Green and white army
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The Green and White Army is the name given to the very noisy and energetic fans that follow the Northern Ireland national football team. Famed for their passionate support, the Green and White Army turn every Northern Ireland match, whether home or away, into a sea of green.
With the backing of the Green and White Army, Windsor Park, the home of the Northern Ireland national football team has built up a reputation of having one of the most vociferous and vocal support of any footballing nation. Often, the support at Windsor Park is referred to as the teams "12th man". After Northern Ireland beat England 1-0 at Windsor Park on the 7th September 2005, the manager Lawrie Sanchez said "The fans were also magnificent and we played with an extra man - they raised the team, they believed in the team and the team gave it back in bundles."
Despite the ferocious backing they give to their own team, the Green and White Army are also renown for their friendliness. When the Green and White Army visited Poland during the 2006 World Cup Qualifiers more than 1,000 of them peacefully took over the city square in Warsaw. They thoroughly enjoyed themselves and showed what sporting occasions should be like. After the match, "Polish supporters united to clap the Green and White army as they left the ground."
The Amalgamation of Official Northern Ireland Supporters clubs acts as the recognised voice of the Green and White Army and co-ordinates many activities on their behalf. The Amalgamation of Official Northern Ireland Supporters Clubs promotes and encourages camaraderie between fans, has been at the centre of creating a carnival atmosphere on match days (most notably through the creation of a recognised singing section for member clubs at Windsor Park) and has been instrumental in raising the profile of the Green And White Army in Northern Ireland and across Europe. In addition, it regularly articulates the views of fans to the Irish Football Association and liaises with other fans groups such as the Tartan Army and FSF. The group was formed in 1999, initially to co-ordinate the activities of the various independent supporters clubs which existed at the time, but has now evolved into a much larger organisation which represents over 60 clubs with over 2,000 members.
The GAWA (Green and White Army) received recognition for the good work they've done in promoting "football for all" in Northern Ireland by being awarded the internationally recognised, Brussels International Supporters Award for the best supporters in Europe. The award was presented to representatives of the Northern Ireland supporters on the 6th September 2006, the same day Northern Ireland played against Spain and won 3-2, which was one of their greatest victories in recent years.
