Ireland's OLDEST football club facing MODERN struggles
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ม.ค. 2025
- Cliftonville Football Club in Belfast are the oldest football club on the island of Ireland.
I visited their stadium, Solitude, to find out more about their incredible history and what the future holds for this Northern Ireland Premiership club. Like many clubs in Ireland, their stadium infrastructure needs updating but the costs are too high.
#football #ireland #soccer
What can be done to help clubs like Cliftonville improve their facilities?
It's incredible that there is a worse government than the tory one in london, but the lazy ^*&&$&^ in Belfast somehow have managed it. If they showed up to work that could help.
Private investment. Stormont is a shambles.
F**K THEM SU*M HAHAHAHA Sam please do your research better lol
Sky Sports/BT Sports football blackout on a Saturday and Sunday
Government or council support, they need to see that investment in Stadia and Facilities will bring massive returns in bigger attendances and tax revenue, don't know if you've heard but there are football tourists out there 😉😂
Brilliant video Sam. What a lovely man he was giving us all a look behind the scenes at Cliftonville and all the history behind it all. Superb
F**k Cliftonville pure dirt
Love all the different clubs
Love cliftonville
Nice hearing that from a Ranger-Fan👍!
@@SdH76zhEU 👍🤝
Sam I am the son of a Belfast native now living in Bristol and have always considered my self mainly Irish.I have followed both club football and the national Northen Irish team for over 60 years going back to the World Cup side of 1958 and my heroes like Danny Blanchflower and his brother Jackie,Jimmy Mcilroy, Peter Mcparland'Harry Gregg.My schoolboy ambition was to play for Northern Ireland and have had a playing career of 50 years in amateur football from schoolboy to senior teams here in Bristol and in the RAF, and in Australia and New Zealand. etc.My dad had the Belfast Telegraph sent over every week and I read all the reports.For no real reason I made Glenavon my team, at the time in the 50s and 60s they were quite successful. I watch the Irish League Games on Sky and listen to the National team on the radio
Including last nights loss to Finland. Keep up the great work Sam.
Michael Bell
This man’s enthusiasm for Cliftonville is incredible, he had so much knowledge! Great video Sam. I love to learn more about different leagues in the UK, here in England you don’t hear about much outside of the Premier League and maybe the Championship.
Cliftonville die hard here glad you enjoyed the history of this great club 🍀⚪🔴🇮🇪
Excellent video. I just loved the Cliftonville official's enthusiasm for his club and Irish football in general.PLUS, his knowledge of local history, simply amazing.😀
Love it when you speak to someone with such incredible knowledge
Me too... David certainly knows his stuff!
@Footy Adventures perfect timing as well was just looking into the history of Cliftonville after your video with them in.
What a great channel. I’m from the Republic and knew very little about this club. Great to see the stadium tours 👍
Went to Belfast last season for Bel Classico at the Oval and Cliftonville v Coleraine. Fans of both clubs were so kind and welcoming and both are fantastic stadiums. I hope Stormont can get their arses in gear and give them the money they need to improve and maintain these fantastic old stadiums
You 100% need to get down to the Bohs vs Rovers game in Dalymount next month. The stadium has had some work done on it since you were last there and the team are progressing well on and off the pitch this season. Would be interesting to see a video similar to this with Bohs also being one of the oldest teams in Ireland.
Really enjoy your content. Great to see you plugging football in Ireland. There's a steady upswing in the level of support in the LOI. Look forward to seeing you down here.
Your Northern Ireland videos have been brilliant Sam. From a Coleraine / Rangers fan 💙🤍❤️🤍💙⚽
Thanks Marc! Last one for a while, but I'll be back soon
Really interesting video! Solitude is the only ground I've ever visited in NI - I went there for a preseason friendly with my team (Bradford City) in 1993. Sat in the main stand and had a good chat with some of the locals. Really friendly fans. Didn't know too much about the history of the club, so it's good to find out from this video. Top work as always!
Brilliant feature Sam on such a historic and landmark Irish club. What a wonderful host and personal tour guide that Cliftonville official was. So knowledgeable and passionate about his club and an all-round nice fella.
