Ballynahinch Olympic F.C.

Ballynahinch Olympic Football Club is a Northern Irish, intermediate football club based in Ballynahinch, County Down, but playing its matches at Bellsbridge, the ground of Dromara Village, Dromara.[1] They play in Division 1A of the Northern Amateur Football League. Club colours are claret and blue.[2]

Ballynahinch Olympic
Full nameBallynahinch Olympic Football Club
Nickname(s)Olympic
Founded1973
GroundKilmore Playing Fields, Kilmore
ChairmanMartin Sloan
LeagueNAFL Premier Division
2017–18NAFL Division 1A, 1st
WebsiteClub website

History

Ballynahinch Olympic was formed around 1973 to cater for the increased demand for soccer in the Ballynahinch area. A number of the founding members, such as B. McAllister, B. Sloan, S. Murnin, J. Dornan, and B. Brown still maintain a keen interest in the progress of the club.

Initially, the team played at the Millbridge and made steady, if unspectacular, progress on the playing front. That is until the 1976–77 when they won the Newcastle League 2nd Division. Due to the increased interest in the club at this time it was decided to form a Seconds team. The following season the First team completed their home league programme undefeated.

As the club continued to thrive, new faces were attracted and one in particular, Mr Tom Potter, was to become the new driving force in the club over a 12-year period between 1978 and 1990. During Tom’s reign the 1st team won the double of the Second Division title and the Harry Clarke Cup. It was also because of him that the club began a Youth policy that is continuing to this day with four underage teams.

In the 1991–92 season, under the stewardship of the late Norman McCullough, the team reached the semi-finals of the Harry Clarke Cup and several months later failed at the final hurdle in the prestigious Junior Shield. The club did manage to win some silverware that season though, the 2nd team managed by Eamon (Mouse) Wilson won the Binian Cup after a marathon penalty shoot-out. This was the first of a number of wins in this competition for the 2nd team.

In the winter of 1994 a young player named Mark Quinn who had progressed through the ranks of our youth teams and was at this time a regular in the first team squad died in tragic circumstances. It was his family’s wish that he be buried wearing his Olympic No 11 shirt. Because of this, the club approached the Newcastle League committee asking that we retire the No 11 shirt in memory of Mark. This request was approved by the said committee.

One of the local competitions which the club participated in remained elusive, namely the Bobby Dalzell Cup. This situation was addressed in the 1997–98 season when, after several postponements, the First team captured the trophy by defeating Kilkeel in the final. At this time Mr D. Travers was in charge of the 1st team.

For a number of seasons after this, the club as a whole took a downturn with the 1st team languishing in the first division looking enviously upwards to the premier league. However, the club’s fortunes improved again in the 2002–03 season when, under the joint management of Paul (Charlie) Sloan and Stevie Ward, two ex-players whose enthusiasm for the club never faltered even during many a lean year, the 1st team won the 1st Division title, going through the whole season undefeated in the league. Not satisfied with this, the same duo set about repeating the feat in the Premier Division. Many a dissenting voice at the start of the 2003–04 season reckoned the team would struggle to compete at the higher level. No-one, however, told the 1st team squad this and they made the doubters eat their words by again storming through their league programme and winning the league with a bit to spare. It is not often that a team has retained the Premier League title, but in 2004–05 season the 1sts did so. Not only that, but the team also got to the final of both the Bobby Dalzell and Harry Clarke Cup competitions. They missed out on the Dalzell Cup, losing on penalty kicks to Castlewellan, but exacted some revenge by defeating Castlewellan in the Harry Clarke Cup final, scoring the winning goal with virtually the last kick of the game.

During this brief history, charting the clubs progress to the present day, very little has been said of the 2nd team (or for the short period it existed, the 3rd team). Although neither of these teams has had the same high profile as the 1st team, they, along with the youth teams, are the breeding ground for new talent within the club and a vital part of the structure of the club to ensure ongoing success. The club also won the Border Cup final beating former player Andy Kilmartin in the process establishing themselves as the best amateur team in Northern Ireland.

Amateur league

The season of 2009–10 showed a new chapter for the club's history, their acceptance into the Northern Amateur Football League. After five years of trying with ill effect, our wishes were granted, with a step into Division 2C. During this exciting period the club started to rise through the leagues with the return of managers Paul Sloan and Steven Ward, winning Division 2B in spectacular fashion clinching the title away to their Local rivals Temple Rangers FC.

After promotion into intermediate football, season 2012–13 (Division 1C), playing their home games at Bellsbridge, ground sharing with Dromara Village F.C., the club proved again that it is a rising force in local football, narrowly missing out on league victory, but gaining promotion into Division 1B.

Notes
  1. Northern Amateur League web site
  2. Northern Amateur League web site
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