Results

Date	Home Team		Away Team
	Marcel Seeley Alumni Game		People’s Park, Portadown
17.06.2018	Craigavon Cowboys		NI Razorbacks

References

Websites

[18] Craigavon Cowboys | Scribd (2018) 2018 Game 7 Preview: Cowboys v Razorbacks [Internet] Available from: https://www.scribd.com/document/381856106/match-preview-razorbacks-home-2018?secret_password=E4ctH7IsOY95qamWVlDn#download&from_embed [Accessed 10 February 2020]

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Todd Zboyan, Brianna Wallace & Heather Foust (Dublin Bay Raptors) and Tim Leadingham (Tallaght Outlaws)

About this document

Prepared and maintained by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive

Last Updated: 19 May 2020

(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2020

You may quote this document in part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Reserved.

Standings

	P	W	L	T	PF	PA	PD	Pct
Northern Ireland
Bangor Buccaneers	1	1	0	0	30	0	+30	1.000
Craigavon Cowboys	1	1	0	0			+1	1.000
Belfast Blitzers	1	0	1	0			-1	.000
Belfast Spartans	1	0	1	0	0	30	-30	.000
Coleraine Chieftains
Dublin*
Marlay Chargers
Blanchardstown Bears
Foxrock Falcons
University College Dublin

Note: *While there are mentions offive Dublin teams in 1985, the Dublin Celts were the only team in Ireland that was fully kitted and only played English opposition, while there is no evidence that the other four mentioned Dublin teams played any matches with the exception of UCD.

Results

Date	Home Team		Away Team
1985	Belfast Spartans	0	Bangor Buccaneers	30
1985	Belfast Blitzers	L	Craigavon Cowboys	W

Report

The Belfast Spartans first ever match was in a challenge match in 1985, in which they lost 30-0 to the Bangor Buccaneers. The Craigavon Cowboys also beat the Belfast Blitzers by one point in an unkitted tackle game.

The matches were unkitted, but according to reports in the Belfast Spartans website, it appears to have been a form of “American Rugby”, much like the early Ohio League style American Football in the USA at the end of the 19th and early 20th Century, i.e. Contact Football without padding or helmets, rather than Flag Football (American Football version of Tag Rugby).

References

Websites

[1] Belfast Spartans (2019) Team History | Grinding to a start [Internet] Available from: http://www.belfastspartans.co.uk/team-history.html [Accessed 20 March 2018]

[2] BBC Sport NI Facebook (2020) Video, July 25, 2020 [Comment by player at 1:00-1:10] [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/BBCSPORTNI/videos/693338128160962 [Accessed 30 August 2020]

[3] Anon. (1985) “Football Crazy” Irish Times. Saturday, March 16, 1985. pg. 16 [Internet] Available from the Irish Times Archive at: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/archive/1985/0316/Pg016.html#Ar01603 [The Irish Times Archive is a subscripttion service.

Sources

[4] Kevin Sharkey “The-Dublin-Celts History” 18 October 2020. Shared with permission by John Gunning via Facebook Messenger 18 October 2020.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to David Turner, Belfast Blitzers and Kevin Sharkey, Dublin Celts.

About this document

Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive

Last Updated: 25 October 2020

(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2020

You may quote this document in part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Reserved.

Fixtures

Date	Home Team		Away Team
	All-America Challenge		Banbridge Rugby Club
19.08.1983	Redskins		Yankees

Report

Banbridge Rugby Club hoped to open the new season in style at Rifle Park with an All-American Evening, incuding an American Football match between the “Redskins” and “Yankees” featuring two teams of Rugby Club Players specially coached for the occasion, and Cheerleaders!

The match, if it actually went ahead, would push back the history of Irish American Football a further year. As it Currently stands the Dublin Celts are the first ever Irish American Football Team, founded in 1984, and the first ever match between two Irish teams (A Flag Football match) took place in Omagh, Co. Tyrone, in 1985, between the Tyrone Tornadoes and Coleraine Chieftains.

It is unlikely the teams were kitted, so it may have been something similar to Ohio League American Football in the USA in the early 20th Century, which would have looked more like Rugby Union or Rugby League than the modern game of American Football. If it actually went ahead.

