Antrim Football Thread

[Milltown Row2]

Lamhs still celebrating

[our_fella]

St Brigids beat by 6. Offered nothing but frees basically. What was wrong with Dowling?

[Belfast GAA man]

and i thought LD a good chance today!

[Milltown Row2]

and i thought LD a good chance today!

I did warn you

[Na Glinntí Glasa]

Following on from the Larne story i rem helping the lads in Ballymoney out when they first got started. me and few other lads from Dunloy went in and trained with them back and forwards and i ended up playing the first year for them in the league. I didnt stay after that because to me they were all treating it as a joke and none of them really took it seriously. They had a lot of lads who played soccer and they all seemed to play when it suited them.

It was a struggle for them to play games and had no pitch at all. they played their games in Our Lady of Lourdes school in the town. A good bunch of lads but to be honest it was never going to work for them. Much the same as Larne in that they were playing in an extremely loyalist town that was completely opposed to this even being in 'their' town. Oran Kearney played with us in there for the first season when he was at Linfield along with a few other lads who kicked soccer.

They prob needed a lot of help to keep them going but as far as i know it wasnt forth coming. It was kind of inevitable that they would fold.

[Milltown Row2]

Following on from the Larne story i rem helping the lads in Ballymoney out when they first got started. me and few other lads from Dunloy went in and trained with them back and forwards and i ended up playing the first year for them in the league. I didnt stay after that because to me they were all treating it as a joke and none of them really took it seriously. They had a lot of lads who played soccer and they all seemed to play when it suited them.

It was a struggle for them to play games and had no pitch at all. they played their games in Our Lady of Lourdes school in the town. A good bunch of lads but to be honest it was never going to work for them. Much the same as Larne in that they were playing in an extremely loyalist town that was completely opposed to this even being in 'their' town. Oran Kearney played with us in there for the first season when he was at Linfield along with a few other lads who kicked soccer.

They prob needed a lot of help to keep them going but as far as i know it wasnt forth coming. It was kind of inevitable that they would fold.

I remember playing up in Ballymoney with our thirds in that school! they made me look good at 35 and at football too!, but as you said DR, they played with no seriousness at all and they barely had 15, mainly soccer lads, but at the time i was chuffed that Ballymoney made the effort, and while it fell apart it was worth giving it a go... was an aul boy that looked after them DR nice fell, think he even togged out for them

[Na Glinntí Glasa]

aye Billy Hogg he was called. A nice man and he really cared about the club and wanted it to do well but the locals never ever bought into it. We always joke about Ballymoney catholics and not being real at all and you would of seen them standing with their mates in the town at loyalist band parades. The GAA was never going to make any inroads to that area at.

I played in the their first ever win, thats my claim to fame lol at home to Antrim reserves in the school pitch. All the clubs we played that season were all brilliant to Ballymoney when they travelled to them. Very welcoming and encouraging to them.

I packed it in after the championship defeat to Ballycastle in the Junior. They didnt train before it and didnt treat the competition with any respect in my opinion. Coming from i was used to that i found very hard to work with so decided that one year would do. Bear in mind i was in my 30's and had quit playing for my own club a fair while before lol

[Flanker]

Following on from the Larne story i rem helping the lads in Ballymoney out when they first got started. me and few other lads from Dunloy went in and trained with them back and forwards and i ended up playing the first year for them in the league. I didnt stay after that because to me they were all treating it as a joke and none of them really took it seriously. They had a lot of lads who played soccer and they all seemed to play when it suited them.

It was a struggle for them to play games and had no pitch at all. they played their games in Our Lady of Lourdes school in the town. A good bunch of lads but to be honest it was never going to work for them. Much the same as Larne in that they were playing in an extremely loyalist town that was completely opposed to this even being in 'their' town. Oran Kearney played with us in there for the first season when he was at Linfield along with a few other lads who kicked soccer.

They prob needed a lot of help to keep them going but as far as i know it wasnt forth coming. It was kind of inevitable that they would fold.

I remember playing up in Ballymoney with our thirds in that school! they made me look good at 35 and at football too!, but as you said DR, they played with no seriousness at all and they barely had 15, mainly soccer lads, but at the time i was chuffed that Ballymoney made the effort, and while it fell apart it was worth giving it a go... was an aul boy that looked after them DR nice fell, think he even togged out for them

rtstewart

DR if you look down the road and see what was achieved in Coleraine who for many years struggled. Know they have Portstewart which would be a bit more understanding and there were a few guys from a strong GAA background who were around the triangle area plus the university helped as well.  There would have been  a few goes at having a club in Aghadowey a number of years back as well. Maybe an initiative in around the Ballymoney / Aghadowey area ....know they are different counties. Long hard road though .....If you look at Coleraine and Antrim Town who have shown good improvement over recent years it can be done

