Coleraine Football Club is a

Northern Irish The people of Northern Ireland are all people born in Northern Ireland and having, at the time of their birth, at least one parent who is a British Nationality Law, British citizen, an Irish nationality law, Irish citizen or is otherwis ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

club, playing in the

NIFL Premiership The NIFL Premiership, known as the Sports Direct Premiership for sponsorship purposes, and Irish Premiership colloquially, is a professional association football league which operates as the highest division of the Northern Ireland Football L ...

, the highest level of the

Northern Ireland Football League The Northern Ireland Football League (abbreviated to NIFL), formerly known as and still commonly referred to as the Irish League, is the national football league of Northern Ireland. The Irish League was originally formed in 1890, with the leag ...

. The club, founded in 1927 hails from

Coleraine Coleraine ( ; from , 'nook of the ferns'Flanaghan, Deirdre & Laurence; ''Irish Place Names'', page 194. Gill & Macmillan, 2002. ) is a town and Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish near the mouth of the River Bann in County Londonderry, No ...

County Londonderry County Londonderry (Ulster Scots dialects, Ulster-Scots: ''Coontie Lunnonderrie''), also known as County Derry (), is one of the six Counties of Northern Ireland, counties of Northern Ireland, one of the thirty-two Counties of Ireland, count ...

, and plays its home matches at The Showgrounds. Club colours are blue and white. The club won the Irish League title once (in 1973–74) and the

Irish Cup The Irish Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly referred to as the Irish Cup (currently known as the Clearer Water Irish Cup for sponsorship purposes) is the primary Association football, football single elimination, knockout cup compet ...

on six occasions, most recently in 2017–18. They are also the only Irish League club to have won two successive all-Ireland competitions, lifting the Blaxnit Cup in 1969 and 1970. The club share a rivalry with Ballymena United.

History

The original Coleraine Football Club was founded in June 1927 originally called Coleraine FC at a meeting in the local Orange hall. The club was formed out of a merger between two local sides: Coleraine Olympic and Coleraine Alexandra with John McCandless being one of the founders and original player / manager for the club. The original club colours were all white, hence the club's original nickname – the Lilywhites. The club secured its first trophy in the 1931–32 season, defeating Ballymena United 3–0 at

Solitude Solitude, also known as social withdrawal, is a state of seclusion or isolation, meaning lack of socialisation. Effects can be either positive or negative, depending on the situation. Short-term solitude is often valued as a time when one may wo ...

to win the Gold Cup. In 1948, Coleraine reached its first

final, going down 3–0 to Linfield. 1953 brought another appearance in the final and another defeat, again to Linfield, this time by five goals to nil. The 1950s saw the City Cup won for the first time (1953–54) and a second triumph in the Gold Cup (1958). In 1961, chairman Jack Doherty persuaded Bertie Peacock to sign for Coleraine after he left

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...

. It would prove to be one of the most important transfers in the club's history. In 1965, Coleraine won the

for the first time, defeating Glenavon 2–1 at

Windsor Park The National Football Stadium at Windsor Park (officially the Clearer Twist National Stadium at Windsor Park for sponsorship reasons), or the National Football Stadium, also known as Windsor Park is a association football, football stadium in B ...

, with goals from Shaun Dunlop and Derek Irwin. Coleraine thus gained its first experience of European football, against

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

outfit Dynamo Kiev, becoming the first football club from the United Kingdom to play behind the

Iron Curtain The Iron Curtain was the political and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. On the east side of the Iron Curtain were countries connected to the So ...

. Coleraine also won the first two Blaxnit all-Ireland cups in 1969 and 1970. Coleraine faced Kilmarnock in the 1970 Fairs Cup, and after a 1–1 draw in the first leg, the Bannsiders pulled off an historic 3–2 victory thanks to a Des Dickson hat-trick. In 1972, the

was won again, this time by beating

Portadown Portadown ( ) is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town is based on the River Bann in the north of the county, about southwest of Belfast. It is in the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council area and had a population ...

2–1, with goals from Des Dickson and Ivan Murray. The

Holy Grail The Holy Grail (, , , ) is a treasure that serves as an important motif in Arthurian literature. Various traditions describe the Holy Grail as a cup, dish, or stone with miraculous healing powers, sometimes providing eternal youth or sustenanc ...

of the Gibson Cup was finally captured in 1974. Under the management of Bertie Peacock, the squad consisting of the likes of Des Dickson, Johnny McCurdy, Ivan Murray, Michael Guy and Vince Magee clinched the title ahead of

. Bertie Peacock resigned in 1974 and Ivan Murray and Johnny McCurdy took over the reins. Murray continued as manager until 1978 and during his spell in charge the

was won twice more – both times against Linfield. In 1975, it took three games before a goal from Jim "Chang" Smith in the second replay proved decisive. The 1977 victory was more emphatic with Liam Beckett, Des Dickson, Frankie Moffatt and Michael Guy scoring to give Coleraine a 4–1 victory. It was to be the club's last major trophy for 26 years. In the 1980s there were two more cup finals, in 1982 and 1986, ending in defeats to Linfield and

