About Ballymena FC

Ballymena Football Club was an early Irish football club based in Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It was formed in 1928 by local businessmen with the aim of bringing senior football to the town. The club quickly joined the Irish League and played its home matches at the Ballymena Showgrounds, establishing itself as a new competitor in top-level Northern Irish football.

The club had an impressive start to its existence, achieving immediate success in competitive football. In its debut season, Ballymena FC won the Irish Cup, a remarkable achievement for a newly formed team. In the following years, it remained competitive in the league and reached several more cup finals, building a strong early reputation in domestic football.

However, the club’s existence was short-lived. In the early 1930s, it became involved in controversy over financial irregularities related to player payments, which led to an investigation and eventual suspension by the Irish Football Association. By 1934, Ballymena FC was dissolved and later replaced in the league by a newly formed club, Ballymena United, which continued the town’s football tradition.