Antrim Football Thread

[NAG1]

Well MR2.............Moneyglass, Casement's, Aldergrove, and Glenavy, just football......and Erin's Own did win their first county title in Hurling....consider the question again please.

Is it because Belfast clubs produce better footballers?

Do Cargin have good coaches? and if so why have they won at least 2 (out of 6) championships with an outsider? like I have said. they have a wider parish than the rest, they are close to the Derry club teams and pre season challenge games would be of a higher tempo and better pre for start of new year, probably that's why they have won so many leagues ?

I'm bored I could go on all day.. tell me in your view why Cargin are the only club in over 60 years outside of the big smoke to win a championship at senior level?

Cargin were in the doldrums for a long time but historically they wisely built upon a great minor team in the late sixties and a superb u21 side in the eighties. To be simplistic about it, Cargin have had one code to concentrate on, they benefit from the south derry schools competitive football system (but not exclusively), they have very committed football orientated families and have cultivated a competitive ethos over many years. They don't benefit from the transfer mentality that seems to prevail in Belfast and their players tend to stay involved for a decade or so. But in my mind, the single biggest difference in Cargin vs the other SW clubs is that, despite the numbers to choose from, almost all the underage boys in Cargin will turn out for the club. The percentage compared to other clubs such a portglenone, aldergrove, aghagallon etc is much higher. That gives an emotional buy-in to the club that I don't think exists in Belfast to the same extent nor in some of the other SW clubs.

Apart from M Magill of course Spike 

[Spike]

of course, but i'd say there cant be many clubs who haven't had one transferee, and certainly I don't think you can accuse that Cargin team on Sunday of being a collection of blow-ins. 

[NAG1]

of course, but i'd say there cant be many clubs who haven't had one transferee, and certainly I don't think you can accuse that Cargin team on Sunday of being a collection of blow-ins. 

No offence, but I think you are slightly over egging the pudding here with the love in. Fair enough Cargin have been around a long time and have been successful over an extended period but that does not have any bearing on the emotional attachment of others to their own clubs be they Belfast teams or SW teams.

[Spike]

I certainly am not saying that Cargin holds the patent on the emotional connection with a club. But what I am saying is that the majority of young lads in Cargin are down at the club playing from an early age and evolve that natural connection as all their friends, relatives, classmates are doing the same. The majority of people they know have some connection or involvement with the club. That simply does not happen in Belfast but is actively fostered in other places like Loughgeil, Cushendall, Ballycastle, Dunloy and Creggan.  These clubs don't win every year, but the buy in from the community is immense. I have no doubt that Cargin are also influenced by the club mentality of clubs in south derry where the likes of Ballinderry, Loup, Newbridge, Bellaghy and Lavey bring the idea of club culture to a whole new level again.

[Milltown Row2]

Well MR2.............Moneyglass, Casement's, Aldergrove, and Glenavy, just football......and Erin's Own did win their first county title in Hurling....consider the question again please.

Is it because Belfast clubs produce better footballers?

Do Cargin have good coaches? and if so why have they won at least 2 (out of 6) championships with an outsider? like I have said. they have a wider parish than the rest, they are close to the Derry club teams and pre season challenge games would be of a higher tempo and better pre for start of new year, probably that's why they have won so many leagues ?

I'm bored I could go on all day.. tell me in your view why Cargin are the only club in over 60 years outside of the big smoke to win a championship at senior level?

Cargin were in the doldrums for a long time but historically they wisely built upon a great minor team in the late sixties and a superb u21 side in the eighties. To be simplistic about it, Cargin have had one code to concentrate on, they benefit from the south derry schools competitive football system (but not exclusively), they have very committed football orientated families and have cultivated a competitive ethos over many years. They don't benefit from the transfer mentality that seems to prevail in Belfast and their players tend to stay involved for a decade or so. But in my mind, the single biggest difference in Cargin vs the other SW clubs is that, despite the numbers to choose from, almost all the underage boys in Cargin will turn out for the club. The percentage compared to other clubs such a portglenone, aldergrove, aghagallon etc is much higher. That gives an emotional buy-in to the club that I don't think exists in Belfast to the same extent nor in some of the other SW clubs.

I could throw up many a team photo from my club which will have numerous sets of brothers playing together, managed and coached by their parents also... they generally all stay but we do have a few that after minor, head off and do something else.... but the tie is not lost there and they generally come back when their cubs are of an age (under 6!! WTF) and the cycle continues .... we do have a name of bringing in some outsiders coming to the club, we live in Belfast and have been successful, that happens, I've neither encouraged it or frowned upon it either..

Parish ties or family ties it's all the same for me.... in most cities in Ireland you'll not get a parish team as people move out of the area they grew up in.. generating strong friendships between teammates at an early age will also stand to a club... I've had the best of times playing alongside my brother, cousins and also managed a couple of games with my son..  Most clubmen will have the similar story

[Points a Good Score]

Antrim Post front page all about a huge Antrim & Newtownabbey Borough Council new pitch development at Moneyglass GAC. Talk of £3 million expenditure. Great news if true. Anyone from MG confirm. (HOOF where are you).

