Ballyclare Comrades F.C.

Association football club in Northern Ireland

Football club

Ballyclare Comrades

Full name| Ballyclare Comrades Football Club
Founded| February 1919
Ground| Dixon Park, Ballyclare,
County Antrim
Capacity| 2,398 (538 seated)[1]
Chairman| James Kirk
Manager| Stephen Small
League| NIFL Championship
2023–24| NIFL Championship, 7th of 12

Home colours

Away colours

|

Current season

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 club's rivals are Carrick Rangers and Larne and games between the three clubs are referred to as "The East Antrim Derbies".

## History

[edit]

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 NIFL Development League for under 20s. 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. One of the club's most famous products was Northern Ireland and Sunderland defender Paddy McNair who attends games when possible. Gareth McAuley, now of Rangers, and Michael Smith (Hearts) both played for the Comrades before switching to professional football.

The club finished an impressive third in the 2016–17 season, losing out in a promotion playoff to Institute. The club continues with the ambition of getting back into the NIFL Premiership.

## Current squad

[edit]

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

| No. | Pos. | Nation  | Player

|
|
|

1  | GK |  NIR | Gerard Walker
2  | DF |  NIR | Michael Mervyn
3  | DF |  NIR | Lee McCune
4  | DF |  NIR | Owen McConville
5  | DF |  NIR | Corrie Burns
7  | MF |  NIR | Liam Hassin
8  | MF |  NIR | Cillin Gilmour
9  | FW |  NIR | Darius Roohi
10  | FW |  NIR | Michael Morgan
11  | FW |  NIR | Marcus Murphy
12  | MF |  NIR | Conor Quinn
| No. | Pos. | Nation  | Player

|
|
|

13  | GK |  NIR | Robbie Mather
14  | MF |  NIR | Bryce Gray
15  | MF |  NIR | Tomas Gilmour
16  | FW |  NIR | Brian Healy (On Loan from Newry)
17  | MF |  NIR | Caolan Donnelly (On loan from Larne)
20  | DF |  NIR | Ronan McAleer
21  | FW |  NIR | Michael Leetch
23  | FW |  NIR | Lee McGreevy
24  | MF |  NIR | Gary Donnelly (Captain)
25  | MF |  NIR | Alan McMurtry

## Honours

[edit]

### Senior honours

[edit]

* Ulster Cup: 1
* 1997–98

### Intermediate honours

[edit]

* 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
* McElroy Cup: 1
* 1941–42
* Clarence Cup: 3
* 1980–81†, 1982–83†, 1983–84†

† Won by reserve team [2]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Dixon Park". Ballyclare Comrades. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
2. ^ "Honours". Ballyclare Comrades FC Website. 23 April 2023. Retrieved 23 April 2023.

## External links

[edit]

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

* v
* t
* e

Association football in Northern Ireland

Irish Football Association \- Northern Ireland Women's Football Association

National teams|

* Northern Ireland (history)
* B
* U-23
* U-21
* U-19
* U-18 Schools
* U-17
* U-16 Schools
* Juniors
* Women's
* Women's U-19
* Women's U-17
* Irish League XI

Leagues|

| Men|

* NIFL Premiership
* NIFL Championship
* NIFL Premier Intermediate League
* Ballymena & Provincial Football League
* Mid-Ulster Football League
* Northern Amateur Football League
* NIFL Premiership Development League

|

Women|

* Women's Premiership
* Championship 1
* Championship 2

Domestic cups|

| Men|

* Irish Cup
* NI Football League Cup
* Scottish Challenge Cup
* NIFL Charity Shield
* County Antrim Shield
* Mid-Ulster Cup
* North West Senior Cup
* Irish Intermediate Cup
* Steel & Sons Cup
* Bob Radcliffe Cup
* Craig Memorial Cup

|

Women|

* IFA Women's Challenge Cup
* NIFL Women's Premiership League Cup
* All-Island Cup

Defunct leagues|

* Irish Intermediate League
* IFA Interim Intermediate League
* Northern Ireland Intermediate League

Defunct cups|

* Gold Cup
* Ulster Cup
* City Cup
* Floodlit Cup
* Carlsberg Cup
* Top Four Cup
* Belfast Charity Cup
* Alhambra Cup
* Fermanagh & Western Intermediate Cup
* McElroy Cup
* Setanta Sports Cup
* Dublin and Belfast Inter-City Cup
* North-South Cup
* Blaxnit Cup
* Texaco Cup
* Tyler Cup
* Irish News Cup
* Champions Cup
* George Wilson Cup

Awards|

* Ulster Footballer of the Year
* Northern Ireland Football Writers' Association Player of the Year

* Sunday football in Northern Ireland
* List of clubs
* List of grounds
* Records

* v
* t
* e

Teams of the Northern Ireland Football League

Premiership|

* Ballymena United
* Carrick Rangers
* Cliftonville
* Coleraine
* Crusaders
* Dungannon Swifts
* Glenavon
* Glentoran
* Larne
* Linfield
* Loughgall
* Portadown

Championship|

* Annagh United
* Ards
* Armagh City
* Ballinamallard United
* Ballyclare Comrades
* Bangor
* Dundela
* Harland & Wolff Welders
* Institute
* Limavady United
* Newington
* Newry City

Premier Intermediate League|

* Ballymacash Rangers
* Banbridge Town
* Coagh United
* Dergview
* Dollingstown
* Knockbreda
* Lisburn Distillery
* Moyola Park
* Oxford Sunnyside
* Portstewart
* Queen's University
* Rathfriland Rangers
* Tobermore United
* Warrenpoint Town

Authority control databases |

* VIAF

|

*[No.]: Number
*[Pos.]: Position
*[GK]: Goalkeeper
*[DF]: Defender
*[MF]: Midfielder
*[FW]: Forward
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template