Glentoran Glentoran Football Club is a professional football club based in East Belfast, Northern Ireland, that plays in the NIFL Premiership. The club was founded in 1882 and has since won more than 130 major honours. They are one of three Northern Iris ...

respectively. For three seasons in a row in the mid-1980s the club finished second in the league behind Linfield, but in the first part of the 1990s Coleraine struggled. In 1995 they dropped into the First Division. Under Kenny Shiels, Coleraine won the inaugural First Division title and in its first season back in the top flight, won the Ulster Cup and came agonisingly close to the title, being pipped late on by

Crusaders The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding ...

. After a poor start to the 1999–00 season, Shiels resigned and was replaced by Marty Quinn, who rallied the team to finish second in the league behind Linfield and reach the Irish Cup semi-finals and the Coca-Cola Cup final. The next 2 seasons saw Coleraine finish fourth both times – potential title challenges being ruined by inconsistency. In 2002–03, Coleraine ended the season in third place and reached their first Irish Cup Final since 1986. In the final, they faced

as massive underdogs as the east Belfast side were looking to complete a clean sweep of trophies. After an early strike from Gareth McAuley was harshly ruled out, Coleraine kept going and scored through Jody Tolan. Despite increasing Glentoran pressure, Coleraine held on and the trophy famine was over. The following season saw the club reach the Irish Cup final again, but this time it was Glentoran who emerged triumphant. The club's well-publicised financial problems had already overshadowed much of the 2003–04 season (despite a substantial donation from ''Cold Feet'' actor and Coleraine fan James Nesbitt) and at its end the club was forced to operate on a reduced budget, with several top players leaving. Despite this a top six finish was still achieved. The summer of 2005 saw more budget cuts and several big names leaving the Showgrounds, but this time the main concern for fans was the very future of the club. In August, the Inland Revenue filed for a winding-up order against Coleraine due to debts of £1.3 million. The Friends of Coleraine, worked tirelessly to persuade the High Court to postpone the hearing to allow them to put together a business plan to show that the club could be viably run. The club were liquidated on 9 August 2006 after they were allowed to enter administration, and a steering committee was set up to run the new club Calver Holdings Ltd. The club went on to defeat

Institute An institute is an organizational body created for a certain purpose. They are often research organisations (research institutes) created to do research on specific topics, or can also be a professional body. In some countries, institutes ca ...

to win the North West Senior Cup for the 1st time. The club were incredibly allowed to stay in the Premier League and survival was ensured on the pitch, the Friends of Coleraine formally took control of the club and appointed a new board. In 2008 the club reached the Irish Cup final, but lost 2–1 to Linfield. Manager Marty Quinn resigned after that game and his successor, former assistant David Platt, led Coleraine to a fifth-place finish in his first season in charge. On 27 March 2010, Coleraine narrowly lost on penalties against Glentoran in the final of the Co-Operative Insurance Cup. They also lost out to Linfield in the semi-finals of the Irish Cup. Despite possessing the two top goalscorers in the league, including 41 goal Rory Patterson, Coleraine could only finish the season in seventh. Despite the arrival of much-travelled English striker Leon Knight, inconsistent form throughout the first half of the 2010–11 season resulted in manager David Platt being sacked at the start of February. His replacement, Oran Kearney revitalised a struggling team and they climbed the table rapidly, again ending up seventh. An overhaul of the squad over the summer saw Kearney put his mark on the club and the improvement shown in his first four months in charge then continued, with Coleraine performing well in the league and reaching the final of the IRN-BRU League Cup. In 2012–13 Coleraine finished the season in 6th place after making the split five games previously. In the 2015–16 season, after many average seasons, the Bannsiders hit title winning form, going on a winning run with it being halted after a while by Linfield. They started to fall away after that result, being knocked out of the

by 3–1 by

and finished in 5th place and lost the Europa League Play-off by 2–1 to

. The 2016–2017 was a fairly good one for the Bannsiders with them currently sitting an impressive 3rd in the table and they also booked their place in the 2017 Irish Cup Final by beating Glenavon 2–1 to reach their first final in nine years, where they lost 3–0 to the double winners Linfield. At the start of the 2017/18 season 'The Bannsiders' made a few new signings. Josh Carson, who came from Linfield originally playing for York City and Ipswich Town, signed for Coleraine as well as Aaron Traynor and Stephen O'Donnell from Warrenpoint Town and Institute respectively. They started their pre-season off well by beating Bangor City 3–1. They were then defeated in the Europa League first round qualifier by Haugesund from Norway. During the 2017/18 season, the Bannsiders went on an amazing run, losing once only to Linfield in the

