The Northern Ireland men's national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. From 1882 to 1950, all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association (IFA). In 1921, the jurisdiction of the IFA was reduced to Northern Ireland following the secession of clubs in the soon-to-be Irish Free State, although its team remained the national team for all of Ireland until 1950, and used the name Ireland until the 1970s. The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) organises the separate Republic of Ireland national football team.
Ballymena United Football Club is a semi-professional football club from Northern Ireland. Based in Ballymena, County Antrim, the team competes in the Irish Premiership and plays home matches at the Ballymena Showgrounds. The club has been managed by former captain Jim Ervin since 2023.
Cliftonville Football & Athletic Club is a professional association football club playing in the Irish League Premiership – the top division of the Irish League football. The club was founded in September 1879 by John McAlery in the suburb of Cliftonville in north Belfast and are the founders of football in Ireland.
Crusaders Football Club is a professional Northern Irish football club playing in the Irish Premiership, the highest level of the Irish League (NIFL). The club, founded in 1898, is based in north Belfast and plays its home matches at Seaview.
Glenn Ferguson is a Northern Irish former football player and manager.
Andy Ward is a New Zealand-born former rugby union player, who played flanker professionally for Ulster and internationally for Ireland.
Colin Coates is a semi-professional footballer from Northern Ireland who plays as a defender for Ballymena United.
Robert James Shields was a professional footballer who played at centre forward for Southampton in the late 1950s, as well as for the Northern Ireland national football team.
Billy Caskey is a retired professional soccer midfielder from Northern Ireland. He played in the Irish Football League, Football League, North American Soccer League and Major Indoor Soccer League. He also earned seven caps, scoring one goal, with the Northern Ireland national football team between 1978 and 1982.
Martin Donnelly is a retired Northern Irish footballer born in Belfast who played as a winger.
Robert "Roy" Rea was a Northern Ireland international footballer who played in the Irish League as a goalkeeper with Glenavon and Glentoran. He won one 'B' cap, and four amateur caps for Northern Ireland and thirteen inter-league caps for the Irish League in the 1950s.
Walter Bruce was a Northern Irish footballer who played in the Irish League as an inside forward with Glentoran. He won two caps for Northern Ireland and eight inter-league caps for the Irish League.
Sammy Hatton was a Northern Irish footballer who played in the Irish League as a centre-half with Linfield in the 1960s. He won two international caps for Northern Ireland. He also played for the Northern Ireland amateur team and earned one cap for the Irish League representative side.
Billy McAvoy was a Northern Irish footballer who played in the Irish League as an inside-right with Ards in the 1960s and 1970s. McAvoy won one international cap for the Northern Ireland under-23 team. He also played for the Northern Ireland amateur team and earned one cap for the Irish League representative side.
The North Belfast derby is the name given to association football matches between Cliftonville and Crusaders who play in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The two are separated by around 1.5 miles with Cliftonville based at Solitude on Cliftonville Road and Crusaders at Seaview on the Shore Road.
William McCauley Humphries, known as Billy Humphries, was a Northern Irish footballer who played as a winger. He played in the Irish League with Glentoran and Ards, and in England with Leeds United, Coventry City and Swansea Town in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. He won 14 international cap for Northern Ireland. He also won three amateur caps for Northern Ireland and twelves caps for the Irish League representative team.
Peter Rafferty is a retired Northern Irish footballer who played in the Irish League with Distillery, Linfield, Ards and Crusaders in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. He won 1 international cap for Northern Ireland. He also won two caps for the Irish League representative team.
Stuart McCloskey is a professional rugby union player from Northern Ireland, who plays as a centre for United Rugby Championship club Ulster and the Ireland national team.
Julie Elizabeth Nelson is an association football defender from Northern Ireland who plays for Crusaders Strikers. She represents Northern Ireland nationally as the record cap player.
Gavin Whyte is a Northern Irish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL League One club Portsmouth and the Northern Ireland national team.
