National security

# National security

## Abstract

National security, or national defence (national defense in American English), is the security and defence of a sovereign state, including its citizens, economy, and institutions, which is regarded as a duty of government. Originally conceived as protection against military attack, national security is widely understood to include also non-military dimensions, such as the security from terrorism, minimization of crime, economic security, energy security, environmental security, food security, and cyber-security. Similarly, national security risks include, in addition to the actions of other states, action by violent non-state actors, by narcotic cartels, organized crime, by multinational corporations, and also the effects of natural disasters.

Governments rely on a range of measures, including political, economic, and military power, as well as diplomacy, to safeguard the security of a state. They may also act to build the conditions of security regionally and internationally by reducing transnational causes of insecurity, such as climate change, economic inequality, political exclusion, and nuclear proliferation.

## Definitions

The concept of national security remains ambiguous, having evolved from simpler definitions which emphasised freedom from military threat and from political coercion. Among the many definitions proposed to date are the following, which show how the concept has evolved to encompass non-military concerns:

- "A nation has security when it does not have to sacrifice its legitimate interests to avoid war, and is able, if challenged, to maintain them by war." (Walter Lippmann, 1943).

- "The distinctive meaning of national security means freedom from foreign dictation." (Harold Lasswell, 1950)

- "National security objectively means the absence of threats to acquired values and subjectively, the absence of fear that such values will be attacked." (Arnold Wolfers, 1960)

- "National security then is the ability to preserve the nation's physical integrity and territory; to maintain its economic relations with the rest of the world on reasonable terms; to preserve its nature, institution, and governance from disruption from outside; and to control its borders." (Harold Brown, U.S. Secretary of Defense, 1977–1981)

- "National security... is best described as a capacity to control those domestic and foreign conditions that the public opinion of a given community believes necessary to enjoy its own self-determination or autonomy, prosperity, and wellbeing." (Charles Maier, 1990)

- "National security is an appropriate and aggressive blend of political resilience and maturity, human resources, economic structure and capacity, technological competence, industrial base and availability of natural resources and finally the military might." (National Defence College of India, 1996)

- " measurable state of the capability of a nation to overcome the multi-dimensional threats to the apparent well-being of its people and its survival as a nation-state at any given time, by balancing all instruments of state policy through governance... and is extendable to global security by variables external to it." (Prabhakaran Paleri, 2008)

## Dimensions

Potential causes of national insecurity include actions by other states (e.g. military or cyber attack), violent non-state actors (e.g. terrorist attack), organised criminal groups such as narcotic cartels, and also the effects of natural disasters (e.g. flooding, earthquakes). Systemic drivers of insecurity, which may be transnational, include climate change, economic inequality and marginalisation, political exclusion, and nuclear proliferation.

In view of the wide range of risks, the security of a state has several dimensions, including economic security, energy security, physical security, environmental security, food security, border security, and cyber security. These dimensions correlate closely with elements of national power.

Increasingly, governments organise their security policies into a national security strategy (NSS); as of 2017, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States are among the states to have done so. Some states also appoint a National Security Council and/or a National Security Advisor which is an executive government agency, it feeds the head of the state on topics concerning national security and strategic interest. The national security council/advisor strategies long term, short term, contingency national security plans. India holds one such system in current, which was established on 19 November 1998.

Although states differ in their approach, various forms of coercive power predominate, particularly military capabilities. The scope of these capabilities has developed. Traditionally, military capabilities were mainly land- or sea-based, and in smaller countries, they still are. Elsewhere, the domains of potential warfare now include the air, space, cyberspace, and psychological operations. Military capabilities designed for these domains may be used for national security, or equally for offensive purposes, for example to conquer and annex territory and resources.

### Physical

In practice, national security is associated primarily with managing physical threats and with the military capabilities used for doing so. That is, national security is often understood as the capacity of a nation to mobilise military forces to guarantee its borders and to deter or successfully defend against physical threats including military aggression and attacks by non-state actors, such as terrorism. Most states, such as South Africa and Sweden, configure their military forces mainly for territorial defence; others, such as France, Russia, the UK and the US, invest in higher-cost expeditionary capabilities, which allow their armed forces to project power and sustain military operations abroad.

### Infrastructural

Infrastructure security is the security provided to protect infrastructure, especially critical infrastructure, such as airports, highways, rail transport, hospitals, bridges, transport hubs, network communications, media, the electricity grid, dams, power plants, seaports, oil refineries, and water systems. Infrastructure security seeks to limit vulnerability of these structures and systems to sabotage, terrorism, and contamination.

Many countries have established government agencies to directly manage the security of critical infrastructure, usually, through the Ministry of Interior/Home Affairs, dedicated security agencies to protect facilities such as United States Federal Protective Service, and also dedicated transport police such as the British Transport Police. There are also commercial transportation security units such as the Amtrak Police in the United States. Critical infrastructure is vital for the essential functioning of a country. Incidental or deliberate damage can have a serious impact on the economy and essential services. Some of the threats to infrastructure include:

- Terrorism: person or groups deliberately targeting critical infrastructure for political gain. In the November 2008 Mumbai attacks, the Mumbai central station and hospital were deliberately targeted.

- Sabotage: person or groups such as ex-employees, anti-government groups, environmental groups. Refer to Bangkok's International Airport Seized by Protestors.

- Information warfare: private person hacking for private gain or countries initiating attacks to glean information and damage a country's cyberinfrastructure. Cyberattacks on Estonia and cyberattacks during the 2008 South Ossetia war are examples.

- Natural disaster: hurricane or other natural events that damage critical infrastructures such as oil pipelines, water, and power grids. See Hurricane Ike and Economic effects of Hurricane Katrina for examples.

### Virtual

Computer security, also known as cybersecurity or IT security, refers to the security of computing devices such as computers and smartphones, as well as computer networks such as private and public networks, and the Internet. It concerns the protection of hardware, software, data, people, and also the procedures by which systems are accessed, and the field has growing importance due to the increasing reliance on computer systems in most societies. Since unauthorized access to critical civil and military infrastructure is now considered a major threat, cyberspace is now recognised as a domain of warfare. One such example is the use of Stuxnet by the US and Israel against the Iranian nuclear programme

### Political

Barry Buzan, Ole Wæver, Jaap de Wilde and others have argued that national security depends on political security: the stability of the social order. Others, such as Paul Rogers, have added that the equitability of the international order is equally vital. Hence, political security depends on the rule of international law (including the laws of war), the effectiveness of international political institutions, as well as diplomacy and negotiation between nations and other security actors. It also depends on, among other factors, effective political inclusion of disaffected groups and the human security of the citizenry.

### Economic

Economic security, in the context of international relations, is the ability of a nation state to maintain and develop the national economy, without which other dimensions of national security cannot be managed. Economic capability largely determines the defence capability of a nation, and thus a sound economic security directly influences the national security of a nation. That is why we see countries with sound economy, happen to have sound security setup too, such as The United States, China, India among others. In larger countries, strategies for economic security expect to access resources and markets in other countries and to protect their own markets at home. Developing countries may be less secure than economically advanced states due to high rates of unemployment and underpaid work.

### Environmental

Environmental security, also known as ecological security, refers to the integrity of ecosystems and the biosphere, particularly in relation to their capacity to sustain a diversity of life-forms (including human life). The security of ecosystems has attracted greater attention as the impact of ecological damage by humans has grown. The degradation of ecosystems, including topsoil erosion, deforestation, biodiversity loss, and climate change, affect economic security and can precipitate mass migration, leading to increased pressure on resources elsewhere. Ecological security is also important since most of the countries in the world are developing and dependent on agriculture and agriculture gets affected largely due to climate change. This effect affects the economy of the nation, which in turn affects national security.

The scope and nature of environmental threats to national security and strategies to engage them are a subject of debate. Romm (1993) classifies the major impacts of ecological changes on national security as:

- Transnational environmental problems. These include global environmental problems such as climate change due to global warming, deforestation, and loss of biodiversity.

- Local environmental or resource pressures. These include resource scarcities leading to local conflict, such as disputes over water scarcity in the Middle East; migration into the United States caused by the failure of agriculture in Mexico; and the impact on the conflict in Syria of erosion of productive land. Environmental insecurity in Rwanda following a rise in population and dwindling availability of farmland, may also have contributed to the genocide there.

- Environmentally threatening outcomes of warfare. These include acts of war that degrade or destroy ecosystems. Examples are the Roman destruction of agriculture in Carthage; Saddam Hussein's burning of oil wells in the Gulf War; the use of Agent Orange by the UK in the Malayan Emergency and the US in the Vietnam War for defoliating forests.

### Energy and natural resources

Resources include water, sources of energy, land, and minerals. Availability of adequate natural resources is important for a nation to develop its industry and economic power. For example, in the Persian Gulf War of 1991, Iraq captured Kuwait partly in order to secure access to its oil wells, and one reason for the US counter-invasion was the value of the same wells to its own economy. Water resources are subject to disputes between many nations, including India and Pakistan, and in the Middle East.

The interrelations between security, energy, natural resources, and their sustainability is increasingly acknowledged in national security strategies and resource security is now included among the UN Sustainable Development Goals. In the US, for example, the military has installed solar photovoltaic microgrids on their bases in case of power outage.

## Issues

### Consistency of approach

The dimensions of national security outlined above are frequently in tension with one another. For example:

- The high cost of maintaining large military forces can place a burden on the economic security of a nation And annual defence spending as per cent of GDP varies significantly by country. Conversely, economic constraints can limit the scale of expenditure on military capabilities.

- Unilateral security action by states can undermine political security at an international level if it erodes the rule of law and undermines the authority of international institutions. The invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the annexation of Crimea in 2014 have been cited as examples.

- The pursuit of economic security in competition with other nation states can undermine the ecological security of all when the impact includes widespread topsoil erosion, biodiversity loss, and climate change. Conversely, expenditure on mitigating or adapting to ecological change places a burden on the national economy.