, finally finishing in second place, two points behind Crusaders. Although Coleraine did not attain the title, a sixth Irish Cup triumph was secured when they defeated Cliftonville in the final of that competition in May, thanks to the heroics of starlet Aaron Burns. Oran Kearney left the club to take over at SPFL Premiership side St. Mirren in September 2018, and was replaced by Dungannon Swifts manager Rodney McAree, who guided Coleraine to a sixth-place finish and an Irish Cup semi-final. Following a failure to win the Europa League playoffs, McAree was sacked on 10 May 2019, having only been in charge for eight months. Kearney departed St. Mirren via mutual agreement to rejoin Coleraine as manager on 3 July 2019, citing family reasons as the main reason for leaving the Scottish side. Kearney settled back into his role as manager of Coleraine for a second spell. The summer transfer window of 19/20 caused some controversy with Kearney selling star striker Jamie McGonigle to Crusaders for £50,000, while Aaron Burns was also allowed to leave for free. Despite losing two key players, Coleraine started the season well, recording notable victories over reigning Champions and runners ups, Linfield and Ballymena respectively. With the club involved in a five way title race, the club opted to bolster their squad in the January window with the signing of Nixon from Carrick Rangers. In February 2020, Coleraine beat Crusaders 2–1 in the Bet McLean League Cup final to win the first major trophy of the season, with another two still up for grabs. Coleraine were second four points behind Linfield and in an Irish Cup semi-final until the season was stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Coleraine still qualified for the 2020

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...

Qualifiers and were drawn against Slovenian champions NK Maribor, who played the likes of Chelsea and Sevilla in the

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...

a few years previous. Despite being massive underdogs, Coleraine won the game on penalties, sending them through to the second qualifying round, having defeated La Fiorita in the round previous to Maribor. The Bannsiders were drawn at home to SPFL Premiership side Motherwell and having been 2–0 down at half time, brought the game back to 2-2 and managed to hold 10-man Motherwell off until penalties, but the Scottish side progressed through thanks to goalkeeper Trevor Carson's heroics in the penalty shootout. In the 2020–21 season, Coleraine once again demonstrated their competitive edge by securing a commendable second place in the

. The following season saw them make a notable run to the League Cup final, narrowly missing out on the trophy. Despite facing stiff competition, they maintained a solid sixth-place finish in the 2021-22 league campaign, reflecting their consistency on the pitch. Oran Kearney's side continued to perform steadily in the 2022–23 season, securing another sixth-placed finish in the league. Their appearance in another League Cup final highlighted their ongoing commitment to success, further solidifying their standing in Northern Irish football.

European record

Overview

Matches

UEFA ranking

Current squad

On loan

Non-playing staff

Source: *President: Hugh Wade *Honorary Vice President: Frankie Moffatt, Hunter McClelland, Nevin Oliver *Chairman: Henry Ross *Vice Chairman: Raymond Smyth *Club Secretary: Laura Lagan *Sporting Director: vacant *Assistant Head Coach: vacant *Goalkeeping Coach: Michael Doherty *Head of Performance: Junior Mendes *Club Doctor: Dr Peter Reid *Kit Manager: Darrell Coyles *Physiotherapists: Alan Millar & Ciaran Ferris *Senior Academy Director: Ollie Mullan *Junior Academy Director: David Platt *Women's Manager: Gareth Scott

Managerial history

* Dean Shiels (1 Jun 2024 – 30 Apr 2025) * Oran Kearney ''(2nd Spell)'' (3 Jul 2019 – 1 Jun 2024) * Rodney McAree (14 Sep 2018 – 10 May 2019) * Oran Kearney (8 Feb 2011 – 6 Sep 2018)A New History of Coleraine Football Club 1927-2018 * Aidy McLaughlin ''(interim)'' (30 Jan 2011 – 5 Feb 2011) * David Platt (27 Jun 2008 – 1 Feb 2011) * Marty Quinn (6 Nov 1999 – 3 May 2008) * Tony Curley/Wes Lamont ''(interim)'' (23 Oct 1999 – 30 Oct 1999) * Kenny Shiels (26 Dec 1994 – 16 Oct 1999) * Felix Healy (9 Oct 1993 – 3 Dec 1994) * Tony Curley ''(interim)'' (10 Dec 1994 – 17 Dec 1994) * Billy Silnclair (5 Dec 1992 – 2 Oct 1993) *David Keery ''(interim)'' (31 Oct 1992 – 28 Nov 1992) *Colin O'Neill (27 Jul 1992 – 24 Oct 1992) * Victor Hunter ''(interim)'' (18 Feb 1992/ – 25 Apr 1992) * Iam McFaul (17 Aug 1990 – 23 Jan 1992) * Frankie Moffatt ''(interim)'' (14 Apr 1990 – 28 Apr 1990) * Jim Platt (18 Aug 1984 – 6 Apr 1990) *Tony Curley (15 Jan 1983 – 24 Apr 1984) * Des Dickson (30 Jul 1981 – 8 Jan 1983) * Victor Hunter (28 Jul 78 – 20 Apr 1981) *Ivan Murray (10 Aug 1974 – 29 Apr 1975) *Ivan Murray/Johnny McCurdy (11 Aug 1975 – 22 Apr 1978) * Bertie Peacock (5 Aug 1961 – 9 May 1974) *Kevin Doherty (18 Aug 1956 – 29 Apr 1961) * Peter McKennan (21 Aug 1954 – 18 May 1956) *Vacant (16 Jan 1954 – 14 May 1954) * Willie Buchan (15 Aug 1953 – 9 Jan 1954) *Vacant (14 March 1950 – 13 May 1953) * Arthur Milne (19 Aug 1950 – 7 March 1953) *Vacant (21 Jan 1950 – 19 May 1950) *Albert Mitchell (3 Dec 1949 – 14 Jan 1950) * Isaac McDowell (21 Sep 1946 – 4 Sep 1948) *Davie Reid (24 Aug 1946 – 3 Sep 1946) *Sammy Walker (18 Aug 1945 – 1 Jun 1946) *

