Derry v Antrim: Saffrons on the long road to closing gap in Ulster

The drop-off in Belfast is an issue when it comes to Antrim’s future.

In December 2024, the county launched a new five-year strategic plan, addressing a range of issues including player retention and development.

At present, there are 51 clubs in Antrim, comprising of approximately 20,000 members of which 15,000 are players, but when it’s considered the population of west Belfast alone is over 100,000, there is potential for much more.

Since St Gall’s record-breaking run of of eight county titles in a row ended in 2014, the Padraig MacNamee Cup has been in Belfast just once when Cunningham’s Lamh Dhearg triumphed in 2017.

“There is a question of participation levels, but the standard of underage football in Belfast is quite poor and there’s no point dressing it up,” Cunningham insists.

“Aside from St Brigid’s and St Paul’s who can compete at U16 and minor level because of the numbers they have, the rest – and I include my own club – are scrapping to get teams out on the pitch.”

No school from within the county plays in the Ulster Colleges MacRory Cup and exposure to top-level competition at a young age is one area Cunningham, a teacher at St Mary’s CBGS, feels is vital to raising standards which will feed into county teams.

“There is no school competing at colleges’ ‘A’ football apart from St Louis [Ballymena] in Year Nine.

“If the Gaelfast, Belfast city combined team is harnessed correctly over a number of years, there is something in that, but it requires buy-in.

“They’ve piloted it this year with Year Nine and Year 12, but does that continue into Year 10 next year? It needs to be continued with the same panel or else by the time they get to Year 12, you’re back to square one as it takes time for a squad to gel.

“It needs to be piloted from Year Eight right through to Year 14 to see how it goes.”