Irish-born players in England's Football Leagues, 1945–2010: an historical and geographical assessment

Abstract

Studies on the places of origin of Irish footballing migrants have been scarce. During the period from 1945 to 2010, 500 Republic of Ireland-born footballers and 417 players born in Northern Ireland played league football in England. This article will illustrate that while the majority of Irish footballers who migrated to England in this period were born in Dublin and Belfast, there were a number of reasons why rates of production were significantly lower outside these cities. The lack of street football in more rural areas, the role of schools, the slow establishment of local leagues and strong competition from other football codes help explain this disparity. An outline of scouting networks across Ireland will be given and the recent emergence of players from more peripheral regions will also be discussed. It will determine which English clubs were initially favoured by these players and the most significant Irish source clubs will be identified. Using interviews conducted with players and biographical information gathered, an assessment of their schoolboy-playing experiences will be offered while the migration of young players from more peripheral counties to clubs on the east coast of Ireland will also be examined.

Acknowledgements

I am grateful to CIES and FIFA for providing me with funding to undertake this research. I am also indebted to Prof. Matthew Taylor, Prof. Mike Cronin, Dr Tom Hunt, John Duffy, Seán Ryan, Gerard Mooney and Vincent Butler for their suggestions and assistance and also to the 30 players who took part in the interviews.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

^1. Until 1958, along with the First and Second Divisions, there were two Third Divisions, north and south, with one club from each gaining promotion. These were amalgamated into the Third Division that year and a Fourth Division was put in place. After the 1991–1992 season, the First Division became known as the Premier League, with the new First Division being replaced by the Championship in the 2004–2005 season. At a lower level to the Premier League, the Football League now contains the Championship, League One and League Two.

^2. See, for example, the role of Steve Heighway, Ronnie Whelan, Steve Finnan (Liverpool),Tony Dunne, George Best, Denis Irwin, Roy Keane and John O'Shea (Manchester United) and Martin O'Neill (Nottingham Forest) in their clubs' European Cup/Champions League successes.

^3. These figures have been calculated in relation to when the players actually made their debuts in English league football; cup-ties and European matches have not been included in the data.

^4. See ‘Waterford United: Club Information’ (http://www.waterford-united.ie/club-info/, accessed October 18, 2014). I am grateful to David Toms for drawing my attention to this.

^5. The Irish Football Association was formed in Belfast on 18 November 1880 but after relations between a number of Dublin clubs and the IFA in Belfast deteriorated, the Football Association of Ireland was founded in Dublin on 2 September 1921. This was renamed the Football Association of the Irish Free State in September 1923 but is today again known as the FAI. See Garnham, Association Football and Society, 177–196. Governed by the FAI and its clubs, the League of Ireland is the Republic of Ireland's highest level of professional football, while the Irish League, for clubs in Northern Ireland, is controlled by the Northern Ireland Football League.

^6. Shamrock Rovers have won the trophy a record number of 17 times with other Dublin-based clubs Shelbourne (12), Bohemians (11), St Patrick's Athletic (7), Drumcondra (5), St James's Gate (2) and Dolphin (1) also claiming victories.

^7. ‘Gerry McElhinney’ (http://nifootball.blogspot.ie/2007/01/gerrymcelhinney.html, accessed 30 October, 2014). An All-Star is an award given annually to those deemed to have been the best players in their positions over the All-Ireland Gaelic football and hurling championship season. Other football migrants who have played both codes include Bud Aherne, Niall Quinn, Shane Long (hurling) Norman Uprichard, Gerry Armstrong, Mal Donaghy, Pat McGibbon, Neil Lennon, Anton Rogan, Con Martin and Kevin Moran (Gaelic football).

^8. ‘Lisburn Youth Football Club’ (http://www.lisburnyouth.co.uk/about-us/, accessed January 22, 2013).

^9. I am grateful to John Duffy for this information.

^10. For an assessment of the impact of theTroubles on other sports see Ferriter (2004, 650).

