Only one week after the advertisement was launched, Cliftonville played its first recorded game on the third ground of Cliftonville Cricket Club off Oldpark Avenue against a selection of Rugby players known as "Quidnunces" on September 29 1878. The new formed club however was beaten 2-1. Also in their first match against Caledonians they did not much better, as it ended in a 9-1 defeat. In 1880 it was again John McAlery, manager of the "Irish Tweed House", Royal Avenue, and later with premises in Rosemary Street, destroyed during the Second World War, who was the moving spirit in the formation of the Irish FA. A dynamic visionary he realized the potential of the game and the fact that being one of the few football clubs had its problems, he issued an invitation to interested parties in Belfast and district for a meeting to be called. By then there was only a handful of other clubs, which played some fixtures: Balmoral Academy, Knock Lacrosse Club as well as Rugby clubs Albion and Windsor Rugby club.
At the same time Major Chichester formed Moyola Park at Castledawson, Co. Derry. The first meeting took place on November 18 1880 at Queen's Hotel, Belfast, presided by John Sinclair, and the Irish Football Association was formed. While Major Chichester was appointed president, McAlery became the hon. secretary of the association. This meeting also paved the way for the Irish Cup. The first round draw was made on January 10 1881 and involved the founder clubs: Distillery v Knock, Oldpark v Cliftonville, Moyola Park v Avoniel, bye Alexander (Limavady). Entry fee was one shilling as was the annual subscription.
Despite the humble start, the Irish Cup series saw the first of many protests, which were to become almost an integral part of Irish soccer history. Cliftonville preferred charges against Oldpark for "ungentlemanly conduct" but this was allowed to drop. In a generous gesture by the Irish FA the ten shilling protest fee in this case was returned. The first Cup Final played at Cliftonville on April 9 1881 saw a 1-0 defeat against Moyola Park where players were known for "rough and brutal play". Gate receipts amounted to £8 and expenses to £2 5s 6d. From then, events moved fast, as soccer in Ireland gathered momentum. At the second meeting of the Football Association D.Hannay (Cliftonville) was elected chairman, so Cliftonville was a major force in the formation of the Irish FA. On January 30 1882 the Irish FA's first international match took place at Cliftonville although it involved a Belfast and District side, which 9-1 to Ayrshire. Only 3 weeks later a 13-0 disaster against England followed and the lack of experience was again cruelly exposed when Wales won 7-1 at Wrexham.
In the same year Cliftonville lost again in the Irish Cup Final, this time 2-1 against Queen's Island. It was only in 1883 when Cliftonville finally won the cup for the first time with a 5-0 triumph over Ulster. At about the same time clubs came forward frequently, among which were for instance clubs like Glentoran, Linfield, Mount Avon, Down Athletic, St Columb's (Derry), Magherafelt, Ormeau, Dublin University and Belfast Mercantile Academy. By 1884-85 clubs from six districts were taking part and after being beaten 3-0 by Ulster in the 1885 Cup Final, Cliftonville won the Irish Cup for the second time in 1888. In 1890 the club leased their current ground and the area in front was used as second pitch, which is now the residential area off Cliftonville Road.
An attempt to introduce professionalism failed in 1882 and it was not until 1894 that a proposal was pushed through in the Irish FA annual meeting on 64 to 30 votes. Ironically, the proposal was moved by the delegate of Cliftonville, which was an ardently all amateur club up to the 1970's. Next in legislative importance to the Irish FA is the Irish League, a body responsible for the League Championship, Ulster and Gold Cup. the inaugural meeting on March 14 1890 was held in the Belfast Estate Office of the Marquess of Dufferin and Avalon with M. McNeice (Cliftonville) as its first president and eight clubs agreed to participate: Cliftonville, Clarence, Milford, Oldpark, Distillery, Glentoran, Ulster and Linfield. It was however not until 1906 that Cliftonville won the league for the first time. After the first season the number of clubs was increased to ten with four teams admitted, after Milford and Clarence resigned: The Lancashire Fusiliers, Ligoniel, Milltown and YMCA. This number proved however to be unworkable, so it was later reduced to six teams.
With clubs like the Lancashire Fusiliers, Sherwood Foresters, Gordon and Highlanders, military sides, too, came into prominence. In the Irish Cup Final 1890 it was also a military side, the Gordon Highlanders, which won the Cup after defeating Cliftonville 3-1. It seems to be incredible, but it is a fact that in 1891 two matches were played under electric lights at Cliftonville: Distillery defeated the Reds 4-2 and the Black Watch held Cliftonville to 2-2 draw. Kick-off in each case was at 8 pm with lights suspended across the pitch. These were dismantled later with the announcement that spectators found it difficult to follow the action and that "the player seemed to have all the fun in the middle". It had been a bold experience, but not a highly successful one with the public sceptical, almost contemptuous of this enterprising project. Also in 1891 goals nets were eventually introduced.
In 1897 Cliftonville won the Irish Cup after a 3-1 against Sherwood Foresters. With the outbreak of the Boer War in October 1899 the Irish League was left with only 5 teams competing after the departure of the North Staffords. A quite unusual protest was launched by Cliftonville after being beaten by Belfast Celtic, admitted to the League in 1896, in the 1900 Irish Cup competition. The Celtic goalposts were eventually measured and it was found out that they were much too short. after all, a replay took place, in which Cliftonville made a 4-0 victory out of the 4-0 defeat in the earlier match. Subsequently they won the Irish Cup in that year, after beating Bohemians 2-1 in the Final.