Charities to benefit from defunct Crumlin club

EIGHT charities are to share in a now defunct Crumlin football club’s £12,000 funds.

Committee members of Crumlin Rec which was formed over 100 years ago handed out the funds recently to a variety of charities such as Helping Hand, Northern Ireland Attention Deficit Disorder, Tiny Life, Huntington Disease Association, Diabetic UK NI, Macmillan Cancer, Free Wheelers and NI Chest Heart and Stroke Association.

The committee came to the agonising decision to fold as the struggling club felt they lacked support, players stopped turning up for important matches, the club moved to Division 2C in the Amateur League and when they advertised for a new manager and no-one replied the sorry decision was made.

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The club had many accomplishments throughout its 100 year old history. Michael Wright, who later played for Nottingham Forest, and Colin Gill a goal keeper who played for Swindon Town, were just a few of their most distinguished players.

The club was also runner up in the Division 2A in the Belfast Amateur League for two seasons.

However, over the past few years the club had been struggling. Recently, its home ground at Crumlin Memorial Park had to make way for a new play park, and when only seven players turned up at the Fiddler’s Inn for a friendly match with Roe Rovers committee members knew the club had little future.

A spokesperson for the club, called it a sad day for the community.

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“The club has had a long history in Crumlin and had been going for over 100 years,” a spokesperson said.

“We had a committee of nine people and after a meeting we just decided to fold. We simply just could not go on any longer.

“It was definitely a very sad day for club members and committee but we had a vote and it was agreed that it would fold. We could see no other way out.

“It was done with much regret to come to that decision. However, we wanted to leave on a positive note and so every committee member decided on choosing a charity each at least they would benefit.”

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The club, were once in the Ballymena League as well as the Lisburn League for a few seasons. In 1963 they were in the Belfast Amateur League, where they played in Division 2A and were runners up for two seasons.

The committee had hoped at one stage to purchase or lease a piece of land in Crumlin for a pitch for the players but the deal unfortunately fell through.

As recently as 2010/2011 they had 22 players and even hoped to form a youth team.

Some of the managers that the club saw in its time include Billy Yarr, Dawn Kelly, Darren McKnight, Jim Park, Jimmy Taggart, Gary Flaherty and Kevin Leneghan.

The committee thank all those who supported the club, including the owners of the Fiddler’s Inn..