Britain to have olympic soccer team?

[Denis The Red]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympics/football/7516128.stm

Interesting, and with the talk about an all Ireland league or team, this might be an avenue worth exploring ourselves.
There would be no harm in talking about it anyway, see where that takes us.

[gustavo]

Ehmm since when have we not had the chance to qualify for the Olympics?

[Denis The Red]

Ehmm since when have we not had the chance to qualify for the Olympics?
One olympic association in Ireland, two football associations. Same as britain, they have four football associations, that's why we never had a soccer team compete in the olympics.

[gustavo]

Ah I thought it was just cos we've never been good enough in the U-21 Championships

[holidaysong]

One olympic association in Ireland, two football associations. Same as britain, they have four football associations, that's why we never had a soccer team compete in the olympics.

We've competed in the Olympics twice in football actually. One was pre-partition though, but the other was in the 1940s.

[Sheridan]

How is this still propagating? Ireland does compete in the qualifying event for the Olympic football tournament, the European Under-21 Championship, and is fully eligible to participate in the games should its team qualify.

[endabob1]

Didn't we try to qualify sometime in the 80's I seem to recall us getting a hiding off Hungary in Dalymount?

[gspain]

We've entered just abiut all the Olympic tournamnets in modern times but have failed to qualify. The 4 semi finalists for the 2007 European U21 championships all qualified but England gave up their place.

We have played twice in the football finals 1924 and 1948 reaching the quarter finals in 24 but losing out in the first round in 1948. Holland beat us both times.

[Dodge]

How is this still propagating? Ireland does compete in the qualifying event for the Olympic football tournament, the European Under-21 Championship, and is fully eligible to participate in the games should its team qualify.

The vast majority of football fans in ireland have absolutely no clue about the game

[Denis The Red]

The vast majority of football fans in ireland have absolutely no clue about the game
Forgive my ignorance, I honestly didn't know we had an olympic history in soccer, maybe it's because we're crap at that level, but I shall now go to confession and repent.
Maybe we should put more emphases on it as everyone else regards it as a very prestigious event. Start by sacking Don Givens.

[Denis The Red]

I'm curious to find out more about the qualifying system, the criteria and the history of olympic football particularly involving ourselves. If there's a website with this information, could someone direct me to it, cheers.
I'm still a little confused however should the Republic of Ireland U21 qualify where does that leave the Northern Ireland team as we compete in the olympics under the OCI which covers athletes from the north, if they wish to compete on the Irish team, I realise they can do so for britain also.
Could someone clarify this for me? Thanks.

[gspain]

I'm curious to find out more about the qualifying system, the criteria and the history of olympic football particularly involving ourselves. If there's a website with this information, could someone direct me to it, cheers.
I'm still a little confused however should the Republic of Ireland U21 qualify where does that leave the Northern Ireland team as we compete in the olympics under the OCI which covers athletes from the north, if they wish to compete on the Irish team, I realise they can do so for britain also.
Could someone clarify this for me? Thanks.

My understanding is that the OCI may pick athletes from NI but likewise athletes from NI can represent GB and many do. Robin Dixon, Stephen Martin and James Kirkwood have all won Olympic medals for GB. Mary Peters did also although she was born in England but grew up in Belfast.

The organsiers of the London games want a UK side representing all 4 home nations to play in the football tournament. NI players could be part of that.

I outlined our qualififcation attempts previously on this forum.

Roughly it is as follows

We entered in 1924 and 1948 but didn't need to qulaify afaik.

Amateur side for 1960 grouped with GB and Holland and didn't qualify. 1964 can't remember if we entered. 1968 lost out to GB. 1972 lost out to Yugoslavia. 1976 lost out to Czechoslovakia. 1980 lost out to Norway. 1984 can't remember, 1988 League of Ireland side grouped with Spain, Hungary, Sweden and France didn't qualify. 1992 U21 championship counted - Poland qualified by beating us in Bydgoszcz the day before senior game, big deal for them, live on tv etc. 1996 to date u21 championship.

[Denis The Red]

Thanks for that, gspain. I see you put a lot of work into it, appreciate it.
And let's not forget dear old Wayne McCullagh.

[gspain]

Thanks for that, gspain. I see you put a lot of work into it, appreciate it.
And let's not forget dear old Wayne McCullagh.


Quite a few NI athletes have won medals for Ireland. Wayne as you say. I thinl Hughie Russell was as well and 1 or 2 of the boxers from 1956.

[HarpoJoyce]

I know Uruguay was granted the 1930 World Cup purely on the basis of winning Gold in 1924 Paris and 1928 Amsterdam.

One unified team which doesn't get the coverage it deserves is the University side. It competes in the World Student Games (Universiade) every two years, resources permitting.

I went to the games in Sheffield in 1991. They got some nice stadiums (Swimming, Athletics) built while Manchester were playing with matchwood models for the grander Olympics.

