Shankill United Predators Football Club is a women's association football club based in Belfast, Northern Ireland and play at Hammer Park. They were founded in the 1990s as Predators F.C. and have undergone a number of name changes since foundation. They currently play in the Women's Championship after being relegated from the Women's Premier League in 2014.
| Full name | Shankill United Predators Football Club |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1990's (as Predators F.C.) |
| Ground | Hammer Park, Belfast |
| League | Women's Championship |
History
editPredators F.C. was founded in the 1990s by Sandy Shaw after becoming a coach. Realizing that the club could have an advantage by affiliating with established men's clubs, she negotiated a partnership with Lisburn Distillery F.C. for Predators to become their women's team.[1] The team was renamed Lisburn Distillery Predators as a result. Between 1999 and 2002, Lisburn Distillery Predators won the NIWFA Premier League three times and also became the first Northern Irish team to play in the UEFA Women's Cup.[1] In 2006, the partnership with Lisburn Distillery was ended and the club were renamed Newbridge Predators.[2][3] During this time, they left Lisburn and moved to Hammer Park in Belfast.[4]
In 2013, Newbridge Predators finished bottom of the Women's Premier League.[5] However they were not relegated as Fermanagh Mallards were ejected from the league by the Northern Ireland Women's Football Association due to failing to fulfil league fixtures negating a need for relegation.[6] In 2014, Newbridge Predators became affiliated with Shankill United F.C. and were renamed as Shankill United Predators.[7][8][9] During this season, they were relegated from the Women's Premier League for the first time after finishing 7th and lost the promotion/relegation play-off against Sion Swifts 6-1 on aggregate.[9]
References
edit- ^ a b "Football Development Focus!". Irish Football Association. 15 October 2013. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
- ^ "St Colm's claim first ever girls league title". Belfast Telegraph (archived at HighBeam). Archived from the original on 29 March 2015. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
- ^ "Northern Ireland (Women) 2007". Rsssf. 26 June 2008. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
- ^ "Newbridge Predators WFC" (in German). Fussball statistiken. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
- ^ "Newbridge Predators". UEFA. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
- ^ McWilliams, Nikki (24 July 2013). "Newbridge Predators in hunt for points after Fermanagh Mallards exit". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
- ^ "Shankill Predators" (in Polish). Meczyki.pl. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
- ^ "Northern Ireland (Women) 2013". Rsssf. 12 November 2014. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
- ^ a b "Northern Ireland (Women) 2014". Rsssf. 12 November 2014. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
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