The Irish League Cup, or the Co-operative Insurance Cup, is the third-highest rated competition in domestic Northern Irish football competition after the IFA Premiership and Irish Cup. Since 2001/02 it has been sponsored by Co-operative Insurance (known as CIS until 2007/08). Previous sponsors have been Coca-Cola (1998/99 to 2000/01), Wilkinson Sword (1991/92 to 1997/98), and Roadferry Freight (1986/87 to 1990/91). It should not be confused with the Irish League Floodlit Cup which ran from 1987/88 to 1997/98 initially under the sponsorship of Budweiser and latterly Coca-Cola.
| File:Cooperativeinsurance158.jpg Current Co-operative Insurance Cup logo | |
| Founded | 1986 |
|---|---|
| Region |  Northern Ireland |
| Number of teams | 24 |
| Most successful club(s) | Linfield (9 titles) |
The League Cup winners qualify for the next season's all-Ireland Setanta Cup.
Format
The competition is for IFA Premiership and IFA Championship 1 clubs, and uses a knock-out system. Twelve Championship 1 teams play the first round, with the remaining two given a bye to the second round. The four second-round winners join the twelve Premiership clubs in the third round. From there on, it is quarter-finals and semi-finals and final.
Until the semi-final stage, each round (with the exception of the preliminary round) consists of two legs, with each team playing one match at home and the other away. In the event that the scores are level after both legs, the away goals rule is used, and if the teams are still level, there is a penalty shoot-out. The semi-finals and final are single games played to a finish on neutral venues.
The competition is largely a midweek one, but in recent years the final has been played on a Saturday afternoon in December and has been broadcast live on television since the 2005-06 season.
History
The competition began as a straight knock-out competition in 1986/87, and also included teams from the Irish League B Division until 1997-98. From 1998-99 until 2007-08.,only senior (Irish League and Irish Premier League teams have competed, but the competition was opened up to the IFA Championship for 2008-09.
The competition began with a straight knock-out format, but from 2001-02 until 2007-08, a group/knock-out system was used.
When it was first introduced it was one of a number of senior cup competitions in Northern Ireland run by the Irish League, originally to compensate for the relatively few league fixtures (traditionally 22 or 26), but also as vehicles for sponsorship revenue. The League Cup would have been considered less prestigious than the long-standing Gold Cup and Ulster Cup. Over the past decade or so, however, these other cup competitions have been phased out as the number of Irish League fixtures has increased and the public appetite for additional competitions has reduced, leaving the League Cup as the only surviving cup competition run by the Irish League and now established as the third most prestigious competition in Northern Ireland.
The actual trophy is the old City Cup, which was another senior Irish League competition that was ended in 1975.
History and statistics
Linfield have won the League Cup the most times (nine) and reached the most finals (eleven).
The highest score recorded in a League Cup final was 4-0, when Linfield defeated Coleraine in 2000.
A total of nine different teams have won the League Cup, and eleven different teams have reached the final.
The most common final has been Glentoran v Linfield. These teams have played each other in seven finals. Linfield have won on four occasions and Glentoran on three.
Linfield hold the record for the most consecutive wins: three times from 1998 to 2000.
In the 1988/89 final, played between Glentoran and Linfield at the Oval on November 11, 1988, was won courtesy of a goal by Glens' goalkeeper, Alan Patterson, via a kick from his own penalty area. This was the first time that a goalkeeper had score in a British football final.[1]
In 2008/09, Portadown became the first intermediate team to reach the final, and subsequently became the first intermediate team to win the cup after defeating Newry City 1-0.
The 2008/09 final (between Newry City and Portadown was the first to be played outside Belfast, with Mourneview Park, Lurgan hosting a 1-0 win for the Ports. This match was attended by UEFA President Michael Platini and Northern Ireland manager Nigel Worthington who was in Northern Ireland for the FIFA meeting held in Newcastle, County Down.
