The Irish Daily Mail and the Football Association of Ireland have today (Friday) announced a partnership that that sees the newspaper become official title sponsor of the FAI Cup.

The deal, which will run until the end of the 2017 season, will see the prestigious FAI Cup rebranded as the Irish Daily Mail FAI Cup.

The 2015 competition will commence with the First Round on the weekend of April 26 with the SSE Airtricity League clubs entering the competition in the Second Round on the weekend of May 31. The 2015 final is scheduled for Sunday, November 8 and will be the sixth time the game has been played at its new home in the Aviva Stadium.

The FAI Cup is Ireland’s oldest and most prized football competition with every junior, intermediate and senior football club capable of winning it as the last 16 clubs in each season’s FAI Intermediate Cup and the semi-finalists of the FAI Junior Cup are invited to join the 20 SSE Airtricity League clubs in the competition.

The FAI Cup was first contested in 1922 when St James’s Gate beat Shamrock Rovers 1-0 in the final at Dalymount Park but the Hoops subsequently went on to win the competition a record 24 times, although their last victory was 28 years ago in 1987. A total of 27 different clubs have won the 94 finals held to date and the current holders are St Patrick’s Athletic who defeated Derry City 2-0 in the 2014 final at the Aviva Stadium last November to end a 53 year wait since they last lifted the famous trophy.

Speaking at today’s announcement, Paul Henderson, Managing Director of Associated Papers (Ireland) said: “All of us at the Irish Daily Mail are honoured to sponsor the most important domestic competition in Ireland, The Irish Daily Mail FAI Cup. The excitement of non-league clubs competing against league clubs for the title of Cup Champions is infectious. It engages fans at all levels of the domestic game, and in its proud 90 year history has brought joy to some and heartbreak to many. Over the generations it has generated stories of the passion and pride in the game at a local and national level, and in The Irish Daly Mail and The Irish Mail on Sunday we will bring this story to a larger audience than ever before.”

FAI Chief Executive John Delaney said: “We are very happy to bring the Irish Daily Mail on board with us as title sponsors of the FAI Cup. The race for the cup is always an exciting one, presenting many twists and turns on the road to Aviva Stadium, and this year should prove no different. I am delighted to partner with the Irish Daily Mail, who offer great coverage of Irish football, and look forward to the competition kicking off in April.”

ENDS

2015 FAI Cup Fixtures

First round

Weekend ending- Sunday 26th April

Second round

Weekend ending- Sunday 31st May

Third round

Weekend ending- Sunday 23rd August

Quarter- Finals

Weekend ending- Sunday 13th September

Semi-Finals

Weekend ending- Sunday 4th October

Final

Sunday, 8th November at Aviva Stadium