Ards F.C.
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| Ards | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Ards Football Club Limited | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | Tha Wee Airds, The Red & Blues | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Founded | 1902 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ground | Clandeboye Park, Bangor Co. Down |
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| Capacity | 4,000 (660 seats) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chairman | Brian Adams | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Manager | Tommy Kincaid | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| League | Irish First Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005/06 | 16th (relegated) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ards F.C. is a Northern Irish football club playing in the Irish First Division, following relegation the previous season from the Premier League. The club, founded in 1902, is from Newtownards, but plays its home matches at Clandeboye Park in Bangor, which they share with their arch-rivals Bangor F.C.. The current manager is Tommy Kincaid, who was a cult figure at Castlereagh Park during his playing days. Club colours are red and blue.
The club has suffered severe financial problems in the last ten years. This resulted in the club having to sell its ground, Castlereagh Park, to property developers. The club has shared grounds with Cliftonville F.C., Carrick Rangers and now Bangor F.C.. Plans for a new ground in Newtownards are stalled at the planning stage with no sign of progress. Recent relegation to the First Division will mean a struggle for this historic football club, with the potential loss of their best players and the money constraints that smaller crowds bring. The 2006/07 season originally brought further woes for Ards FC, with poor performances in the First Division appearing to scupper their chance for promotion this year. Joint managers Raymond Morrison and Gary Hillis were eventually sacked in November 2006. They did not go quietly, and three players walked out of the club stating they would not play again for them. A November defeat by local rivals Bangor in the cup and a strong promotion push by Bangor added extra pressure on the Ards Board. Since the appointment of Tommy Kincaid there has been a marked improvement in Ards' fortunes, and there is an outside possibility of them featuring in the promotion shake-up at the end of the season. As of January 2007, there is no news of any ground being developed for the club and local press has speculated that Ards may never be in a financial position to build a stadium.
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[edit] Honours
- League title: 1
- 1957-58
- Irish Cups: 4
- 1926-27, 1951-52, 1968-69, 1973-74
- League Cups: 1
- 1994-95
- Irish First Division: 1
- 2000-01
- Champions League Runners Up 1888-89
- County Antrim Shield: 3
- 1955/56, 1971/72, 1993/94
- Gold Cup: 2
[edit] Current squad
As of 26th of February, 2006:
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[edit] Staff
- Life Patron: Lady Mairi Bury
- Chairman: Brian Adams
- Treasurer: J Bailie
- Company Secretary: Mark Jackson
- Manager: Tommy Kincaid
- First-team Attendant: Alan Gregg
- Reserve Team Coach: John Spence
- Third Team Coach: Frank McClean/Paul Richie
- Football Secretary: Brian Adams
- Directors: Brian Adams, Jim Bailie, Tom Graham, Billy McCully, Ronnie Bailie, Jenny Graham, Tom Beggs, John Black
- PA Announcer: Ivor Edgar
- Website Editor: Andrew McCullough
- Programme Editor: Adrian Monaghan
[edit] Representatives
- Rep. to Irish Premier League Brian Adams
- Rep. to Irish Football Association Brian Adams
- Rep. to County Antrim Football Association Tom Graham
- Rep. to Youth League Keith Bailie
[edit] Contact information
Address: Ards FC Sports Club 2d Portaferry Road Newtownards United Kingdom BT23 8NN
Telephone: 028 9182 8328
