New All-Ireland football competition launched

Three teams from Northern Ireland are to take on their Southern counterparts in the first All-Ireland football competition for 30 years.

The Football Association of Ireland and the Irish Football Association today formally launched the Setanta Cup which will see three teams from each association compete for the overall trophy and a six-figure prize.

Setanta Sports, the new Irish dedicated sports channel, has signed a four-year deal to host the Tournament, which will see 10 of the 13 games broadcast live on local television screens.

The tournament will be made up of two groups of three teams with each team playing a home and away fixture. The top team in each group will then qualify for the Setanta Cup Final.

Local Irish league clubs as well as Irish Football Association President, Jim Boyce, said they were fully behind the new tournament.

Mr Boyce said: "This certainly is the biggest ever Tournament North or South, it has attracted great sponsorship and I am confident that huge crowds will flock to see these games."

His Southern counterpart, Fran Rooney added: "The Setanta Cup is a significant development for both the Football Association of Ireland and the Irish Football Association and a tremendous opportunity for our respective League Clubs.

"We have always enjoyed a great working relationship with the Irish Football Association and I am confident that this relationship will be further strengthened through the Setanta Cup."

Glentoran manager Roy Coyle also welcomed the competition.

“This competition is long overdue. As one who has managed clubs in both North and South there is no doubt a competition will have a competitive edge. Everyone will be trying to compare with each other. It will be very good for the game on both sides of the border,” he said.

Security issues sometimes caused problems during a similar competition in the 70s however most believe there will be no problems this time around. Shelbourne manager, Pat Fenlon, a former Linfield favourite, said: “I don’t see it as a major problem. Linfield and Glentoran have great fans and a great history just like clubs down here and we want to be attracting them to games.

"There is a lunatic fringe, but we have that down here as well, and we have to discourage them from coming near the games.”

The new tournament will begin in April 2005 but will then switch to a November calendar.

(MB)