Without people like Dave, football would be nothing, very impressive individual. Outstanding video Sam…👏👏👍
What a great vid, and a absolutely superb man who gave a fascinating history of the club
Hi Sam, another great video. Live the history in all this. My game is Aussie rules but love these type of videos that explain history of your football away from the big, commercialised leagues. Well done. Mark from Melbourne.
Dave is a star!! I love the way he gently and positively navigated his way through the question around the Troubles and that football helped bring people together.
I never realized how Stormont was getting in the way either.
Great to see Ollie's Blades shirt in pride of place. Up the Reds/Up the Blades. ⚔️
Ian Layton Don't know about that they are divisions in football/soccer up there too for example the national teams.Both communities do play it though whereas GAA and Rugby are more on sectarian lines.
Great video Sam, again. To be honest, every team needs a Dave, what a lovely geeza!
What a kind man your host is. It was a very interesting tour, your Northern Ireland videos are really amazing.
Wow what a spokesman for a club , the passion he has is brilliant .....
Amazing to have a visit at the club that once brought football to the island of Ireland. By the way, the badge of Cliftonville looks quite similar to German 4th tier side Rot-Weiß Oberhausen who are sometimes nicknamed 'die Kleeblätter' ('the clovers').
Another interesting video, not just for us who are the supporters of the NIFL, but to all who love the game.
Hope you enjoyed your stay in Belfast Sam and we all look forward to seeing you return to Northern Ireland soon.
A very informative interview with the gentleman from CFC plus a home dinger of a derby match with Crusaders v Cliftonville and the great atmosphere of the League Cup Final with the Coleraine and Linfield support turning out in their numbers (if only we could get those crowds every week).
Let's hope it's not another decade before we see money coming to the league, maybe the Glens will even be able to afford the away support the luxury of toilets.
Love to see content about Cliftonville. I'm a Celtic fan and always had a deep connection not only to them but also Cliftonville.
But there is no connection lol you soap dodger 🤣
@@ulsterisbritishf.g.a.u48 come on… who the F uses soap these days… it’s all fancy Dan shower gels. Sooo it should be u shower gel dodger. Come on get your head into modern times. Aye Ulster is British and so is Celtic and Arbroath or Queens par. But these fans are all using shower gel not F in soap.
Really enjoyable video Sam - only ever see that old ground from the away stand over many years. Great history explained by a lovely bloke. Looked like you had a cracking few days in and around Belfast 👏🏻👏🏻👍🏻💙
Fabulously fascinating vid. I'm off to explore more of the Cliftonville FC history.
Superb video Sam, thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish, learned so much from it - helped in no little way by the knowldege and enthusiasm shown by the club's COO (Dave ?) ... Big thumbs up !
I am totally sad to hear one of my favourites Cliftonville struggling with the modern world of football but hopefully,they would prevail in the end,good friends!!!LONG LIVE,CLIFTONVILLE!!!🏋♂️🏋♂️🏋♂️🏋♂️🏋♂️🏋♂️🏋♂️🏋♂️🏋♂️🏋♂️🏋♂️🏋♂️🏋♂️🏋♂️🏋♂️🏋♂️🏋♂️🏋♂️🏋♂️🏋♂️
Great video Sam, as always. Loving these Northern Ireland videos 😊
As a football loving Geordie with grandparents from Newry & a wife born in Limavady, these videos are fascinating 🙌
Love the CEO's informative history and his enthusiasm. I learnt alot on this video on Cliftonville.
Coo not ceo
I love these Northern Ireland videos. How many more do you have to do?
So archaic and friendly! Lovely interview!
In my opinion, your best video yet. Great work Sam
Great video and good (at times) to not shy away from certain questions. Makes it all the more informative.
Once again thank you for the video. Absolutely fantastic.
Solitude is named after an old hunting lodge called Solitude that used used to stand right in the middle of the upper Waterworks resevoir. It was named Solitude obviously because when it was built in the 18th century there was nothing else near it. Built long before Belfast grew rapidly into a city. Most of North Belfast was a deer hunting park until Victorian times where lodges were built here and there for the rich landowners to move into during hunting season.
That's a great videoblog!!! One of the best I've seen. Great stuff!!!