There was a mix of the best of the Collingwood Cup sides, UCD had Paul Cullen (later Shamrock Rovers, Ards, Finn Harps) Gary O'Sullivan (Shamrock Rovers, Ards) Packie Lynch (St. Pat's Ath), Ciaran Kavanagh (Legend and Dundalk FC, born in Newry too, but Dundalk through and through.) and UUJ's(?) Jonathon Magee (Linfield) and another class midfielder Frank (?).

We lost to the USA at Leeds Road, Huddersfield. A side including Coby Jones ( later Coventry City) I know he has competed at the Universiade, Olympics and the World Cup. I don't know anyone else to do that. Cullen and Magee scored against Islamic Republic of Iran (2-0). Yes that's right, USA played Iran years before the over-hyped game in the World Cup.

We only needed a draw at Scunthorpe Utd.'s fresh Glanford Park against Great Britain to go through to the quarters. I heard that the Football Association were disappointed that this selection took place as it diluted its four association argument, I have no idea if this is true.

Anyway, GB had a chap called Jon McCarthy in their team, he scored either three or four that day. We lost 5-0, when McCarthy was substituted and his name announced some of the GB fans turned around and said "McCarthy, that's an Irish name, isn't it!". McCarthy later played for Northern Ireland and now writes some papers on football.

The football grounds promised at first was the likes of Hillsborough and Elland Road. But eventually locations like Huddersfield (Leeds Road), Lincoln City (Sincil Bank) and the Bradford City (Valley Parade) were the biggest used. The Final was at Valley Parade.

It was my first foreign tournament and I enjoyed knocking up and down Yorkshire. It's held in Belgrade next year.

[Dodge]

I'm curious to find out more about the qualifying system, the criteria and the history of olympic football particularly involving ourselves. If there's a website with this information, could someone direct me to it, cheers.
I'm still a little confused however should the Republic of Ireland U21 qualify where does that leave the Northern Ireland team as we compete in the olympics under the OCI which covers athletes from the north, if they wish to compete on the Irish team, I realise they can do so for britain also.
Could someone clarify this for me? Thanks.

The Olympic Council of Ireland and the British Olympic Council have an agreement that NI athletes can choose to represent whoever they want. Boxing is a strange one as all NI boxers box for Ireland, and ulster boxers from Cavan, Monaghan and Donegal box for Northern ireland in the Commonwealth games (McGuigan, Kevin McBride amongst others)

In the coming games track and field, swimming, triathlon and rowing will all have competitors from NI representing Ireland.

AFAIK only rowing will have NI representatives for GB


On the football side of things as the qualifying is a FIFA and UEFA sanctioned event, only players eligible to play for their country under those rules can do so.

In the 2012 games a GB team may well participate but as it will be for GB (and NOT GB & NI as in the world athletics championship) NI athletes would be free to choose to play for GB or Ireland.

I stand by my comment that that vast majority of football fans don't know enough about the game. DOn't expectc people to have the geekiness of me but still...

[Newryrep]

I went to the games in Sheffield in 1991. They got some nice stadiums (Swimming, Athletics) built while Manchester were playing with matchwood models for the grander Olympics.

I think it was an economic diaster for Sheffield city council thou, whose council leader around the time was one David Blunkett.

[Denis The Red]

The Olympic Council of Ireland and the British Olympic Council have an agreement that NI athletes can choose to represent whoever they want. Boxing is a strange one as all NI boxers box for Ireland, and ulster boxers from Cavan, Monaghan and Donegal box for Northern ireland in the Commonwealth games (McGuigan, Kevin McBride amongst others)

In the coming games track and field, swimming, triathlon and rowing will all have competitors from NI representing Ireland.

AFAIK only rowing will have NI representatives for GB


On the football side of things as the qualifying is a FIFA and UEFA sanctioned event, only players eligible to play for their country under those rules can do so.

In the 2012 games a GB team may well participate but as it will be for GB (and NOT GB & NI as in the world athletics championship) NI athletes would be free to choose to play for GB or Ireland.

I stand by my comment that that vast majority of football fans don't know enough about the game. DOn't expectc people to have the geekiness of me but still...

Good answer, plenty of info there, and sure enough football is played on grass and not on the net or in a book.:rolleyes:

[HarpoJoyce]

I think it was an economic diaster for Sheffield city council thou, whose council leader around the time was one David Blunkett.


you may be talking about illicit payments which I don't know about otherwise......

......there is the debate about investing in Sport rather than just Education and Health. And a google search "World Student Games" and some Sheffield residents complain about increased Council Tax. But Sheffield gets a decemt Athletics grand Prix out of it and at least the European Swimming has been held at sheffield, maybe under-age and world aswell. It's just the World Student Games with 16 specific sports allow for some investment in proper sports accomodation rather than chasing the bigger Olympics.