Shelbourne F.C.

Formation & IFA years: 1895–1921

Shelbourne Football Club was formed in 1895 in the Ringsend area of Dublin by a group of men led by James Rowan, a general labourer. The club's first meeting was held at the corner of Bath Avenue in the Shelbourne House hostelry, known as of 2017 as Slattery's Pub, and took its name from the nearby Shelbourne Road. The club's first pitch was at Havelock Square just behind the north stand at the present day Aviva Stadium. Shelbourne's second season, 1896–97, was their first in competitive competition. Shelbourne played 28 matches, won 25, drew two and lost only one. Their goal tally was 109 for and 15 against. Shelbourne won the principal junior competitions, the Leinster Junior Cup and Leinster Junior League. The club decided to enter the senior ranks for the 1897–98 season and reached the Leinster Senior Cup final at their first attempt, only to lose to Bohemians. They also finished runners-up in the Leinster Senior League. The club won their first Leinster Senior Cup in 1899/1900, winning the competition again in 1901 and 1904. The club joined the Irish League for the start of the 1904–05 season. The club made it to the final of the IFA Cup in 1905 but were beaten by Distillery. The following year Shelbourne defeated Belfast Celtic in the Cup Final 2–0 at Dalymount Park before a crowd of 7,000 thanks to a brace from James Owens and became the first Southern club to win the IFA Cup. According to a Dublin newspaper "Tar barrels and…

League of Ireland/Premier Division 14: 1925–26, 1928–29, 1930–31, 1943–44, 1946–47, 1952–53, 1961–62, 1991–92, 1999–2000, 2001–02, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2024 League of Ireland First Division 2: 2019, 2021 Irish Cup: 3 1905–06, 1910–11, 1919–20 FAI Cup: 7 1938–39, 1959–60, 1962–63, 1992–93, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1999–2000 League of Ireland Cup: 1 1995–96 League of Ireland Shield: 8 1921–22, 1922–23, 1925–26, 1929–30, 1943–44, 1944–45, 1948–49, 1970–71 LFA President's Cup: 8 1929–30 [shared], 1939–40, 1947–48 [shared], 1960–61, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1998–99, 2002–03 FAI Super Cup: 1 2001–02 President of Ireland's Cup: 1 2025 Dublin City Cup: 4 1941–42, 1946–47, 1962–63, 1964–65 City Cup: 1 1908–09 Gold Cup: 1 1914–15 Top Four Cup: 1 1961–62 Leinster Senior League: 12 (record) 1902–03, 1903–04, 1906–07, 1907–08, 1908–09, 1910–11, 1915–16, 1916–17, 1918–19, 1923–24, 1942–43, 1943–44 Leinster Senior Cup: 21 1899–1900, 1900–01, 1903–04, 1905–06, 1907–08, 1908–09, 1912–13, 1913–14, 1916–17, 1918–19 1923–24, 1930–31, 1945–46, 1948–49, 1962–63, 1967–68, 1971–72, 1993–94, 2010, 2017, 2018 Leinster Senior League Metropolitan Cup: 1 1904/05 FAI Intermediate Cup: 1 1933 Leinster Junior League: 1 1896–97 Leinster Junior Cup: 1 1896–97 Enda McGuill Cup: 2 2003, 2025 FAI Youth Cup: 3 1959, 1961, 1969