Sam! Great content again, you're definitely brave going out there.
Thanks Sam, Pal. Great video. Everyday is a school day.
Love the content. Really interesting learning about Scottish and Irish clubs. Keep it coming Sam
Absolutely love these vids Sam! Your extensive knowledge, along with with key club personnel, is so captivating. Thanks Sam!!
Another good interview with Clifton ville !! Digging deep in history
Superb - really enjoyed that. I remember going to Solitude during the 60s to watch the Glens play the Reds when they were amateurs. I still remember them beating us 3-0 at the Oval which was totally unexpected! Great memories from the past.
Brilliant video..... Cliftonville are a great club, my team in NI is Crusaders but I have a lot of time for Cliftonville.
Great to hear Queens Park getting mentioned too.....
I did an older club challenge a couple of years ago, went to Solitude, Hampden and The Rock, home of Wales oldest club Cefn Druids.
Irish Prem is great to watch. . . Hard but fair and loads of friendly folks at the grounds
Top video
One of my personal football challenges is to get round all the league grounds in ROI & NI. Hope to be spending a good bit of my summer over there some time soon.
Didn't think any of the videos on this trip would top when you visited the Oval last visit to NI. However this was a great episode. A lot of history to take in, and a good advertisement for the local game.
Great video and one of your best, and it's a high bar!
what a fantastic video and what a great man to take you around the club
this was an extremely interesting video. thank you
NICE ONE LOVE YOUR VIDEOS WELL DONE.👍... FROM SCOTLAND.🏴
Cheers Allan!!!
Nice video go raibh maith agat for sharing. Bohemian FC fan.🔴⚫️ Might visit Belfast an go to a match soon.🍀
Loved this episode
Class Sam keep them coming
Great video. The thing I miss most about home, and the place I miss most at home.
Brilliant video Sam. Really interesting. David was fantastic too. A natural in front of camera 👍
Thanks for sharing. Investment needs to be made in Northern Ireland / Ireland and Scotland for many clubs just to survive. We don't get a look in it's all about the EPL! Disgusting amounts of money that these clubs get & it's killing the actual game. Our SFA & government are hopeless on so many levels but needs addressing asap before it's too late .Celtic fan 🍀
Great video 👏
Great tour of all things Cliftonville 👌 Well done
Great video and what a lovely man, true football fan. Bohs till I die
This has tobe one of best video you have done very interesting
I love how you go to all the less glamorous locations and tell the stories of the grass-roots teams.
Best intro space ever on this channel
great story mate cheers from Tasmania
My Grandas from Silverstream in Belfast and use to sell apples and Dulse outside the ground on matchdays at Cliftonville, he also had an uncle who was a board member back in the 50s i think so ive got some ties to em and always try to watch em when their on bbc 🇮🇪🔥
Fabulous my brother 💙👍🏻⚽
Cheers mate!
such a good channel. I'd much rather watch videos about these smaller clubs with rich history than any of the big boys!
Also whilst your in Ireland and the season is still going, would love to hear your take on a gaelic football match. Particular the 'Cursed' Mayo 👀
What a top bloke. Great video
What a nice man, so full of enthusiasm
Great video Sam
Love your content mate some of best stuff going
I was in Edinburgh for a trip with my Aussie misses when I came back to Liverpool for holiday from Aus I was like let’s go watch hibbs v Kilmarnock while we up visiting Edinburgh 🤣🤣 ticked that ground off the list
You should go to a Northern Ireland national team match. The atmosphere is amazing
Could do with looking at Belfast Celtic and what happened there. Top club in the region was nationalist but the loyalists couldn't stomach it so they invaded the pitch and broke BC's top striker's leg.
I love your videos. I am Bray Wanderers fan but I have a special place in my heart for Cliftonville. I might add that you dealt with the issue of sectarianism without an sensationalism.
Also live in that Street thanks for coming
Another grand video on the island, still waiting for ya to visit Waterford FC lad 😉🍀
If he did will he visit Kilcohan Park Waterford FC old ground or the RSC
@@charles5553 One would hope so, or even to visit Ozier Park? or perhaps a visit to Kilkenny's abandoned Buckley Park stadium? craic aplenty to be had.
