Irish Football Association, Belfast

Image: © Rossographer Taken: 4 Mar 2009

Headquarters of the Irish Football Association at 20 Windsor Avenue, Belfast. The Irish Football Association (IFA) is the organising body for football in Northern Ireland, and had historically been the governing body for the whole of the island. Founded in the Queens Hotel, Belfast on the 18th November 1880, the Irish Football Association is the fourth oldest governing body in the world (the three older are the English, Scottish and Welsh football associations). When Ireland was split by partition in 1921 the IFA remained in charge of football in the new Northern Ireland while the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) is the counterpart association for (The Republic of) Ireland. See http://www.irishfa.com/the-ifa/about-the-ifa/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Football_Association for more information on the IFA. The IFA has been based here since 1960. Previously the association had been housed at premises on Waring Street and then Wellington Place. The building itself has another important historical link - Thomas Andrews, chief designer of the ill-fated ship 'Titanic', lived here and there is a blue plaque on the wall commemorating him http://www.ulsterhistory.co.uk/thomasandrews.htm (a passenger on the Titanic's maiden voyage he died when she sank). The Titanic Society still meet here in the shadow of the beautiful staircase and ornate stained glass window which, legend has it, provided Andrews inspiration for the design of the ship.

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