Ben Clarke Ben Clarke (born 15 April 1968), is a former England back-row international rugby union player. Biography Educated at Bishop's Stortford College, Clarke played for Bath Rugby from 1992 to 1996, before joining Richmond F.C. as the first £1 ...

(23 Dec 1939 – 13 Apr 1940) *Vacant (2 Dec 1939 – 16 Dec 1939) *Frank Green (19 Aug 1939 – 29 Nov 1939) *Tommy Edwards (20 Aug 1938 – 29 Apr 1939) *Vacant (15 Aug 1936 – 30 Apr 1938) * John McCandless Jack McCandless ''(2nd Spell)'' (17 Aug 1935 – 25 Apr 1936) * Johnny Scraggs (18 Aug 1934 – 27 Apr 1935) * Willie McStay (25 Nov 1933 – 2 May 1934) *Vacant (21 Aug 1933 – 18 Nov 1933) * John McCandless Jack McCandless (20 Aug 1927 – 4 May 1933)

Honours

Senior honours

* Irish League: 1 ** 1973–74 *

: 6 ** 1964–65, 1971–72, 1974–75, 1976–77, 2002–03, 2017–18 * Northern Ireland Football League Cup: 2 ** 1987–88, 2019–20 * City Cup: 2 ** 1953–54, 1968–69 * Gold Cup: 4 ** 1931–32, 1958–59, 1969–70, 1975–76 * Ulster Cup: 8 ** 1965–66, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1972–73, 1975–76, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1996–97 * Top Four Cup ** 1968–69 * North West Senior Cup: 23 **1952–53†, 1954–55, 1955–56, 1957–58 (shared), 1958–59, 1960–61, 1964–65, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1969–70, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1991–92, 1994–95, 2001–02, 2003–04, 2005–06, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2012–13, 2024-25 * Irish League First Division: 1 **1995–96 * Blaxnit Cup: 2 ** 1968–69, 1969–70 * Irish News Cup: 1 ** 1995–96 † Won by Coleraine Reserves

Intermediate honours

Irish Intermediate Cup The Irish Intermediate Cup is a Northern Irish football competition for teams of intermediate status, including NIFL Premiership reserve sides. It is a straight knock-out tournament and is currently sponsored by McCombs Coach Travel. The cu ...

: 2 **1964–65†, 1968–69† * George Wilson Cup: 4 **1954–55†, 1985–86†, 1991–92†, 1995–96† * Craig Memorial Cup: 3 **1984–85†, 1986–87†, 2013–14† * NIFL Premiership Development League: 1 **2023-24† † Won by Coleraine Reserves

Allegations of sectarianism

The club has long been associated with the Protestant /

loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cr ...

side of the community and in 2024 the club was reported to the IFA league for playing sectarian songs in their social club. An investigation suggested fans were also chanting anti-Catholic slogans. In 2022 it was reported that Coleraine supporters had teamed up with an English football hooligan firm to provoke violence ahead of a game against the predominantly Catholic supporters of

Cliftonville Cliftonville is a coastal area of Margate in the Thanet District, Thanet district of Kent, England. It includes the Palm Bay, UK, Palm Bay estate, built in the 1930s with wide avenues and detached and semi-detached houses with driveways, gar ...

club.

References

External links

Official Website

{{Authority control Association football clubs in Northern Ireland Association football clubs established in 1927 Sport in Coleraine NIFL Premiership clubs Association football clubs in County Londonderry 1927 establishments in Northern Ireland