Newspapers

[1] Anon. (1994) “Shoot-out at Rifle Park” Belfast Telegraph. Wednesday, August 17, 1983. pg. 34 [Internet] Available online at the Irish Newspaper Archive at: https://www.irishnewsarchive.com/ which is a subscription service.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to David Turner & Billy Graham (Belfast Blitzers).

About this document

Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive

Last Updated: 17 May 2020

(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2020

You may quote this document in part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Reserved.

Results

Date	Team 1		Team 2
	Jack Daniels Summer Bowl		Belevedere RFC, Dublin
04.07.1986	Dublin Celts
	Festival
20.07.1986	Belfast Blitzers	53	Aldergrove Hawks	22
	Jack Daniels Summer Bowl		Belvedere RFC, Dublin
04.07.1987	Dublin Celts	26	Belfast Blitzers	0
			Acgragar GAA, Co. Laois
16.08.1987	Dublin Celts	26	Belfast Blitzers	14
	Jack Daniels Summer Bowl		Belvedere RFC, Co. Laois
04.07.1988	Dublin Celts		Northern Hordes
	Exhibition
1988	Dublin Tornadoes	46	Antrim Bulldogs	0
	Exhibition
17.07.1988	Labatt Spartans	??	A26 Bulldogs	8
	Birr Vintage Festival		Birr, Co. Offaly
21.08.1988	Dublin Tornadoes		Antrim Bulldogs
	Jack Daniels Summer Bowl		Belvedere RFC< Dublin
04.07.1989
	Exhibition		Breffni Park, Co. Cavan
19.08.1989	Belfast Giants		Craigavon Cowboys
	Exhibition		Athy RFC, Co. Kildare
24.05.1992	Dublin Tornadoes		Drogheda Vikings
	July 4th Festival		Westport, Co. Mayo
04.07.1993	Dublin Tornadoes	33	Belfast Spartans	0
04.07.1993*	Ardee Falcons	0	Dublin Tornadoes	0
	International		Wicklow RFC, Co. Wicklow
12.08.1995	IAFL All-Stars		British Bulldogs
	Exhibition		Melvin Park, Co. Tyrone
04.07.1998
	Exhibition		Jennings Park, Newry, Co. Down
05.10.2008*	Craigavon Cowboys		Edenderry Soldiers
	Blarney Bowl		Blarney, Co. Cork
04.07.2010	Cork Admirals	40	Dublin Dragons	6
	Moneygall American Festival		Moneygall, Co. Offaly
04.07.2012*	Trim Bulldogs	28	Drogheda Lightning	26
	Rivals Bowl		Deramore Park
04.07.2014+	Belfast Trojans	50	Carrickfergus Knights	0
	Friday Night Lights		Navan, Co. Meath
04.07.2014+	Meath Bulldogs	29	Mullingar Minotaurs	22
	Stars & Stripes Event		People’s Park, Portadown
07.2016	Craigavon Cowboys	W	South Kildare Soldiers	L
	Marcel Seeley Alumni Game		People’s Park, Portadown
17.06.2018	Craigavon Cowboys		NI Razorbacks
	Marcell Seeley Memorial Cup		People’s Park, Portadown
06.2019	Craigavon Cowboys	27	Wexford Eagles	13

References: [1-8]

Note: *8v8 Exhibition Match. + Regular Season Match

About

There have been Festival Matches and Exhibition matches held during the season in Irish American Football since 1986. Often held on American Independence Day, or during Festivals in small towns or villages throughout Ireland, they can be a highlight of the year for many, as up to 5,000 can turn up to watch, as was the case in the July 4th Festival in Westport, Co. Mayo in 1993.

References:

Websites

[1] Britballnow.co.uk (2019) 1986 Results [Internet] Available from: http://www.britballnow.co.uk/history-index/results-section.html [Accessed 17 August 2019]

Sources

[1] Anon. (1986) “New Ball-Game for Tony Ward” Irish Press Tuesday, July 1, 1986. pg. 16.

[2] Anon. (1987) “American Football” Irish Press. Monday, July 6, 1987, pg. 13.

[3] Anon.(1988) “Incredible Hulks – just like a herd of Buffalo” Irish independent Monday, July 4, 1988. pg. 3.

[4] Anon. (1988) “Birr Vintage Festival” Nenagh Guardian. Saturday, August 13, 1988. pg. 15.

[5] Anon. (1988) “Sports Diary | American Football” Sunday Independent Sunday, July 2, 1989. pg. 29.

