Ballyclare RFC
Irish rugby union club, based in Northern Ireland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ballyclare RFC is a rugby union club based in the town of Ballyclare, County Antrim in Northern Ireland. They play in Division 2C of the All-Ireland League since becoming a senior club in 2024.[2]
| Full name | Ballyclare Rugby Football Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Union |  IRFU | |
| Branch | Ulster | |
| Nickname | The Hares | |
| Founded | 1949 | |
| Location | Ballyclare | |
| Region | County Antrim | |
| Ground | The Cloughan (Capacity: 1,000) | |
| Chairman | Bob Beckwith | |
| President | Lyle Andrew | |
| Director of Rugby | Andrew Wylie | |
| Coach | Mike Orchin-McKeever | |
| Captain | Joel McBride | |
| League | A.I.L. Div. 2C | |
| 2024–25 | 4th.[1] | |
| ||
| Official website | ||
| www | ||
History
The club was founded on 20 May 1949 as Ballyclarians. The current grounds at The Cloughan are provided by the Old Ballyclarians Association[3] and the clubhouse and pavillon were officially opened in 1992.[4] The 2020s have been the most successful period in the club's history, winning three Ulster Towns Cups, the Ulster Junior Cup, All-Ireland Junior Cup and in 2024 won the Ulster Championship for the first time. They subsequently won promotion to the All-Ireland League.[5]
Honours
- All-Ireland Junior Cup (1) : 2023-24[6]
- All-Ireland Junior Championship (2) : 1977, 1978[7]
- Ulster Championship (1) : 2023-24[8]
- Ulster Junior Cup (3) : 1988–89, 2001–02, 2022-23[9]
- Ulster Towns Cup (10) : 1976, 1978, 1980, 1986, 2004, 2013, 2018, 2020*, 2022, 2023
(2020 shared with Ballynahinch RFC - unfinished due to the COVID-19 pandemic)