If tensions such as these are mismanaged, national security policies and actions may be ineffective or counterproductive.

### Versus transnational security

Increasingly, national security strategies have begun to recognise that nations cannot provide for their own security without also developing the security of their regional and international context. For example, Sweden's national security strategy of 2017 declared:

"Wider security measures must also now encompass protection against epidemics and infectious diseases, combating terrorism and organised crime, ensuring safe transport and reliable food supplies, protecting against energy supply interruptions, countering devastating climate change, initiatives for peace and global development, and much more."

The extent to which this matters, and how it should be done, is the subject of debate. Some argue that the principal beneficiary of national security policy should be the nation state itself, which should centre its strategy on protective and coercive capabilities in order to safeguard itself in a hostile environment (and potentially to project that power into its environment, and dominate it to the point of strategic supremacy). Others argue that security depends principally on building the conditions in which equitable relationships between nations can develop, partly by reducing antagonism between actors, ensuring that fundamental needs can be met, and also that differences of interest can be negotiated effectively. In the UK, for example, Malcolm Chalmers argued in 2015 that the heart of the UK's approach should be support for the Western strategic military alliance led through NATO by the United States, as "the key anchor around which international order is maintained".

### Civil liberties and human rights

Approaches to national security can have a complex impact on human rights and civil liberties. For example, the rights and liberties of citizens are affected by the use of military personnel and militarised police forces to control public behaviour; the use of surveillance, including mass surveillance in cyberspace, which has implications for privacy; military recruitment and conscription practices; and the effects of warfare on civilians and civil infrastructure. This has led to a dialectical struggle, particularly in liberal democracies, between government authority and the rights and freedoms of the general public.

Even where the exercise of national security is subject to good governance, and the rule of law, a risk remains that the term national security may become a pretext for suppressing unfavorable political and social views. In the US, for example, the controversial USA Patriot Act of 2001, and the revelation by Edward Snowden in 2013 that the National Security Agency harvests the personal data of the general public, brought these issues to wide public attention. Among the questions raised are whether and how national security considerations at times of war should lead to the suppression of individual rights and freedoms, and whether such restrictions are necessary when a state is at peace.

## By region

### Argentina and Brazil

National security ideology as taught by the US Army School of the Americas to military personnel was vital in causing the military coup of 1964 in Brazil and the 1976 one in Argentina. The military dictatorships were installed on the claim by the military that Leftists were an existential threat to the national interests.

### China

China's military is the People's Liberation Army (PLA). The military is the largest in the world, with 2.3 million active troops in 2005.

The Ministry of State Security was established in 1983 to ensure "the security of the state through effective measures against enemy agents, spies, and counterrevolutionary activities designed to sabotage or overthrow China's socialist system."

### European Union

For Schengen area some parts of national security and external border control are enforced by Frontex according to the Treaty of Lisbon. The security policy of the European Union is set by High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and assisted by European External Action Service. Europol is one of the agencies of the European Union responsible for combating various forms of crime in the European Union through coordinating law enforcement agencies of the EU member states.

European Union national security has been accused of insufficiently preventing foreign threats.

### India

The state of the Republic of India's national security is determined by its internal stability and geopolitical interests. While Islamic upsurge in Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir demanding secession and far left-wing terrorism in India's red corridor remain some key issues in India's internal security, terrorism from Pakistan-based militant groups has been emerging as a major concern for New Delhi.

The National Security Advisor of India heads the National Security Council of India, receives all kinds of intelligence reports, and is chief advisor to the Prime Minister of India over national and international security policy. The National Security Council has India's defence, foreign, home, finance ministers and deputy chairman of NITI Aayog as its members and is responsible for shaping strategies for India's security in all aspects.

A lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay filed a Public interest litigation (PIL) in the "Supreme Court of India" (SC) to identify and deport illegal immigrants. Responding to this PIL, Delhi Police told the SC in July 2019 that nearly 500 illegal Bangladeshi immigrants have been deported in the preceding 28 months. There are estimated 600,000 to 700,000 illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya immigrants in National Capital Region (NCR) region specially in the districts of Gurugram, Faridabad, and Nuh (Mewat region), as well as interior villages of Bhiwani and Hisar. Most of them are Muslims who have acquired fake Hindu identity, and under questioning, they pretend to be from West Bengal. In September 2019, the Chief Minister of Haryana, Manohar Lal Khattar announced the implementation of NRC for Haryana by setting up a legal framework under the former judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Justice HS Bhalla for updating NRC which will help in weeding out these illegal immigrants.

### Russia

In the years 1997 and 2000, Russia adopted documents titled "National Security Concept" that described Russia's global position, the country's interests, listed threats to national security, and described the means to counter those threats. In 2009, these documents were superseded by the " National Security Strategy to 2020 ". The key body responsible for coordinating policies related to Russia's national security is the Security Council of Russia.

According to provision 6 of the National Security Strategy to 2020, national security is "the situation in which the individual, the society and the state enjoy protection from foreign and domestic threats to the degree that ensures constitutional rights and freedoms, decent quality of life for citizens, as well as sovereignty, territorial integrity and stable development of the Russian Federation, the defence and security of the state."

### Singapore

Total Defence is Singapore's whole-of-society national defence concept based on the premise that the strongest defence of a nation is collective defence – when every aspect of society stays united for the defence of the country. Adopted from the national defence strategies of Sweden and Switzerland, Total Defence was introduced in Singapore in 1984. Then, it was recognised that military threats to a nation can affect the psyche and social fabric of its people. Therefore, the defence and progress of Singapore are dependent on all of its citizens' resolve, along with the government and armed forces. Total Defence has since evolved to take into consideration threats and challenges outside of the conventional military domain.

### Ukraine

National security of Ukraine is defined in Ukrainian law as "a set of legislative and organisational measures aimed at permanent protection of vital interests of man and citizen, society and the state, which ensure sustainable development of society, timely detection, prevention and neutralisation of real and potential threats to national interests in areas of law enforcement, fight against corruption, border activities and defence, migration policy, health care, education and science, technology and innovation policy, cultural development of the population, freedom of speech and information security, social policy and pension provision, housing and communal services, financial services market, protection of property rights, stock markets and circulation of securities, fiscal and customs policy, trade and business, banking services, investment policy, auditing, monetary and exchange rate policy, information security, licensing, industry and agriculture, transport and communications, information technology, energy and energy saving, functioning of natural monopolies, use of subsoil, land and water resources, minerals, protection of ecology and environment and other areas of public administration, in the event of emergence of negative trends towards the creation of potential or real threats to national interests."

The primary body responsible for coordinating national security policy in Ukraine is the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine. It is an advisory state agency to the President of Ukraine, tasked with developing a policy of national security on domestic and international matters. All sessions of the council take place in the Presidential Administration Building. The council was created by the provision of Supreme Council of Ukraine #1658-12 on October 11, 1991. It was defined as the highest state body of collegiate governing on matters of defence and security of Ukraine with the following goals:

- Protecting sovereignty

- Constitutional order

- Territorial integrity and inviolability of the republic

- Developing strategies and continuous improvement of policy in the sphere of defence and state security

- Comprehensive scientific assessment of the military threat nature

- Determining position toward modern warfare

- Effective control over the execution of the tasks of the state and its institutions keeping defence capabilities of Ukraine at the level of defence sufficiency

### United Kingdom

The primary body responsible for coordinating national security policy in the UK is the National Security Council (United Kingdom) which helps produce and enact the UK's National Security Strategy. It was created in May 2010 by the new coalition government of the Conservative Party (UK) and Liberal Democrats. The National Security Council is a committee of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom and was created as part of a wider reform of the national security apparatus. This reform also included the creation of a National Security Adviser and a National Security Secretariat to support the National Security Council.

### United States

#### National Security Act of 1947

The concept of national security became an official guiding principle of foreign policy in the United States when the National Security Act of 1947 was signed on July 26, 1947, by U.S. President Harry S. Truman. As amended in 1949, this Act:

- created important components of American national security, such as the precursor to the Department of Defense;

- subordinated the military branches to the new cabinet-level position of Secretary of Defense;

- established the National Security Council and the Central Intelligence Agency;

Notably, the Act did not define national security, which was conceivably advantageous, as its ambiguity made it a powerful phrase to invoke against diverse threats to interests of the state, such as domestic concerns.

The notion that national security encompasses more than just military security was present, though understated, from the beginning. The Act established the National Security Council so as to "advise the President on the integration of domestic, military and foreign policies relating to national security".

The act establishes, within the National Security Council, the Committee on Foreign Intelligence, whose duty is to conduct an annual review "identifying the intelligence required to address the national security interests of the United States as specified by the President " (emphasis added).

In Gen. Maxwell Taylor 's 1974 essay "The Legitimate Claims of National Security", Taylor states:

The national valuables in this broad sense include current assets and national interests, as well as the sources of strength upon which our future as a nation depends. Some valuables are tangible and earthy; others are spiritual or intellectual. They range widely from political assets such as the Bill of Rights, our political institutions, and international friendships to many economic assets which radiate worldwide from a highly productive domestic economy supported by rich natural resources. It is the urgent need to protect valuables such as these which legitimizes and makes essential the role of national security.

#### National security state

To address the institutionalisation of new bureaucracies and government practices in the post–World War II period in the U.S., the culture of semi-permanent military mobilisation joined the National Security Council (NSC), the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Department of Defense (DoD), and the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) for the practical application of the concept of the national security state:

During and after World War II, U.S. leaders expanded the concept of national security, and used its terminology for the first time to explain America's relationship to the world. For most of U.S. history, the continental United States was secure. But, by 1945, it had become rapidly vulnerable with the advent of long-range bombers, atom bombs, and ballistic missiles. A general perception grew that future mobilization would be insufficient and that preparation must be constant. For the first time, American leaders dealt with the essential paradox of national security faced by the Roman Empire and subsequent great powers: Si vis pacem, para bellum — "If you want peace, prepare for war."

