Sport in Northern Ireland

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Sport in Northern Ireland plays an important role in the lives of many Northern Irish people. A range of sports are organised for representation of Northern Ireland as its own identity, including association football, netball, snooker, billiards, dodgeball, darts, cricket and at the Commonwealth Games. [1] It is also common for teams to be organised on an all-Ireland basis, including rugby union, Gaelic games, basketball, rugby league and hockey.

Contents

A mural for the Northern Ireland national team in Sandy Row Our Wee Country - Sandy Row's Homage to the Northern Ireland Football Team. - geograph.org.uk - 2955894.jpg
A mural for the Northern Ireland national team in Sandy Row

The three most popular spectator sports in Northern Ireland are association football with 10%, Gaelic football with 8% and rugby union with 6%. [2] According to the 2024/25 Continuous Household Survey for sports and athletic participation, walking and hiking is by far the most popular physical activity. Walking for recreation remains the primary way over 65% of the population stays active. Gym and fitness sits at 16-18%. [3] [4]

The sport with the majority populous sports teams is football. There are over 1,000 active football teams across Northern Ireland, ranging from professional clubs to local amateur and youth sides. [5] There are an abundant amount of leagues varying at different levels.

As Northern Ireland is a constituent nation of the United Kingdom, it sends a Northern Ireland Team to the Commonwealth Games. [6] At the Olympic Games, a person from Northern Ireland can choose to represent either Ireland or Great Britain. [7]

Association football

Football is one of the most popular sports in Northern Ireland. The Irish Football Association (IFA) is the organising body for football (soccer) in Northern Ireland, and was historically the governing body for the whole of the island. The IFA sits on the International Football Association Board, which is responsible for the laws of the game.

The top three divisions are the NIFL Premiership, NIFL Championship and NIFL Premier Intermediate League. This then splits off into the three intermediate/ amateur football divisions, the Northern Amateur League, Ballymena & Provincial Football League and the Mid-Ulster Football League. [8]

The Down Area Winter Football League is an amateur league established in 1974 that runs throughout winter. [9]

The Northern Ireland Women's Football Association (NIWFA) is the IFA's women's football arm. It runs a Women's Cup, Women's League and the Northern Ireland women's national football team.

George Best is widely considered one of the greatest players of all time, and by-far the best player from Northern Ireland. [10] [11] [12] He won the Ballon d'Or in 1968 and the European Cup with Manchester United. [13] [14]

Many football fans in Northern Ireland prefer to support teams from England such as Manchester United and Liverpool and teams from Scotland such as Celtic and Rangers.

Domestic competitions

The domestic league is the IFA Premiership. Some of the major teams include Linfield F.C., Glentoran F.C., Cliftonville F.C., Ballymena United F.C. and Crusaders F.C. Linfield is one of the most successful teams in the world domestically. [15] Derry City FC is based in Northern Ireland but plays in the Republic of Ireland's league.

The Milk Cup is a successful international youth tournament held annually in Northern Ireland, in which clubs and national teams from anywhere in the world may compete. Northern Ireland also played host to the 2005 UEFA Under-19 European Championships.

The Setanta Sports Cup was set up by its sponsors, television channel Setanta Ireland. It was an all-island tournament, featuring twelve teams, six from the League of Ireland and six from the Irish League. The competetion folded in 2014. A successor competition was established in 2019 known as the Unite the Union Champions Cup, but folded after the Covid-19 Pandemic. [16] As on 2026, there is no active men's all-island cup competition. There is a Women's All-Island Cup competition founded in 2023 known as the Avenir Sports Women's All-Island Cup. [17]

Northern Ireland national team

The Northern Ireland national football team have had World Cup success. The 1958 World Cup was their best-ever run, when they reached the quarter-finals of the tournament in Sweden. [18] This made Northern Ireland the least populous country to reach a World Cup quarter-final, a record held until 2018. [19] [20]

