Ballyclare Comrades F.C.

Ballyclare Comrades

Full name	Ballyclare Comrades Football Club
Founded	February, 1919
Ground	Dixon Park, Ballyclare, County Antrim
Capacity	5,333 (safe capacity 1,800)[1]
Chairman	Trevor McCann
Manager	Stephen Hughes
League	NIFL Championship 1
2015–16	NIFL Championship 1, 8th
Home colours Away colours

Ballyclare Comrades Football Club is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club playing in the NIFL Championship. The club hails from Ballyclare, County Antrim and plays its home matches at Dixon Park. Club colours are red and white. The current manager is Stephen Hughes, who combines his role with continuing to be youth co-ordinater. His assistant manager is Eddie Hill and first team coach is William Waite. The club's rivals are Carrick Rangers and Larne and games between the three clubs are referred to as "The East Antrim Derbies".

History

The club was founded in 1919 by veterans of the First World War, most of them from "C" Company of the 12th Royal Irish Rifles - a battalion made up entirely of East Antrim men, who fought at the Somme and in many other famous First World War battles. From 1990 until 2003, the club enjoyed senior status, but reverted to intermediate status when the Irish Premier League was established and the number of senior clubs was reduced.

The club's reserve team play in the Junior Section of the Ballymena Premier Intermediate League, winning Division 1 in 2011–12, 2012–13 and 2013–14. The club also has a partnership with local youth club Ballyclare Colts, whose sides (from under 11 to under 15 provide players to progress to Comrades' own youth sides at under-17 and under-18 level. The under-18 side play in the IFA Youth League.

The club was relegated to IFA Championship 2 in the 2010–11 season and finished in 6th place in the 2011–12 season, but the following season brought promotion back to Championship 1 after finishing as runners-up behind Championship 2 winners Knockbreda.

Honours

Senior honours

• Ulster Cup: 1
  • 1997–98

Intermediate honours

• Irish League B Division: 6
  • 1960–61, 1962–63, 1973–74, 1977–78, 1979–80, 1988–89
• IFA Intermediate League Second Division: 1
  • 2006–07
• Irish Intermediate Cup: 9
  • 1925–26, 1949–50, 1950–51, 1953–54, 1959–60, 1960–61, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1989–90
• B Division Knock-out Cup: 2
  • 1983–84, 1988–89
• George Wilson Cup: 4
  • 1955–56, 1960–61, 1962–63, 1993–94†
• Steel & Sons Cup: 6
  • 1943–44, 1960–61, 1974–75, 1981–82, 1984–85, 1986–87
• Clarence Cup: 3
  • 1980–81†, 1982–83†, 1983–84†

† Won by reserve team

Current squad

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

No. Position Player GK Paddy Flood GK Ross McKnight DF Christopher Getty DF Michael McQuitty DF Adam McCart DF Curtis Woods DF Stuart McCullough DF Mark Shennon DF Dean Youle DF Kyle McCauley MF Samuel McIIveen MF Thomas Robinson

No. Position Player MF Andrew Simpson MF Gary Brown MF Denver Taggart MF Simon McGowan MF Adam Gray MF Michael Haskins MF Bobbie Crowe FW Chris Trussell FW Michael O'Hanlon FW Kyle Dillon FW Adam Irvin

References

1. Northern Ireland Assembly Answer to Written Question AQW1178/11 Archived October 30, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.

External links

• Ballyclare Comrades F.C. Website
• Irish Football Club Project
• nifootball.co.uk (fixtures, results and tables of all leagues)