[Na Glinntí Glasa]

def, ive been down at Coleraines pitch a few times with our camogs and they have a good set up. In fairness its not in coleraine and its more Portstewart. That would be a more moderate area and well mixed so they would of always stood a good chance of getting the club up and going and getting plenty of interest in the underage teams.
It def can be done but you need a driving force behind it and the support of the local schools

[Milltown Row2]

def, ive been down at Coleraines pitch a few times with our camogs and they have a good set up. In fairness its not in coleraine and its more Portstewart. That would be a more moderate area and well mixed so they would of always stood a good chance of getting the club up and going and getting plenty of interest in the underage teams.
It def can be done but you need a driving force behind it and the support of the local schools

Look the huge driving force behind must clubs at the start has always been a mad Irish Priest or Christian Brother in the local school, you never had a choice just handed a hurl or ball and told to play, very if not impossible to get that going again as their influence within the parish and schools was far greater than it is today.... once that tradition was set up in that area then it was easier to maintain...

only a few clubs have been able to do that and in most cases its a split within a parish or town that has developed another 'new' club though with older generations of parents/players and so on!

[Antrim Coaster]

aye Billy Hogg he was called. A nice man and he really cared about the club and wanted it to do well but the locals never ever bought into it. We always joke about Ballymoney catholics and not being real at all and you would of seen them standing with their mates in the town at loyalist band parades. The GAA was never going to make any inroads to that area at.

I played in the their first ever win, thats my claim to fame lol at home to Antrim reserves in the school pitch. All the clubs we played that season were all brilliant to Ballymoney when they travelled to them. Very welcoming and encouraging to them.

I packed it in after the championship defeat to Ballycastle in the Junior. They didnt train before it and didnt treat the competition with any respect in my opinion. Coming from i was used to that i found very hard to work with so decided that one year would do. Bear in mind i was in my 30's and had quit playing for my own club a fair while before lol

Actually think that lad Hogg is originally from Larne. Family members involved in other activities not too friendly towards the GAA

[Na Glinntí Glasa]

yeah i knew his back ground. it was a nice idea from them all to try and get a team up and going but they prob should of started at the underage and worked their way up.

I rem going to Lisburn with our minors to play them. they had fellas in Bermuda shorts, soccer shorts and socks and basically were pretty poor at the game. that was 22 years ago and they are still going strong and have made good progress over the years.

[Antrim Coaster]

I thought Ballymoney faded away after a few years.

[Antrim Coaster]

Following on from the Larne story i rem helping the lads in Ballymoney out when they first got started. me and few other lads from Dunloy went in and trained with them back and forwards and i ended up playing the first year for them in the league. I didnt stay after that because to me they were all treating it as a joke and none of them really took it seriously. They had a lot of lads who played soccer and they all seemed to play when it suited them.

It was a struggle for them to play games and had no pitch at all. they played their games in Our Lady of Lourdes school in the town. A good bunch of lads but to be honest it was never going to work for them. Much the same as Larne in that they were playing in an extremely loyalist town that was completely opposed to this even being in 'their' town. Oran Kearney played with us in there for the first season when he was at Linfield along with a few other lads who kicked soccer.

They prob needed a lot of help to keep them going but as far as i know it wasnt forth coming. It was kind of inevitable that they would fold.

I remember playing up in Ballymoney with our thirds in that school! they made me look good at 35 and at football too!, but as you said DR, they played with no seriousness at all and they barely had 15, mainly soccer lads, but at the time i was chuffed that Ballymoney made the effort, and while it fell apart it was worth giving it a go... was an aul boy that looked after them DR nice fell, think he even togged out for them

rtstewart

DR if you look down the road and see what was achieved in Coleraine who for many years struggled. Know they have Portstewart which would be a bit more understanding and there were a few guys from a strong GAA background who were around the triangle area plus the university helped as well.  There would have been  a few goes at having a club in Aghadowey a number of years back as well. Maybe an initiative in around the Ballymoney / Aghadowey area ....know they are different counties. Long hard road though .....If you look at Coleraine and Antrim Town who have shown good improvement over recent years it can be done

Club in Antrim Town actually folded for 5 or 6 years at the end of the 90's early 2000's. They used to play on the pitch behind the primary school.

[Christmas Lights]

All 3 Antrim representatives gone in the first round of the senior, intermediate and junior Ulster championships, all timid exits also. 

Is Antrim club football the weakest in Ulster do we think?  Christ, even Fermanagh teams are winning some games in Ulster, Derrygonnelly in senior and Ballnaleck in Junior. 

Cargin couldn't make a dent in Ulster this past 2 years and went out with whimpers.  Think Aghagallon done ok last year, maybe won a game and battled well in the semi in intermediate?
Glenravel scored 2 measly points last year in their first round Junior Ulster clash I think vs the Rock of Tyrone who got to the AI final from memory? 

Is the standard at an all time low?  Long live the kings St Galls?  Do Antrim need a strong St Galls?  Looks like it.