We (Casements) just beginning the ground works for our own second pitch development - should finish up similar to Ahoghill when finished.

Glenravel, Dunloy, Creggan, All Saints all got their grounds recently refurbished. There's going to be some great grounds in the SW in the next few years.

Bannside the Moneyglass Project is a Vision for the future which hopes to be completed in phases but eventuallt the intention would be to have superb facilities that match or surpass what is currently around the county.

Alot of people working very hard to obtain it a Dream we are determined to make a reality

[imtommygunn]

Maybe I'm misreading here...

What has Newtownabbey borough council got to do with moneyglass?? Can't be the catchment area for them with the super councils can it??

[Kickham csc]

Antrim Post front page all about a huge Antrim & Newtownabbey Borough Council new pitch development at Moneyglass GAC. Talk of £3 million expenditure. Great news if true. Anyone from MG confirm. (HOOF where are you).

We (Casements) just beginning the ground works for our own second pitch development - should finish up similar to Ahoghill when finished.

Glenravel, Dunloy, Creggan, All Saints all got their grounds recently refurbished. There's going to be some great grounds in the SW in the next few years.

Bannside the Moneyglass Project is a Vision for the future which hopes to be completed in phases but eventuallt the intention would be to have superb facilities that match or surpass what is currently around the county.

Alot of people working very hard to obtain it a Dream we are determined to make a reality

God, how come sooooooo many of our clubs are able to develop such good facilities, yet the Dunsily project is in limbo???

BTW that's both City and Country (St John's indoor facility, Sarsfields, St Brigit's, to name a few in the city)

If the county was smart, they should have partnered up with a club in a central location (Creggan, Cargin, Moneyglass etc for football and Tir na nOg, Ballymena, etc for hurling, or developed regional centers of excellence one SW, Belfast and NA), and use the combination for the county teams. Working in conjunction with the clubs, the development would have been completed

[Spike]

fully agree but the clue is in your comment 'If the county was smart'      At the very very least they should be getting dunsilly to an appropriate stage seeing as its been started. 

if they're not going to do anything with casement then pick the most central, easily accessible pitch in antrim and put money into concrete steps/stands that can have temporary seating facilities installed - low cost and are not permanent. no pitch is not ideal but surely a strategy can be found

[culchie11]

So u mean like satsfields with better changing facilities and parking lol

[Spike]

yeah sarsfields, if you spend a few million on access, buy half of rossas & st pauls fields for space for stands.  don't think those couple of rows are going to hold 10,000 people!    Needs a ground with space up at least one of the long sides. who has the room and can cater for the traffic??

[Pub Bore]

Maybe I'm misreading here...

What has Newtownabbey borough council got to do with moneyglass?? Can't be the catchment area for them with the super councils can it??

It's now Antrim & Newtownabbey Council, which I think takes in Moneyglass, Toome etc??

[imtommygunn]

Right - that's a big catchment area!

[The Worker]

Well MR2.............Moneyglass, Casement's, Aldergrove, and Glenavy, just football......and Erin's Own did win their first county title in Hurling....consider the question again please.

Is it because Belfast clubs produce better footballers?

Do Cargin have good coaches? and if so why have they won at least 2 (out of 6) championships with an outsider? like I have said. they have a wider parish than the rest, they are close to the Derry club teams and pre season challenge games would be of a higher tempo and better pre for start of new year, probably that's why they have won so many leagues ?

I'm bored I could go on all day.. tell me in your view why Cargin are the only club in over 60 years outside of the big smoke to win a championship at senior level?

Cargin were in the doldrums for a long time but historically they wisely built upon a great minor team in the late sixties and a superb u21 side in the eighties. To be simplistic about it, Cargin have had one code to concentrate on, they benefit from the south derry schools competitive football system (but not exclusively), they have very committed football orientated families and have cultivated a competitive ethos over many years. They don't benefit from the transfer mentality that seems to prevail in Belfast and their players tend to stay involved for a decade or so. But in my mind, the single biggest difference in Cargin vs the other SW clubs is that, despite the numbers to choose from, almost all the underage boys in Cargin will turn out for the club. The percentage compared to other clubs such a portglenone, aldergrove, aghagallon etc is much higher. That gives an emotional buy-in to the club that I don't think exists in Belfast to the same extent nor in some of the other SW clubs.

Have cargin not struggled to field at certain age groups in recent seasons? 

[bannside]

The biggest problem facing many clubs is the huge decline on playing numbers. At juvenile level amalgamations are quite rare, but they will increasingly become a necessity in the next few years.

At our club there is a spell coming where it will be totally impossible to field teams. I think in the primary school there are six P6 boys and seven P7's. Of this small group not even all those are expected to play and maybe not all aligned to our parish.

Ballinderry Shamrocks could only field thirteen under 16 players this year. And football is a religion there. The fact is families are much smaller now, and many clubs will simply have to amalgamate in order to field teams. Either that or start small sided games 11 a side or something like that.