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| Sport: | Football | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish: | Aontroim | ||
| County board: | Antrim GAA | ||
| Manager: | Vacant | ||
| Captain: | Vacant | ||
| Home venue(s): | Corrigan Park,Belfast | ||
| Recent competitive record | |||
| Current All-Ireland status: | Ulster (QF) in2025 | ||
| Last championship title: | None | ||
| Current NFL Division: | 3 (7th in2025; relegated to Division 4) | ||
| Last league title: | 'NFL Division 4 Winners 2021' | ||
| |||
TheAntrim county football team representsAntrim GAA, thecounty board of theGaelic Athletic Association, in theGaelic sport offootball. The team competes in the three major annual inter-county competitions; theAll-Ireland Senior Football Championship, theUlster Senior Football Championship and theNational Football League.
Antrim's home ground isCasement Park,Belfast; however, this has been closed for redevelopment since 2013,[1] with most home games being played instead atCorrigan Park. The team's manager is vacant.
The team last won the Ulster Senior Championship in 1951, but has never won the All-Ireland Senior Championship or the National League.
The county team has won theUlster Senior Football Championship (SFC) on ten occasions: 1900, 1901, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1946 and 1951.[2]
The county team was the first in the province ofUlster to appear in anAll-Ireland Senior Football Championship (SFC) final, doing so in1911 and repeating the feat again in1912, but losing on both occasions.
Antrim's1911 All-Ireland SFC semi-final win was not anticipated. TheUlster secretary got sick that year and did not organise a provincial championship. So Antrim arrived to playKilkenny without having practiced and won by a scoreline of 3–1 to 1–1. The following year Antrim defeatedKerry. Heavy rain on the day, and over-indulgence at a wedding the day before were blamed for the unexpected 3–5 to 0–2 defeat. Antrim's County Board decision to introduce a City League in 1908, one of the first in Gaelic history, was a more legitimate explanation.[citation needed]
The 1946 Antrim football team was regarded as one of the most exciting of the era, taking advantage of the newly reintroduced handpass. Joe McCallin's two goals contributed to Antrim's defeat ofCavan in the Ulster SFC final. However, Kerry roughed them out of the All-Ireland SFC semi-final.
The opening ofCasement Park boosted the sport inBelfast, but — from the late 1960s — the troubles restricted sporting life in the football heartlands ofBelfast, particularly in Ardoyne. Political violence meant that the county could not build on the under-21 team of 1969, one of the finest in Ulster history (Din Joe McGrogan — scorer of the goals that put Antrim in the final — was killed by a loyalist bomb). The county's Vocational Schools team has made it to two All-Ireland finals: in 1968, when the team defeatedGalway, and in 1971, whenMayo won.
Congregation of Christian Brothers member Laurence (Larry) Ennis (1933-2021) served as Antrim manager from 1979 until 1981, leading the team to aDr McKenna Cup title, defeatingTyrone,Down andArmagh along the way.[3]
A drawn Ulster SFC semi-final withDerry in 2000 was one of the highlights of Antrim's football at inter-county level, alongside winning the2008 Tommy Murphy Cup, defeatingWicklow in the final, a reverse ofthe previous year's final result against the same opponent. Antrim reached the2009 Ulster SFC final, the first Antrim team to do so for 31 years. Antrim lost that game to2008 All-Ireland SFC winner Tyrone.[4]
Jody Gormley was named Antrim manager ahead of the2007 All-Ireland SFC,[5] a role he held for two seasons.
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion with: details of what happened between 2007 and 2017. You can help byadding to it.(June 2022) |
Lenny Harbinson managed the team from 2017 until 2020. He was unable to gain promotion from Division 4 of theNational Football League and the county exited the Ulster SFC in its first game in each of his three years, though defeatedLouth in an away2019 All-Ireland SFC qualifier.[6]
In November 2020,Enda McGinley was appointed manager.[7] McGinley brought his former Tyrone teammateStephen O'Neill in as part of his backroom team and Brendan Murphy was appointed asstrength and conditioning coach.[8] McGinley and his backroom team left at the end of May 2022.[9]
Less than two months later,Andy McEntee was unexpectedly appointed as McGinley's successor as manager on a three-year term.[10] He saw out that term, and then stepped down.[11]
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| Dates | Name | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| 1999–2002 | Brian White | O'Donovan Rossa |
| 2002–2007 | PJ O'Hare | St Gall's |
| 2007–2008 | Jody Gormley | Tyrone |
| 2008–2012 | Liam Bradley | Derry |
| 2012–2013 | Frank Dawson | Down |
| 2013–2014 | Liam Bradley | Derry |
| 2015–2016 | Frank Fitzsimons | Lámh Dhearg |
| 2017–2020 | Lenny Harbinson | St Gall's |
| 2020–2022 | Enda McGinley | Tyrone |
| 2022–2025 | Andy McEntee | Meath |
| 2025– | Vacant |
Antrim has one All Star.
1971:Andy McCallin
Antrim unveiled a sponsorship agreement with Fibrus in December 2022, projected to last five years.[12]
Runners-up (2): 1911,1912
Winners (1): 1999Winners (1):2021 (shared with Louth)Winners (1): 1969Winners (1): 1968Winners (10): 1900, 1901, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1946, 1951Runners-up (9): 1903, 1906, 1918, 1919, 1925, 1926, 1947, 1948, 1970,2009[13][clarification needed]Winners (6): 1941, 1942, 1945, 1946, 1966, 1981Winners (3): 1944, 1946, 1948Casement Park closed for development in 2013
McGinley's backroom staff will also depart.
The appointment of Derry man Liam Bradley as Antrim manager in late 2008… brought about a first Ulster final appearance in 39 years for the Saffrons.
