| Full name | Portadown Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The "Ports" | ||
| Founded | 1924 | ||
| Ground | Shamrock Park, Portadown, Northern Ireland (Capacity: 5,804 (safe capacity 2,227)[1]) |
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| Chairman | Roy McMahon | ||
| Manager | Ronnie McFall MBE | ||
| League | IFA Premiership | ||
| 2010/11 | 5th | ||
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Portadown F.C. is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club which plays in the IFA Premiership.
The club was founded in the late 1880s and joined the Irish League in 1924. It is based in Portadown in County Armagh and plays its home games at Shamrock Park. Club colours are all red.
Since 1986 the club's manager has been Ronnie McFall.
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Portadown's first major trophy success came in the 1933/34 season when they won the Gold Cup under manager Tommy Sloan. Their first championship success came in the 1989/1990 season when they were crowned Irish League champions for the first time in their history, having come close on numerous occasions in the past. The 'Ports' then went on to have a period of continued success winning the league title a further two times within five years, including a 'double', when the Irish Cup arrived at Shamrock Park along with the league championship in 1991. They beat their County Armagh rivals Glenavon 2-1 at Windsor Park in the Irish Cup Final, with Stevie Cowan scoring both goals to take the trophy to Shamrock Park for the first time.
On 30 April 2008, Portadown, who had enjoyed senior status since 1924, was relegated to the Championship as a result of its final application form for the new IFA Premiership (due to replace the Irish Premier League for 2008-09) having been received late and thus not considered. The club unsuccessfully appealed its exclusion. [2] Due to the drop from Northern Ireland's top domestic football league, the IFA Premiership, Portadown were forced to take on intermediate status, due to the IFA Championship, which is Northern Ireland's second tier of football, being an intermediate league. In its first season in the Championship, however, the club won promotion straight back into senior football, beating their closest rivals Donegal Celtic 2-0 in the last (and decisive) match of the season. Also after beating Newry City 1-0 at Mournview Park on 28 February 2009, Portadown became the first intermediate club to win the CIS Insurance league cup in Northern Ireland. Scotsman Gary McCutcheon scored the winning goal.
Portadown qualified to play UEFA Europa League football in the 2010/11 season on account of being runners up in the 2009–10 Irish Cup to Linfield. They defeated the Latvian side Skonto Riga 2-1 on aggregate to advance to the second qualifying round. It was their first win in European cup competition since 1974. The second qualifying round 1st leg match was played at Shamrock Park on 15th July 2010 with Richard Lecky scoring the opening goal against the Azerbaijan side FK Qarabagh, but two second half goals from the Azerbaijan's saw them take a 2-1 lead back home for the second leg on 22nd July 2010. The 2nd leg in Azerbaijan ended 1-1 which was not enough for Portadown who were knocked out 3-2 on aggregate.
Since December 11th, 1986, the club's current manager has been Ronnie McFall. He recently signed another five-year contract which will boost his term as manager to 28 years. He was born and raised in Portadown and played left-back for the club during the 1960s and 1970s. He has also played for Dundee United of Scotland and afterwards Ards and Glentoran where he began his managerial career.
Northern Ireland football grounds have been described as "useful sites for public displays of political affiliations", and internal divisions between groups involved in political violence in the mid 1990s affected Portadown FC whose supporters voiced vocal support for the Loyalist Volunteer Force which was based in the area.[3] In 1999 the club's bar was the scene of a violent incident in which members from the Loyalist Volunteer Force, some of whom were out on Christmas parole, were attacked by members of the rival Ulster Volunteer Force,[4] beginning a violent feud that resulted in multiple deaths.[4][5]
In 2007 there was an incident at The Oval when rival Portadown and Glentoran fans clashed in the streets outside the ground and missiles were thrown and cars damaged. The club management condemned the incident.[6] To counter the perceived sectarian bias of the club, Portadown FC have signed up to the UEFA 10 point plan on racism. [7]
Plans are in place to improve the state of Portadown's ground, Shamrock Park in a bid to attract more people to Irish League matches. This is part of a wider drive to push for a more professional set-up in Northern Irish football.
Funding has been granted and two new all-seater stands have been constructed, as well as several new UEFA-approved floodlights being erected.
| Competition | Matches | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UEFA Champions League | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 24 |
| UEFA Cup/Europa League | 24 | 2 | 6 | 16 | 12 | 51 |
| UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 7 |
† Won by Portadown Reserves
† Won by Portadown Reserves
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Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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The clubs current shirt sponsor is Porters Bodyshop Ltd, a locally based car accident repair business. Other notable sponsors include MET Steel Group a leading steel manufacturer, steel stockholder and distributor within N.Ireland and Republic of Ireland, Charles Hurst Group (Car Sales), the David Jameson Group (Construction) and Dalzell's of Markethill (Electrical Appliance Retailer)
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