Category: Club News

We are pleased to announce the signing of Matty Sinclair after a successful trial period with the club.

Manager Barry Baggley had this to say about our most recent addition, “Happy to have secured the signature of Matty Sinclair. He is a player who has been doing tremendously well at Greenisland and was identified to us as someone we should take a look at.

Matty has come in during pre season and been excellent in both the sessions and games. There are very good players in the amateur league who just need an opportunity to prove they can make the step up into PIL or even beyond that and we feel Matty is one of those players. Had a great education at a top club in Greenisland and we feel he has the potential to now kick on at the Comrades.

Part of our recruitment process is trying to unearth talent and I know from my experience managing in the amateur league that there are players more than capable and we feel Matty is ready for the step up.”

Welcome Matty to Ballyclare Comrades!

A few weeks ago, on a wet Saturday morning, we welcomed the Mayor Leah Kirkpatrick (UUP) to launch the new 3G Pitch at Dixon Park which was funded by the Irish FA/DCMS Grassroots Facilities Investment Fund. Ballyclare Comrades Ladies FC were hosting a girls football tournament, and it was great to see the new facilities being put to great use, even on a soaking wet day!

Joining the Mayor was Councillor Helen Magill (DUP) and Alderman Stephen Ross (DUP). The Mayor gave a speech which is available to read below, followed by the official cutting of the ribbon ceremony. We also had the opportunity to explain our plans for future development of the ground, and expansion of the facilities.

The Mayors speech in full:

“It gives me great pleasure to be here today at Dixon Park, home of Ballyclare Comrades, for this wonderful event.

The Council remains firmly committed to investing in leisure and fitness for our residents. This project, made possible by £132,000 in match funding from Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council, is a testament to that commitment-enhancing sports facilities for community’s right across the Borough.

We take great pride in leading the way on investment in grassroots sport-because we know just how powerful sport can be. It brings people together, strengthens our communities, and helps us all live healthier, more active lives.

That’s why we backed the development of the new 3G pitch at Ballyclare Comrades Football Club, and why we continue to invest in sporting facilities right across the Borough. It’s a clear sign of our commitment to local people, and to the future of local sport. This investment has helped the club grow into a true community hub, with impressive growth in youth teams-especially among women and girls.

It’s inspiring to see so many young female footballers here today, showing just how strong the women’s game is in our Borough.

We’re proud to host the SuperCup NI Girls tournament once again, with top youth teams competing and the finals held right here at Dixon Park. This facility will continue to support and inspire the next generation of players to reach their full potential.

Finally, thank you for the kind invitation to join you this morning – hope you all enjoy the rest of today’s event.”

We are pleased to announce the signing of Rhys McGarry. A versatile midfielder, Rhys captained Linfield Swifts last season, and has previously been with Crusaders. Rhys is no stranger to Dixon Park, having played in the youth setup. 

Manager Barry Baggley had this to say this evening, “We are delighted to have secured the signing of Rhys McGarry. Once we became aware of Rhys’ availability we moved quickly to speak to him. He was coveted by a few other clubs so to get him over the line is fantastic. 

Rhys is a local lad who done really well on Saturday vs Crumlin. He has mixed well with the lads in the sessions and we look forward to working with him.

Rhys is an all action box to box midfielder and we think he will be a great addition for the season ahead.”

𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝘂𝗹 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗻!

We’re delighted to announce the signing of Paul Finnegan, who will join us upon the expiry of his contract with Annagh United.

‘Finno’ has signed a one year deal at Dixon Park and brings a vast amount of Irish League experience at centre back, having made 232 appearances in the Premiership & Championship during his time at Larne, Portadown & Annagh.

Barry Baggley said, “We are delighted to secure the signature of Paul. He will bring a lot of experience having played at a high level in both Northern Ireland and in the league of Ireland. Paul is a leader and someone who I am sure our younger players will learn a lot from. I want to thank the board for their support in getting this over the line. Signing someone of Paul’s ability is a great coup for the club and as a management team we are very much looking forward to working with him and getting him added to the group for pre season.”

We’re thrilled to announce four additions to the squad as we prepare for the 2025/26 season.

Incoming are Corey McLaughlin, Kyle Calderwood, Eddie Shaw & Fiontan O’Boyle.

Corey came through the Coleraine youth system to make a solitary appearance in the Premiership for the Bannsiders, before making 41 appearances in the Championship for Dergview. He spent last season at Tobermore United.

Kyle Calderwood has been in the away changing rooms at Dixon Park many times in recent history with Ards, making 92 appearances after joining the North Down men from Crusaders.

Eddie Shaw is another addition with plenty of Championship experience having made 94 Championship appearances in spells at Dundela and Knockbreda. He spent last season at Ballymacash Rangers

Last, but by no means least, Fiontan O’Boyle joins us from Ballymena United where he made 15 Premiership appearances. The centre forward has an impressive record in the intermediate ranks in his time at Crumlin United, and spent last season on loan at Newington, notably scoring the equaliser for the ‘Ton at Dixon Park on Boxing Day.

Manager Barry Baggley had this to say on his new recruits:

Corey McLaughlin – Corey is someone we were made aware of through our scouting network. He has experience at Championship and PIL level and despite still being very young has played a lot of games at this level. He is very creative and we think he is one the fans will enjoy watching.

