Irish Intermediate League#List of McElroy Cup winners

{{Infobox football tournament

| name = Irish Intermediate League

| image =

| imagesize =

| alt =

| caption =

| organiser = {{nowrap|Irish Football Association}}

| founded = 1915

| abolished = 1954

| region = {{nowrap|Northern Ireland (1921–1954)}}
Ireland (1915–1921)

| number of teams =

| qualifier for =

| related comps =

| domestic cup =

| confed cup =

| current champions =

| most successful club = Crusaders (9 titles)

}}

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 the Irish Junior League and Irish Senior Reserve League,{{cite news|title=Association Football - Amalgamation of local leagues|date=24 April 1915|work=Belfast News-Letter|page=3}}{{cite news|title=Field & Pavilion - News About Clubs And Players|date=15 June 1915|work=Daily Record|page=2}} and ran until 1954, when the majority of the remaining clubs applied to join the Irish League B Division, which had been formed in 1951.{{cite news|title=Intermediate League likely to end soon|date=15 June 1954|work=Belfast Telegraph|page=10}}{{cite news|title="Jaymac" sums up Larne's hopes in new season|date=12 August 1954|work=Larne Times|page=2}} Until the introduction of the Irish League B Division it was the second tier of the Northern Ireland football league system.{{cite web|url=http://home.online.no/~smogols/ifcp/archive/defunctifaintermediateleague/ifaintermediateleaguehistory.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151031125024/http://home.online.no/~smogols/ifcp/archive/defunctifaintermediateleague/ifaintermediateleaguehistory.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=31 October 2015|title=Irish Intermediate league|publisher=Irish Football Club Project|accessdate=3 January 2019}}

The tournament also ran a cup tournament for members of the league, the McElroy Cup.{{cite web|url=http://home.online.no/~smogols/ifcp/archive/defunctmcelroycup/mcelroycup.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151031125043/http://home.online.no/~smogols/ifcp/archive/defunctmcelroycup/mcelroycup.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=31 October 2015|title=McElroy Cup|publisher=Irish Football Club Project|accessdate=3 January 2019}}

List of champions

1915–16 Glentoran II*
1916–17 Belfast Celtic II*
1917–18 Belfast Celtic II*
1918–19 Glentoran II*
1919–20 Glentoran II*
1920–21 Brantwood
1921–22 Dundela
1922–23 Crusaders
1923–24 Dunmurry
1924–25 Brantwood
1925–26 Crusaders
1926–27 Crusaders
1927–28 Willowfield
1928–29 Crusaders
1929–30 Glentoran II*
1930–31 Crusaders
1931–32 Belfast Celtic II*
1932–33 Crusaders
1933–34 Belfast Celtic II*
1934–35 Belfast Celtic II*
1935–36 Belfast Celtic II*
1936–37 Belfast Celtic II*
1937–38 Crusaders
1938–39 Crusaders
1939–40 Linfield Swifts*
1940–41 Bangor Reserves*
1941–42 Aircraft United
1942–43 Bangor Reserves*
1943–44 Bangor Reserves*
1944–45 Dundela
1945–46 Linfield Swifts*
1946–47 Dundela
1947–48 Brantwood
1948–49 Crusaders
1949–50 Dundela
1950–51 Dundela
1951–52 Brantwood
1952–53 Larne
1953–54 Brantwood

NB - * denotes reserve teams of senior clubs

=Performance by club=

class="wikitable" ! Team ! No. of wins ! Winning years
\|Crusaders	9	1922–23, 1925–26, 1926–27, 1928–29, 1930–31, 1932–33, 1937–38, 1938–39, 1948–49
\|Belfast Celtic II*	7	1916–17, 1917–18, 1931–32, 1933–34, 1934–35, 1935–36, 1936–37
\|Dundela	5	1921–22, 1944–45, 1946–47, 1949–50, 1950–51
\|Brantwood	5	1920–21, 1924–25, 1947–48, 1951–52, 1953–54
\|Glentoran II*	4	1915–16, 1918–19, 1919–20, 1929–30
\|Bangor Reserves*	3	1940–41, 1942–43, 1943–44
\|Linfield Swifts*	2	1939–40, 1945–46
\|Aircraft United	1	1941–42
\|Willowfield	1	1927–28

NB - * indicates reserve team

List of McElroy Cup winners

1915–16 Glentoran II*
1916–17 Belfast Celtic II*
1917–18 Glentoran II*
1918–19 Distillery II*
1919–20 Cliftonville Olympic*
1920–21 Distillery II*
1921–22 St Mary's
1922–23 Belfast United
1923–24 St Mary's
1924–25 Brantwood / Dunmurry (shared)
1925–26 Linfield Rangers
1926–27 Dunmurry
1927–28 Broadway United
1928–29 Linfield Swifts*
1929–30 Crusaders
1930–31 Newington Rangers
1931–32 Crusaders
1932–33 Belfast Celtic II*
1933–34 Summerfield / Glentoran II* (shared)
1934–35 Belfast Celtic II*
1935–36 Belfast Celtic II*
1936–37 Belfast Celtic II*
1937–38 Linfield Swifts*
1938–39 Glentoran II*
1939–40 Linfield Swifts*
1940–41 Ards II*
1941–42 Ballyclare Comrades*
1942–43 Belfast Celtic II*
1943–44 Belfast Celtic II*
1944–45 Linfield Swifts*
1945–46 Dundela / Linfield Swifts* (shared)
1946–47 Bangor Reserves
1947–48 Crusaders
1948–49 Larne

NB - * denotes reserve teams of senior clubs

=Performance by club=

class="wikitable" ! Team ! No. of wins ! Winning years
\|Belfast Celtic II*	7	1916–17, 1932–33, 1934–35, 1935–36, 1936–37, 1942–43, 1943–44
\|Linfield Swifts*	5	1928–29, 1937–38, 1939–40, 1944–45, 1945–46 (shared)
\|Glentoran II*	4	1915–16, 1917–18, 1933–34 (shared), 1938–39
\|Crusaders	3	1929–30, 1931–32, 1947–48
\|Distillery II*	2	1918–19, 1920–21
\|St Mary's	2	1921–22, 1922–24
\|Dunmurry	2	1924–25 (shared), 1926–27
\|Cliftonville Olympic*	1	1919–20
\|Belfast United	1	1922–23
\|Linfield Rangers	1	1925–26
\|Broadway United	1	1927–28
\|Newington Rangers	1	1930–31
\|Ards II	1	1940–41
\|Ballyclare Comrades	1	1941–42
\|Bangor Reserves*	1	1946–47
\|Larne	1	1948–49
\|Brantwood	1	1924–25 (shared)
\|Summerfield	1	1933–34 (shared)
\|Dundela	1	1945–46 (shared)

NB - * indicates reserve team

References

External links

[https://web.archive.org/web/20151031125012/http://home.online.no/~smogols/ifcp/archive/defunctifaintermediateleague/ifaintermediateleague.htm Intermediate League Archive at the Irish Football Club Project]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20151031125043/http://home.online.no/~smogols/ifcp/archive/defunctmcelroycup/mcelroycup.htm McElroy Cup Archive at the Irish Football Club Project]

Category:Defunct association football cup competitions in Northern Ireland

Category:Defunct association football league competitions in Northern Ireland