In the 1982 World Cup, Northern Ireland reached the second round when they famously put out hosts Spain after a 1-0 victory in Valencia with a goal from Gerry Armstrong. [21] [22]

In October 1985, for the 1986 World Cup qualification, during the latter stages of qualification, they traveled to face Romania in Bucharest. Despite a relentless Romanian attack, Northern Ireland secured a historic 1–0 victory thanks to a 29th-minute goal from Jimmy Quinn and superb goalkeeping from Pat Jennings. This was a must-win match for Northern Ireland. The decider, the following month, was at Wembley, when they played England held them to a draw to ensure qualification. [23] [24]

The 1986 World Cup marked a historic achievement in Northern Ireland history, when manager Billy Bingham led Northern Ireland to two consecutive World Cup's for the first time. Bingham also played in the 1958 World Cup. [25] [26]

Northern Ireland supporters are known for their passionate and electric atmosphere. [27] [28] [29] They often accrue a large travelling fanbase, and are referred to as the teams "12th man" at their home ground Windsor Park. [30] They are known as the "Green & White Army".

Northern Ireland have won the British Home Championship title 8 times, including 5 shared titles, and winning the final tournament in 1984. [31]

Northern Ireland supporters at Euro 2016 Uefa euro 2016 parc des princes Paris Walles-Northern Ireland (27287524403).jpg
Northern Ireland supporters at Euro 2016

Northern Ireland qualified for the UEFA Euro 2016 in France, marking the team's debut in the European Championship They famously defeated Ukraine 2–0 in the group stage and reached the round of 16. [32] [33]

The women's Northern Ireland team qualified for the UEFA Women's Euro 2022, marking the women's team's first-ever major tournament. [34]

Most of the players come from the English or Scottish leagues although occasional appearances of Irish League players have been known.

Rugby union

Rugby union is a very popular team sport played in Ireland. The sport is organised on an all-Ireland basis with one team, governing body and league for both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

The Irish Rugby Football Union is the governing body for rugby union in Ireland. The IRFU is divided into four branches which represent the four provinces of Ireland: Ulster, Munster, Leinster and Connacht.

Competitions

Irish provinces compete in the United Rugby Championship, against Welsh regions, Italian cities, Scottish super-districts, and South African regions. Through performance in the URC, the four Irish provinces qualify to compete in the European Rugby Champions Cup and the EPCR Challenge Cup.

Competitions have taken place since the late 19th century with the modern day Inter-provincial Championship between Munster, Leinster, Ulster and Connacht first contested in 1920.

Another focus for the domestic game in Ireland is the All-Ireland League, which started in 1990. For the 2022–23 season, there will be 5 divisions.

The All-Ireland national team

The Ireland national team are considered by the IRB to be in the first tier.

Ireland contest the Millennium Trophy with England as part of the Six Nations Championship.

Every four years the British and Irish Lions go on tour with players from Ireland as well as England, Scotland and Wales.

Snooker

Snooker is one of the most popular and historically significant sports in Northern Ireland. [35] The Northern Ireland Billiards and Snooker Association (NIBSA) is the national governing body, recognized by Sport NI. NIBSA oversees the amateur game, including the Northern Ireland Amateur Championship, which has been contested since 1927. The association is affiliated with the World Snooker Federation and the European Billiards and Snooker Association. [36]

Mural of Alex Higgins at the Royal Bar, Belfast IMG 088 i 088.jpg
Mural of Alex Higgins at the Royal Bar, Belfast

Northern Ireland's golden era for snooker legends occurred in the 70's and 80's when Alex "The Hurricane" Higgins and Dennis Taylor, from Belfast and Coalisland respectively, are Snooker World Champions. Higgins is a two-time Snooker World Champion, winning it in 1972 and 1982. [37] Taylor won the world championship in 1985, when he won it in a historic final known as the black-ball final, beating Steve Davis, watched by a record 18.5 million viewers in the UK. [38]