#### Obama administration

The U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff defines national security of the United States in the following manner :

A collective term encompassing both national defense and foreign relations of the United States. Specifically, the condition provided by: a. a military or defense advantage over any foreign nation or group of nations; b. a favorable foreign relations position; or c. a defense posture capable of successfully resisting hostile or destructive action from within or without, overt or covert.

In 2010, the White House included an all-encompassing world-view in a national security strategy which identified "security" as one of the country's "four enduring national interests" that were "inexorably intertwined":

"To achieve the world we seek, the United States must apply our strategic approach in pursuit of four enduring national interests:

- Security: The security of the United States, its citizens, and U.S. allies and partners.

- Prosperity: A strong, innovative, and growing U.S. economy in an open international economic system that promotes opportunity and prosperity.

- Values: Respect for universal values at home and around the world.

- International Order: An international order advanced by U.S. leadership that promotes peace, security, and opportunity through stronger cooperation to meet global challenges.

Each of these interests is inextricably linked to the others: no single interest can be pursued in isolation, but at the same time, positive action in one area will help advance all four."

#### Empowerment of women

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said that, "The countries that threaten regional and global peace are the very places where women and girls are deprived of dignity and opportunity". She has noted that countries, where women are oppressed, are places where the "rule of law and democracy are struggling to take root", and that, when women's rights as equals in society are upheld, the society as a whole changes and improves, which in turn enhances stability in that society, which in turn contributes to global society.

#### Cyber

The Bush administration in January 2008 initiated the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative (CNCI). It introduced a differentiated approach, such as identifying existing and emerging cybersecurity threats, finding and plugging existing cyber vulnerabilities and apprehending those trying to access federal information systems.

President Obama said the "cyber threat is one of the most serious economic and national security challenges we face as a nation" and that "America's economic prosperity in the 21st century will depend on cybersecurity".


1989–90 in Swiss football

# 1989–90 in Swiss football

## Abstract

The following is a summary of the 1989–90 season of competitive football in Switzerland.

## Nationalliga A

### Qualification phase

### Championship group

The first eight teams of the qualification phase competed in the Championship round. The teams took half of the points (rounded up to complete units) gained in the qualification as bonus with them.

## Nationalliga B

### Qualification phase

### Promotion/relegation round

### Relegation round NLB/1. Liga

The last six teams in each of the two qualification phase groups competed in two relegation groups against relegation to the 1. Liga 1991–92. The teams received ranking bonus points from their qualifying groups (7th place 6 pts; 8th place 5 pts; 9th place 4 pts; etc). There was to be one direct relegation in each group, plus a play-out against relegation between both second last placed teams.

### Relegation play-out

FC Montreux-Sports won 7–1 on aggregate and FC Zug were relegated to 1990–91 1. Liga.

## 1. Liga

### Group 1

### Group 2

### Group 3

### Group 4

### Promotion play-off

Urania Genève Sport win 2–0 on aggregate and continue to the finals.

Concordia/Folgore Lausanne win 2–0 on aggregate and continue to the finals.

SC Burgdorf win 4–1 on aggregate and continue to the finals.

SC Kriens win 3–2 on aggregate and continue to the finals.

SC Burgdorf win 6–3 on aggregate and are promoted to Nationalliga B.

Urania Genève Sport win 7–4 on aggregate and are promoted to Nationalliga B.

The play-off for the third promotion place was played on 16 June 1990 in Châtel-St-Denis.

Concordia/Folgore Lausanne win, but refused promotion, so SC Kriens are promoted to Nationalliga B.

The play-off for the 1. Liga championship was played on 16 June 1990 in Châtel-St-Denis.

Urania Genève Sport ' win and become 1. Liga champions. '

### Relegation play-out

FC Raron continue to the final.

FC Vaduz continue to the final.

FC Raron win 4–3 on aggregate and remain in the division. FC Vaduz are relegated to 2. Liga.

## Swiss Cup

### Early rounds

The routes of the finalists to the final, played on 4 June 1990 at the Wankdorf in Bern:

### Final

## Swiss Clubs in Europe

- Luzern as 1988–89 Nationalliga A champions: 1989–90 European Cup and entered 1989 Intertoto Cup

- Grasshopper Club as 1988–89 Swiss Cup winners: 1989–90 Cup Winners' Cup and entered 1989 Intertoto Cup

- Sion as league third placed team: 1989–90 UEFA Cup

- Wettingen as league fourth placed team: 1989–90 UEFA Cup and entered 1989 Intertoto Cup

- Bellinzona: entered 1989 Intertoto Cup

### Luzern

#### European Cup

##### First round

PSV Eindhoven won 5–0 on aggregate.

#### Intertoto Cup

##### Group 1

### Grasshopper Club

#### Cup Winners' Cup

##### First round

Grasshopper Club won 4–3 on aggregate.

##### Second round

Grasshopper Club won 4–1 on aggregate.

##### Quarter-finals

Sampdoria won 4–1 on aggregate.

#### Intertoto Cup

##### Group 4

### Sion

#### UEFA Cup

##### First round

Sion won 2–1 on aggregate.

##### Second round

Karl-Marx-Stadt won 5–3 on aggregate.

### Wettingen

#### UEFA Cup

##### First round

Wettingen won 5–0 on aggregate.

##### Second round

Napoli won 2–1 on aggregate.

#### Intertoto Cup

##### Group 7

### Bellinzona

#### Intertoto Cup

##### Group 3

## Sources

- Switzerland 1989–90 at RSSSF

- Cup finals at Fussball-Schweiz

- Intertoto history at Pawel Mogielnicki's Page

{ { 1989–90 in Swiss football } }


Fabiola of Belgium

# Fabiola of Belgium

## Abstract

Fabiola Fernanda María-de-las-Victorias Antonia Adelaida de Mora y Aragón (11 June 1928 – 5 December 2014) was Queen of the Belgians as the wife of King Baudouin from their marriage in 1960 until his death in 1993. The couple had no children, as all five of Fabiola's pregnancies resulted in miscarriage, so the Crown passed to her husband's younger brother, King Albert II.

## Early life

Doña Fabiola de Mora y Aragón was born on 11 June 1928 in Madrid, Spain, at the Palacio de Zurbano, the main residence of the Marqués de Casa Riera. She was the daughter of Don Gonzalo de Mora y Fernández y Riera y del Olmo, 4th Marqués de Casa Riera, 2nd Count of Mora (1887–1957), and his wife, Doña Blanca de Aragón y Carrillo de Albornoz y Barroeta-Aldamar y Elío (1892–1981), daughter of the 6th Marchioness of Casa Torres and Viscountess of Baiguer. Her godmother was Queen Victoria Eugenia of Spain.

Queen Fabiola was the fifth child and had six siblings. One of her siblings was Jaime de Mora y Aragón.

She worked as a nurse in a hospital in Madrid and lived with her mother. Before her marriage, she published an album of 12 fairy tales (Los doce cuentos maravillosos), one of which ("The Indian Water Lilies") would get its own pavilion in the Efteling theme park in 1966.

## Marriage

On 15 December 1960, Fabiola married Baudouin, who had been King of the Belgians since the abdication of his father, Leopold III, in 1951. At the marriage ceremony in the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula, she wore a 1926 Art Deco tiara that had been a gift of the Belgian state to her husband's mother, Astrid of Sweden, upon her marriage to Leopold III. Her dress of satin and ermine was designed by the couturier Cristóbal Balenciaga. Fabiola was a hospital nurse at the time of her engagement; Time magazine, in its 26 September 1960, issue, called Doña Fabiola the "Cinderella Girl" and described her as "an attractive young woman, though no raving beauty" and "the girl who could not catch a man." On the occasion of her marriage, Spanish bakers set out to honour Fabiola and created a type of bread, "la fabiola", which is still made in Palencia.

The explorer Guido Derom named the Queen Fabiola Mountains – a newly discovered range of Antarctic mountains – in her honour in 1961. She also has several varieties of ornamental plants named after her.

The royal couple had no children, as the Queen's five pregnancies ended in miscarriage in 1961, 1962, 1963, 1966 and 1968. Fabiola openly spoke about her miscarriages in 2008: 'You know, I myself lost five children. You learn something from that experience. I had problems with all my pregnancies, but you know, in the end I think life is beautiful'. She and Baudouin I called the miscarriages a chance to be able to love all children. She was deeply involved with the upbringing of Prince Philippe and Princess Astrid.

## Activities

After the death of Queen Elisabeth, in November 1965, Queen Fabiola became the honorary president of Queen Elisabeth Music Competition. Queen Fabiola attended the elimination rounds and the finals of each session.

During the 1990s, the Hospital Saint-Pierre in Brussels was important in matters around AIDS. Queen Fabiola visited them in 1993 and embraced a patient. She was one of the first public figures to do this.

In September 1993, she became the president of the King Baudouin Foundation, established in 1976 to mark the twenty fifth anniversary of King Baudouin 's accession. The foundation's purpose is to improving the living conditions of the population.

Queen Fabiola also founded the Social Secretariat of the Queen with the purpose to answering many requests for help. She has supported study programmes aimed at prevention and treatment of dyslexia among children.

She established Queen Fabiola Fund for Mental Health. The foundation's purpose is to help people with mental problems. During her entire life, she devoted herself to causes such as young women prostitution, human slavery and people with disabilities. Queen Fabiola received several humanitarian awards in her lifetime and was awarded the Ceres Medal in 2001 by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.

Every year, Queen Fabiola attend the Summit on Economic Progress of Rural Women at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. The purpose of the summit is to create a movement of first ladies to respond to the call for help from the deprived women in the third world.

