NEWS

Ballymena United supporters are being promised cheaper football, exclusive rewards and a smoother matchday experience after the club officially launched season tickets for the 2026/27 campaign with prices frozen across every category. In a move likely to be welcomed by fans facing continued cost-of-living pressures, the club confirmed there will be no increase in season ticket prices ahead of the new NIFL Premiership season, while introducing a new ticketing platform and a pa

Well done girls: L-R: Jenna McErlain, Dayah Doherty. Willow Currie, Isabel McErlean, Rebekah Rice, Cassie Evans, Maisie Hamill, and Anna Rose Caskey. Eight young gymnasts from Toome are preparing to take centre stage on the national level after qualifying to represent Northern Ireland at the National Finals in London later this year. The athletes from Elite Gymnastics Academy secured their places following a series of strong performances throughout the British Gymnastics-back

Patrick Grasso, former Belfast Giants forward and 3ICE USA roster member. Belfast is set to welcome a major international ice hockey spectacle next month after the full player rosters for the inaugural 3ICE World Cup were officially confirmed. The two-day tournament, arriving at the home of the Belfast Giants on Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 July 2026, will bring together former NHL players, Elite League stars, international prospects, and Stanley Cup-winning coaches in what organi

Ballymena United supporters will begin the new season with a completely new way to buy tickets after the club announced a fresh three-year partnership with ticketing platform TicketCo ahead of the 2026/27 campaign. The deal will see the Championship side introduce a new integrated ticketing system designed to simplify how fans purchase season tickets and matchday admission, with the platform going live immediately as season ticket sales open this week. The move marks one of t

Northern Ireland is preparing for one of its biggest weeks of youth sport of the year after the full fixture list for the 2026 Budget Energy SuperCupNI was officially unveiled — bringing Manchester United, Liverpool, Rangers, Celtic, Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland back to pitches across the north this summer. More than 1,200 young players from across Europe, North America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East will descend on the Causeway Coast and Glens, Mid and East Antrim, an

Neil Coleman (left) pictured with Ballymena United FC Chairman Chris Selwood Ballymena United FC has announced the appointment of experienced football communications specialist Neil Coleman as the club’s new Director of Communications and Marketing ahead of the 2026/2027 season. The appointment sees Coleman join the Sky Blues’ senior management structure with responsibility for overseeing the club’s communications strategy, media relations, digital platforms and wider brand d

Children at Ski Ability NI – a Craigavon-based charity that provides ski instruction on a dry ski slope for children with additional needs. The charity benefitted from Fibrus funding in 2025. Northern Ireland broadband provider Fibrus has launched a new £50,000 funding programme aimed at helping grassroots sports clubs across Northern Ireland secure vital equipment, improve facilities and expand opportunities for young people. Now entering its fourth year, the Fibrus Play it

Communities Minister Gordon Lyons pictured with Bryan O’Donnell, President, Cricket Ireland and Sarah Keane, Chief Executive Officer, Cricket Ireland at day one of the Ireland v New Zealand test match at Stormont. Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has said the future of cricket in Northern Ireland is “bright” as Belfast hosted a major international test match between Ireland and New Zealand at Stormont. The match marks only the second ever men’s test hosted at the famous east

Ballymena boxer Ella McDonald A Ballymena woman who only started boxing in her mid-twenties is preparing to make her professional debut next month after an extraordinary rise through the amateur ranks that has already seen her claim major titles, win international medals and train alongside some of the best fighters in Ireland. At just 28 years old, Ella McDonald will step into the professional game for the first time at Belfast’s Waterfront Hall on June 26 — a moment she onc

Winning: Boxing talent Kain Stewart from Ballymena A brother and sister from Ballymena have returned from the WKO European Championships with multiple European titles after producing a series of dominant performances against some of the continent’s top young fighters. Lacey Stewart and her younger brother Kain Stewart — already rapidly rising names in local combat sports — travelled to Barnsley representing Cuchulainn Combat Sports under Ballymena MMA figure Alan “Super Ali”

