Ards F.C.
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| Full name | Ards Football Club | ||
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| Nickname(s) | The Red & Blues[citation needed] | ||
| Founded | 1900 | ||
| Ground | Clandeboye Park, Bangor Co. Down |
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| Capacity | 1,895 (500 seated) | ||
| Chairman | Brian Adams | ||
| Manager | Niall Currie | ||
| League | NIFL Championship 1 | ||
| 2014-15 | 3rd | ||
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Ards Football Club is an intermediate, Northern Irish football club playing in NIFL Championship 1. The club, founded in 1900, is from Newtownards, but plays its home matches at Clandeboye Park in Bangor, which it shares with Bangor F.C. Club colours are red and blue.
Contents
Castlereagh Park
Ards were forced to sell their Castlereagh Park home in 1998 to try to reduce their crippling debts. The stadium remained well tended for another three years while ambitious plans for a new ground further down the road were developed. In 2002 Castlereagh Park was demolished, as planned. Ards hoped to play at a new community-owned site, a stone's throw from Castlereagh Park that was due to be developed in 2010 by the local council. This plan has since been shelved, and they are still the nomads of Northern Irish football. During the time since Ards left Castleragh Park, they have shared football grounds at Cliftonville's Solitude and Carrick Rangers' Taylors Avenue, their rivals Bangor's ground, Clandeboye Park and Ballyclare Comrades' ground, Dixon Park. For the 2012–13 season they will play their home games at Clandeboye Park.
Londonderry Park - Bring Ards Home
Plans were under-way to develop Londonderry Park as the new grounds for the team. Planning officials gave Ards Borough Council the go-ahead on the £3.8 million plan in October 2010.[1]
In 2009, supporters launched a campaign, 'Bring Ards FC Home', in which they publicised the need in the media and had discussions with politicians. Back as far as November 2008, the Council had discussed the need for a new Ards stadium. It was decided in April 2009 that Londonderry Park, on the Portaferry Road in Newtownards, was the best option and the Ards Council accepted the tender for redevelopment of the site in September 2010.[2] Plans included upgrades to the existing grass surfaces and the addition of new synthetic surfaces, and to allow for the possibility of future upgrading to meet regulations should the need arise. The ground would have also continued to provide facilities for hockey and cricket.
However, in August 2012 it was announced that Ards Borough Council would not be proceeding with the new stadium, and the plans were shelved.[3][4]
Honours
Senior honours
- Irish League (tier 1): 1
- Irish League First Division (tier 2): 1
- Irish Cup: 4
- 1926–27, 1951–52, 1968–69, 1973–74
- Gold Cup: 2
- 1953–54, 1973–74
- Ulster Cup: 1
- 1973–74
- Blaxnit Cup: 1
- 1973/74
- County Antrim Shield: 3
- 1955–56, 1971–72, 1993–94
Intermediate honours
- Irish League B Division/IFA Championship 1: 2
- 1957–58†, 2012–13
- Irish Intermediate Cup: 1
- 1970–71†
- Steel & Sons Cup: 1
- 2008–09
- George Wilson Cup: 2
- 1957–58†, 1982–83†
† Won by Ards II (reserve team)
Current squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Staff
- Chairman: Brian Adams
- Treasurer: Jim Bailie
- Company Secretary: Barry Davison
- Manager: Niall Currie
- Assistant Manager: Michael McKeown
- First-team: Coach: John Bailie
- First-team Scout: David Bryson
- First-team Physiotherapist: Ian Plunkett
- First-team Attendant: Malcolm Lindsay
- First-team Attendant: Barry Edgar
- Football Secretary: Brian Adams
- Directors: Brian Adams, Jim Bailie, Ivor Edgar, Ronnie Bailie, Timmy Clarke, Lawrence Brown, Warren Patton, Mark Kravetz
- PA Announcer: Ivor Edgar
- Website Editor: Andrew McCullough
- Programme Editor: Adrian Monaghan
Representatives
- Rep. to NIFL Championship: Brian Adams
- Rep. to Irish Football Association: Brian Adams
International Players
Number of caps listed are those gained whilst contracted to Ards F.C.
- Andy Bothwell, 5 caps (Northern Ireland), 1925–27
- Tommy Forde, 4 caps (Northern Ireland), 1958–60
- Billy Humphries, 1 cap (Northern Ireland), 1962
- Paul Kee, 2 caps (Northern Ireland), 1994
Managers
| Tenure | Manager |
|---|---|
| 1935 | Tom Adamson |
| 1937–39 | Sam Patton |
| 1947–48 | Ronnie Dellow |
| 1949–50 | Harry Walker |
| 1950–51 | John Reid |
| 1951–53 | Isaac McDowell |
| 1953–59 | George Eastham, Sr. |
| 1959 | Jimmy Tucker |
| 1959–60 | Len Graham |
| 1960–63 | Tommy Ewing[5] |
| 1963–64 | Johnny Neilson |
| 1964–70 | George Eastham, Sr. |
| 1970–78 | Billy Humphries |
| 1978–79 | Joe Kincaid |
| 1979–80 | Billy Nixon |
| 1980–82 | Billy Humphries |
| 1983–85 | Lawrence Walker |
| 1985–87 | Jimmy Todd |
| 1987 | John Reaney |
| 1988–89 | Jimmy Todd |
| 1989–90 | Peter Dornan |
| 1990–91 | Bertie Mcminn |
| 1991–92 | Roy Coyle |
| 1992–93 | Paul Malone |
| 1993–97 | Roy Coyle |
| 1997 | George Bowden (Temporary) |
| 1997–99 | Tommy Cassidy |
| 1999–01 | Trevor Anderson |
| 2001–03 | Frankie Parks |
| 2003–05 | Shane Reddish |
| 2005–06 | George Neill |
| 2006 | Gary Hillis & Raymond Morrison |
| 2006–10 | Tommy Kincaid |
| 2010–11 | Justin McBride |
| 2011– | Niall Currie |
External links
References
- ↑ Ards FC website New stadium gets go ahead
- ↑ Ards FC website Bring Ards FC Home Campaign
- ↑ Ards FC Website Stadium meeting next week
- ↑ Ards FC Website Statement from the Chairman
- ↑ Tommy Ewing career at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Database