## Queen dowager

Baudouin died in late July 1993 and was succeeded by his younger brother, Albert II. Fabiola moved out of the Royal Castle of Laeken to the more modest Château of Stuyvenberg and reduced her public appearances so as not to overshadow her sister-in-law, Queen Paola.

Admired for her devout Catholic faith and involvement in social causes particularly those related to mental health, children's issues and women's issues, Queen Fabiola received the 2001 Ceres Medal, in recognition of her work to promote rural women in developing countries. The medal was given by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). She was also honorary president of the King Baudouin Foundation.

In July 2009, the Belgian press published news of anonymous death threats she received stating she would be shot with a crossbow. She responded to the threats during Belgian National Day celebrations by waving an apple to the crowd in a reference to the William Tell folk tale. Subsequent threats by an individual said to have a similar signature to the July 2009 threat-writer were received again in January 2010.

In January 2013, the Socialist Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo criticised Queen Fabiola for her plans to set up a private foundation (Fons Pereos), which would have been a tax-efficient way to pass wealth to her relatives as well as to charitable causes. It was widely seen by the public as inheritance tax evasion (although, since the construction was admitted by Di Rupo to be legal, it would more precisely be a case of tax avoidance). Queen Fabiola denied the charges in a rare public statement: "I have never had the intention of depositing funds I received from the public purse with my foundation. All the monies that I receive from the civil list go on expenditure on my household. The lion's share goes on salaries."

## Linguistic skills

According to official sources, Queen Fabiola was fluent in French, Dutch, English, German and Italian, in addition to her native Spanish.

## Illness and death

Queen Fabiola was hospitalised for 15 days with pneumonia beginning 16 January 2009, with her condition described as "serious". She subsequently recovered and began attending public functions the following May. Queen Fabiola had been in poor health for years, having osteoporosis, as well as having never fully recovered from a lung inflammation she had in 2009. On the evening of 5 December 2014, the Royal Palace announced that Queen Fabiola had died at the Château of Stuyvenberg.

### Funeral

The federal government declared a period of national mourning from Saturday 6 December to Friday 12 December, the day when the funeral of Queen Fabiola took place at the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula in Brussels.

The Royal Family, members of the government and the Lord Speaker received the coffin at the Royal Palace on 10 December where it was placed in the grand antechamber, where it was decorated with flowers and attended by an honour guard of generals, members of the King's Royal Military household. Godfried Cardinal Danneels, Metropolitan Archbishop-emeritus of Mechelen-Brussels, celebrated the Requiem Mass.

Members of several royal families around the world including the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Empress of Japan, Queen of Denmark, King and Queen of Sweden, King of Norway accompanied by his sister Princess Astrid, former King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain, former Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, the Sovereign Prince of Liechtenstein, former Empress Farah of Iran and Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand, attended the funeral. No members of the British Royal Family or the Monégasque Princely Family attended the funeral, leading to criticism by both Belgian and international press.

## Honours

- Belgium: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Leopold

- Vatican: Dame Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre Holy See: Dame of the Decoration of Honour

- Holy See: Dame of the Decoration of Honour

- Empire of Iran: Recipient of the Commemorative Medal of the 2,500 year Celebration of the Persian Empire Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine

- Netherlands: Recipient of the Wedding Medal of Princess Beatrix and Claus van Amsberg

- Portugal Republic of Portugal: Grand Cross of the Order of Christ Portuguese Royal Family: Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Saint Isabel

- Republic of Portugal: Grand Cross of the Order of Christ

- Portuguese Royal Family: Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Saint Isabel

- Thailand: Dame Grand Cordon with Chain of the Order of the Royal House of Chakri

- Spain: Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic Lady of the Villa de Tejada Dame of the Royal Nobility Corps of the Principality of Gerona Dame of the Royal Nobility Corps of Madrid

- Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic

- Lady of the Villa de Tejada

- Dame of the Royal Nobility Corps of the Principality of Gerona

- Dame of the Royal Nobility Corps of Madrid

- EEB1: A building; Fabiola; was named after her in the school campus of the European School of Brussels one


Nandakumar railway station

# Nandakumar railway station

## Abstract

Nandakumar railway station is a railway station on the Tamluk–Digha branch line of South Eastern Railway zone of Indian Railways. The railway station is situated beside Haldia – Mechada Road, Kumarara at Nandakumar in Purba Medinipur district in the Indian state of West Bengal. This railway station is named after Maharaja Nandakumar.

## History

The Tamluk–Digha line was sanctioned in 1984–85 Railway Budget at an estimated cost of around Rs 74 crore. Finally this line was opened in 2004. This track including Nandakumar railway station was electrified in 2012–13.


Talking

# Talking

## Abstract

Talking or Talkin' may refer to:

- Speech, the product of the action of to talk

- Communication by spoken words; conversation or discussion

## Songs

- "Talking" (A Flock of Seagulls song), 1983

- "Talking" (The Rifles song), 2007

- " Talking / Once Again ", by Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign, 2024

- "Talking", by A House from I Want Too Much, 1990

- "Talking", by the Boys from Alternative Chartbusters, 1978

- "Talkin ' ", by Brass Construction from Brass Construction, 1975

- "Talking", by the Descendents from Cool to Be You, 2004

- "Talking", by Essie Jain from We Made This Ourselves, 2007

- "Talking", by Fiction Plane from Sparks, 2010

- "Talkin", by Kojey Radical from Reason to Smile, 2022

- "Talking", by London Grammar from Californian Soil, 2021

- "Talkin ' ", by Najee from Tokyo Blue, 1990

- "Talking", by September Girls from Cursing the Sea, 2014

- "Talking", by Slovenly from We Shoot for the Moon, 1989

- "Talkin ' ", by Switch from White Heat, 1975

- "Talkin ' ", by Three 6 Mafia from Choices: The Album, 2001

- "Talkin ' ", by Ty Segall from Ty Segall, 2017

- "Talkin ' ", by Van She from V, 2008

## Other uses

- Talking with Chris Hardwick, a TV talk show


Dundalk F.C.

# Dundalk F.C.

## Abstract

Dundalk Football Club (/ d ʌ n ˈ d ɔː (l) k / dun- DAW(L)K; Irish: Cumann Peile Dhún Dealgan) was a professional football club that competed in the League of Ireland Premier Division, the top tier of football in the Republic of Ireland until its folding in September 2024. The club was based in Dundalk and its home ground was Oriel Park.

Founded in 1903 as Dundalk G.N.R., the works-team of the Great Northern Railway, they were a junior club until they were invited to join the Leinster Senior League in 1922–23. After playing at that level for four seasons, they were elected to the League of Ireland for the 1926–27 season. Six seasons later, they became the first club from outside Dublin to win the league title. They have won 49 trophies at national and all-Ireland level as of 2023, including four League and Cup ' Doubles ', and are the only club to have won a league title or an FAI Cup in every decade since the 1930s. They are the second most successful club in the League's history, with 14 league titles as of 2023.

They made their European debut in the 1963–64 European Cup and became the first Irish side to win an away match in Europe in that campaign. Their best performance in the European Cup was in 1979–80, when they reached the last 16, and they reached the last 16 of the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1981–82. They are the only Irish club to have qualified more than once for the Europa League group stage and, in 2016–17, they became the first team from Ireland to both win points and win a match at that level of European competition. They remain the only Irish team to have done so as of the 2024–25 European season.

## History

### Dundalk G.N.R. (1903–1930)

The Dundalk Great Northern Railway (G.N.R.) Football Club was established during the 1883–84 season as a rugby football club. They played their final rugby match in February 1903, and in September 1903 the club switched codes to association football, setting in motion their journey to become the modern-day Dundalk F.C. The new club, known locally as "the Railwaymen", adopted the Dundalk Athletic Grounds (a facility near the town centre shared by several sporting codes) as its home ground. They played challenge matches at first, then became founder members of the first Dundalk and District League (DDL), formed in 1906. There are no records of the club being active between 1907–08 and 1912–13, but they re-joined the local league in 1913–14 for what was the final season before the outbreak of World War I.

The local league was dormant during the war, but the G.N.R. club entered both the Irish Junior Cup and Leinster Junior Cup competitions during the war years. After exiting the Irish Junior Cup in January 1917, the club was inactive again for the following two seasons. It re-formed for 1919–20, affiliated with the Leinster Football Association, and joined both the Newry and District League and the revived DDL. The G.N.R. club spent three seasons in the DDL, winning it twice, and represented the district in both Junior Cup competitions those seasons. They reached the Leinster Junior Cup final in 1920 (the club's first cup final), which they lost to Avonmore after two replays.

Looking to progress, they were elected to the Leinster Senior League for 1922–23 to replace sides that had been promoted to the nascent Free State League. They played four seasons in that division, before being elected to the Free State League on 15 June 1926 to replace Dublin club Pioneers as the national league looked to spread to the provinces.

On 21 August 1926, they travelled to Cork to face Fordsons for their league debut, eventually finishing eighth in the 1926–27 season. By this stage, the team represented the G.N.R. works in name only and the club's management committee decided to make it independent of the company. New colours of white shirts and blue shorts with a crest of the town's coat of arms were adopted in December 1927. They contested their first cup final as a senior club in April 1929, the Leinster Senior Cup final, which they lost after a replay. It was the last time that the club was billed to appear as 'Dundalk G.N.R.', and the name of the club was formally changed to 'Dundalk A.F.C.' in the summer of 1930.

#### The works teams

When Dundalk G.N.R. joined the League of Ireland in 1926, it was one of four works-teams in the 10-team league—the others being Jacobs, St. James's Gate and Fordsons. Another railway works-team— Midland Athletic of the Midland Great Western Railway —had competed for two seasons but had resigned when the company went through a merger. By 1944–45, Dundalk were the only club with works-team roots remaining. Another works-team, Transport (sponsored by CIÉ), joined in 1948–49 but were not re-elected for 1962–63, leaving Dundalk again as the only surviving club with works-team roots. The works themselves became Dundalk Engineering Works Ltd with the demise of the G.N.R.(I) company in 1958.

