Ards F.C.

Ards
Full name Ards Football Club
Nickname(s) The Red & Blues
Founded 1900
Ground Clandeboye Park, Bangor
Co. Down
Capacity 1,895 (500 seated)
Chairman Brian Adams
Manager Niall Currie
League NIFL Championship 1
2013–14 NIFL Premiership, 12th
(relegated)

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.

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. Sadly 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

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
2 Northern Ireland DF Greg Hall
3 Northern Ireland DF Steven McCullough
4 Northern Ireland DF Gary Spence
5 Northern Ireland DF David Gibson
6 Northern Ireland DF David Armstrong
7 Northern Ireland MF Craig McMillen
8 Northern Ireland DF Neil Dougan
10 Northern Ireland MF Ross Arthurs
11 Northern Ireland MF Kyle McDowell
12 Northern Ireland DF David Cully
14 Northern Ireland DF James Cully
15 Northern Ireland MF Andy Smith
No. Position Player
16 Northern Ireland DF Andy Hunter
17 Northern Ireland MF Scott Davidson
18 Northern Ireland MF Willie Faulkner
19 Northern Ireland FW Mark McClelland
22 Northern Ireland FW Daniel Ryan
23 Northern Ireland DF Ryan Moffatt
24 Northern Ireland MF Ryan Henderson
90 Northern Ireland GK Graeme McKibbin
TBA Northern Ireland FW Stephen O'Neil
Republic of Ireland MF Correy Davidson

Out on Loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
9 Northern Ireland FW Paul McDowell (at Bangor)
20 Northern Ireland MF Ben Roy (at Carrick Rangers)

Staff

Representatives

International Players

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

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 Snr
1959 Jimmy Tucker
1959–60 Len Graham
1960–63 Tom Ewing
1963–64 Johnny Neilson
1964–70 George Eastham Snr
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. ↑ Ards FC website New stadium gets go ahead
  2. ↑ Ards FC website Bring Ards FC Home Campaign
  3. ↑ Ards FC Website Stadium meeting next week
  4. ↑ Ards FC Website Statement from the Chairman