Mark Allen, a 2018 Masters Champion and 2022 UK Champion, was the first player from Northern Ireland to be ranked as Snooker's world number one following the 2023/24 season. [39]

The Northern Ireland Open is an annual professional ranking snooker tournament as part of the four-event Home Nations Series. It was established in 2016 and is typically held at the Waterfront Hall, Belfast. The inaugural tournament was held at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, and the winner was Mark King. [40]

Billiards

Northern Ireland typically competes as a national team in international billiards. They compete against England, Ireland and Austria in the prestigious Four Nations International. [41] In the 2025 Four Nations Billiards International, held in Hillsborough, County Down, Northern Ireland's national team achieved silver medals. [42]

8-ball pool

Ronan McCarthy, from County Down, won the 2022 WEPF World Pool Championship for the first time in his 40-year career. [43]

In 2023, the Northern Ireland pool team won two titles at the International Rules World Pool Championships in Morocco. [44]

The 8-ball pool Northern Ireland men's team won the 2024 World Eightball Pool Federation World Team Championship

At the 2025 IEPF World Championships ne of the most successful in the Northern Ireland's cue sports history. Emma Cunningham won her fourth world singles title by defeating France's Collette Henriksen 8–6 in the final. This victory came exactly 20 years after her first world title in 2005. [45]

The Northern Ireland women's team, that are nicknamed 'The Nordies' won the World Women's Team Champions. This came after trailing 3–0 and 4–1 in the final against France, they won seven consecutive frames to win 8–4. [46]

Ashleigh Dinsmore and Roisin Smith claimed the world doubles title by defeating England's Sophie Gibbs-Nicholls and Leanne Cragg 7–5 in the final.

Gary Clarke from Ballymena won the World Masters title, continuing Northern Ireland's World Master streak, with previous winners being Ronan McCarthy and Declan Brennan.

Rhys McLaughlin won the U-18's Masters championship. [47]

Horse racing

Horse racing is a popular spectator sport in Northern Ireland. There are two horse racing courses in the country, Down Royal and Downpatrick Racecourse.

Down Royal, located in Lisburn, is the premier racecourse and hosts the Grade 1 Champion Chase. [48] Horse racing at Down Royal originated in 1685 under a Royal Charter granted by King James II, who founded the Down Royal Corporation of Horse Breeders to oversee the sport. [49] [50] [51] The most prestigious flat race in Northern Ireland is held at the venue, called the Ulster Derby. The race is a Premier Handicap for three-year-olds run over a distance of approximately one and a half miles. It was previously held at the Maze Racecourse up until it's closure in the late 1990s. [52]

Northern Ireland has produced a number of the most successful figures in the sport, most notably jockey Sir A.P. McCoy, who recorded a record-breaking 4,357 career wins and was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2010. [53] [54] This marked him the first jockey to win the award. [55] [56]

Northern Ireland is recognised as a significant, high-quality producer within the world-leading Irish thoroughbred breeding industry. [57] Ulster has a rich tradition of producing top-tier national hunt horses, including winners of the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Gold Cup winning horses include Native River, Imperial Commander and Bellshill. [58]

Gaelic games

Gaelic games include Gaelic football, hurling, and Gaelic handball.

Governing body

Gaelic games in the North are controlled by the Ulster Provincial Board, which covers all nine counties of Ulster.

Competitions

Every footballer or hurler plays for a local club, with the best players being selected for county panels. Each county has its own county championship, with the winners going on to play in the Ulster Senior Club Football Championship or Ulster Senior Club Hurling Championship. Crossmaglen Rangers are currently the most successful football club in the North.

The county teams play in pre-season competitions, such as the National Football League, which serves as preparation for the Ulster Senior Football Championship and All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. The hurling equivalents are the National Hurling League, Ulster Senior Hurling Championship and All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship. In recent years, the most successful football teams from the North have been Tyrone GAA and Armagh GAA. Hurling teams from have found it difficult to make an impact against the top counties from the South, with Antrim GAA the most successful.