### First successes (1930–1949)

With a new manager, Steve Wright, "doing everything except selling the programmes", Dundalk finished as runners-up in both the League and the FAI Cup in 1930–31. Proof that they could compete at a national level gave the management committee the confidence to press ahead and the club was converted to a membership-based limited company, 'Dundalk A.F.C. Limited', on 25 January 1932. In the 1932–33 season, they became the first team from outside Dublin to win a league title, sealing it in Dalymount Park with their first victory over Bohemians. In becoming champions, they also became the first team from outside Dublin or Belfast to win a league title in Ireland since the inception of the original Irish League in 1890. Hoping to improve gate receipts and revenue, the club's management committee decided to move from the Athletic Grounds to a ground of their own. In 1936, they secured land on the Carrick Road owned by P.J. Casey (a former committee member) on a long-term lease, and named it ' Oriel Park '.

After winning the league title, they were runners-up eight times across the five main competitions (League, Shield, FAI Cup, Dublin City Cup and Leinster Senior Cup), before winning the 1937–38 City Cup—their first cup final victory. They won their first FAI Cup—in their fourth appearance in the final—with victory over Cork United in Dalymount Park in 1942. Five weeks later, they won the inaugural Dublin and Belfast Inter-City Cup to become (unofficially) 'Champions of All Ireland'. The following September, in the new season, the City Cup was won for a second time.

During the mid-1940s, the management committee relied on player sales to English clubs to bankroll the club, as gate receipts alone did not meet its running costs. After missing out in both the League and the City Cup by a point in 1947–48, the committee decided to invest the surplus from its transfer dealings on several professional players from Scotland and a player-coach, Ned Weir. The investment paid off when the City Cup was won for a third time at the start of the new season by topping its new league format unbeaten, while the club's second FAI Cup was won with victory over Shelbourne in the 1949 final. But the new team fell short in both the Shield and the League and, despite the cup double and improved gate receipts, the additional income was not enough to cover the increase in costs.

### Struggles and recovery (1950–1964)

The attempt to maintain a full-time squad had not paid off and the 1949 cup-winning team was broken up. A surplus from transfer dealings prevented a more serious financial crisis arising, and despite the turnover in players, Dundalk won the Leinster Senior Cup for the first time in 1950–51. The cutbacks started to have an impact, and they finished second from bottom in the league table the following season. They went on a memorable FAI Cup run, however, coming from 3–1 down against Waterford in a semi-final replay to win 6–4 in extra time; then defeated Cork Athletic in the 1952 FAI Cup final (also in a replay), to win the Cup for a third time.

Midway through the 1952–53 season, Club Secretary Sam Prole left to take over at Drumcondra. Prole, a Great Northern Railway employee, had played for Dundalk G.N.R. in junior football, and had been Secretary for 25 years. He had been responsible for the club's transfer activities, and player sales tailed off after his departure. The subsequent drop in income obliged the club to focus on controlling costs, and they finished last in the two seasons after he left. They continued to struggle for the rest of the decade but, in contrast to their league form, they won their fourth FAI Cup with a 1–0 victory over Shamrock Rovers in the 1958 final.

Having not challenged for the League or Shield during the 1950s, they ended the decade at the top of the league table. Although they subsequently fell short of winning the title, the club was competitive again. A second Leinster Senior Cup was won in 1960–61, and a first league title in 30 years followed in 1962–63. That success meant that Dundalk entered European competition for the first time, where they became the first Irish side to win an away leg of a European tie by beating FC Zurich, 2–1 (in a 4–2 aggregate defeat), in the 1963–64 European Cup. They could not manage to retain the title that season, finishing as runners-up, and they were also runners-up in the Shield. But they did win the season-end Top Four Cup for the first time.

### Takeover, rise and fall (1964–1974)

A poor 1964–65 followed, and the club's management committee decided that it was time to hire a modern-style manager, who would have sole responsibility for recruitment and player selection. They appointed Gerry Doyle, who had spent most of his career as both a player and a coach with Shelbourne. The new season saw little improvement, however, and with financial losses growing and investment in Oriel Park needed, it became clear early in the 1965–66 season that the membership-based ownership model could not provide the financial support required to take the club forward. A new public limited company took over in January 1966, after the voluntary liquidation of the old company.

The new board invested heavily in both Oriel Park and the squad ahead of the 1966–67 season, and signed a new player-coach, Alan Fox, from Bradford City. The pay-off was immediate. Dundalk finally won their first League of Ireland Shield, then charged to the league title, winning it by seven points, to seal the club's only League and Shield Double. They then won that season's Top Four Cup to complete the club's first 'treble'.

The following season, Oriel Park hosted European football for the first time, under newly installed floodlights, with the visit of Vasas SC of Hungary. But Fox fell out with the club's board during the trip to Budapest for the return leg, and he was released the following March, despite his side being set to retain the title. The Dublin City Cup of 1967–68 was his final success at the club. Dundalk subsequently finished as runners-up in the League, qualifying for the 1968–69 Fairs Cup, where they won a European tie for the first time with victory over DOS Utrecht. But fourth-place in the League that season, and another City Cup, was all that the remnants of Fox's team could achieve.

Future Ireland manager Liam Tuohy took over in the summer of 1969 and also joined the board, and as a result of his managerial experience, Dundalk entered the new decade at the top of the league table. But Tuohy was obliged to thin the squad and cut the wage bill because of the scale of the debts still hanging over the club from the redevelopment of Oriel Park, and he could not build a side able to sustain a title challenge. The 1971–72 Shield success would be the high point of his reign, and he quit at the end of that season, criticising a lack of local support in the process. His only other trophy at the club was the 1970–71 Leinster Senior Cup.

Dundalk had to sell or release a number of players to survive after Tuohy left, and they slid down the table—with a young, inexperienced team finishing second from bottom in 1972–73. To recover the situation, a new board took over the running of the club, and hired John Smith from Walsall as player-manager. After renegotiating the club's debts, they were able to provide Smith with funds to sign several players. Smith delivered a Leinster Senior Cup in his first season, but they subsequently fell away in the league after a good start, and Smith quit two matches into his second season for a job outside football. Following his departure, the club appointed Jim McLaughlin as player-manager in November 1974.

### A trophy-laden era (1975–1995)

It was under McLaughlin that Dundalk recovered and reached a new level of success. With the remnants of Smith's squad and players unwanted elsewhere, he won his first league title (the club's fourth) in 1975–76, losing one match in the process. The title brought European football back to the town for the first time since 1969 and in the following season's European Cup, they met PSV Eindhoven and were deemed unlucky not to win the first leg at home. That match started an unbeaten run in Europe in Oriel Park of eight matches over the following five seasons. They ended the season by winning the Leinster Senior Cup, and a week later won the club's first FAI Cup since 1958 when they defeated Limerick United in the 1977 final.

League form had been mixed for the two seasons following the title and, despite winning their first League Cup and retaining the Leinster Senior Cup, a poor end to the 1977–78 league season led to rumours that McLaughlin would be let go. The club supported the "reorganisation" he demanded, however, and it used funds from the sale of three players to Liverpool to invest in the squad and make ground improvements at Oriel. McLaughlin's second league title followed in 1978–79, and they went on to defeat Waterford in the Cup final to complete the club's first League and Cup Double. The Double winning side's 1979–80 European Cup run the following season, where they narrowly missed out on qualifying for the quarter-finals (going down 3–2 on aggregate to Celtic), was the club's best European performance until 2016.

They finished as runners-up in the league for the next two seasons, and achieved their only domestic cup double in 1980–81—winning both the League Cup and the FAI Cup. McLaughlin's third and final league title at the club arrived in 1981–82, after an early season 10-point gap to Bohemians was overhauled. A trophy-less 1982–83 season, which saw Dundalk slip to third place in the league table behind Louth rivals Drogheda United, signalled that the team was entering a transition period. But McLaughlin resigned in May 1983, saying he needed a change.

After two seasons that ended in mid-table, former player Turlough O'Connor was appointed ahead of the League's split into two divisions in 1985–86. O'Connor quickly built a squad capable of challenging for honours and his sides consistently finished in the top four over the following eight seasons. They won the 1987 League Cup final, and finished as runners-up in both the League and the FAI Cup to qualify for Europe for the first time in five years. The following season started with a visit from Cup Winners' Cup holders Ajax Amsterdam, and ended with the club's second League and Cup Double —with the title being won on the last day of the season, and the FAI Cup being won with victory over Derry City.

O'Connor won his second League Cup in 1989–90, and another league title followed in 1990–91 in an end of season, winner takes all match in Turner's Cross against Cork City. But Dundalk spurned an opportunity to progress in the European Cup, when a 1–1 draw away to Honved was followed by a 0–2 home defeat. Attendances started to drop noticeably during 1992–93, as the new English Premier League, broadcast live on BSkyB, was growing in popularity. By the end of the season the board was facing financial issues that threatened the club's survival—a "healthy" surplus in 1989, had become a serious deficit, with income falling due to some of the lowest gate receipts in memory. The 1993–94 season started with mixed results, with good away victories being followed by defeats at home and, after a home defeat to Monaghan United, O'Connor resigned.

He was replaced by another former player, Dermot Keely. The older players were released, and a thin squad struggled—missing out on the 'Top Six' round-robin that decided the title. They played out the final third of the season in a meaningless 'bottom six' round-robin in front of tiny crowds, which contributed to the worsening financial position. Early the following season, the financial issues came to a head, and a number of local businessmen formed a new interim company to take the club over, saving it from bankruptcy. Despite the financial problems, and with a squad still lacking in depth, Keely led his team to the club's ninth league title on a dramatic final day. Starting the day in third place in the table, they needed to win their match at home and for both Shelbourne and Derry City to fail to win their games. They defeated Galway United and news eventually filtered through that both of their challengers had failed to win, confirming Dundalk as champions.

