Trinity College Dublin set up a football team in 1854. They would play according to rugby rules and, now known as Dublin University Football Club, have a credible claim to being the world's oldest continuing team.
During the 1873-1874 season Trinity College wrote to the Rugby Football Union in England (RFU) and requested an international fixture be played between England and Ireland, in the same manner that England had been playing international contests with Scotland since 1871.
Due to the absence of a national Irish administrative body, the RFU said "no". On 14 December 1874, the Irish Football Union (IFU) was established in Dublin. Less than a month later the Northern Football Union in Ireland (NFUI) was established in Belfast. The latter's mission was to support the IFU's application for an international match and to make sure that northern clubs be proper represented in the side.