County players may be selected for the Ulster provincial side to play in the Railway Cup. The team has won the Interprovincial Football Championship 32 times, but has never won the Interprovincial Hurling Championship. At international level, footballers can play for the Ireland International Rules football team against the best Australian Rules football players from Australia. Hurlers playing in the lower divisions of the All-Ireland Championship are eligible to play against the best shinty players from Scotland in composite rules shinty-hurling.

Cricket

Ireland compete against Essex at Castle Avenue. Ireland compete against Essex at Castle Avenue, Dublin, 13 May 2007, Friends Provident Trophy - 100 1795 (2).jpg
Ireland compete against Essex at Castle Avenue.

Cricket in Northern Ireland was a minority sport until the early 21st century, but has since increased in popularity. [59] The Northern Ireland national cricket team is a representative team for the nation. They competed at the 1998 Commonwealth Games, were they started the tournament against eventual winners South Africa. [60] The Northern Ireland cricket team recorded a historic victory over Bangladesh, winning by 114 runs. [61] [62]

The organisation known as the Northern Cricket Union oversees cricket in Belfast, as well as counties Antrim, Down, and parts of Armagh. The North West Cricket Union covers counties Londonderry, Tyrone, and Fermanagh. [63] Stormont (Civil Service Cricket Club) is used as a primary international venue for Irish cricket home games. [64] [65]

The Irish Cricket Team, which represents both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, [66] qualified for the Cricket World Cup in 2007 and 2011. Cricket has been played in Northern Ireland since the early 19th century and games against Scotland (a match which has first-class status) have been played annually since 1909.[ citation needed ] As of 2024, Dublin-born batsman Ed Joyce was a part of Ireland's ICC Trophy team and a member of the Middlesex side in England's County Championship; he captained the county in 2004. Interest in Irish cricket was also generated by the national team's unexpected victory over West Indies in 1969; they did it again in June 2004.

The sport is organised on an all-island basis and is overseen by the Cricket Ireland, founded in its present incarnation in 1923. Ireland has entered some domestic English tournaments since the early 1980s, but becoming an Associate Member of the International Cricket Council in 1993 paved the way for participation in international competition, and the 2005 ICC Trophy was hosted by Ireland. The Irish finished second in the tournament, beaten by Scotland. Ireland co-hosted the Cricket World Cup in 1999. Dublin also hosted one game of the 1999 World Cup. The 2007 World Cup, which was held in the West Indies, was a successful tournament for the Irish Cricket team. Having qualified for the first time for the tournament, Ireland entered the arena with much to gain.[ citation needed ] Ireland tied the match with Test Cricket playing team Zimbabwe and shocked Pakistan by defeating them on St. Patrick's Day. Ireland qualified for the super 8 and recorded some good results, including a win against Bangladesh. Ireland were granted ODI status and now they appear in the ODI ranking table. In June 2007, Ireland played ODI matches against India and South Africa. [67]

International cricketer, Thinus Fourie Thinus kry 'n paaltjie.jpg
International cricketer, Thinus Fourie

Ireland went on to win the 2009 ICC World Cup Qualifier, securing their place in the 2011 Cricket World Cup and ODI status for the next four years. At the World Cup, they made history by beating a heavily favoured England in pool play with the largest successful run chase in World Cup history, led by the fastest century in World Cup history from Kevin O'Brien. [68]

On 22 June 2017, Ireland was awarded Test status following a five-year fight, becoming the eleventh team to have Test status. [69] Ireland's first Test match was at home to Pakistan in May 2018, losing by 5 wickets after being forced to follow on. [70] After a tour to Afghanistan, Ireland faced England in a four-day Test match at Lord's in July 2019, bowling England out for 85 before losing by 143 runs. [71] Ireland's second innings, in which they were bowled out for 38 in 15.4 overs, was the lowest completed innings in the history of Lord's. [72]

