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	Barry Baggley
League	NIFL Premier Intermediate League
2024–25	NIFL Championship, 11th of 12 (relegated via play-offs)
Home colours Away colours
Current season

Ballyclare Comrades Football Club is an intermediate, Northern Irishfootball club playing in theNIFL Premier Intermediate League. The club hails fromBallyclare, County Antrim and plays its home matches atDixon Park. Club colours are red and white. The club's rivals areCarrick Rangers andLarne and games between the three clubs are referred to as "The East Antrim Derbies".

The club was founded in 1919 by veterans of theFirst 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 theBattle of the Somme and in many other First World War battles. From 1990 until 2003, the club enjoyedsenior status, but reverted to intermediate status when theIrish 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 plays in the IFA Youth League.

The club was relegated toIFA Championship 2 in the2010–11 season and finished in 6th place in the2011–12 season, but thefollowing season brought promotion back to Championship 1 after finishing as runners-up behind Championship 2 winnersKnockbreda.One of the club's most famous products wasNorthern Ireland and San Diego defenderPaddy McNair, who attends games when possible.Gareth McAuley andMichael Smith 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 returning to the NIFL Premiership.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — DF  NIR Kyle Calderwood — DF  NIR Lee McCune — DF  NIR Corrie Burns — DF  NIR Theo McToal — DF  IRL Paul Finnegan

No. Pos. Nation Player — FW  NIR Fiontan O'Boyle — FW  NIR Brandon Doyle — MF  NIR Cillin Gilmour — FW  NIR Michael Leetch — FW  NIR Jack Berry

• Ulster Cup: 1
  • 1997–98

• 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]

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

• Ballyclare Comrades F.C.
• Association football clubs established in 1919
• Association football clubs in Northern Ireland
• NIFL Championship clubs
• Association football clubs in County Antrim
• 1919 establishments in Ireland

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use British English from April 2018
• All Wikipedia articles written in British English
• Use dmy dates from April 2018
• Pages using football kit with incorrect pattern parameters