I wish people in The Irish countries Scotland and wales would support the fantastic little community clubs they already have instead of glory hunting to the old firm or English clubs, fair enough support an English club but how often will you see them live ? So why not go down and support your own local clubs too, like in Scotland in nearly every town and city it’s heavily ons firm supported instead of their local clubs hence why even some decent clubs with some history struggle for support. Wales they obviously either glory hunt for big English clubs or support the welsh teams playing in England but even then why not also give your support to a local team in the Welsh leagues too ?
By what I see off Sam’s videos visiting our neighbours they are fantastic clubs up and down their leagues who need and deserve the support, surely if your Welsh, Scottish or Irish you’d rather grow your own game and see better investment and interest in your home leagues than another countries especially a country you see as a rival in a lot of cases ?
Grew up an airdrie supporter and completely agree with you. Pretty much everyone in my school supported rangers as a child, and pretty much everyone in neighbouring Coatbridge supported Celtic. The old firm just hoovers everyone up unfortunately
Its Projected that league of ireland clubs will play host to a million patrons in all competition,to put that into context thats 20% of the population.Which is well up there with gaelic football 1.2million probably ,Hurling 900 000 and rugby about the same.The Average attendance would be much lower being from 400 games whereas hurling and rugby only about 70 games ,but still 20% of the population
@@gallowglass2630 that suggests to me that there are too many football teams in Ireland
Amazing video
Thanks Conor
Hi Sam . Just wondering what app do you use to edit your videos ? Thanks
loved what he said about having a drink with the players after the game. its why i love non league. i support a championship team but i wish the english system wasnt so big. its too much about money and i hate it more by the day
i love leagues like in Northern ireland, ireland etc
Scotland too? This channel is mainly about Scottish football so hopefully you like that too :)
@@hmu05366 ofc. I have Scottish family who support hearts and I've been to see them play a few times! Love the Scottish League
excellent video
Seeing as you're on the island are you coming down to watch the Louth derby tonight between Drogheda and Dundalk in Drogheda? 👀
The reds went up and they won the Irish cup
Cliftonville played an FA Cup tie at Leek in the 19th Century.
Are you going to be doing the ground hop 2023 tomorrow Sam for east of Scotland leagues?
Brilliant. Proper football
Are you going to the Well game at the weekend?
"Supporting a team on TV is not the same..." If everyone in Ireland (North and Republic) had that attitued they would have better quality football leagues as more money would be being put into it, and Liverpool and United's home games would be half empty! 😂
Sam, if you want to do a good historic video, don't forget the famous Belfast Celtic.
Played there many times in the early 90s - changing in The White House. Can confirm the plunge bath was still there at that time, although not regularly used!
love this stuff
I’ve play on this pitch before a long time again
That man made me want to try to use this team on Football Manager
Win Cliftonville the Champions League and I'm sure they'll have you over for a match!
@@FootyAdventures I won the Champions League twice in 2043 and 2046 so far
Are you going to visit Ballymena United?
R u gonna go to the irish cup final
In regards to NIFL or the FAI the likes of sky sports destroyed the game outside of England if Scotland didn't have the old firm, Hibs or Hearts Scotland would be in the same shape
Need increased capacity/main stand redevelopment ---> Need funding ---> Need government
A really interesting interview! A great advert for football in Norn Iron.
Ah, Ireland and Scotland, 2 countries that share so much, they claim they gave us whisky, but we did it better. We claim they gave us sectarianism, we also do that better 🤣We gave them football, and we are all happy 🙂 Thanks for the video Sam, I really enjoy watching and you create a bond with all football fans 👍
Cliftonville used to be a great club I remember in the 60s going to Schools Cup Finals, Irish Cup Semi- Finals, County Antrim Shield Finals. Then when Distillery FC moved to outside Lisburn, a lot of their "Republican Fans" decided to support Cliftonville. In the 70s onwards going there was a nightmare police escort in Police escort out, they still have a Republican fan base but most show up when they play Linfield, Glentoran, and Crusaders, the actual stand there I believe used to be at The Oval.
I play for cliftonville Academy
You would like Bangor fc they’re third division in Irish league and it’s free entry