

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 Kin ...

. It is organised by the Ulster Council of 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 ...

(GAA) and begins in early May. The final is usually played on the third Sunday in July. All nine Ulster counties participate. It is regarded as hardest to win of the four provincial football championships. At a referee conference in January 2015, David Coldrick said about officiating in the competition: "Ulster makes or breaks you. It can be a graveyard. The games are different. There is an extra dimension and intensity, and you must be at your best. If you aren't prepared physically and mentally, the chances are you will be caught out. But when you are appointed for your first Ulster championship match, that's making progress".

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. Th ...

are the current champions after beating Donegal in 2022. The winners receive the Anglo-Celt Cup, which was presented to the Ulster Council in 1925 by John F. O'Hanlon, who was editor of '' The Anglo-Celt'' newspaper based in Cavan.

Cavan Cavan ( ; ) is the county town of County Cavan in Ireland. The town lies in Ulster, near the border with County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland. The town is bypassed by the main N3 road that links Dublin (to the south) with Enniskillen, Ba ...

are the most successful team in Ulster Championship history, having won the competition on 40 occasions. Cavan maintain the record for consecutive appearances in Ulster Finals. During the 1930s and 1940s, they appeared in and won seven consecutive Ulster titles.

Fermanagh Historically, Fermanagh ( ga, Fir Manach), as opposed to the modern County Fermanagh, was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland, associated geographically with present-day County Fermanagh. ''Fir Manach'' originally referred to a distinct kin group of ...

remain the only team not to have won an Ulster title. The Ulster Senior Football Championship celebrated its 125th year in 2013. For many decades, winning the Ulster Senior Football Championship was considered as much as a team from Ulster could hope for, as the other provinces were usually much stronger and more competitive. Before 1990, only Cavan in 1933, 1935, 1947, 1948 and 1952, and

Down Down most often refers to: * Down, the relative direction opposed to up * Down (gridiron football), in American/Canadian football, a period when one play takes place * Down feather, a soft bird feather used in bedding and clothing * Downland, a ty ...

in 1960, 1961 and 1968, had won the

All-Ireland Senior Football Championship The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (SFC) ( ga, Craobh Shinsir Peile na hÉireann) is the premier competition in Gaelic football. An annual tournament organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), it is contested by the county ...

title. In the 1990s however, a significant sea change took place, as the Ulster Champions won the All-Ireland in four consecutive years from 1991 to 1994. Since then Ulster has produced more All-Ireland winning teams than any other province. Currently the Ulster Senior Football Championship is considered one of the toughest provinces to compete in. Ulster teams have gained considerable dominance on the All-Ireland scene, having won three All-Irelands from four in the early 2000s, including in 2003 when for the first time ever, the All-Ireland football final was competed for by two teams from one province. The Ulster football final is normally played on the third Sunday in July, usually at St Tiernach's Park in Clones. From 2004 until 2006, it was staged at

Croke Park Croke Park ( ga, Páirc an Chrócaigh, ) is a Gaelic games stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Named after Archbishop Thomas Croke, it is referred to as Croker by GAA fans and locals. It serves as both the principal national stadium of Ireland and h ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

. The 2007 final—contested by

Monaghan Monaghan ( ; ) is the county town of County Monaghan, Ireland. It also provides the name of its civil parish and barony. The population of the town as of the 2016 census was 7,678. The town is on the N2 road from Dublin to Derry and Letterken ...

and Tyrone—marked a return to Clones, with Tyrone emerging victorious. The Athletic Grounds in

Armagh Armagh ( ; ga, Ard Mhacha, , " Macha's height") is the county town of County Armagh and a city in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the ...

hosted the 2020 final, as the fixture was played behind closed doors due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Gaelic games. The final was last played in

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 Kingd ...

in 1971. In the 2000s,

were a dominant force in Ulster, winning six titles in eight years between 1999 and 2006. Donegal won consecutive Ulster titles from the preliminary round in 2011 and 2012 (a feat achieved by no other county) and added the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship in

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

. The 2019 final had the highest score for the winning team in the final (Donegal that year) since 1933 when Cavan won, and the second highest score ever. It also had the highest Ulster final score for the losing team ever (Cavan on this occasion).

Current team details

The Ulster championship is contested by the nine traditional counties in the Irish province of

. The province comprises the six counties of

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. North ...

plus the counties of

, Donegal and

in the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...

. It is the only provincial championship which is mostly composed of UK teams.