Eddie Shaw – Eddie is someone I have been aware of since his junior days at Glentoran. Again very experienced at this level and will give us a great option in the middle of the park. He is an industrious player who’s work ethic I’ve long admired and I’m looking forward to working with him.

Kyle Calderwood – As soon as we heard Kyle was available we got in touch immediately. Kyle is a leader and wears his heart on his sleeve. He is versatile, hard working and we are delighted to have him onboard ahead of the new season.

Fiontan O’Boyle – I’ve known of Fiontan since his Crumlin United days when I was manager of Rosario. He had a phenomenal time at Crumlin and deservedly got his move to Ballymena. He has experience at PIL with his loan spell at Coagh and most recently Championship experience from his time at Newington. He fits the profile of what we are trying to bring to club in that he’s young and hungry. We are delighted to secure his signature as other clubs were very keen.

Barry summed up the dealings so far in the window by saying, “I’m delighted with the business we have done so far, we have brought in people who want to come and help Ballyclare get back to where we belong. We intended getting our business done early and I would say we are 75 to 80% there with maybe a few more before the season starts.”

We are delighted to announce the signings of Jack Berry & Elliot McKim.

20 year old Berry, an exciting forward, joins us on a one year contract from FK BE1 in Lithuania, having spent most of the last five years at Cliftonville, making 15 appearances in the Sports Direct Premiership for the Reds, in addition to 18 appearances in the PIL while on loan at Lisburn Distillery.

Commanding centre-back McKim joins us for his third spell at Dixon Park having previously played for the Comrades between 2020-2022. He’s spent the last two years plying his trade in the PIL for Moyola Park & Knockbreda respectively, making 30 appearances for the east Belfast men last season.

Barry Baggley said, “We are delighted to secure the signings of Jack and Elliot. Both have expressed a real desire to join the club and be part of the plans for next season. Jack is an exciting player who we hope will get fans on the edge of their seats. Elliot has previously been at the Club so is no stranger to Dixon Park. Having previously played in the PIL he will give us vital experience and is also a real leader. We are thrilled to get these signings done and secured early as we look forward to pre season.”

Welcome to the Comrades lads!

 

We held our End of Season Awards presentation today at Dixon Park. These awards included Under 18s, Under 21s and Senior Men’s team.

The awards were as follows:

Under 18

U18 Top Goalscorer – Rhys McGinley & Jake Forsythe

U18 Most Improved – Nathan Campbell-Smyth

U18 Player’s Player of the Year – Rhys McGinley

U18 Player of the Year – Rhys McGinley

Under 21

Ryan Tweedie Trophy for U21 Top Goalscorer – Reece Paul

Raymond White Trophy for Most Improved U21 – Carl Coburn

Michael Irvine Trophy for U21 Player’s Player of the Year – Reece Paul

Pat McCourt Trophy for U21 Player of the Year – Reece Paul

First Team

Jackie Patterson Memorial Trophy for Goal of the Season – Michael Leetch

McMeekin Family Trophy for 1st Team Top Goalscorer – Brandon Doyle

Josh Beggs Trophy for Young Player of the Year – Jack Johnson

Kirk Family Trophy for Player’s Player of the Year – Brandon Doyle

Bobby Baird Trophy for Player of the Year – Lewis Tennant

Supporters Club Awards

The Arthurs Family Award Club Person of the Year – The Board

Supporters Club Player of the Year – Lewis Tennant

Special Award

The management team made a presentation to Andy Arthurs in recognition of his service to the team throughout the season. This was presented by manager Barry Baggley.

Click on the photos below to see the full gallery.

After a very disappointing season, we find ourselves relegated to the 3rd tier of Irish league football. As Chairman of the club I take full responsibility for this and can only apologise to all our loyal supporters who have travelled far and wide this season to cheer on our team throughout the campaign.

The Championship was the strongest it’s been in years, and even though we finished on 40 points, a total that would in any other year have seen us safe, we ended up in the promotion/relegation play-offs. Our season wasn’t good enough from Match Day 1, and with the well documented upheaval at the turn of the year, we were left with a total mess with 5 senior players remaining in early January.

Our new management team, to their credit, worked hard to get a squad put together in a notoriously difficult time to even sign a few players, the winter transfer window.

Hand on heart, it’s been the toughest season in my many years in football and it has certainly taken its toll on me and many others involved in the club. We weren’t good enough over the season, and have to regroup and rebuild for next season in the PIL.

We will sit down with the management and discuss how we move forward and stabilise.

On a positive note, I’d like to thank the many fans who attended the last couple of home games. The support was great, and hopefully many of you will become regular fans next season.

Your Chairman,

James Kirk.

We’re delighted to announce that Jack Johnston has signed his first professional contract until summer 2027, with the option to extend for a third year.

A product of our Boys Academy, JJ joined the Club at the age of 13 and has progressed through the ranks to cement his place as a first team regular in recent months.

JJ is another example of the opportunity provided by the player pathway at Ballyclare Comrades and we look forward to seeing him perform in a red shirt for years to come.

#JJ22
#COYC
#OneOfOurOwn