Ballyclare Comrades FC can confirm Conall Curran, Kyle Beggs & Ricky Purcell have departed the club.
Conall Curran’s loan spell has ended and he is returning to Larne. We would like to thank Larne for facilitating Conall’s loan for the first half of the season. Conall made 16 appearances, scoring 3 goals during his time with The Comrades.
Kyle Beggs will be moving to Ballymacash Rangers. Beggsy made 32 appearances, scoring 7 goals during his time with The Comrades.
Ricky Purcell is moving to Limavady. Ricky made 35 appearances, keeping 6 clean sheets during his time with The Comrades.
Stephen Small: “All three players wished to leave to get more game time and we totally respect their decision. We thank Conall, Kyle & Ricky for their contribution and commitment to the club and wish them all well for the future.”
Ballyclare Comrades FC is delighted to confirm the signing of Cillin Gilmour. The 24 year old central midfielder joins us from Knockbreda.
Stephen Small 🗣 “Cillin brings technical quality, competitiveness and experience to our squad. We look forward to integrating Cillin into our team as we approach the second half of the season.”
Cillin will wear the number 11 shirt this season and will go straight into the squad for tomorrow’s game against Warrenpoint.
Ballyclare Comrades FC are pleased to announce a sponsorship opportunity has become available for our matchday highlights & post-match interviews.
With the 2022/23 campaign just underway, we are pleased to offer this sponsorship opportunity for the new season. The advertising elements of this opportunity includes your company logo throughout all of our match highlights & post-match interviews, as well as a clickable link to your company website when posting these videos to our social media accounts.
For more information or to discuss the below opportunities, please email Zoë at [email protected]
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”.
