Antrim Football Thread

[bannside]

Great win today for Belfast Schools. Beat St Colmans Newry by four points. First win, well done all...a big step in the right direction.

[paddyjohn]

Hearing J Mc Keever likely to be installed as Slaughneil manager in derry now that M Doran tenure as our county senior manager has kicked in after their defeat in championship to new bridge,will RD stay on in toome,st Brides,aghagallon,needing new men,KM still the choice to try and get casements over the line?

I heard JMK the new man in Toome. Frank Delargy in PG1. Henry Downey in Aghagallon and RD is going to St Brigids.

[bigleesy]

Cloughmills starting men's football for 2026 I hear

[SaffronSports]

Cloughmills starting men's football for 2026 I hear

They have an advert out for it although i think it will be more of a struggle for them than what the girls has been. Girls are drawing players from a few clubs with a fair few Dunloy ones involved but obviously theres already boys/mens football in Dunloy so thats a big chunk of the catchment the girls have gone.

Personally, id love to see one of the coastal glens clubs bring in boys football. There is an interest there as theres lads go to Glenravel and seen a picture a few days ago with a big panel from St Killians away playing football somewhere.

[Na Glinntí Glasa]

Interesting to see how they get on with that myself.

I'm not sure of the numbers they have for any underage structures in the area but i hope its a success for them. I applaud their ambition at the club to make it work and build a future as well.

I wish other clubs would show that same ambition and look at hurling/football/camogie/ladies football in their clubs where its not present. Stick your traditions in the bin and see a bigger future for your club.

The old 'oh we dont play football here' stinks of fear and change.

I do appreciate where some structures at underage might be struggling you cant just introduce another code which could kill one completely off but it can be planned for - starting at fundamentals etc and working its way. You might just find that more people would bring their children along with more options.

[Spike]

Its getting the coaches to take them and getting them to commit over a long period of time for a code that hasn't been popular in the area. 

Genuine question - Getting to that established stage is important so how does a club do it if they haven't that many people living locally who could coach underage with an interest?  Not sure joining other clubs in unofficial amalgamations is the answer either 

[BigGreenField]

Interesting to see how they get on with that myself.

I'm not sure of the numbers they have for any underage structures in the area but i hope its a success for them. I applaud their ambition at the club to make it work and build a future as well.

I wish other clubs would show that same ambition and look at hurling/football/camogie/ladies football in their clubs where its not present. Stick your traditions in the bin and see a bigger future for your club.

The old 'oh we dont play football here' stinks of fear and change.

I do appreciate where some structures at underage might be struggling you cant just introduce another code which could kill one completely off but it can be planned for - starting at fundamentals etc and working its way. You might just find that more people would bring their children along with more options.

Are the majority of clubs across the county not providing all 4 codes now?

[imtommygunn]

I am seeing it now where at the very early ages they combine football and hurling training and just extend it by ~15 minutes. (N.B. This is in Down not antrim).

It tends to be football without hurling rather than vice versa but again it's in Down. Antrim have less of that problem.

The reverse could be applied though.

[SaffronSports]

Interesting to see how they get on with that myself.

I'm not sure of the numbers they have for any underage structures in the area but i hope its a success for them. I applaud their ambition at the club to make it work and build a future as well.

I wish other clubs would show that same ambition and look at hurling/football/camogie/ladies football in their clubs where its not present. Stick your traditions in the bin and see a bigger future for your club.

The old 'oh we dont play football here' stinks of fear and change.

I do appreciate where some structures at underage might be struggling you cant just introduce another code which could kill one completely off but it can be planned for - starting at fundamentals etc and working its way. You might just find that more people would bring their children along with more options.

Are the majority of clubs across the county not providing all 4 codes now?

Id definitely not say the majority. City clubs are quite good for it tbf. North Antrim only Glenravel/Ballymena/Naomh Eanna.

[thegladiator]

I heard JMK the new man in Toome. Frank Delargy in PG1. Henry Downey in Aghagallon and RD is going to St Brigids.
[/quote]

Colin Toal in at tir na nog

[skillstar93]

Creggan and Tir Na Nog aswell

[imtommygunn]

Ladies football quite new to a lot of these places too. Moneyglass maybe had the monopoly in the south west for a long time.

Do Dunloy have a ladies football team?

[Na Glinntí Glasa]

we dont, the girls all play for Cloughmills now. Prior to that some played for Glenravel but it wasnt very many.

It was spoken about a number of years ago but the camogie wasnt as strong back then as it is now. It was feared that it could of further weakened the numbers and structures had it been introduced.

Potentially now it could be introduced as the camogie is much better now in terms of numbers but it would have an effect on Cloughmills numbers - which you wouldnt want to see.

[HTownlad]

I heard JMK the new man in Toome. Frank Delargy in PG1. Henry Downey in Aghagallon and RD is going to St Brigids.

Colin Toal in at tir na nog
[/quote]

I know these are tongue in cheek but it maybe shows the lack of coaches in Antrim

How many confirmed vacancies are there?

[Round or stuffed]

This is maybe a stupid questions but it is a genuine one, why don't the following clubs enter the all county league in football

Colin Gaels - do they have any boys teams at all now?
Ballycastle - did they used to enter a team?
Mitchells???
Naomh ulcan?
Latharna Óg

and then the following is it simply hurling is priority

Armoy
glenariffe
cushendun
cushendal
lougheil
carey
Cloughmills

as some of those clubs have ladies football and/or compete in regional leagues, is it not strange there isn't a push to get men's football going seriously. I don't know if you have a situation in other counties where the likes of Mitchells compete at south Antrim and nowhere else. there are essentially 12 clubs who do not compete in football in Antrim and while I get in the north of the county hurling is the sport, but in the city numbers shouldn't really be an excuse