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The IFA was formed in 1880 by football clubs in the Belfast area. A meeting was called by Cliftonville FC of other football clubs who followed the rules set out by the Scottish Football Association (SFA) on November 18 of that year to form the IFA. The first decision they took was to form an annual challenge cup competition similar to the FA Cup and Scottish Cup competitions. Two years later the Irish national side played their first international against England, getting beaten 13-0.

At this stage the IFA was the organising body for the sport across all of Ireland, but upon partition in 1921 the FAI was set up to regulate the game in the Irish Free State (now the Republic). The IFA regulated the game in the North, and all results obtained by the Irish national side and records in the Irish Football LeagueThe Irish Football League IFL is a league of football (soccer) clubs in Northern Ireland. It should not be confused with the Football League of Ireland, which is the league for the Republic of Ireland. The IFL was originally formed as the football league and the cup competition stood as Northern Irish records. Therefore in essence the IFA as Northern Ireland's organising body is a direct continuation of the IFA as the organising body across all of Ireland.

Along with the other "home nations" associations (the FA, the SFA and the Football Association of WalesThe Football Association of Wales is the governing body of football in Wales, being a member of both FIFA and UEFA. Established in 1876, it is the third-oldest association in the world, and is one of the five associations (with the English Football Associ) the IFA sits on the International Football Association BoardThe International Football Association Board (IFAB is the body that determines the Laws of the Game of association football (soccer). The board was formed in 1882 after a meeting in Manchester of The Football Association (England), the Scottish Football A which is responsible for the laws of the game. The IFA continues to have responsibility for the running of the Northern Ireland national football team.

External link

• Irish FA Website