Newington Youth Club F.C.

Newington Youth Club

Full name	Newington Youth Club Football Club
Nickname(s)	The 'Ton, The Swans
Founded	1979 (as Jubilee Olympic)
Ground	Skegoneill Avenue, Belfast
League	Northern Amateur League
2008/09	1st (Premier Division)

Newington Youth Club Football Club (also known as Newington Youth Club, Newington Y.C. or simply Newington) is a Northern Irish football club originating in the Newington area of Belfast, although playing its home matches in recent years at Muckamore, Antrim, and playing in the Premier Division of the Northern Amateur Football League. In 2008, the club became involved in a partnership with IFA Premiership club Crusaders, with a view to securing funding for a new, shared ground in north Belfast. As part of the arrangement, Newington used Crusaders’ current ground Seaview for home matches in 2008/09, marking a return to home matches in the club’s native north Belfast. The club will use Brantwood's Skegoneill Avenue ground for 2009/10.

History

The club was formed in north Belfast as Jubilee Olympic Football Club in 1979 and joined the Dunmurry League in 1980. The club changed its name to Newington Youth Club in 1986, won its first trophy – the Breen Cup – in 1987, became the dominant team in the Dunmurry League for the next few seasons, and in 1990/91 became the first Dunmurry League team to win the County Antrim Junior Shield.

The club joined the Northern Amateur League in 1994, entering in Division 2C, and winning five trophies, including the 2C championship in their first season. Next season saw them win Division 2B to gain promotion to the top junior division of the Amateur League.

The greatest achievement to date came on 1 May 1997 when the club won the Irish Junior Cup – the biggest prize in junior football – defeating Fermanagh team Lisbellaw United in the final.

A Division 2A title followed and soon the club was elevated to intermediate status, gaining a place in Division 1B in 2000, which it won in its first season, followed by the Division 1A title in 2001/02. Newington’s facilities at its Antrim ground, Muckamore Park, however, did not meet the required standards to gain promotion to the Amateur League Premier Division.

In 2004/05, Newington reached the quarter-finals of the Steel & Sons Cup, which qualified them for their first senior competition: the County Antrim Shield; and their first match against senior opposition: a 0-2 defeat at Lisburn Distillery. At the end of the season, the club finished runners-up in Division 1A, but recent improvements to Muckamore Park meant that this time promotion to the Premier Division was achieved.

In 2005/06, only eleven years after joining the League in its lowest division, Newington won the Amateur League title and the Border Cup at the first time of asking. This season also saw the club reach the quarter-finals of the Irish Cup, where they lost out to Larne. In 2007/08, the club reached the semi-finals of the Irish Intermediate Cup, and in 2008/09 won the Amateur League title for the second time.

Honours

Intermediate honours

• Northern Amateur League: 4
  • 2005/06, 2008/09, 2009/10, 2010/11
• Border Cup: 1
  • 2005/06

Junior honours

• Irish Junior Cup: 1
  • 1996/97
• County Antrim Junior Shield: 1
  • 1990/91

Sources

• Newington Football Club, And if you know your history..., http://www.newingtonyc.co.uk/history.html. Accessed on 14-05-09.

External links

• Newington Youth Club Official Club website
• nifootball.co.uk - (For fixtures, results and tables of all Northern Ireland amateur football leagues)