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| Full name | Larne Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1889; 136 years ago (1889) | ||
| Ground | Inver Park,Larne County Antrim | ||
| Capacity | 3,000[1] | ||
| Owner | Redball Global FC[2] | ||
| Chairman | Gareth Clements | ||
| Manager | Gary Haveron | ||
| League | NIFL Premiership | ||
| 2024–25 | NIFL Premiership, 2nd of 12 | ||
| Website | www | ||
 Current season | |||
Larne Football Club is a professionalNorthern Irishfootball club based inLarne,County Antrim, that competes in theNIFL Premiership.
The club was founded in 1889 after Rev. Turner, Mr WN Brown and L. Jackson Holmes watched a game of football betweenDistillery and the Black Watch regiment of the army and thus took inspiration to create Larne FC on 14 October 1889.
The club in their early days would play againstBallyclare as well as the Fisherwick club in Doagh, when, amid the rise in football interest at the turn of the century, the club experienced relative success at a junior level, winning an IFA Junior Cup in 1901, as well as winning anIntermediate Cup and aSteel & Sons Cup prior to the outbreak of the First World War.
Larne would enter senior football for the first time in 1923, reaching two Irish Cup finals in the 1920s and 30s, before dropping out of senior football as a consequence of World War Two.
The following decades would see a relative amount of success for the club, with a first ever senior trophy win in theUlster Cup in 1950, as well as a dominant period in Intermediate football over the next 20 years, winning a great deal of silverware.
As a result of the departure ofDerry City from Irish League football in 1972, Larne would thus take the place of the Candystripes in senior football, with numerous relatively successfulIrish Cup runs however the Invermen would never make it as far as the final.
Following the appointment of Paul Malone as player/manager in 1984, the club would have quite a strong decade that spilled into the early 90s, with several respectable league finishes and anotherUlster Cup win in 1987.
The club would slip into decline from the early 90s, Malone would depart in 1991, with Larne being relegated to the old first division in 1995 with the next 8 years seeing a period of regular financial trouble and struggle to compete for promotion.
Tommy Kincaids appointment in 2001 saw a small revival for the club, achieving promotion in 2003 before Jimmy McGeough taking over in 2004. In this period the club would be defeated in the League Cup and Irish Cup finals toCliftonville andPortadown respectively.
From 1972 until 2008, the club hadsenior status, but reverted to intermediate status when it failed to gain a place in the newIFA Premiership. The club regained this senior status in 2016, when the NIFL Championship became the second tier of senior football for the2016–17 season.[3]
Larne have notably been runners-up of theIrish Cup on six occasions (1928, 1935,1987,1989,2005 and2021) and runners-up of theLeague Cup twice (1991–92 and2003–04) without ever winning either Cup - a record in both respective competitions for the most final appearances without ever winning.[4][5]
The club in 2018 was taken over byPurplebricks co-founder Kenny Bruce, when the club sat bottom of theNIFL Championship with relegation to the third tier looking likely, the club had been locked out of their stadium on health and safety grounds, and were experiencing financial difficulty, with the prospect of administration looming. Bruce set out the aim to bring eventual European success to Larne through investment in the playing staff and facilities.[6]
The club in January 2018 would cause significant shock in Irish League circles whenWaterford United strikerDavid McDaid opted to sign for theNIFL Championship club amid heavy interest fromPremiership sideLinfield.[7]
The club lifted the2018–19 NIFL Championship title, comfortably finishing ahead of second-placed rivalsCarrick Rangers by 17 points. This was the club's first ever senior tier league title, their first league title since anintermediate title win in 1972, and the first senior honour since lifting theUlster Cup in 1988. This secured a return to thetop flight for the first time since suffering relegation to the second tier in the2007–08 season after failing to meet the criteria for the new IFA Premiership.
As was expected, Larne would compete in the top half of theNIFL Premiership immediately after achieving promotion, and in their first season in European competition in 2021, Larne would secure one of the biggest European wins for a Northern Irish club, knocking out Danish sideAarhus Gymnastikforening over two legs with a 2–1 win in Larne, and a draw in the away leg to set up a tie withFutebol Clube Paços de Ferreira.[8] after a 4–0 defeat inPortugal, Larne would take a famous 1–0 win atInver Park in the return leg.[9]
In their fourth season back in the top flight, The Inver Reds won an historic firstNIFL Premiership title in 2023 following a 2–0 win overCrusaders in April 2023.[10] Larne were part of an intense title race withLinfield.
As a result of their title victory, the club would make their first ever appearance in the qualifiers for theUEFA Champions League in the summer of 2023, taking onFinnish giantsHJK Helsinki.[11] After a 1–0 loss inHelsinki, the Inver Reds would take the tie to extra time inBelfast, with the game ending 2–2. Larne lost 3–2 on aggregate.
Larne has won fourCounty Antrim Shields in a row, from the 2020–21 to 2023–24 seasons. They are the only team other than Linfield to achieve this feat.
