Linfield F.C., a semi-professional football club in Northern Ireland
Before that, finals were played at the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society grounds at Balmoral, the Ulster Sports Club grounds at Cross Parade in Belfast, and one final was even played at the Linfield Football Club ground at Windsor Park.
Linfield F.C. | Linfield | 1997 Linfield vs. Willamette football game | Linfield College | Mark Linfield |
They became the first club to retain the trophy since Linfield won three consecutive cups in 1997–98, 1998–99 and 1999–2000.
It would regularly attract several hundred home fans to its games and gates of 2000 or more were recorded when it played local favourites Linfield and Belfast Celtic.
Andre Shoukri and his brother Ihab Shoukri both had brief spells as brigadier before being imprisoned leading to the appointment of William "Bonzer" Borland, a former footballer with Linfield, to the role in 2003.
The 2014 competition was originally going to feature Linfield, who were inaugural winners of the competition in 2005 and had appeared in all eight editions of the competition to date, and 2012–13 IFA Premiership champions Cliftonville.
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The competition was reduced in size back down to its original number of eight teams, and was originally going to feature Linfield, who were inaugural winners of the competition in 2005 and had appeared in all eight editions of the competition to date, and 2012–13 IFA Premiership champions Cliftonville.