Ards F.C.

Ards
Full name Ards Football Club
Nickname(s) The Red & Blues
Founded 1900 (1900)
Ground Clandeboye Park, Bangor
Co. Down
Ground Capacity 2,000 (500 seated)
Chairman Brian Adams
Manager Niall Currie
League NIFL Premiership
2015–16 NIFL Championship, 1st (promoted)

Ards Football Club is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club playing in NIFL Premiership. The club, founded in 1900, is formerly from Newtownards, but plays its home matches at Clandeboye Park in Bangor, which it shares with Bangor. Club colours are red and blue.

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.

First Premiership Return – 2013–14

For the 2012–13 season they played their home games at Clandeboye Park and were promoted to the NIFL Premiership for the 2013–14 season and went straight back down that season. Ards 2014–15 season was a season of change,with many players coming and going from the club and the season ultimately ended in disappointment with them finishing 3rd. The 2015–16 was a better one with Ards reaching the league cup final by knocking out premiership sides Ballinamallard United and Coleraine before losing 3–0 in the final to Cliftonville at Solitude. Ards kept a comfortable hold at the top of the table before becoming league champions on the last day of the season beating Loughgall to secure their promotion back to the Premiership after a two-year absence.

Second Premiership Return – 2016–17

Amidst proposed new plans for a stadium to be built on the grounds of Movilla High School,[1] Ards returned to the top-flight once more under the stewardship of Niall Currie, who sought to bolster his squad with no less than 15 new signings. These included experienced Premiership players such as Ballymena United centre-back Johnny Taylor, and former Glenavon striker Gary Liggett. Other recruitments included defender Stuart McMullan and French striker Guillaume Keke, both signed from Larne. Ards started the season with a creditible 2–2 draw with Cliftonville and went on to win their next three games in a row to become early leaders at the top of the league table.

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.[2]

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.[3] 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.[4][5]

Honours

Senior honours

Intermediate honours

† 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.

No. Position Player
1 Northern Ireland GK Liam McCauley
2 Northern Ireland DF Greg Hall
3 Northern Ireland MF Michael Ruddy
4 Northern Ireland DF Stuart McMullan
5 Northern Ireland DF Johnny Taylor
6 Northern Ireland DF David McCullough
7 Northern Ireland MF Craig McMillen
8 Northern Ireland MF Ross Arthurs
9 Northern Ireland FW Gary Liggett
10 Northern Ireland FW Joe McKinney
11 Northern Ireland FW David McAllister
12 Northern Ireland FW Jordan Hughes
No. Position Player
14 Northern Ireland DF Francis Brennan
16 Northern Ireland MF Gareth Tommons
17 Northern Ireland MF Carl McCombe
18 Northern Ireland GK Aaron Hogg
19 France FW Guillaume Keke
20 Northern Ireland MF Kyle Cherry
21 Northern Ireland DF Callum Byers
22 Northern Ireland DF Jamie Rea
24 Northern Ireland FW Aaron Boyd
25 Northern Ireland DF Emmet Friars
40 Northern Ireland FW Jamie Douglas (on loan from Dungannon Swifts)

Staff

Representatives

International Players

Number of caps listed are those gained whilst contracted to Ards FC.

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[6]
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

  1. ↑ http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/northern-ireland/ards/ards-propose-school-ground-scheme-with-movilla-high-34530258.html
  2. ↑ Ards FC website New stadium gets go ahead
  3. ↑ Ards FC website Bring Ards FC Home Campaign Archived July 28, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
  4. ↑ Ards FC Website Stadium meeting next week
  5. ↑ Ards FC Website Statement from the Chairman
  6. ↑ Tommy Ewing career at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Database
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