League of Ireland Shield
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The League of Ireland Shield is a defunct Irish football tournament which was introduced when the League of Ireland (LOI) started in 1921 and ran uninterrupted until 1972.[1] It was played before the league season began and was seen as the third most important trophy in Irish football, after the league and the FAI Cup.[2][3] The winners of the Shield gained entry to the following season's Inter-Cities Fairs Cup until 1971–72.[4]
The competition was played in a variety of formats; from complete round robin series to group stages followed by knock out games to complete knock out tournaments. It was usually staged as a full round of games with all teams playing each other once, such as in 1948–49 and 1966–67.[5][6] On a couple of occasions the Shield ran for two rounds, the same as the league championship.[7] The Shield was replaced by the League of Ireland Cup in 1973, although the competition returned for one season in 1983–84.[1][7][8]
The LOI Shield should not be confused with the League of Ireland First Division Shield, a competition that ran in the 1980s and 1990s and, as the name suggests, was confined to First Division clubs.
Source:[1]
Performance by club
| Club | Winners | Runners-up | Winning seasons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shamrock Rovers | 18 | 9 | 1924–25, 1926–27, 1931–32, 1932–33, 1934–35, 1937–38, 1941–42, 1949–50, 1951–52, 1954–55, 1955-56, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1962–63, 1963-64, 1964–65, 1965–66, 1967–68 |
| Shelbourne | 8 | 5 | 1921–22, 1922–23, 1925–26, 1929–30, 1943–44, 1944–45, 1948–49, 1970–71 |
| Bohemians | 6 | 5 | 1923–24, 1927–28, 1928–29, 1933–34, 1938–39, 1939–40 |
| Waterford | 5 | 2 | 1930–31, 1936–37, 1952–53, 1958–59, 1968–69 |
| Drumcondra | 4 | 2 | 1945–46, 1946–47, 1950–51, 1961–62 |
| Dundalk | 2 | 6 | 1966–67, 1971–72 |
| Cork Hibernians | 2 | 2 | 1969–70, 1972–73 |
| Limerick | 2 | 2 | 1953–54, 1983-84 |
| Cork United | 2 | 1 | 1942–43, 1947–48 |
| St. James' Gate | 2 | – | 1935–36, 1940–41 |
| Cork Celtic | 1 | 3 | 1960–61 |
| St. Patrick's Athletic | 1 | 2 | 1959–60 |
| Transport | – | 3 | – |
| Athlone Town | – | 2 | – |
| Bray Unknowns F.C. | – | 1 | – |
| Cork F.C. | – | 1 | – |
| Dolphin F.C. | – | 1 | – |
| Drogheda United | – | 1 | – |
| Sligo Rovers | – | 1 | – |
| UCD | – | 1 | – |