In November 2019, the Irish cricket team qualified for the 2020 T20 World Cup, to be held in Australia. [73]

Motorsport

Northern Ireland is known as being a centre for motorcycle road racing, staging International and Irish National races. [74] [75]

Two international races, the North West 200 and the Ulster Grand Prix, were previously held in Northern Ireland. [76] However, due to financing and sponsorship issues affecting the Ulster Grand Prix, the future of the meeting continues to remain open to question, with the last running of the event occurring in 2019. [77] [78] [79] Consequently, as of 2024, only the North West 200 features on the International Road Racing calendar. [80]

Irish National meetings comprise the Cookstown 100 and the Armoy Road Races. [81] [82] [83] Formerly the calendar also included the Tandragee 100, [84] the Enniskillen Road Races and the Mid-Antrim 150. [85]

Road racer Joey Dunlop was voted as Northern Ireland's greatest ever sportsperson in a Belfast Telegraph poll, ahead of footballer George Best. During his career, Dunlop took five consecutive Formula I World Championships, 26 Isle of Man TTs, 13 wins at the North West 200 and 24 victories at the Ulster GP, and attracted support from both the Protestant and Catholic communities. [86] In addition, his brother Robert and nephews Michael and William have also been successful road racers, with all three taking multiple wins at the North West 200 and Ulster GP and Robert and Michael also taking several TT victories. [87]

Other notable road racers from the province include Phillip McCallen, who took 11 TT wins, including four in one week in 1996, five wins out of six races at the 1992 North West 200, five wins on one day at the 1996 Ulster GP, as well as the Macau Grand Prix, [88] and Ryan Farquhar, another multiple winner at the TT, North West 200 and Ulster GP, who took a total of 384 wins during his career. [89]

On the track, Jonathan Rea broke records in the World Superbike Championship in 2018, when he became the first rider to win four consecutive Superbike world titles. He also holds the records for most wins and most podiums in the championship. [90] One of Rea's main rivals in Superbikes has been fellow Ulsterman Eugene Laverty. [91] In Grand Prix racing, Belfast native Ralph Bryans was 50cc World Champion in 1965, becoming the only Irish rider to win a Grand Prix world title: he also took ten Grand Prix wins across his career. [92]

On four wheels, Northern Ireland's most notable Formula One drivers are John Watson, who took five Grand Prix wins in the 1970s and 1980s and finished third in the 1982 Formula One season, and Eddie Irvine, who took four wins for Ferrari on the way to second place in the 1999 Formula One season. In touring car racing, Colin Turkington is a four time British Touring Car Champion, having won titles in 2009, 2014, 2018 and 2019, and has also been a race winner in the World Touring Car Championship. [93] [94] [95] In rallying, the province's most notable names are Paddy Hopkirk, who won several events in international rallying in the 1960s in his Mini Cooper S, including the Monte Carlo Rally, the Alpine Rally and the Acropolis Rally, [96] and Kris Meeke, who has taken multiple rally wins in the World Rally Championship. [97]

Golf

Golf is a very popular sport in Northern Ireland. Golfers from Northern Ireland enjoyed great success especially in the 2010s. Between 2010 and 2015 Graeme McDowell, Darren Clarke and Rory McIlroy won 25% of the titles in Major Championships.