Format

The Ulster Senior Football Championship is a straight knock-out competition. Seven of the nine teams are drawn in the quarter-finals, while the other two teams contest a preliminary match to determine the final quarter-final place. The winners of the championship enter the

at the quarter-final group stage, while the other eight teams compete in the All-Ireland qualifiers. Before the introduction of the qualifiers in 2001, the winners of the Ulster Championship went straight to the semi-final stage of the All-Ireland Championship, along with the winners of the

Leinster Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ir ...

Munster Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following th ...

and Connacht Championships.

List of winners by county

A golden background denotes years in which the Ulster champions also won the All-Ireland Championship.

List of finals by year

;Notes: * 2020 No crowd attendance due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Gaelic games * 1939 Game abandoned – replay ordered * 1907 No official final result in records * 1901-1902 championship was played over two seasons and only counts as one Ulster Title * 1900 Antrim were to have represented

but gave walkover to

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a city in the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay, and is the sixth most populous city ...

. * 1892–1900 No championship.

played in

Leinster Senior Football Championship The Leinster Senior Football Championship, known simply as the Leinster Championship and shortened to Leinster SFC, is an annual inter-county Gaelic football competition organised by the Leinster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (G ...

in 1895. * 1891

Slashers, (

) v

Harps, (

) game Abandoned Smithboro Co Monaghan game replayed

1-11

0-00 * 1890 Armagh Harps, (

) v Owen Roe O'Neill's ( Tyrone) * 1889 No Ulster championship * 1888 Ulster Senior Football Championship Inniskeen Grattans of (Monaghan) v Maghera MacFinns of (Cavan) game went to a Replay * 1887 No Ulster championship

Managers

Manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

s in the Ulster Championship are involved in the day-to-day running of the team, including the training, team selection, and sourcing of players from the club championships. Their influence varies from county-to-county and is related to the individual county boards. From 2018, all inter-county head coaches must be Award 2 qualified. The manager is assisted by a team of two or three selectors and an extensive backroom team consisting of various coaches. Prior to the development of the concept of a manager in the 1970s, teams were usually managed by a team of selectors with one member acting as chairman.

Scoring records

On 9 July 2006, Oisín McConville became the record point scorer in the history of the Ulster Senior Football Championship in that year's final at

All-time top Ulster scorers

As of 3 June 2008 according to the BBC. Updated list (2012) Notes: *Includes Ulster Championship, All-Ireland Championship and Qualifiers.

All-time top Ulster goalscorers

As of 15 June 2008, according to the '' Sunday Tribune''. Notes: *Includes Ulster Championship, All-Ireland Championship and Qualifiers. *Since the records have been done

Brendan Coulter Brendan "Benny" Coulter is an Irish Gaelic football manager and player who plays for his local club Mayobridge and, previously, for the Down senior football team until his retirement in 2014; he also teaches kids about Gaelic in different school ...

has become the top goal scorer with 18. **Paddy Bradley scored 4 more goals and finished on 17.

Ulster top scorers by year

* 2019 Rian O'Neill (

) 0-18 * 2018 Paddy McBrearty ( Donegal) 0-19 * 2017 Conor McManus (

) 2-13 * 2016 Conor McManus (

) 1-20 * 2015 Conor McManus (

) 1-19 * 2014 Conor McManus (

) 1-14 * 2013 Colm McFadden ( Donegal) 2-12 * 2012 Colm McFadden ( Donegal) 2-15 * 2011 Martin Clarke (

) & Seán Cavanagh ( Tyrone) 2-16 * 2010 Martin Clarke (

) 1-30 * 2009 Paddy Bradley (

) 3–12 * 2008 Steven McDonnell (

) 1-17 * 2007 Tommy Freeman (

) 1-15 * 2006 Oisín McConville (

) 3–25 * 2005

Stephen O'Neill Stephen O'Neill (born 19 November 1980) is an Irish former Gaelic footballer from Strabane, Northern Ireland, who played at senior level for the Tyrone county team. He won three All-Ireland Senior Football Championship medals, two All-Ireland ...

( Tyrone) 1–26 * 2004 Colm McFadden ( Donegal) & Oisín McConville (

) 1–13 * 2003

Peter Canavan Peter Canavan (born 9 April 1971) is an Irish former Gaelic footballer, manager and pundit. He played inter-county football for Tyrone, and is one of the most decorated players in the game's history, winning two All-Ireland Senior Football ...