^11. ‘NIFL Premiership’ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NIFL_Premiership, accessed August 7, 2013).

^12. ‘The Official Website of the Danske Bank Premiership’ (http://premiership.nifootballleague.com/, accessed September 29, 2013).

^13. See also Brady, So Far So Good, 11–13. Brady was expelled from his Christian Brothers school for captaining the Republic of Ireland international schoolboy team in a match versus Wales instead of playing in a Gaelic football schools' game.

^14. See for example, the playing activities at Methodist College, Belfast-‘Sport and Games’ (http://www.methody.org/School-Activities/Sport-Games.aspx, accessed September 29, 2013). While rugby teams are selected at a variety of levels, competitive association football is only available to Sixth Form boys.

^15. ‘FAI Schools: About Us’ (http://www.fais.ie/about-us/, accessed October 20, 2013).

^16. ‘Schoolboys Football Association of Ireland’; ‘Clare Schoolboys/Girls Soccer League’ (http://www.cssleague.ie/, accessed October 14, 2013); ‘Meath and District League’ (http://www.yellowtom.ie/155446, accessed October 25, 2013); Sunday Independent, 13 February 2011 and ‘Midlands Schoolboys/Girls League’ (http://www.msleague.ie/, accessed October 14, 2013). The SFAI claims to cater ‘for close on 100,000 players from more than 1000 clubs’.

^17. ‘Schoolboys Football Association of Ireland: Kennedy Cup: Past Winners’ (http://www.sfai.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=161&Itemid=144, accessed October 12, 2013).

^18. ‘NI Schools FA’ (http://www.irishfa.com/grassroots/ni-schools-fa/, accessed October 12, 2013).

^19. ‘NI Schools FA’ and ‘History of NIBFA’ (http://www.nibfa.org/?tabindex=5&tabid=913, accessed October 12, 2013).

^20. ‘History of the Milk Cup’ (http://www.nimilkcup.org/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&layout=item&id=27&Itemid=90, accessed October 12, 2013).

^21. ‘Hughes Insurance Foyle Cup: About’ (http://www.foylecup.com/About.aspx, accessed October 12, 2013).

^22. The Boys' Brigade was a movement founded in Belfast in 1888 for the development of young men. See Garnham, Association Football and Society, 17.

^23. ‘Rolls of Honour’ (http://www.gaa.ie/about-the-gaa/gaa-history/rolls-ofhonour/, accessed August 7, 2013).

^24. ‘Eoin Hand welcomes new regulations for scouts and trials’ (http://www.fai.ie/football-services-a-education/player-a-club-services/100500-eoin-hand-welcomes-newregulations-for-scouts-and-trials.html, accessed May 5, 2013).

^25. ‘Soccer Clubs Leagues in Leitrim’ (http://www.leitrimcoco.ie/eng/Services_A-Z/Community_and_Enterprise/Community-Soccer-Programme/Soccer-Clubs-Leagues-in-Leitrim.html, accessed September 11, 2013).

^26. ‘Leitrim Genealogy Centre’ (http://www.leitrimroots.com/, accessed December 27, 2013).

^27. ‘Kildare and District Football League’ (http://www.kdfl.ie/about.htm, accessed September 11, 2013) and ‘History of the Roscommon and District League’ (http://www.sportsmanager.ie/uploaded/8525/History_from_Begining_up_to_2006.pd, accessed September 11, 2013).

^28. ‘Men's League History’ (http://inform.fai.ie/League/Clubs/portals/MAFL/mayomensleaguehistory.aspx?ClubID=1283, accessed September 12, 2013).

^29. ‘Meath and District League’.

^30. This report stated that the pitch had been vandalised for the seventh time, with glass broken on the playing surface, goalposts smashed and cars used to cut up the playing surface.

^31. See also Derry People and Donegal News, 9 December 1978. The reporter lamented the fact that only one Donegal player had been selected for the national youth squad and questioned whether ‘the Dublin mafia was back in control’.