Golf is a primary driver of tourism in Northern Ireland. In 2025, golf tourism revenue was estimated to exceed £100 million, with Royal Portrush and Royal County Down which are frequently ranked the #1 course in the world by Golf Digest. [98]

The Northern Ireland Golf Open is a professional golf tournament currently played on the Challenge Tour. [99] It is held at Galgorm Castle. In 2025, the NI Open seen a record-attendance of 22,000 spectators, with 20% of them being from outside of Northern Ireland. [100]

The Northern Ireland Legends Open is a premier event on the Legends Tour held at Galgorm Castle. [101] [102]

Basketball

For more international exposure, athletes from Northern Ireland have joined forces with Ireland and represent the Island of Ireland together as its own national team. The governing body of all basketball activities in the country is Basketball Northern Ireland. [103]

Ice hockey

The Belfast Giants have competed in the Elite Ice Hockey League since the 2000–01 season and are the sole Northern Irish team in the league. The team's roster has featured Northern Irish born players such as Mark Morrison and Graeme Walton. [104]

Geraldine Heaney, an Olympic gold medalist and one of the first women inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame, competed internationally for Canada but was born in Northern Ireland. [105]

Owen Nolan is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player born in Northern Ireland. He was drafted 1st overall in the 1990 NHL Draft by the Quebec Nordiques. [106]

Boxing

Boxing is a popular sport in Northern Ireland. Prominent Northern Irish boxers include Carl Frampton, Ryan Burnett, Wayne McCullough and Paddy Barnes, among others .

Darts

In 2025, Northern Ireland secured its first-ever Darts World Cup championship title in June 2025 at the 2025 PDC World Cup of Darts. The duo of Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney defeated Wales (Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton) 10–9 in a dramatic final in Frankfurt. [107] [108]

The Darts Northern Ireland Open is an annual tournament held at Bellini's in Newry. [109] It is organized by the World Darts Federation. [110] It has been running since 2003, with the inaugural winner being Gary Anderson of the senior men's tournament. A women's, boys and girls tournament also takes place. Fred McMullan from Bushmills has the most wins. [111]

Volleyball

Volleyball in Northern Ireland is a growing indoor and beach sport governed by Northern Ireland Volleyball. [112] It's league system dates back to the 1970's. The NIVA is a member of the International Volleyball Federation and the European Volleyball Confederation. [113] It is also a member of the CEV Small Countries Association and a home nation member of the British Volleyball Federation. [114] [115]

The Northern Ireland Women's National Volleyball Team debuted in 1983 at the West European Spring Cup. [116] They recorded a historical result in 1989 when they secured silver at the British Isles Volleyball Championship.

The Northern Ireland Men's National Volleyball Team was formed in 1976. Their greatest achievement was winning the Gold Medal at the British Isles Championship in 1989, hosted in Belfast. They have also secured silver medals in 1991, and 2002, and bronze in 2000 and 2004 in the regional Small Countries competitions. In 2024, the men's team reached the final of the CEV European Small Nations division. [117]

The domestic league is known as the Northern Ireland Volleyball League for men and women. Teams include Craigavon Aztecs, Queen's University Belfast, Ulster University, Aztecs Eagles and Ballymoney Blaze. [118] Ulster University and Ballymoney Blaze have represented Northern Ireland in European competition. [119] There are also junior leagues and a schools league. [120]

Beach volleyball

A vibrant beach scene exists with regular tournaments held at Portrush East Strand and other coastal locations. [121]

In 2025, Ballymoney Blaze earned the right to represent Northern Ireland at the European Beach Club Championship. [122]

Dodgeball

National teams and success

The national dodgeball team is known as the Northern Ireland Knights. The Northern Ireland Knights are a top-tier nation in the European Dodgeball Federation and the World Dodgeball Federation. [123] The Northern Ireland Dodgeball Association manages the national teams. As on 2026, the Northern Ireland Men's team are ranked #1 in Europe (EDF) and #6 in the World (WDBF). [124] [125] In mixed cloth, they are ranked #1 in Europe. The women's team are ranked #4 in Europe.

