Jenny Boyd hands over the Player Of The Year Shield that she won in 2010 to Jessica Beers, newly crowned holder.

Jessica Beers chosen as Bangor Ladies Player of the Year 2011

Bangor Ladies Football Club would like to congratulate their youngest ever Player of the Year Jessica Beers who was chosen by her fellow teammates last night at the Club's sixth Annual Awards Night which was held at Carnalea Golf Club to officially bring the curtain down on the 2011 season.

What makes this achievement more remarkable is that it was the teenagers 'rookie' season, having only signed for the Seasiders in April this year.


The Marquis Rise youngster at only 16 years old age narrowly pipped team mates Christine Duncan and Jenny Boyd to lift, what is considered as the club's most heralded award. Having joined the team, Jessica quickly settled and having been paired with top goalscorer Natasha Lee, these two strikers spearheaded the 2011 campaign with a return of 36 goals between them. With the talented Beers scoring 14 times and with Lee adding 22 strikes, hopefully the club will witness the start of a special partnership which will continue to flourish and develop to become as one of the most potent threats in the NIWFA over the next few years. Jess joins an impressive list of five former players who have lifted this trophey.Roll Of Honour


Although having just completed her first ever season of senior ladies football, Jessica has also caught the eye of some international coaches who made a point of attending one of the Seasiders matches during August to assess the teenager.


Manager Craig, however, is very confidence the club has unearthed potentially one of the most talented, balanced and intelligent young footballers in the Province and will look for the striker to kick-on in 2012 and having her first season out of the way, go on to lead the 2009 league champions to more silverware in the very near future. Runners-Up - Christine Duncan & Jenny Boyd.

Player of the Year - JESS BEERS

BANGOR LADIES FOOTBALL CLUB

Award Winners 2011

Natasha Lee lifts Managers Player of the Year.
2011 Top Goal Scorer and
Manager Player of the Year 2011 NATASHA LEE

As well as recognizing Jessica’s contribution to the 2011 season, Bangor Ladies Football Club also presented a number of other awards including the Managers’ Player of the Year 2011.


The first of which, was when Ladies Section Manager Andy Craig named his own choice for player of the year Natasha Lee, who made it a double at the Annual Awards Dinner.


The young striker who later in the evening would also take the accolade as the Seasiders Top Goal Scorer for the third consecutive season, making it an impressive double for Natasha, who incidentally is only in her third season at Clandeboye Park.


The young player originally played for neighbours and arch rivals Ards Raiders before switching to Bangor Ladies in 2009. What followed was the steady progression of a very talented footballer into one of the top goal scorers in the country.


Natasha strike record speaks for herself having so far stuck away 74 goals in three seasons for the Seasiders, setting a club record of 34 goals in her first season.

Former Northern Ireland manager Nigel Worthington with Bangor's Natasha Lee

Having led the North side to the divisional championships that year, the striker was to finish the season as top goal scorer in Division two, and second in the whole of Northern Ireland; a feat recognized by the Northern Ireland manager Nigel Worthington, and which also saw her nominated to the North Down Sports Advisory Council’s Sportsperson of the Year in 2009. Now 20 years old, Natasha has developed the strength to add to the pace and vision she had in abundance as a teenager.


Add to that a fierce right foot and Bangor have one of the most sought after strikers in Northern Ireland. Natasha should be in the mix again as top goalscorer in 2012 having now been paired to partner the Seasiders new Player of The Year Jessica Beers next season. Joint Runners-Up Lisa Gilmore & Mollie Moore.


In addition to the usual awards – this year the club announces the cup, presented by sponsors Sammy Mellon, which would be presented to the Most Valuable Player each season.

Mollie Moore is Seasiders M.V.P. in 2011
Bangor Ladies Most Valuable Player 2011 - Mollie Moore

The Seasiders' talented teenage midfielder Mollie Moore, who was selected to represent Northern Ireland at the 2011 Rosebowl tournament, achievements in 2011 since joining Bangor Ladies have been recognised by Club Sponsor Ivan Mellon of Sammy Mellon and Sons, as the Donaghadee player was awarded the Clubs MVP (Most Valuable Player) Award last night (14th).

Donaghadee teenager Mollie has always been an avid football fanatic, playing from a very early age, and has already made an impression at Clandeboye Road in her first season playing for the official ladies section of Bangor Football Club having signed from rivals 1st Bangor (Newtownards) in May.

Mollie started playing competitive for the Abbey Villa Youth (boys) team from 2004 to 2007, where she captained the team for just over a year. At 14 years of age, Mollie then signed for Abbey Villa ladies where she played for a season at Adams Park, in Millisle.

Appearances too for both her County team and her school football team, at Donaghadee High until its closure in 2007. Mollie now attends Bangor Academy.

Taking advantage of little used transfer legislation in the NIWFA handbook, Mollie was to switch her allegiance to neighbours Bangor Ladies on the very last day of the ‘transfer window’, which saw her sign for Andy Craigs' Seasiders on May 18th, 2011.


Making the switch from 1st Bangor (Newtownards) to the Clandeboye Road based Seasiders could not have been an easy decision. The two clubs are local rivals – but the impact of the move has provided the teenager with a fresh start, under the management of Andy Craig, Mollie is playing some of her best football for some time.

Despite being a target for a number of higher placed clubs in the summer, 17 year old Mollie committed to the Seasiders and came under the scrutiny of club sponsor Ivan Mellon when he came down to see the team play at home during the middle of the season.


Having made an immediate impression, Manager Craig, already considering Mollie for his choice for Player of the Year, Club sponsor Ivan Mellon has monitored the midfielder’s contribution during the rest of the season, and feels that having made the breakthrough into the NI team is a deserving winner of the Most Valuable Player of 2011.


Mollies progression into the N.I. Rosebowl team though came as no surprise to the coaches at Clandeboye Park who unanimously believe it is just the first step towards full international honours for the young Bangor Ladies player. Runner-Up - Natasha Lee.

Dawn Clarke's determination pays off
Most Improved Player 2011 - Dawn Clarke

Finally the club’s coach Peter Gilmore choose the player he considers has made the most improvement over the season, and again it was another ‘rookie’ who shone through, with twenty one year old Dawn Clarke making the right impression with her coaches.


The Manchester United and Spurs fan, originally from Belfast where she attended Cedar Lodge Special School, is currently a student at Bangor Tech, having originally attended Ards Tech where she completed a Life skills Course.


At just aged seven, Dawn started to kick a ball and despite being frustrated by the serious disability of epilepsy for most of her life, the Whitehill student has shown great character and determination to keep playing, and has represented the Northern Ireland Disabled team.


Dawn came to Bangor Ladies in January and despite her difficulties has never let her medical problems stand in the way of playing football, with most of her teammates mostly unaware of the problems that she has overcame.


Having started with just a few cameo substitute appearances for the Seasiders in the early part of the season, the midfielder has grown in confidence and has benefited from a good work ethic regards training and learning the modern game, scoring twice at senior level.


Since those early days though, Manager Craig now recognizes the potential of another of the club's batch of young players, Dawn now commands consideration for a regular starting spot in the team, offering some tenacity to an industrious hard working midfield. Runner-Up - Sophie Ferris

Natasha makes it a double lifting top striker

Last Edited on 19-Oct-2011 1:53 PM