( Tyrone) 1–38 * 2002 Rory Gallagher (

) 4–12 * 2001 Rory Gallagher (

) 0–16 * 2000 Rory Gallagher (

) 1–19 * 1999 Oisín McConville (

) 3–18 * 1998 Joe Brolly (

) & Tony Boyle ( Donegal) 0–13 * 1997 Joe Brolly (

) 3–15 * 1996

( Tyrone) 3–13 * 1995

( Tyrone) 0–20 * 1994

( Tyrone) 1–17 * 1993 John Toner (

) 0–23 * 1992 Enda Gormley (

) 0–25 * 1991 Ross Carr (

) 0–21 * 1990 Manus Boyle ( Donegal) 1–16 * 1989 Martin McHugh ( Donegal) 2–16 * 1988 Stephen Conway ( Tyrone) 0–17 * 1987 Enda Gormley (

) 0–20 *1986 Brendan Mason (

) 3–17 *1985 Eamonn McEneaney (

) 3–16 *1984 Frank McGuigan ( Tyrone) 0–19 *1983 Derek McDonnell (

) 4–11 *1982 John Corvan (

) & Peter McGinnity (

) 1–9 *1981 Eamonn McEneaney (

) & Brendan McGovern (

) 1–17 *1980 Patsy Hetherington ( Tyrone) & Patsy Kerlin ( Tyrone) 4–3 *1979

Kieran Finlay Kieran "Jap" Finlay (died 2012) was a Gaelic footballer who played for Ballybay Pearse Brothers and at senior level for the Monaghan county team and the father of Paul Finlay. He had two Ulster Championship medals in his back pocket (from 197 ...

(

) 1–18 *1978 Donal Donohoe (

) 0–12 *1977 Brendan Kelly (

) 2–10 *1976 Steve Duggan (

) 1–22 *1975 Willie Walsh (

) 3–8 *1974

Seamus Bonner Seamus Bonner (6 November 1948 – 11 October 2012) was an Irish Gaelic footballer who played for various clubs, as well as for the Donegal county team. Bonner played 129 games for his county between 1972 and 1985, initially in midfield and la ...

( Donegal) 6–4 *1973 Patsy Hetherington ( Tyrone) 0–17 *1972

Joe Winston Joe 'Dodo' Winston (1944 – 28 June 2021) was an Irish Gaelic footballer who played for St Eunan's and the Donegal county team. Playing career Winston won his first ever medal with the St Eunan's under-16 team when he was 15 years of age in ...

( Donegal) 0–26 *1971 Sean O'Connell (

) 1–18 *1970 Andy McCallin ( Antrim) 3–15 *1969 Sean Woods (

) & Gene Cusack (

) 3–7 *1968 Paddy Doherty (

) 1–17 *1967 Charlie Gallagher (

) 0-*19 *1966 PT Treacy (

) 4–13 *1965 Charlie Gallagher (

) 2–29 *1964 Charlie Gallagher (

) 0-*19 *1963 Harry Laverty ( Donegal) 2–10 *1962 Seamus McMahon (

) & Frankie Donnelly ( Tyrone) 0–11 *1961 Paddy Doherty (

) 1–16 *1960 Con Smith (

) 1–17 *1959 Paddy Doherty (

) 1–17 *1958 Paddy Doherty (

) 3–14 *1957 Frankie Donnelly ( Tyrone) 1–14 *1956 Frankie Donnelly ( Tyrone) & Victor Sherlock (

) 2–7 *1955 Peter Donohoe (

) 0–14 *1954 Brian Gallagher (

) 0–14 *1953 Art O'Hagan (

) 3-04 *1952

John Joe Cassidy John Joe Cassidy was a Gaelic footballer who played for the Cavan county team. Playing career Cassidy was born and raised in Arva and got a taste of New York when he represented Cavan in the 1947 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship again ...

(

) 1-07 *1951 Joe McCallin ( Antrim) 3–14 *1950 Peter Donohoe (

) 3–18 *1949 Peter Donohoe (

) 4–10 *1948 Peter Donohoe (

) 3–12 * Scores only include Ulster Championship. All-Ireland Championship and Qualifiers are not included.

Gallery

Broadcasters

In the late 1990s, matches were broadcast in

by UTV before moving to BBC Northern Ireland.

Team progress since 2001

Below is a record of each county's performance since the introduction of the qualifier system to the All-Ireland series in 2001. Qualifiers did not occur from 2020 onwards due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Gaelic games. ;Key

By Semi-Final Appearances (Since 2020)

''Bold indicates years reached to final.''

Notes

References

External links

"Anglo Celt Cup winners"
BBC. 2009.
Do you remember the last Ulster SFC final before the back door arrived?
{{Ulster Council 1888 establishments in Ireland Recurring sporting events established in 1888 3 1