| Full name | Ulster Football Club |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1877 |
| Ground | Ulster Cricket Ground Ormeau Road Ballynafeigh Belfast |
| League | Irish Football League |
Ulster Football Club is a former Irish football club based in Ballynafeigh, Belfast. It was initially founded in 1877 as a rugby club, but later switched codes to association football. It was subsequently a founding member of the Irish Football League in 1890. The club later switched back to rugby and continued playing into the 1930s.
The club was founded by members of Ulster Cricket Club and played its home games at the Ulster Cricket Ground on Ormeau Road. It is listed as a rugby club in Richard M. Peter’s Irish Football Annual 1880 and during the 1879-80 season it played 24 games, taking on, among others, local rivals North of Ireland and Queen's College, Belfast.[1] On October 24, 1878 the club hosted a demonstration game between two Scottish association football teams, Queen's Park and Caledonian. This game is recognised as the earliest organised association football games to be played in Ireland. A second demonstration game in 1879 saw Ulster host a match between a scratch team of local players and another Scottish club side, Lenzie.[2] During the 1880s and early 1890s, both Ulster and its home ground, sometimes referred to as Ballynafeigh Park, played a prominent role in the early history of association football in Ireland. Ulster reached the Irish Cup final on three occasions, winning the competition in 1887 after defeating Cliftonville 3-0 in the final.[3] They were also founder members of the Irish Football League and finished as runners-up during its first two seasons, 1890-91 and 1891-92. The club was a member of the League for six seasons in total: four between 1890 and 1894 and two from 1901 to 1903.[4] During the 1880s, Ballynafeigh Park also hosted several Irish Cup finals and Ireland international games.[5][6]
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Eleven Ulster F.C. players represented Ireland at international level, winning 39 caps between them.[7] Reynolds also went on to play for England.