### Decline and upheaval (1995–2012)

The 1994–95 title did not halt the overall decline, and Keely did not see out the title defence, quitting midway through the 1995–96 season—reportedly frustrated at being unable to strengthen his squad. Dundalk sank down the table and had to survive a promotion/relegation play-off in 1996–97. The board turned to Jim McLaughlin to try to turn things around, but early in the 1998–99 season it was revealed that the club was in serious financial trouble again and the whole squad had been transfer-listed. An end-of-season collapse saw the club drop from the top-tier for the first time, with relegation confirmed 20 years to the day after they had won their first Double.

The club was taken over by a supporters' co-op in 2000, and initial expectations were of an immediate return to the top-flight. But Dundalk became embroiled in a losing battle with the league's hierarchy and Kilkenny City, which reached the High Court, over the latter playing an improperly registered player. The following season the co-op invested heavily in the playing squad and, under new manager Martin Murray, they were promoted as 2000–01 First Division Champions. Although seemingly well-placed for the return to the top-flight, they were relegated again the following season, with the league being reduced from 12 teams to 10. Despite this setback, Murray's side won the club's ninth FAI Cup a week later, with victory over Bohemians in the final.

After being relegated again, Dundalk were stuck in the lower reaches of the First Division for the next four seasons. With no sign of promotion, the co-op members agreed to the club being taken back into private ownership by its CEO, Gerry Matthews. They finished second under new manager John Gill in 2006, securing a play-off tie against Waterford United. Even though they won the play-off, they were still denied a place in the 2007 Premier Division, with Galway United (who had finished third in that season's First Division) selected by the FAI's 2006 IAG Report to be promoted ahead of both Dundalk and Waterford. In 2008, they won promotion back to the Premier Division, pipping Shelbourne to the top spot on the final night of the season. Gill was replaced by Ian Foster for the return to the top flight, despite winning the First Division title.

At first, Dundalk stabilised their position back in the Premier Division—qualifying for the 2010–11 Europa League, leading the league table midway through the 2010 season, and reaching the 2011 Setanta Sports Cup final. But results subsequently deteriorated and, with financial losses mounting as the 2011 season drew to a close, Matthews decided to let Foster's contract expire and relinquish control of the club. With the club in danger of insolvency during a disastrous 2012, it was taken over by local businessmen Andy Connolly and Paul Brown (owners of the team's official sponsors, Fastfix), and Dundalk subsequently managed to remain in the top-flight by defeating Waterford United in the play-off.

### Revival and dominance (2013–2019)

Having saved the club, the new owners turned to Stephen Kenny to become the new manager. They mounted an unexpected title challenge in his first season, eventually finishing as runners-up. Kenny kept the nucleus of the new side together for the following season, and went on to guide the club to its first league title since 1994–95. They also won that season's League Cup, the club's first League and League Cup Double. The 2015 season saw them dominate, winning the club's third League and FAI Cup Double —with the title being won by 11-points and the Cup with victory over Cork City in the final. They also won the Leinster Senior Cup—the club's first 'treble' since 1966–67. A third league title in a row was sealed with two games to spare in 2016.

2016 also saw the club qualify for the Champions League play-off round, after they first defeated FH of Iceland, then came from a goal down in the tie to defeat BATE Borisov 3–1 on aggregate. They drew Legia Warsaw for the play-off, with the first leg played in the Aviva Stadium in Dublin in front of a crowd of 30,417. They suffered a 2–0 defeat in the home leg, but shocked Legia in the return leg by taking a 1–0 lead. With Dundalk pushing for the equaliser that would have taken the tie to extra-time, Legia scored on the break, and won the tie 3–1 on aggregate. As a result, Dundalk qualified for the group stage of the Europa League. A draw with AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands, followed by a victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv in Tallaght Stadium, were the first points earned by an Irish club in the group stage of European competition.

The departure of some key players after the European run, and a slow start to the new season, meant that they slipped to runners-up spots in both league and FAI Cup although they won their sixth League Cup. The club's European form had attracted interest from abroad, however, and a consortium of American investors led by Peak6 Investments completed a takeover in January 2018. Kenny's side reasserted itself in 2018, winning another League and Cup Double—the second under Kenny and fourth in the club's history—breaking points-total and goals scored-total records in the process. In the aftermath, Kenny resigned in order to accept the Republic of Ireland U-21 manager's role.

Hoping to achieve continuity, the new owners replaced Kenny with his assistant manager, Vinny Perth, as head coach, with John Gill returning as first-team coach. Despite falling 13-points behind early 2019 leaders Shamrock Rovers in April, they overhauled the deficit within weeks, and subsequently won the club's 14th league title, with four games to spare. They also won the League Cup by defeating Derry City on penalties in the final, to secure a second League and League Cup Double. They were denied a first domestic Treble of League, FAI Cup and League Cup, however, when they were beaten in a penalty shoot-out in the FAI Cup Final. But they ended the season with a comprehensive 7–1 aggregate victory over Northern Irish champions, Linfield, in the inaugural Champions Cup.

### Transition (2020–present)

Early the following season, a goal scored by Jordan Flores went viral and was subsequently nominated for the FIFA Puskás Award. Soon after, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic saw the cessation of football in line with other European countries. The season resumed with a reduced schedule of 18 matches in total and matches being played behind closed doors. Manager Vinny Perth was dismissed following Dundalk's exit from Europe in the first qualifying round of the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League. He was replaced by Italian Filippo Giovagnoli. Dundalk subsequently qualified for the group stage of the 2020–21 Europa League after victories over Inter Club d'Escaldes, Sheriff Tiraspol and KÍ Klaksvik in the qualifying rounds. They were drawn in Group B alongside Arsenal, Rapid Wien, and Molde. They failed to pick up any points and finished bottom of the group.

In the FAI Cup, they had an 11–0 semi-final victory over Athlone Town —setting a new record for the biggest win in the competition's history, which was also a new club record victory. They followed that with a 4–2 extra-time victory over Shamrock Rovers, with David McMillan scoring a hat-trick, to win the Cup for a twelfth time and qualify for Europe for a 25th time.

The 2021 season saw Shane Keegan named first-team manager, with Giovagnoli reverting to the position of 'coach' because he did not have a UEFA Pro Licence. The season began with a victory in the President's Cup, but after a run of defeats at the start of the league campaign, both Keegan and Giovagnoli left the club. Dundalk struggled for the remainder of the domestic season with their lowest league finish since 2012 and went out to Vitesse Arnhem in the third qualifying round of the inaugural Europa Conference League. Before the season ended, the club was returned to local ownership when a consortium led by former co-owner Andy Connolly and sports technology firm STATSports agreed a takeover with Peak6. The new owners then installed former captain Stephen O'Donnell as the club's new head coach in the close season.

O'Donnell steered his new-look side to a third-place finish and qualification for the Europa Conference League at the first attempt. They failed to capitalise in the 2023 season, exiting the Conference League in the second qualifying round and finishing mid-table and outside the European qualification places. The club saw another change of ownership in the close season, when it was taken over by US-based Irish businessman, Brian Ainscough. A poor start to the 2024 season, which saw Dundalk at the foot of the table after eight matches, resulted in O'Donnell being let go. He was replaced on an interim basis by the club's Head of Football operations, Brian Gartland, and first team coach, Liam Burns. Noel King, a former player of the club, was subsequently named manager on 20 April. His tenure lasted 25 days before he resigned, citing medical issues. Jon Daly replaced him. On 5 September 2024, after a 2–1 defeat at home to his old club St Patrick's Athletic, with the club rooted to the bottom of the table with 7 games left to play, Daly confirmed that players and staff at the club had not been paid amid financial uncertainty at ownership level of the club.

## Crest and colours

### Crest history

After outgrowing its links with the Great Northern Railway, the football club adopted the then coat of arms of the town of Dundalk (three gold martlets on an azure field) in December 1927 and incorporated the crest on the club's new white playing shirts. This coat of arms had been adopted by the town in 1673 when it was granted a charter under Charles II of England. It appears as the 'Corporation Seal' in a town plan dated 1675. The crest disappeared from the playing shirts in 1930, however, after the urban district council proposed to remove the "three black crows" from the seal of the town. A modified crest was reintroduced to the shirt for the 1952 FAI Cup Final, consisting of three black martlets on a white shield bearing the club name. After a number of minor redesigns in the following years, the white shield became a red shield with white martlets in 1997, and in 2015 this crest was modified to incorporate a gold star, to commemorate Dundalk's tenth League of Ireland title.

### Kit history

Dundalk's colours have been white shirts with black shorts and black or white socks since the start of the 1940–41 season. It is known that the Dundalk G.N.R. club wore blue shirts when it started in 1903. and were reported to be wearing "yellow and black" in 1906, but there is no further evidence of defined club colours in the pre-World War I years. When the club was revived for the 1919–20 season, the colours adopted were black and amber-striped shirts with white shorts. In advance of dropping the 'G.N.R.' moniker and becoming 'Dundalk A.F.C.', the club changed to a strip of white shirts with the coat of arms of the town (the old Dundalk Corporation seal) as its crest, and blue shorts matching the azure shield of the crest. The new colours were first worn on St Stephen's Day 1927 in the opening match of the 1927–28 League of Ireland Shield.

This combination was worn until 1939 but came to be seen as unlucky due to the number of cup final defeats Dundalk had during the 1930s. Hoping a change would bring more luck, the club introduced a sky blue and maroon quartered shirt with white shorts and maroon socks in 1939–40, but they promptly lost to non-league opposition in the first round of that season's FAI Cup, and went back to wearing white shirts for the following season, this time paired with black shorts. Possibly by coincidence, when the clubs of the town amalgamated to form the first Dundalk Association Football Club in 1904, the colours chosen were "white shirt, bearing the Dundalk coat of arms, and black pants". The 'home' colours have remained essentially unchanged with red trims being incorporated occasionally since the 1990s. An all-white kit was introduced for the first time in the 1965–66 season, and was also the combination used in 1973–74 and 2003. All-white kits are still worn occasionally when required to avoid kit clashes.

