Irish Olympic Football Team

[topia]

because they compete as great britain i assume

[gufcfan]

because they compete as great britain i assume

D'oh!

[Dodge]

Locking this thread. As gspain said there are other threads about this.

To confirm, qualification for European teams is through the European Under 21 championships since 1992, and Ireland haven't qualified.

In the 1924 Olympics we beat Bulgaria 1-0, before losing to Holland 2-1 in the quarter finals.

In 1948 Holland beat us in the preliminery round

[Dodge]

Merged a couple of threads.

Remember a thread (but can't find it) about NI players and the Ireland and GB teams

In 1948, Ireland were represented (lost prelim rd). Kevin McAlindan (who played with Belfast Celtic) was the GB goalkeeper. Several other NI players have played for the GB side (last in 1960). No GB side has entered since 1972 (and no Ireland team since that 1948 games)

[twoenz]

I think it's a shame that UEFA treats the Olympic tournament with such disdain. From a practical point of view it allows outlaying areas of olympic countries a chance to see some of the action instead of the host City, and it would allow smaller countries to have a chance of something.

But, with Don Givens in charge we've no chance of getting their at all. Suppose Darron Gibson would be eligible to play...

[backstothewall]

Assuming FIFA and the IOC are happy for football associations to combine their sides to compete as the nations that make up the IOC, David Healy should be Irish enough to compete on an Ireland Olympic team. All he needs to do is apply for a passport. We have an 'Ireland' Olympic team, not a 'Republic of Ireland' olympic team. If players capped by the 4 UK associations can compete in one UK team, why shouldn't players capped by the 2 Irish associations be allowed to compete in an Ireland team?

It could also get round the Givens issue by asking Martin O'Neill or one of the many good Northern managers to take charge.

[holidaysong]

We'd still need to qualify though.

[Dodge]

Bringing back this thread, just to show how rugby is treatig it. Now I realise that the IRFU has sole responsibility as opposed to the IFA/FAI split but interesting none the less.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...294668557.html

Oh and you might be aware of the growing calls for a 'united' GB team in the 2012 football olympics. So far the IFA, FAW and SFA have all said they don't want to be a part of it.

[peadar1987]

Surely GB would qualify as hosts though. It would be difficult to get an all-Ireland team there, as qualification would have to be done as two separate associations. I can't imagine the U23 lads who got ROI or the North through to the last 4 of the U21 championships would be too thrilled to have to give up their place to someone from the other association.

[DannyInvincible]

I don't seek to open up a 90-page can of worms here, how does one qualify for an Olympic team anyway?

Also, it's highly unlikely that FIFA would permit an all-Ireland team under any circumstance given that there is no all-island political entity at present, even if it was a once-off for the Olympics.

[Dodge]

Surely GB would qualify as hosts though

They do. The problem is they don't have a GB team...

Also, it's highly unlikely that FIFA would permit an all-Ireland team under any circumstance given that there is no all-island political entity at present, even if it was a once-off for the Olympics.

Each sport has there own eligibility rules. It wouldn't be an all Ireland team qualifying for the Olympics, it would be Ireland. The only sport that Ireland doesn't call itself that is football, but same flag, same nation. The FAI is affiliated to the Olympic Council of Ireland. If the ROI u21 team qualified for the Olympics, the team would be made up solely of ROI footballers

In boxing, Ireland is represented by all 32 countie (And in fact, Northern Ireland is represented by 9 county Ulster - See Monagahan's Barry McGuigan etc)

In sports like Athletics/Swimming/Cycling/Rowing athletes have the right to represent either GB or Ireland. Wendy Houvenaghel won silver in Cycling for GB. A NI rowing club had one athlete represent Ireland and one represent GB.

NI hockey players regularly represent Ireland in non Olympic tournaments but have, in the past, represented GB in the Olympics. Hockey would have a similar structure to Rugby in terms of world and european tournaments (Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales). Ireland has never qualified for the Olympics in hockey, but presumably they could represent either.

[Yard of Pace]

Not the right thread for it at all really, but seeing as Spain have turned down the invite to the Copa America and seeing as last year we begged to be allowed play in the World Cup......
It runs from July 1-24 in Argentina and the group would be the hosts, Bolivia and Colombia. Would be a lot of fun...

[DannyInvincible]

Japan have now decided to take up their invite after initially turning it down due to the earthquake/tsunami, so they play in that group instead: http://www.dawn.com/2011/04/14/japan...esilience.html