List of finals
| Season | Winner | Score | Runner-up | Date | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009/10 | Glentoran | 2 - 2
(4-1 pens) |
Coleraine | 27/03/2010 | ||
| 2008/09 | Portadown | 1 - 0 | Newry City | 28/02/2009 | Mourneview Park, Lurgan | 4,000 |
| 2007/08 | Linfield | 3 - 2 | Crusaders | 02/02/2008 | Windsor Park, Belfast | 5,200 |
| 2006/07 | Glentoran | 1 - 0 | Cliftonville |
02/12/2006 | Windsor Park, Belfast | 6,910 |
| 2005/06 | Linfield | 3 - 0 | Glentoran |
10/12/2005 | Windsor Park, Belfast | 6,845 |
| 2004/05 | Glentoran |
2 - 1 | Linfield |
09/11/2004 | Windsor Park, Belfast | 6,000 |
| 2003/04 | Cliftonville |
1 - 1
(5-4 pens) |
Larne |
11/11/2003 | Windsor Park, Belfast | 3,000 |
| 2002/03 | Glentoran |
2 - 0 | Linfield |
03/12/2002 | Windsor Park, Belfast | 5,700 |
| 2001/02 | Linfield | 3 - 1 | Glentoran |
27/11/2001 | Windsor Park, Belfast | 6,200 |
| 2000/01 | Glentoran |
1 - 0 | Glenavon |
24/04/2001 | Windsor Park, Belfast | 2,515 |
| 1999/00 | Linfield | 4 - 0 | Coleraine |
18/04/2000 | Windsor Park, Belfast | 2,963 |
| 1998/99 | Linfield | 2 - 1 | Glentoran |
04/05/1999 | Windsor Park, Belfast | 6,500 |
| 1997/98 | Linfield | 1 - 0 | Glentoran |
09/09/1997 | Windsor Park, Belfast | |
| 1996/97 | Crusaders | 1 - 0 | Glentoran |
15/10/1996 | Windsor Park, Belfast | 3,000 |
| 1995/96 | Portadown | 2 - 1 | Crusaders |
19/09/1995 | Windsor Park, Belfast | 2,600 |
| 1994/95 | Ards | 0 - 0
(2-0 pens) |
Cliftonville |
25/04/1995 | Windsor Park, Belfast | 3,500 |
| 1993/94 | Linfield | 2 - 0 | Coleraine |
26/04/1994 | The Oval, Belfast | 4,500 |
| 1992/93 | Bangor | 3 - 0 | Coleraine |
20/04/1993 | Windsor Park, Belfast | 2,000 |
| 1991/92 | Linfield | 3 - 0 | Larne |
14/04/1992 | The Oval, Belfast | |
| 1990/91 | Glentoran |
2 - 0 | Ards |
13/03/1991 | Windsor Park, Belfast | 4,000 |
| 1989/90 | Glenavon |
3 - 1 | Newry Town |
19/12/1989 | Windsor Park, Belfast | 1,000 |
| 1988/89 | Glentoran |
2 - 1 | Linfield |
30/11/1988 | The Oval, Belfast | 10,000 |
| 1987/88 | Coleraine |
1 - 0 | Portadown |
28/11/1987 | The Oval, Belfast | |
| 1986/87 | Linfield |
2 - 1 | Crusaders |
09/05/1987 | The Oval, Belfast |
Performance by club
| Club | Winners | Runners-up | Winning Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linfield | 9 | 3 | 1986/87, 1991/92, 1993/94, 1997/98, 1998/99, 1999/2000, 2001/02, 2005/06, 2007/08 |
| Glentoran | 7 | 5 | 1988/89, 1990/91, 2000/01, 2002/03, 2004/05, 2006/07, 2009/10 |
| Portadown | 2 | 1 | 1995/96, 2008/09 |
| Coleraine | 1 | 4 | 1987/88 |
| Crusaders | 1 | 3 | 1996/97 |
| Cliftonville | 1 | 2 | 2003/04 |
| Ards | 1 | 1 | 1994/95 |
| Glenavon | 1 | 1 | 1989/90 |
| Bangor | 1 | - | 1992/93 |
| Larne | - | 2 | - |
| Newry City | - | 2 | - |