Wellington Park Football Club is a former Irish football club from Belfast.
Full name | Wellington Park Football Club | |
---|---|---|
Nickname(s) | the Parkites[1] | |
Founded | 1882 | |
Dissolved | 1887 | |
Ground | Stranmillis (1882-85)[2] Eglantine (1885-86)[3] Colin View (1886-87)[4] | |
Hon. Secretary | J. T. Gibb | |
Captain | W. E. King[5] | |
|
History
editThe club was founded in 1882 by members of Rugby Lacrosse Club.[6][7] It hit the ground running; the club's second match was against the oldest Irish club, Cliftonville, in October 1882, and Park won 3–2, although Cliftonville was one man short.[8]
It reached the final of the Irish Cup in 1884, losing 5–0 to Distillery at Ormeau Road, the ground of Ulster F.C., in front of a crowd of 2,000.[9]
The club wound up at the end of the 1886–87 season and was reformed as Rugby Football Club, now playing rugby union.[10] Rugby F.C. in turn folded in 1890 and some of its former members helped form Collegians rugby club, while others formed the Windsor rugby club.[11]
Colours
editAlthough the lacrosse and rugby clubs wore maroon,[12] the football club wore white jerseys.[13]
Notable players
editReferences
edit- ^ "Irish Association Challenge Cup - Final Tie". Belfast News-Letter: 8. 21 April 1884.
- ^ Northern Whig, 8 October 1883
- ^ Belfast News-Letter, 19 October 1885
- ^ Belfast News-Letter, 25 October 1886
- ^ "Football". Northern Whig: 7. 2 September 1882.
- ^ Neal Garnham, The Origins and Development of Football in Ireland being a reprint of R. M. Peter’s Irish Football Annual of 1880 (Belfast: Ulster Historical Foundation, 1999), p. 172
- ^ Belfast News-Letter, 19 October 1885
- ^ "Cliftonville F.C. v Wellington Park F.C. (Association Rules)". Northern Whig: 7. 16 October 1882.
- ^ "Irish Association Challenge Cup - Final Tie". Belfast News-Letter: 8. 21 April 1884.
- ^ Northern Whig, 1 October 1887
- ^ Belfast Evening Telegraph, 1 October 1890 and 22 October 1890
- ^ "Pickings". Ulster Football and Cycling News: 6. 19 June 1891.
- ^ "Spherical notes". Sport (Dublin): 8. 21 November 1885.
- ^ "Scotland v Ireland". Northern Whig: 7. 28 January 1884.
- ^ "International match". Dundee Courier: 4. 16 March 1885.