Currently, the captain of the club and their longest serving player is Tomas Cosgrove. He is known as a right back but has also been deployed in midfield by Tiernan Lynch. Cosgrove is one of many Larne players including Levi Ives and Aaron Donnelly who previously played forCliftonville.
The2023–24 season saw Larne go up againstCliftonville andLinfield for the title. Cliftonville fell short and finished third, while Larne edged out Linfield to claim the title for a second consecutive time.[12]
In the 2024–25 season, Larne would defeatBallkani on penalties andLincoln Red Imps to reach the league stage of the2024–25 UEFA Conference League, becoming the first side from Northern Ireland to do so in the current era of UEFA competition, withArds competing in the group stages of the oldIntertoto Cup in 1997.[13][14]
In October 2024, it was announced that Larne FC agreed a six-figure agreement with luxury watch dealers Pride and Pinion, believed to be the biggest sponsorship deal in NIFL history. Pride and Pinion's owner, YouTuberNico Leonard van der Horst, stated that he was "very proud and very excited to be involved with this incredible club."[15]
Larne would struggle in the early games of theUEFA Conference League, suffering a 3-0 defeat away toMolde, and a 4-1 defeat at home toShamrock Rovers, the latter of which was viewed as a disappointing result, as many expected Larne to compete to a better standard with the Dublin side.[16] Larne would lose narrowly 2-1 to Swiss sideSt Gallen, in what was a commendable performance against much superior opposition for the Inver Reds.[17]
In July 2025, Kenny Bruce sold his 50% shareholding in Larne FC to Redball Global FC, an international sports investment group. This marked the end of Bruce’s eight‑year tenure, during which he transformed the club’s fortunes—from near‑relegation and financial uncertainty to back‑to‑back NIFL Premiership titles, historic European qualification, and stadium redevelopment.
As part of the transition, Nick Giannotti and Eric Perez joined the club’s board of directors. Giannotti brings a record in European club development and multi‑club investment, while Perez contributes leadership experience across UK and North American sports landscapes.
Kenny Bruce stated the move aligned with his goal of handing over the club to those capable of sustaining its competitive momentum. He affirmed his ongoing support, including continuing involvement in projects like the new main stand at Inver Park. Minority shareholder Night Train Veeck welcomed the new ownership, citing their shared commitment to community integration and long‑term club growth.
Larne also have a women's team who were originally formed in November 2004, before being reincorporated back into the club in 2018, having been previously dormant for a number of years. In their inaugural season, they finished the season as the unbeaten North 2 League Champions, and also as beaten finalists in the North 2 League Cup. They now for the first time play in the top tier in 2023 (NIFL Women's Irish Premiership) of the Northern Ireland Women's football league system after 4 consecutive promotions.[18]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Manager | Gary Haveron |
| Assistant Manager | Mick O'Boyle |
| Goalkeeping coach | Alan Mannus |
| Competition | Matches | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UEFA Champions League | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 10 |
| UEFA Europa Conference League | 18 | 6 | 1 | 11 | 14 | 29 |
| Season | Competition | Round | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–22 | UEFA Europa Conference League | 1QR |  Bala Town | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 |
| 2QR |  AGF Aarhus | 2–1 | 1–1 | 3–2 | ||
| 3QR |  Paços de Ferreira | 1–0 | 0–4 | 1–4 | ||
| 2022–23 | UEFA Europa Conference League | 1QR |  St Joseph's | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 |
| 2023–24 | UEFA Champions League | 1QR |  HJK | 2–2 (a.e.t.) | 0–1 | 2–3 |
| UEFA Europa Conference League | 2QR |  Ballkani | 1–4 | 0–3 | 1–7 | |
| 2024–25 | UEFA Champions League | 1QR |  RFS | 0–4 | 0–3 | 0−7 |
| UEFA Conference League | 2QR | Bye | — | — | — | |
| 3QR | Ballkani | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 (4–1p.) | ||
| PO | Lincoln Red Imps | 3–1 | 1–2 | 4–3 | ||
| League phase |  Molde | — | 0–3 | 34th | ||
 Shamrock Rovers | 1–4 | — | ||||
 St. Gallen | 1–2 | — | ||||
 Olimpija Ljubljana | — | 0–1 | ||||
 Dinamo Minsk | — | 0–2 | ||||
 Gent | 1–0 | — | ||||
| 2025–26 | UEFA Conference League | 1QR | Auda | 0–0 | 2–2 (a.e.t.) | 2–2 (4–2p.) |
| 2QR | Prishtina | 0–0 | 1–1 (a.e.t.) | 1–1 (5–4p.) | ||
| 3QR | Santa Clara | 3–0 | 0–0 | 3–0 |
| Rank | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 187 |  Aris T. | 7.000 |
| 188 |  Häcken | 7.000 |
| 189 | Drita | 7.000 |
| 190 |  Larne | 7.000 |
| 191 | Brøndby | 7.000 |
| 192 | Linfield | 7.000 |
† Won by Larne Olympic (reserve team)
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