In 2016, Northern Ireland competed in the inaugural Dodgeball World Cup in Manchester. [126]

At the 2018 Dodgeball World Cup held in New York, Northern Ireland achieved a Bronze Medal at Madison Square Garden, finishing 3rd in the world after defeating several larger nations. [127] [128]

At the 2023 Dodgeball European Championships held in Osijek, Croatia, Northern Ireland dethroned long-time champions Austria to win the tournament. [129]

At the 2025 European Championships in Limerick, the Northern Ireland Knights achieved a historic "Double Gold," winning both the Men’s Cloth and Mixed Cloth European titles. The Northern Ireland Knights beat the England Lions 17-13 in the Mixed Cloth final. [130] [131]

Domestic leagues

Dodgeball in Northern Ireland is integrated into the British Dodgeball framework, which operates a dedicated Northern Irish league pyramid. [132] The Northern Irish Super League is the top division of Dodgeball in the country and is split into sperate men's and women's leagues. [133] Matches are primarily held at Queen's University Belfast. [134]

The top three teams in the league represent Northern Ireland at the British Championships.

Ballyhackamore have been the dominant team in the men's and women's leagues. In 2025, the Ballyhackamore Barbarians, and the Ballyhackamore Amazons won their respective leagues to make it a double. [135]

Other successful domestic teams include the Queen's Aces and Kapow Belfast, who play their games at the Belvoir Activity Centre. [136]

Professional wrestling

In 2003, independent wrestlers formed Ulster Championship Wrestling (UCW). This was Northern Ireland's first wrestling promotion. Due to a number of problems, UCW folded in 2007. Also in 2007, Pro Wrestling Ulster (PWU) formed. They bought out UCW and began their own wrestling promotion. Pro Wrestling Ulster hosts IPPV's and events in Northern Ireland showcasing local, national and former WWE talent. PWU folded in 2019. [137]

A new promotion and wrestling school Titanic Wrestling started up in April 2019. It is owned by local wrestler JDP.[ citation needed ] Former WWE NXT UK star Tucker takes training sessions in Titanic's school The Yard. [138]

The most notable wrestler from Northern Ireland is Fit Finlay, a former WWE United States Champion, WCW Hardcore Champion and WCW World Television Champion from Carrickfergus. [139] The Finlay family is the most recognizable wrestling family from the whole island. [140] Finlay's father, Dave Finlay Sr., a holder of an MBE and former wrestler, established a wrestling club in Greenisland in 1968, and remained a coach at the establishment until 2023. [141] [142] [143] It remains an active wrestling club. Fit Finlay's two son's are also professional wrestlers, David and Brogan Finlay. [144] [145]

Netball

Northern Ireland Warriors

The Northern Ireland national netball team is known as the Northern Ireland Warriors. [146] The governing body, Northern Ireland Netball was established in the early 1950s. It is a member of Europe Netball and World Netball. [147]

The Northern Ireland Warriors as of February 2026, are ranked 12th in the world in the World Netball Rankings. They have consistently maintained a top-12 position over the last decade. [148]

They have qualified and thus appeared in 12 Netball World Cups. Their best-ever finish was 7th place in 1983. they have consistently secured top-10 finishes since 2019.

They debuted in the Commonwealth Games in 2014. Since then, the NI Warriors have qualified for four successive Games, including Glasgow 2026. [149] They qualified for the 2026 tournament when they achieved being ranked #1 in the World Netball World Ranking's in September 2025. [150] [151]

The NI Warriors are two-time winners of the Singapore Nations Cup, in 2009 and 2015. [152] [153] They have also achieved silver in the Netball Europe Open, in 2012 and 2017. [154]

In 2024, the NI Warriors won the Europe Netball Open Challenge, being the UAE in the final. [155]

Domestic leagues

Northern Ireland's top domestic division is known as the Netball Northern Ireland Premier League. [156] Local teams includes Belfast Ladies, Donaghadee, Larkfield and Crumlin. There are also NNI school leagues and junior leagues. [157]

Student sport

Universities in Northern Ireland participate in sport through both Student Sport Ireland (SSI) and British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS). [158] [159] [160]

See also

References

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