[6] Anon. (1989) “American Football featured at Cavan Festival | Picture Caption” Anglo-Celt. Thursday, July 27, 1989. pg. 24.

[7] Sheridan, Barbara (1992) “Tight breeches, but no glamour” Nationalist and Leinster Times. Friday, May 29, 1992. pg. 7.

[8] Anon. (1998) “An Srath Ban, Cumann Mhic Sioghair C.L.G.” Strabane Chronicle. Thursday, July 2, 1998. pg. 31.

[9] Naughton, Lindie (1995) “American Football” Evening Herald. Thursday, July 13, 1995. pg. 73 [Pg. 79 Irish Newspaper Archive]

[10]O’Doherty, Caroline (1995) “Feast of entertainment at American Football Blitz” Wicklow People. Thursday, August 10, 1995. pg. 5.

Note: Past copies of the Evening Herald are available to view online at the Irish Newspaper Archive: http://www.irishnewsarchive.com and British Newspaper Archive: https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk, both of which are subscription services. Past copies of the Wicklow People are available at the British Newspaper Archive: http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk.

Websites

[11] Boards.ie (2008) Post by TITAN #1, 3 October 2008 [Internet] Available from: https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=57462587 [Accessed 12 April 2018]

[12] Irish American Football Association | Wayback Machine (2018) Blarney Bowl, 4th July, Cork [Internet] Available from: http://web.archive.org/web/20180624071104/https://www.americanfootball.ie/blarney-bowl-4th-july-cork/ [Accessed 24 June 2018]

[13] Irish American Football Association (2010) 2010 IAFL Standings/Schedule [Internet] Available from: http://www.americanfootball.ie/iafl-standings/2010-iafl-standingsschedule/ [Accessed 24 March 2014]

[14] Monegall GAA (2012) Trim Bulldogs v Drogheda Lightning [Internet] Available from: http://www.moneygall.gaa.ie/club-news-1/2012-Archived-News/trimlightningvdroghedabulldogs [Accessed 30 July 2018]

[15] Meath Bulldogs Fan Group | Facebook (2012) Post by Garland Drake, July 9, 2012 “ Trim Bulldogs win a dramatic exhibition game against Drodghea Lighting in Moneygall 28-26 “ [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/groups/132480496798326/permalink/412879918758381 [Accessed 24 February 2019]

[16] Britball Now (2016) Historical Results [1988][Friendlies] [Internet] Available from: http://www.britballnow.co.uk/history-index/results-section.html [Accessed 12 January 2020]

[17] Craigavon Cowboys (2016) Cowboys beat Soldiers at Stars and Stripes Event [Internet] Available from: https://www.craigavoncowboys.co.uk/news/cowboys-beat-soldiers-at-stars-stripes-event [Accessed 10 February 2020]

[18] Craigavon Cowboys | Scribd (2018) 2018 Game 7 Preview: Cowboys v Razorbacks [Internet] Available from: https://www.scribd.com/document/381856106/match-preview-razorbacks-home-2018?secret_password=E4ctH7IsOY95qamWVlDn#download&from_embed [Accessed 10 February 2020]

[19] Craigavon Cowboys (2019) Cowboys Triumph in Marcell Seeley Memorial Cup[Internet] Available from: https://www.craigavoncowboys.co.uk/news/cowboys-triumph-in-marcell-seeley-memorial-cup[Accessed 10 February 2020]

[20] Irish American Football Association (2014) IAFL Action on Independence Day [Internet] Available from: https://www.americanfootball.ie/iafl-action-on-independence-day/ [Accessed 30 April 2020]

Images

[21] Craigavon Cowboys (2016) Cowboys beat Soldiers at Stars and Stripes Event [Internet] Available from: https://www.craigavoncowboys.co.uk/uploads/7/8/0/2/78026140/1467843728.png [Accessed 10 February 2020]

[22] American Football Ireland (2020) AFI Logo 2020 [Internet] Available from: https://www.americanfootball.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/AFI-Logo-200.png [Accessed 10 February 2020]

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Todd Zboyan, Brianna Wallace & Heather Foust (Dublin Bay Raptors) and Tim Leadingham (Tallaght Outlaws)

About this document

Prepared and maintained by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive

Last Updated: 30 April 2020

(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2020

You may quote this document in part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Reserved.