Premier Intermediate League: 2017/18 Preview
League action returns at last when the Premier Intermediate League (PIL) kicks off on Saturday! Well at least for some teams, County Antrim based teams…
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The Glorious Twelfth: Irish League Premiership Preview
Only in Northern Ireland could the above heading have politicians, football fans and nervous grouse up on their hind legs. However it is the beautiful,…
GAWA: Matches I’ll Take To My Grave- England 2005
Northern Ireland v England (1-0), Wednesday, 7th September 2005 Windsor Park, Belfast Part of me dreaded this game to be honest. Going to NI matches…
Delaying (or denying) the inevitable? A preview of Carrick Rangers 2017/2018 season
Nine months of pain, despair, and disappointment will end with Carrick Rangers condemned to relegation. At least that’s how the vast majority of NIFL fans…
Bet McLean.com League Cup: 1st Round Review
If the usual pre-season friendlies or the Charity Shield didn’t tickle your fancy in Northern Ireland on Saturday then there was some other competitive football…
Attracting New Fans: Free Buddy Wiser
Over the last wee while, I’ve been chatting with some mates about how they ended up supporting ‘their’ team in the Irish League. Most were…
SSE Airtricity League Round-Up: Cork back on track as Sligo Rovers draw…again
I have noticed over the past few weeks how these wrap ups have taken a familar pattern as usually it is safe to assume that…
The changing face of football in Northern Ireland: IFA, NIFL and Larne FC
Football is an institution that subscribes to a ‘Theory of Evolution’ of sorts. To thrive it needs to adapt and move with the times. Considering…
Ballymena United: A History (Part II)
Following the end of the Second World War, United rejoined the Irish League for the 1946-47 season, with Billy Reid appointed as manager at the…
NIFL Charity Shield: Coleraine v Linfield
Tomorrow sees the NIFL Charity Shield take place at The Oval, home of Glentoran Football Club, the beneficiaries this year being Action Mental Health. Whilst…