Willowfield is a defunct
intermediate football club which existed in
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. North ...
during the inter-war years. The club was formed by the Willowfield Unionist Club in 1918.
[Jim Weir and Alan Higgins, ''A History of Willowfield Football'' (Belfast: Jim Weir and Alan Higgins, 2021), p. 17]
In the 1927–28 season, it became the first from outside the
Irish League to win the
Irish Cup
The Irish Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly referred to as the Irish Cup (currently known as the Samuel Gelston's Whiskey Irish Cup for sponsorship purposes) is the primary football knock-out cup competition in Northern Ireland. I ...
since the League's formation in 1890. They defeated
Larne
Larne (, , the name of a Gaelic territory) is a town on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, with a population of 18,755 at the 2011 Census. It is a major passenger and freight roll-on roll-off port. Larne is administered by Mid ...
1–0 in the final at
Windsor Park
Windsor Park is a football stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is the home ground of Linfield F.C. who own the land the stadium is built on, while the Irish Football Association own and operate the stadium and pay Linfield an annual re ...
. Willowfield had previously reached the Irish Cup final in 1923–24, when they lost to
Queen's Island
Titanic Quarter in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is a large-scale waterfront regeneration, comprising historic maritime landmarks, film studios, education facilities, apartments, a riverside entertainment district, and the world's largest Titan ...
.
The club played from 1918 to 1926 at the Cregagh Recreation Grounds (home of
Cregagh Cricket Club
Cregagh Cricket Club is a cricket club in Belfast, Northern Ireland, playing in the Premier League of the NCU Senior League.Clarence J Hiles (2003), A History of Senior Cricket in Ulster, Hilltop Publications, p. 164 It shares a ground with Ora ...
), and then at the Willowfield Recreation Grounds (now Gibson Park Avenue), which is now the home of
Malone Rugby Club, who acquired it in 1935.
The club played in the Irish Intermediate League and folded in 1930.
[Jim Weir and Alan Higgins, ''A History of Willowfield Football'' (Belfast: Jim Weir and Alan Hi]