From relegation fears to double champs, Belfast football club aiming high

Since their formation in 2018, Belfast Athletic have won two doubles and escaped the clutches of relegation. It has been a rollercoaster of results and emotions for the club, which is currently based in North Belfast.

Athletic were born out of an idea from founder Seán Burns, who brought together friends who were either playing for other teams or out of football altogether.

It has proved a successful venture for the club, which has already made its mark on the Ballymena and Provincial League, and promised more to come.

Read more: Glenavon FC offer update on German trip as chairman thanks fans

Read more: Shayne Lavery on the move as new manager hails 'fantastic character'

"We established the club in 2018. I had a lot of friends who weren't playing for teams, and I had some others who were playing," Burns told Belfast Live.

"I came up with the idea of Belfast Athletic to try and get as many players from across Belfast to join, rather than just associate the club with one particular area of the city.

"We didn't want to keep it to a secluded area where you can't really progress or expand too much. We started off in the Belfast and District League and won a trophy in our first season.

"The pandemic then hit and we were out of football for two years. When we came back we realised we were a better team than the Belfast and District have, but we weren't equipped to move to the Amateur League.

"We made the move to the Ballymena and Provincial. When we joined we had to go into Junior Division Two, and we did the double in the first year and earned promotion.

"So we have been established since 2018, but only got to play three or four seasons."

Burns added: "I am the founder but I still play. I do a little bit of everything to be honest. We have a lot of guys who do a lot of hard work behind the scenes.

"We have one team at present. We did have a reserve team, but it was difficult running two teams. And the league the reserves were in, a few teams folded and they found it hard getting fixtures. And then some boys lost interest.

"We decided to stick with the one team and we have about 25 players. And we are giving it a real go.

"We have a decent squad and we are hungry to succeed. We have a lot of boys who played Intermediate and Amateur League football, so we have plenty of experience.

"And we have been able to attract players from a large catchment area. We are not affiliated to any particular area of Belfast and we have a strong cross-community ethos.

"I live in Ballyclare, and we have players from Lisburn, Newtownabbey, Belfast, Shankill and Ligoniel. We have that going well for us, in that we can attract players from different areas.

"It is a club for everyone, really."

Belfast Athletic won the Junior Division 2 title and the Linda Welshman Cup in its first season in the Ballymena and Provincial League, but struggled the following year in Division 1, narrowly avoiding relegation.

They bounced back in style to win the Division 1 title and Welshman Cup last season, another impressive double for the club.

Now they are enjoying a well-earned break before returning to pre-season training later this month.

"It was such a long season for us. It lasted 10-and-a-half months, because we did so well in the cup competitions and some bad weather extended things. So we needed a break," Burns said.

"Our last game was the cup final on May 31. we are taking about six weeks off and then we will start just after the Twelfth.

"Our season usually starts around the end of August, so it gives us time to get a pre-season under our belts and get ready for the kick-off.

"We are in Junior Division One of the Ballymena and Provincial League, the division we won last season. So we can't wait to have another crack at it.

"We have only been going a couple of years. We did the double three years ago when we were in Junior Division Two. We won the league and the Linda Welshman Cup.

"We then went up and had a tough season. We lost our manager and a few players and we just needed to regroup. We managed to stay up and bring in new management and a few new signings, and we went on to win the Division One title and the Welshman Cup again.

"So we went from winning a double, to almost getting relegated, to winning another double. It has been a rollercoaster."

Belfast Athletic harbour long-term ambitions to become an Intermediate side in the Ballymena and Provincial League, but Burns says their immediate priority is defending their Junior Division 1 title next season.

"We want to replicate what we did this season, but ultimately we want to apply for Intermediate football. The criteria in the Ballymena league comes down to the pitch set-up. We hope we can get the foundations for Intermediate football next season and we can push on," he said.

"I am a firm believer that you can't expect to go into Intermediate football without cleaning up in the Junior league. I wouldn't want to put the club in the position where we go up nd them come straight back down again.

"And I wouldn't want to make a mockery of the league, where they just accept junior teams because they applied.

"Our aim is to win Junior Division One back-to-back. If we do that then we have the right to be in Intermediate football. And we want to give the Junior Cup and Shield a good crack."

He added: "We are delighted with the way things have gone. If you look at the full three or four seasons we have played, we have won five cups. That's an average of at least one a season.

"The boys have stuck together after that difficult season we had. As long as we are competing, that's all we can ask for. We want to be fighting for titles and cups.

"And after winning two doubles it shows the hunger the players have."

Sign up to our free sports newsletter to get the latest headlines to your inbox