Pictured (L-R) Cullybackey Blues committee member Ryan O’Neill with TUV Braid Alderman Stewart McDonald Cullybackey Blues marked a major night for the club and the wider village community on Wednesday as new upgraded floodlights at the club’s pitch were officially welcomed alongside confirmation of the team’s automatic promotion to the Bsml Division 2. The improvements are expected to allow the club to continue training locally throughout the darker winter months while streng

Planning permission has been approved for a major new sports and community hub at Roger Casement GAC following a meeting of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s Planning Committee at The Braid in Ballymena last week. The development at Gortgole Road will include a multi-purpose pavilion, floodlit 4G playing field, play park, spectator terraces, additional car parking, landscaping, fencing and associated site works. The proposal also includes a new access onto Lovers Lane and

Planning image of proposed new National Football Centre near Galgorm A major new National Football Centre proposed for a 50-acre site near Galgorm and Cullybackey is already generating strong local debate, with residents raising concerns over how the large-scale development could transform the surrounding rural area. The proposed Irish Football Association (IFA) complex, submitted to Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, would include six football pitches, spectator stands, fl

A growing basketball club in Ballymena is making a fresh push to bring more girls into the sport as it looks to build future league teams and expand opportunities for young players across the area. Ballymena Basketball Juniors, which currently competes in the BNI Junior League, says it already has a strong group of girls attending weekly training sessions — but hopes more young players will now come forward as the club works towards arranging friendly matches and eventually e

Former world boxing champion Carl Frampton In major new BBC documentary Carl Frampton: On Probation Former world boxing champion Carl Frampton has been granted unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to Northern Ireland’s probation system in a major new BBC documentary series exploring crime, rehabilitation and the difficult reality of preventing reoffending. The six-part series, Carl Frampton: On Probation, marks the first time television cameras have been allowed such extens

One year after finishing second from bottom, Ballymena Norstar U13s have completed one of the most dramatic turnarounds in local youth sport by becoming Inline Hockey Ireland League Champions for 2026 — without losing a single match all season. The young Ballymena side sealed the title after a tense final-day showdown against the Dublin Flying Ducks in front of a packed crowd in Portadown, capping an unbeaten campaign that has turned the team into one of the standout success

Main pitch at Ballymena Showgrounds Mid and East Antrim Borough Council is seeking planning approval for the next phase of redevelopment at Ballymena Showgrounds — including replacing the stadium’s existing natural grass surface with a new full-size 3G/hybrid pitch system. The application, submitted for the council-owned venue on St Patrick’s Link, relates to the main arena at the home of Ballymena United F.C.. It comes just months after the council’s Planning Committee appro

Mr Stephen Black One of Northern Ireland’s best-known school principals is set to leave his post at Ballymena Academy later this year after accepting a new position within the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU). Mr Stephen Black will step down as Principal of Ballymena Academy on 31 August 2026, bringing to an end a 12-year leadership period which saw the school maintain strong academic performance while further developing its sporting and co-curricular reputation. The announc

Aaron Hughes backed the launch and is pictured with Ryan Lemon, Regional Manager for Marks & Spencer Northern Ireland, and Reuben, Daisie and Olivia Lemon. M&S Food has teamed up with Panini and the Irish FA to launch an exclusive Northern Ireland football sticker collection celebrating the country’s senior men’s and women’s teams — giving young fans across Northern Ireland the chance to collect local football heroes this summer. The limited-edition collection features 50 sti

Two young Ballymena footballers are preparing to take on some of the biggest names in world youth football after being selected for the 2026 County Antrim SuperCupNI squad ahead of this summer’s tournament. Charlie O’Neill and Jack Orr have both secured places in the County Antrim Boys Junior panel, giving local football fans another strong Ballymena connection to one of Northern Ireland’s most prestigious sporting events. The announcement comes as organisers confirmed broadb