Ulster Cup
The Ulster Cup was an annual football competition held by the Irish Football League for senior clubs.
History
Beginning in 1949, it was held on fifty-one occasions until being suspended after the 1998/99 season and discontinued after a one-off re-appearance in 2002/03. The last three editions were only open to First Division sides. From the mid-1980s to the early-1990s the competition was known as the Lombard Ulster Cup due to a sponsorship deal with the Lombard & Ulster Bank. It had previously been sponsored by Morans.Format
The format of the Ulster Cup varied from season to season. It often employed a league format, with each club playing each other once and the winner declared as the team with the most points; and sometimes a group basis, with the winners decided by a play-off.The format over the years was as follows:
| Years | No. of seasons | Format |
| 1948–49 | 1 | group system plus final |
| 1949–52 | 3 | group system plus top-four knockout |
| 1952–56 | 4 | group system plus final |
| 1956–57 | 1 | league |
| 1957–65 | 8 | group system plus final |
| 1965–83 | 18 | league |
| 1983–85 | 2 | group system plus top-four knockout |
| 1985–96 | 11 | group system plus top-eight knockout |
| 1996–97 | 1 | knock-out |
| 1997–99 and 2002–03 | 3 | league |
Finals results
Winners of the Ulster Cup by season.Key:
| Scores level after 90 minutes. A replay was required. | |
| Scores level after 90 minutes. Winner was decided in extra time with no penalty shootout required. | |
| pens. | Scores level after extra time. A penalty shootout was required to determine the winner. |
| Season | Winner | Score | Runner-up | Venue |
| 1948–49 | Linfield | 3 – 0 | Ards | Solitude, Belfast |
| 1949–50 | Larne | 2 – 1 | Ballymena United | Grosvenor Park, Belfast |
| 1950–51 | Glentoran | 2 – 1 | Linfield | Grosvenor Park, Belfast |
| 1951–52 | Ballymena United | 3 – 0 | Crusaders | Solitude, Belfast |
| 1952–53 | Glentoran | 3 – 0 | Distillery | Solitude, Belfast |
| 1953–54 | Crusaders | 2 – 1 | Linfield | Solitude, Belfast |
| 1954–55 | Glenavon | 3 – 1 | Coleraine | Windsor Park, Belfast |
| 1955–56 | Linfield | 5 – 1 | Coleraine | The Oval, Belfast |
| 1956–57 | Linfield | League format | Distillery | — |
| 1957–58 | Distillery | 1 – 1 | Glentoran | Solitude, Belfast |
| Replay | Distillery | 4 – 1 | Glentoran | Windsor Park, Belfast |
| 1958–59 | Glenavon | 2 – 0 | Crusaders | Windsor Park, Belfast |
| 1959–60 | Linfield | 1 – 1 | Crusaders | Solitude, Belfast |
| Replay | Linfield | 4 – 1 | Crusaders | Windsor Park, Belfast |
| 1960–61 | Ballymena United | 3 – 1 | Glenavon | Grosvenor Park, Belfast |
| 1961–62 | Linfield | 2 – 0 | Glentoran | Windsor Park, Belfast |
| 1962–63 | Glenavon | 1 – 0 | Coleraine | Windsor Park, Belfast |
| 1963–64 | Crusaders | 2 – 2 | Glenavon | Windsor Park, Belfast |
| Replay | Crusaders | 1 – 0 | Glenavon | Windsor Park, Belfast |
| 1964–65 | Linfield | 1 – 0 | Glentoran | Windsor Park, Belfast |
| 1965–66 | Coleraine | League format | Linfield | — |
| 1966–67 | Glentoran | League format | Glenavon | — |
| 1967–68 | Linfield | League format | Glentoran | — |
| 1968–69 | Coleraine | League format | Linfield | — |
| 1969–70 | Coleraine | League format | Glentoran | — |
| 1970–71 | Linfield | League format | Coleraine | — |
| 1971–72 | Linfield | League format | Ballymena United | — |
| 1972–73 | Coleraine | League format | Distillery | — |
| 1973–74 | Ards | League format | Linfield | — |
| 1974–75 | Linfield | League format | Glentoran | — |
| 1975–76 | Coleraine | League format | Linfield | — |
| 1976–77 | Glentoran | League format | Portadown | — |
| 1977–78 | Linfield | League format | Coleraine | — |
| 1978–79 | Linfield | League format | Crusaders | — |
| 1979–80 | Linfield | League format | Cliftonville | — |
| 1980–81 | Ballymena United | League format | Linfield | — |
| 1981–82 | Glentoran | League format | Coleraine | — |
| 1982–83 | Glentoran | League format | Linfield | — |
| 1983–84 | Glentoran | 5 – 2 | Coleraine | Windsor Park, Belfast |
| 1984–85 | Linfield | 2 – 2 | Larne | The Oval, Belfast |
| 1985–86 | Coleraine | 5 – 0 | Portadown | Windsor Park, Belfast |
| 1986–87 | Coleraine | 1 – 0 | Linfield | The Oval, Belfast |
| 1987–88 | Larne | 2 – 1 | Coleraine | The Oval, Belfast |
| 1988–89 | Glentoran | 5 – 2 | Larne | Windsor Park, Belfast |
| 1989–90 | Glentoran | 3 – 1 | Glenavon | Windsor Park, Belfast |
| 1990–91 | Portadown | 1 – 1 | Glenavon | The Oval, Belfast |
| Replay | Portadown | 1 – 1 | Glenavon | The Oval, Belfast |
| 1991–92 | Bangor | 3 – 1 | Crusaders | The Oval, Belfast |
| 1992–93 | Linfield | 2 – 0 | Ards | The Oval, Belfast |
| 1993–94 | Crusaders | 1 – 0 | Bangor | Windsor Park, Belfast |
| 1994–95 | Bangor | 2 – 1 | Linfield | The Oval, Belfast |
| 1995–96 | Portadown | 2 – 2 | Linfield | Windsor Park, Belfast |
| 1996–97 | Coleraine | 1 – 1 | Crusaders | Windsor Park, Belfast |
| 1997–98 | Ballyclare Comrades | League format | Distillery | — |
| 1998–99 | Distillery | League format | Ards | — |
| 2002–03 | Dungannon Swifts | League format | Ballymena United | — |