It has been described as the best Youth Football Tournament in Europe and this year, SuperCupNI is extending its footprint to introduce a Girls’ Tournament in July. Sponsored by Fibrus Broadband, the Girls’ Tournament will be played in Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council area. Ballyclare Comrades will compete in the U13 section with games played on Monday 25th and Tuesday 26th July. The U16 section includes teams from Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Scotland, the US and Canada with games played on Monday 25th, Tuesday 26th and Wednesday 27th July. Ballyclare Comrades are delighted to host the U16 Final at Dixon Park on Friday 29th July with a 2:00 pm kick off. Comrades fans will also have an interest in the boys’ section with Bobby Higgins and Rhys McGarry having been selected for the Co. Antrim FA squad. Pictured below are Comrades officials and players at the launch with Stephen Ross, Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council.
The club plans to install new LED floodlights for the coming season. A tender process has been initiated and closing at 5pm on Fri 24th June. Interested contractors can receive more details by contacting Robert Fleck on [email protected]
Ballyclare Comrades FC can confirm that Jack Ferguson, Michael Smith, Tom Mathieson, Matthew Stephenson, Andy Mooney, Andy Whiteside and Eoghan Devine have all departed the club ahead of the 22/23 season.
We would like to thank all players for their efforts during their time at the club and wish them well in the future.
Ballyclare Comrades FC is delighted to announce the appointment of Stephen Small as our new Manager.
Stephen brings a wealth of experience to the club as a UEFA Pro License coach, most recently working as the UEFA Academy Elite Performance Coach. During Stephen’s playing days, he played at the highest level in the country, making over 400 appearances in the Irish Premiership and captained his Cliftonville side in 2002/03, before going on to become assistant player manager at the club.
Stephen will watch his new players for the first time on Saturday as we welcome Dergview to Dixon Park.
Ballyclare Comrades FC is delighted to announce the formation of Ballyclare Comrades Ladies, following an amalgamation with Carnmoney Ladies FC. This exciting news has been in the pipeline for a number of months, with officials from both clubs working closely together to plan for the new venture. As of 1 January 2022, Carnmoney Ladies FC ceases to exist, and all previous Carnmoney teams become Ballyclare Comrades Ladies.
Ballyclare Comrades Ladies section includes two senior teams, competing in NIWFA Divisions 1 and 2 respectively, while the girls academy fields teams from Under 16 to Under 6, and will compete in competitions such as the SBYL Girls League, IFA East Antrim Girls GDP, IFA East Antrim Boys GDP, Fonacab Development Programme and the Belfast Swifts Development Programme.
The Senior Ladies teams will be managed by JP Coogan, providing continuity from his previous role at Carnmoney Ladies. The NIWFA 2022 league season begins in April, and we are excited to see the girls wearing the red of Ballyclare Comrades at Dixon Park.
Reacting to the announcement, Steven Lowry, the Chairman of the new Comrades Ladies section commented: “When this opportunity arose to join the Comrades, it was too good of an offer to refuse. It’s a great opportunity for the club, we have such a rich history over the last ten years”.
Comrades Ladies Manager, JP Coogan, commented: “Coming in to a NIFL club gives us better opportunities to progress both on and off the pitch. We now have much better facilities at Dixon Park which will hopefully help us to progress up the divisions”.
Trevor McCann, Chairman of Ballyclare Comrades Mens section commented: “I think it’s fantastic for Ballyclare Comrades Football Club. In our 102-year-history, we’ve never had a Ladies team and so it’s great to now bring Carnmoney Ladies on board. I believe it is the correct way forward for our great club and I wish everyone involved the best of luck”.
Comrades Mens First Team Manager, Paul Harbinson, commented: “It’s something we have been working on for a long time as part of the development process over the last number of years and I’m extremely excited for the club”.
The NI Football League can reveal that all member clubs including Ballyclare Comrades will be provided with life-saving defibrillators ahead of the new season.
Following the distressing events at Euro 2020 in Denmark, a risk assessment by the NIFL Board outlined a desire to protect all our clubs to potentially help save the life of someone experiencing a sudden cardiac arrest.
As a result, new defibrillators will be provided to 41 clubs within the NI Football League membership, including all teams in the Premiership, Championship, Premier Intermediate League and Women’s Premiership.
NIFL Chairman Gerard Lawlor said;
“The role of the NI Football League is not just to govern but to serve and protect our membership, and this is an important service that we can offer to our clubs to protect players, supporters and staff.”
“Everyone in football got a real shock at the events in Denmark a few weeks ago, so if this project saves one life over a period of time, we simply can’t put a value on that.”
“The health and welfare of the people connected with our clubs is paramount and sincere thanks to my colleagues on the NIFL Board for their support in delivering this vital support.”
Ballyclare Comrades FC are today delighted to unveil the new website, www.ballyclarecomrades.com, with a range of developments designed to make it easier for fans to discover the latest about the club.
The website works seamlessly across desktop, tablet and mobile devices and marks the next step of the club’s digital content strategy.
Scott Gault, the club’s digital & social media manager, who led the redesign, said: “We wanted to ensure the redesign made it easy for fans to use and navigate the site, particularly when on mobile. Our main aim is to deliver greater content to our supporters so that they never miss any club news, interviews, or match action. There’s a lot of exciting developments going on behind the scenes at the moment and it’s important that we have a platform to share how the club is progressing within the community.”