The earliest photographic record of the team in 'away' colours comes from the 1928–29 season. For their first visit to play Fordsons after adopting white shirts, Dundalk were obliged to wear borrowed shirts with their own navy blue shorts and black socks, as the home side also wore white shirts. For the next two seasons, they wore their old black and amber-striped shirts when travelling to face teams wearing white.

The club did not have an official away kit until 1977–78. In the interim, red shirts were worn if change colours were needed. An all-red kit was produced for the Cup Winners' Cup tie away to Hajduk Split in 1977 and this became the away kit for domestic games that season. An all-red away kit was worn against Tottenham Hotspur in 1981 but otherwise official away colours were not required again until the 1990–91 season, when all-red was again adopted. Since then, away kits have usually been based on red or black. The club has twice introduced away colours that pay homage to its G.N.R. roots—in 2016 and again in 2021.

Prior to 2019, ad hoc third colours had been worn by the team only when both home and away kits clashed with an opponent's colours. An official commercially available third kit was introduced that season for the first time—an all-lilac strip with white and black trim. It was designed by then kit supplier CX+ Sport, as part of a fundraising partnership between the club and Temple Street Children's University Hospital. The logo of the charity replaced that of the official sponsor Fyffes on the chest of the shirt. This kit was worn in all rounds of the successful 2019 League Cup campaign, and in the early rounds of that season's FAI Cup. The next season that the club released third colours (that was not the previous season's away kit repurposed) was in 2023.

### Kit suppliers

The club's kit supplier is Playr-Fit, who signed a three-year deal beginning with the 2023 season. They replaced Umbro, who had been the supplier between 2007 and 2015, and between 2020 and 2022. Previous suppliers include Dundalk-based companies CX+ Sport (2016 – 2019) and Eros Sportswear (1985–1988). O’Neills (1976–1984; 1990–2004) have also been a long-term supplier. Erreà (2005) and Diadora (2006) have each been suppliers for one season while Adidas Teamwear was used temporarily during 1982–83. A Cork -based company, Union Sport, supplied kits for two seasons (1988–89 and 1989–90). Their products were notable in that the company used a Confederate flag (the Battle Flag of the Army of Northern Virginia) as its logo, which featured prominently on team shirts and other apparel.

## Home grounds

### Athletic Grounds

Between 1903 and 1936, Dundalk mostly played at the Athletic Grounds near the town centre (land which was eventually sold in 1959 for a factory development). The Athletic Grounds were owned by the Dundalk Young Ireland's Athletic Grounds Company and made available for all local team sports. Dundalk's matches were usually played on Sundays, enabling a large Northern Irish contingent of spectators (inconvenienced by Sunday Observance laws) to attend games. When matches were moved to Saturdays because of Sundays being unavailable, the club suffered financially from lower gate receipts. If the Athletic Grounds were unavailable altogether, then matches were played at the grounds of the Dundalk Educational Institution (now Dundalk Grammar School), the grounds at St Mary's College, or the Carroll's Recreation Ground.

### Oriel Park

In 1936, the club moved permanently to land on the Carrick Road made available by former committee member P.J. Casey on a long-term land lease and named the new ground " Oriel Park ". Almost 10 years to the day after Dundalk G.N.R. played their first Free State League match away to Fordsons, the same club (as Cork F.C.) were the first visitors to Oriel Park, with the home team winning 2–1. Oriel's attendance record is an estimated 18,000, set in 1982 for Dundalk's European Cup Winners' Cup second round tie against Tottenham Hotpsur On occasions when Oriel has been unavailable due to works, matches have been moved to either United Park in Drogheda or Gortakeegan in Monaghan. The ground has had an artificial playing surface since 2005.

Dundalk played their first home European match, against F.C. Zurich in the 1963–64 European Cup, in Dalymount Park in Dublin—as Oriel Park did not have floodlights. Floodlighting was installed in 1967 to allow matches to be played there—the first being the visit of Vasas SC of Hungary in the 1967–68 European Cup. The 1995–96 UEFA Cup tie against Malmö was moved to United Park in Drogheda as the Oriel pitch was being re-laid that summer, and the 2002–03 UEFA Cup tie against Varteks was moved to Tolka Park in Dublin because Oriel did not meet UEFA's upgraded standards for football stadiums at that time.

Oriel has since been upgraded to a Category 2 Stadium, able to accommodate 3,100 seated spectators for European matches. Matches requiring a ground to have Category 3 status have been played in Tallaght Stadium and matches requiring a ground meeting Category 4 status have been played at the Aviva Stadium.

## Supporters

The Supporters Club is called 'The 1903', in honour of the football club's year of formation. There is also a Ladies Supporters Club, the 'Lilywhite Ladies'. The Dundalk G.N.R. club's members formed its first Supporters Club during the 1928–29 season. The Supporters Clubs have raised vital funds in support of the club through the decades, money that was often required to keep the club viable.

Dundalk fans have nicknamed the team 'the Lilywhites' and supporters also use 'the Town' as shorthand for the club. Both nicknames have been in use since at least the 1950s. The hashtag #CmonTheTown is used by fans on social media. From when the club was first formed until its change of colours in 1927–28, the team's nickname was 'the Railwaymen'. Later, the team was known as 'the Northerners", or 'the Bordermen' (due to the town's location close to the border with Northern Ireland).

The current generation of fans—who followed the club out of the First Division, through the ownership crisis of 2012, and into the subsequent successful period—style themselves the 'Shedside Army'. They are responsible for Oriel's ' tifo ' displays. One such display—the flying of Palestinian flags in Oriel Park during a Europa League tie—resulted in a UEFA fine for Dundalk of €18,000. Supporters have two mottoes: " We See Things They'll Never See " owing to the roller-coaster of highs and lows the club has experienced; and " Dundalk Will Never Die But You Will ", a riff on a Mogwai album title. The club anthem has become Three Little Birds by Bob Marley and the Wailers (both because of the club crest and because of the sentiments expressed in the lyrics).

### Support base and attendances

The club's support base is the Dundalk Municipal District, the adjacent Carrickmacross – Castleblayney Municipal District of County Monaghan, and south County Armagh. The average Friday night home league attendance is approximately 3,000, with attendances at 'bigger' matches of approximately 4,000.

### Rivalries

The Louth Derby is contested between Dundalk and Drogheda United, who entered the League of Ireland in 1963. The clubs played an annual friendly from 1966 to 1984—the Donegan Cup, presented by former Louth TD Paddy Donegan. Apart from one attempt to revive the contest in 1990, it was dropped as the two clubs could not find suitable dates for it during the season after the split of the League of Ireland into two divisions. The friendly was reintroduced as a pre-season match in 1997 with a new trophy—the Jim Malone Cup, in honour of three-time chairman of the board, the late Jim Malone.

While there is a sibling rivalry between the two towns, Derbies are not usually antagonistic because the two clubs have rarely competed for top honours simultaneously, although they did meet in the final of the 1971–72 League of Ireland Shield, with Dundalk winning 5–0. Many of Dundalk's most successful periods have corresponded with Drogheda being at the lower end of the league table or in the First Division, while Drogheda's most successful period (between 2004 and 2008) occurred while Dundalk were in the lower tier. The derby has been fractious on occasion, however, particularly during cup ties between the sides. In addition to the Louth Derby, Dundalk fans would see Shamrock Rovers as one of their biggest rivals, as Rovers hold the record for the most league titles and the record for the most FAI Cups, with Dundalk next in the honours list for both competitions.

## Ownership and finances

On 30 November 2023 a club statement was issued to the effect that Dundalk Football Club had been acquired by the Boston -based sports investor Brian Ainscough.

### Ownership history

As an association football club for the employees of the Great Northern Railway works in the town, it was 'owned' by the company and run by a management committee elected by its members. The club was converted to a membership-based limited company, 'Dundalk Association Football Club Limited', on 25 January 1932. This brought it under the ownership of its supporters, who elected a management committee every two years. This ownership structure survived until the end of 1965 but by then, the club's liabilities had grown and Oriel Park was in need of investment. The membership-based model, which saw the club break even on an annual basis at best, could not provide the required finance and the company was voluntarily liquidated and taken over by a public limited company, 'Dundalk Football Club Limited', in January 1966.

The financial issues that occurred in late 1994, which saw the club become effectively insolvent, forced the liquidation of the 1966 company. It was taken over by 'Dundalk AFC Interim Limited', a new holding company comprising former and current directors under chairman Enda McGuill. But the solvency issues that had faced the club through most of the 1990s arose again in 1998, resulting in relegation that season for the first time in the club's history. It was taken over by the 'Dundalk F.C. Co-operative' in 2000, returning it to a membership-based, supporter-owned model. But the co-op was unable to make the sort of investment in either the team or in Oriel Park required to bring the club back to the Premier Division. They decided to sell the training ground, Hiney Park, in order to service debts and pay for work at Oriel.

The man who purchased Hiney Park, Gerry Matthews, was subsequently invited to join the board as CEO in 2006. He then took the club into private ownership as 'Dundalk FC Limited' when it was accepted that the co-op could not continue to support it. It was returned to a solid footing under the ownership of Matthews but his decision to end his financial support in 2012 lead to another threat of insolvency. With the assistance of the Dundalk FC Supporters Trust, the club was rescued by the owners of its official sponsors, Fastfix—Paul Brown and Andy Connolly. They formed a new trading company 'Dundalk Town FC Limited' and completed a takeover in time for the 2013 season. Brown and Connolly then sold their interest to a consortium of investors led by the American investment firm Peak6 in 2018. At the end of the 2021 season, the club was returned to local ownership when a group led by the returning Connolly and the owners of sports technology firm STATSports agreed a takeover deal with Peak6.

