The Setanta cup

**The Lep** · 29/09/2010, 9:12 PM

The 2011 Setanta Sports Cup will kick off in February and conclude in May and will be played over four rounds, each round over two legs, except the final. Six Airtricity League of Ireland and six Carling Premiership teams will take part. Clubs who finish in the top four positions in the Airtricity League and Carling Premiership will be invited to participate, along with the winners of both the FAI and Irish Cup competitions. The first round will commence in early February, with eight clubs taking part in that stage of the tournament. The two league champions, FAI Ford Cup winners and JJB Sports Cup winners will receive byes into the quarter-final stage. Milo Corcoran, Chairman of the Setanta Sports Cup Organising Committee said he believed the knockout format "will add even greater excitement to the tournament"
According to wiki.

Who are the six? it says the top 4 plus the cup holders . I take it that its this years cup winners that will be invited ,so will the cup place go to the 5th place if the cup winners have already qualified through the league and take the cup spot and the bye to the quarters with it?

**PartySaint** · 29/09/2010, 9:22 PM

If Sligo finish in the top 4 do Mons go into this as League cup runners up or is there an extra space given to the league??

I think its starting back next May

**Dodge** · 29/09/2010, 9:36 PM

6th team is a special invite for the organisers incase the holders or Pats don't qualify.

Sure they even cancelled it the year we were gick

**HarpoJoyce** · 29/09/2010, 11:13 PM

The Setanta Sports Cup is a private competition and is organised on the motivation of the private organisers.

Previously, the change for the competition after 2010 was that the respective League that won r=the competition (as opposed to the actual winning club) had 6 clubs and the other League had 5 representatives, 3 + 2 had a bye into quarters and a mixed 1st round to decide the other 3 clubs.
There was no stated guarantee of the Setanta Champions/Holders being a part of the following years competition.
Reminder: Bohemians hold the trophy.

It should be the LoI 2009 FAI cup holders plus the league positions of 2009. This may not be the case with a suspension of the private competition and then the completion into 2010.

Reminder: Cup runners-up qualifying for further competitions is a hang-up from UEFA Cup Winners Cup and the anglo-tradition of promoting the domestic cup as a quality competition.

As usual, the LoI reps appear to be following the League position. Sligo Rovers have qualified by right from their tremendous League Cup win and it is not yet mathematical but the first four placed sides' semi-final place should push the last LoI rep. place to 6th in the Premier Division Table.

The final choice of the competing teams may be based on performance, potential, uniquenessness and romanticism.
Not including other relegation play-off candidates, Dundalk FC v. the wild-child of Monaghan Utd. FC.

The Setanta Sports Cup is a private competition and is organised on the motivation of the private organisers.

**bullit** · 30/09/2010, 12:22 AM

I know the previous attendances @ some of the matches have been pretty frightening, so the reward(moneywise) must be somthing special for teams to persevere???

The 1st and maybe 2nd running of this competition were fairly exciting but it seems to have died the death since those days.
That said,Dundalk V Linfield would be a huge attraction.

**Nesta99** · 30/09/2010, 12:39 AM

The participation Dundalk FC and Shamrock Rovers in the Setanta Cup will/would be a proper 'litmus' test for an All-Ireland league going forward! No offence to previous participants but....

**pineapple stu** · 30/09/2010, 9:18 AM

Originally Posted by The Lep

so will the cup place go to the 5th place if the cup winners have already qualified through the league and take the cup spot and the bye to the quarters with it?

League Cup runners-up don't qualify. That was clarified when we were last in the final. (This was basically to give Shels a better chance of qualifying for the Setanta the year we beat them hilariously in the semi-finals).

So it looks like the six will be the current top six in the league. I suppose we're next in line at the moment if Bohs don't make it to February.

**poster** · 30/09/2010, 3:13 PM

Originally Posted by Nesta99

The participation Dundalk FC and Shamrock Rovers in the Setanta Cup will/would be a proper 'litmus' test for an All-Ireland league going forward! No offence to previous participants but....

**WindmillWarrior** · 30/09/2010, 3:37 PM

Originally Posted by Nesta99

The participation Dundalk FC and Shamrock Rovers in the Setanta Cup will/would be a proper 'litmus' test for an All-Ireland league going forward! No offence to previous participants but....

No offence? Wrong choice of words there I think!

**The Lep** · 30/09/2010, 7:24 PM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

League Cup runners-up don't qualify. That was clarified when we were last in the final. (This was basically to give Shels a better chance of qualifying for the Setanta the year we beat them hilariously in the semi-finals).

So it looks like the six will be the current top six in the league. I suppose we're next in line at the moment if Bohs don't make it to February.

I didnt mention the league cup, its the Fai cup i was on about.

**pineapple stu** · 01/10/2010, 9:08 AM

Oh yeah. You mentioned the league and the Cup, which is where I got confused...

Still think it'll be top six in the league though, given the last four in the Cup are all in the top six anyway.

**CuanaD** · 01/10/2010, 10:46 AM

Originally Posted by Nesta99

The participation Dundalk FC and Shamrock Rovers in the Setanta Cup will/would be a proper 'litmus' test for an All-Ireland league going forward! No offence to previous participants but....

Meaning from the point of view of security/crowd safety issues at cross-border matches. - it's a fair point, but not to be laboured; there have been plenty of cross border games in the last decade with minimal problems, (including Derry City games in the Setanta Comp, which have been well run. & yes I know Derry don't have to cross the border to play in Belfast, but you still understand my point).

**holidaysong** · 01/10/2010, 5:07 PM

Our club announced earlier in the year that it had been confirmed that we'd be in the Setanta Cup next year. Any other Dundalk fans remember that?

**ndrog** · 01/10/2010, 5:16 PM

Originally Posted by Nesta99

The participation Dundalk FC and Shamrock Rovers in the Setanta Cup will/would be a proper 'litmus' test for an All-Ireland league going forward! No offence to previous participants but....

Hows that then ? We played linfield several times in utd pk and there wasnt one bit of trouble , same goes for glentoran , portadown etc .The only hint of grief was when we played cliftonville and that was in the pub before hand . All the games against linfield and glentoran where full houses and where great occasions . Sure there where a few idiots waving tricolours and wearing celtic jersies but no trouble . Serious amounts of cops about but the atmosphere was great around town in the pubs and in the ground .

**Dodge** · 01/10/2010, 5:43 PM

Originally Posted by holidaysong

Our club announced earlier in the year that it had been confirmed that we'd be in the Setanta Cup next year. Any other Dundalk fans remember that?

Think ou were very premature with that. Everything I've heard lead me to belief tht 2010 was the qualifying year

**kdjaC** · 01/10/2010, 9:22 PM

Originally Posted by Nesta99

The participation Dundalk FC and Shamrock Rovers in the Setanta Cup will/would be a proper 'litmus' test for an All-Ireland league going forward! No offence to previous participants but....

Your kinda right but you used the wrong words.

Can the Police handle the scum seansouth hooligans of both teams vs proddy nordie *******s....dey tuk our counties!!!!!

That would have sufficed rather than using participation and litmus.