Competitive football on the way

Larne and Knockbreda lined up for Seasiders

New kit for ladies section for Season 2012

Preparations at Bangor Football Club (Ladies Section) continue at Clandeboye Park, home of the 2009 League Champions, as the squad plan to be involved in their first competitive game for over six months shortly, taking part in the first of a series of planned pre-seasons matches over the coming months The ladies will face 1st division club Larne (26th) before taking on Knockbreda Ladies in late March (25th).



Ladies manager Andy Craig is adamant these games represent a vital part of the clubs build-up to the summer campaign, and are very important in regard to providing the squad with some much competitive football. Which in turn should see sustained progression in levels of performance and fitness in what is the very early stages of the ladies season.



Bangor, competing once again in Division Two of the Northern Ireland Women’s Football Association (NIWFA) – the sports governing body, will kick off officially in late April, with the Seasiders looking to attempt to recapture the form that saw the Sammy Mellon and Sons sponsored club lift both the Division Three trophy and the North Down Sports Advisory Councils ‘Team of the Year’ following a record breaking 2009 season.



The Seasiders’ plan to play all their home games on a Tuesday evening (7.30 p.m. kick offs) at their preferred venue Clandeboye Road, home to the championship side and 2011 Steel and Sons Cup winners. The ladies will probably switch to Bloomfield Road when the local ground will close for a short time during the summer to allow for maintenance and repair.



The divisional campaign continues throughout the whole of the summer though, and includes two major cup competitions – the Divisional Cup and the Coca Cola Women’s F.A. Cup. Both will run consecutively with the five divisional championships with the season culminating with the respective Cup finals, which will take place in early September.

Trevor Best (Chairman) with club sponsors Brian and Ivan Mellon of Sammy Mellons and Sons, Bingham Street, Bangor.

It is the North Down clubs seventh successive season in competition and one which may well prove a very difficult one, as the club still looks to increase the size of the present squad. Although the Seasiders have has already made a few new signings, ladies manager Craig is hopeful of building up a 28 player roster to accommodate what will be a very busy division two campaign.



Although waiting for confirmation of the teams who will also be competing in Division Two in April, the league should consist of Cappagh Spurs (Strabane), Ballymoney Ladies, Moyola Park, Bangor Ladies, Sion Swifts, Portaferry Ladies and finally Tollymore Ladies (Newcastle). Promoted last season as champions were Valley Rangers and also moving up were First Bangor (Newtownards). The Seasiders will also be lining up in their official new home kit, featuring their current sponsors Sammy Mellon and Sons, official Hyundai dealer who is situated in Bingham Street, Bangor.


With brighter and hopefully some little warmer weather on the way, there are a number of pre-season practice games currently being lined up – the first of which will be announced shortly, with at least two more before the end of March and two further games planned to take place in early April which will give the players some much needed match fitness, before the NIWFA 2012 season officially gets under way.

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

The club's 2011 Most Valuable Player - Mollie Moore.

News also of the nomination to the North Down Sports Advisory Council Annual Sports Awards of young Seasider Mollie Moore, who celebrated her first season at Clandboye Road with International recognition and the clubs award for M.VP. 2011. More exciting news is the Bangor ladies football club inclusion in a new initiative, which will help with both the expansion of the senior squad but should provide the club with a solid foundation on which to establish a Junior Section at Clandeboye Road. A ladies coach from the club will be visiting a number of local schools in the next few months, which will hopefully provide some additional resources for the future years.


For additional information regarding training, matches, results and scores, just log on to the club website at www.bangorladiesfc.co.uk or contact secretary Andy Craig on 07732 277854. New players are always welcome at Clandeboye Park, irrespective of ability or experience. Training will continue this Sunday from 1.45 p.m. until 3.15 p.m. and players are reminded that shin guards, as a safety precaution, should be worn at all times.



BREAKING news is that Peter Gilmore, the senior Club Coach for 2012, originally planning a lengthy jaunt down-under which would have ruled him out for the complete summer, will in fact, be back at Clandeboye Road very shortly – hopefully before the end of February – more details will follow shortly..................

Keep your eye on the ball - whats coming up.