The club saw another change of ownership at the end of the 2023 season, when Irish-American businessman Brian Ainscough assumed full control of the club.

### Sponsorship and income streams

Dundalk's first shirt sponsor became National Aluminium with the introduction of shirt sponsorship in 1980. The company's brand remained on the team's shirts until 1984. From 1987 until 2002, the official sponsor was Harp Lager (the brand being synonymous with the town, and the Great Northern Brewery, where the product was brewed, being near Oriel Park). Subsequently, the club had a number of official sponsors, including a sponsorship deal with Fyffes, which ran from 2012 until 2020.

For the 2024 season, the team playing shirt's chest logo is that of official sponsors 888casino. The shirt's sleeve and upper back sponsor is (Renault) Blackstone Motors and the lower back of the shirt is sponsored by StatSport and Fastfix. The full list of sponsors for 2024 are:

- 888casino (Official Sponsor)

- Renault Blackstone Motors

- Statsports

- Fastfix

- Playr-Fit (Official kit supplier)

- Sportsfile

- UHY Farrelly Dawe Whyte

- Dundalk Credit Union (women's teams main shirt sponsors)

- Dole (men's U17 and U19 academy teams main shirt sponsors)

- Hanley Energy (men's U14 and U15 academy teams main shirt sponsors)

- The Unit (First team training shirt sponsors)

There are several other sponsorship arrangements, such as sponsorship of individual players, and sponsorship of individual home matches. The club's Lotto is managed in partnership with Clubforce.

There is a merchandise shop at Oriel Park and an online store on the official website. In addition to sponsorship, Oriel Park is made available for junior and schools football, and is also available for rent to private groups and clubs in other sporting codes. The ground's public bar, 'The Lilywhite Lounge', is available for social events, as is the members' bar—the 'Enda McGuill Suite'.

The club introduced a membership scheme for supporters in 2020. The scheme is run on a monthly subscription basis via Patreon.

### Player transfers

Players in the League of Ireland are typically signed on single season contracts, meaning they become free agents at the end of each season. Contracts of two-year duration are less typical; while players and clubs rarely sign deals of a longer duration. As a result, the transfer-fee inflation seen throughout European club football has not been a feature of the game in Ireland, and Dundalk have not benefited financially from player transfers since the Bosman ruling came into effect. Indeed, the PFAI Players' Player of the Year for 2015 (Richie Towell), and 2016 (Daryl Horgan), both left for EFL Championship clubs at the end of their respective award-winning seasons on free transfers, due to contract expiry.

Transfer fees both paid and received have generally remained undisclosed. The record transfer fee received (when all clauses were eventually triggered and paid) was approximately £80,000 (equivalent to €200,000 in 2019) for Steve Staunton, who was signed by Liverpool in August 1986 for an initial fee of £20,000. Dundalk subsequently received a further estimated £70,000 (equivalent to €150,000 in 2019) when Staunton was transferred by Liverpool to Aston Villa in 1991.

### Media

#### Television and radio

Ireland's State-owned public service broadcaster, RTÉ, and main commercial broadcaster, Virgin Media Ireland have broadcast rights for League of Ireland and FAI Cup matches as part of packages from the FAI that include international matches. However, there is little or no income derived from these rights for clubs. Indeed, RTÉ refused to pay the fee asked to broadcast the home leg of Dundalk's Champions League victory against BATE Borisov in 2016, a few months after they had been named RTÉ's "Team of the Year" for 2015.

Live commentary of matches is broadcast on Dundalk FM (a community radio station) and LMFM. The radio broadcasts do not have licensing restrictions and can be accessed online in Ireland and globally from the stations' websites.

#### Online

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic during the 2020 season, which resulted in matches being played behind closed doors, the WatchLOI service was introduced by the FAI and RTÉ. The service made all games not already due to be broadcast on television available for streaming worldwide on a subscription basis.

The WatchLOI service was discontinued in June 2021 and replaced by 'LOITV', with clubs being responsible for producing their own live match coverage.

#### Documentaries

Two documentaries centred on the club have been produced. Once In a Lifetime, released in 2015, was a retelling of stories of the club's 1979–80 European Cup campaign.

One Armed Wonder: The Extraordinary Story of Jimmy Hasty, released in 2023, was produced by UEFA TV and told the life story of former Dundalk player Jimmy Hasty. The documentary won the 'Outstanding Short Documentary' award at the 2024 Sports Emmy Awards.

### Club publications

The club's official website, dundalkfc.com, has been voted 'Website of the Year' by the Soccer Writers Association of Ireland on eight occasions, most recently for 2021.

A matchday programme is produced for all home matches—the " DFC Magazine ". This programme was voted 'Programme of the Year' for 10 of the 12 seasons between 2008 and 2019 by the Irish Football Programme Club. In 2017 the Louth County Museum celebrated the achievements of the club with a new exhibition entitled "One Team, One Dream", which ran for over a year. In 2018 a short documentary entitled "Chasing Doubles" was published on YouTube by Dundalk Sport and Lightstorm Media. The piece was nominated by the FAI for a "Best Digital Initiative Award", as part of the association's "Communications Awards" in July 2019.

In addition, the following books have been published:

- 2003: The History of Dundalk F.C. – The First 100 Years, by Jim Murphy

- 2013: C'mon The Town! A Dundalk FC Miscellany, by Jim Murphy

- 2014: CHAMP10NS, by Gavin McLaughlin

- 2015: The Double, by Gavin McLaughlin

- 2016: Making History, by Gavin McLaughlin

- 2018: Taking Back the Throne, by Gavin McLaughlin

- 2019: We See Things They'll Never See, by Gavin McLaughlin

- 2020: Dundalk Football Club: In Black And White, by Daniel Sexton

## Players

### First-team squad

As of 25 July 2024.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

### Youth teams

Dundalk maintains an academy with youth teams in the U-14, U-15, U-17, and U-19 age brackets of the League of Ireland.

### Women's teams

Dundalk do not currently have a women's team in the League of Ireland Women's Premier Division (formed in 2023 as a successor to the Women's National League). Teams are maintained at Under-17 and Under-19 level that compete in the EA Sports LOI Academy. There is also a team at Under-15 level.

Prior to the formation of the Women's National League, a loosely affiliated club, Dundalk City L.F.C., competed in the Dublin Women's Soccer League during the 2000–2005 period and won the 2005 Women's FAI Cup Final.

### Scholarships

A sports scholarship, run by Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) in partnership with the club, "is aimed at those candidates who wish to pursue a full-time third level education whilst simultaneously pursuing a professional soccer playing career with League of Ireland Champions Dundalk FC".

## Personnel

### Technical staff

As of 30 May 2024.

Source:

### Club officials

As of 8 April 2024

Source:

## Records

The record for the most appearances in all competitions is currently held by Tommy McConville, who appeared in 580 matches in two stints at the club between 1964 and 1986. Several players have won five league titles—Martin Lawlor being the first to reach the mark. Patrick Hoban is the club's leading goalscorer in all competitions. Five other players— Joey Donnelly, Eddie Carroll, Joe Martin, Jimmy Hasty, and Paddy Turner —have also scored 100 goals or more. Hoban broke Donnelly's club record for league goals during the 2019 season and subsequently became the first Dundalk player to score 100 league goals for the club during the 2022 season. He then broke Donnelly's record for goals in all competitions during the 2023 season and finished his Dundalk career in 2023 with 150 goals.

Bob Egan became the first Dundalk player to win an international cap on 20 April 1929, when he represented Ireland in a 4–0 victory over Belgium. The player who has won the most caps while at the club is Billy O'Neill, who won 11 caps for Ireland—his international career being cut short at the age of 23 by the outbreak of World War II. Mick Fairclough was the most recently capped player, earning two caps in May 1982. In 2021, Raivis Jurkovskis and Sonni Nattestad became the first Dundalk players to be capped for a country other than Ireland while at the club.

Dundalk's record win is an 11–0 victory over Athlone Town in the 2020 FAI Cup. The record league win is 9–0, achieved against Jacobs in 1932, and again against Shelbourne in 1980. The biggest victory in a European match is 4–0, achieved with home wins against Fram Reykjavík in the 1981–82 European Cup Winners' Cup, and Newtown in the 2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League.

The record home attendance is 30,417 v Legia Warsaw in the Aviva Stadium, Dublin for the Champions League play-off round in 2016.

### European competition

Dundalk have qualified for European competition 26 times as of the 2023–24 European season. They made their European debut in the 1963–64 European Cup and in that campaign, they became the first Irish side to win an away match in Europe. Their best performance in the European Cup was in 1979–80, when they reached the last 16, and they reached the last 16 of the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1981–82. They have qualified twice for the Europa League group stage and they became the first team from Ireland to both win points and win a match at that level of European competition in 2016–17.

They have played against several major names in European football such as Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Celtic, FC Porto, PSV Eindhoven, Ajax, Red Star Belgrade, Hajduk Split, Legia Warsaw, and Zenit St Petersburg. They have faced opponents from the Netherlands most often, having played ties against PSV, Ajax, DOS Utrecht, AZ Alkmaar, and Vitesse Arnhem.

In a January 2021 ranking compiled by statistical analysis site FiveThirtyEight, Dundalk were ranked 290th in 'International Club Soccer'.

As of 3 August 2023.

## Honours

Source:


Sheriff of Crail

# Sheriff of Crail

## Abstract

The Sheriff of Crail was historically the royal official responsible for enforcing law and order in Crail, Scotland.

The sheriffdom of Crail appears to have been created in the mid 12th century and seems to have been dissolved and incorporated into the sheriffdom of Fife in the 13th century.

## Sheriffs of Crail

- William (1163)

- Geoffrey de Inverkunglas (1223)