Ballymena United Football CLUB NEWS

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Corporate Lunch Dates 2024/25

The ever popular corporate lunches are back with 3 dates for the 24/25 season!

Get in touch to secure your table in what’s always a superb day out at the Showgrounds!

Dungannon 14th December 

Portadown 22nd February

Min of 8 per table - £400

£50 per additional person up to 10

Contact Alan Francey - 07402 521070

Sammy Bonnes has been absent from the winners list recently but in the week of his birthday he celebrated with a Major winner on his agency in Broughshane .The £50  Major winner was Linda Megaughin (A6143) and this is her first win on Sports Bond. She has been a member for just over a year brought on by Direct canvassing. Congratulations to Linda and belated birthday greetings to Sammy. 

Our other £50 Major winner this week was Trevor McCullough (B9679) of Knockeen.Trevor has been a long time member of Sports Bond bur surprisingly this is his First Major win having had a couple of minor winners. All good things come to the patient. We'll done Trevor. 

A few weeks ago  Sports Bond agent in Cloughmills Robert Logan enrolled his daughter Alesha as a Sports Bond member and this week Alesha Logan (A1844 ) had her First win on Sports Bond with a £10 Minor win.Hope there are more to come for you Alesha. At the Diamond Bar in Ahoghill there was a First win also for proprietor Andy Millar (A6069) who was another £10 Minor winner 

However for Tom Mills (A8465) it was his third £10 Minor win in under a year on the agency of Tommy Patterson. 

No Jackpot was won with the numbers 3 13 14 15 and so the Jackpot is £250 for this week.

Join Sports Bond now on 07831 803970. This week we have a new member with Joe McAuley from Cargan who reads the report every week and always wanted to join .Now he has and we wish him well.

Best wishes to Sports Bond agent Karen Rainey who fractured her ankle supporting Ballymena United. Karen was leaving Shamrock park with her son Paul when she was crossing an embankment she slipped on an empty coke bottle and fell doing damage to her ankle. She didn't realise she had a fracture until she went to Accident and Emergency on Sunday. Not to be deterred she had a Moon boot fitted and was back to work and back at the Showgrounds on Saturday. 

Now Abufeira in Portugal seems to have become the holiday destination oh Sports Bond Agents. Patricia Thompson was there in June while last week Sports Bond agent Margaret Downey and daughter Hannah were there and also there was Sports Bond agent Alex Beverland.

Congratulations to Sports Bond member Sandra Lynn who celebrates a significant Birthday on Thursday October 10th.Now we don't know should we mention it but the big balloon attached to her chair at the Corporate dinner did say 75 !!!.

Birthday wishes to Barbara Gillespie, Pearl Fleming and Liz ONeill who all celebrated their birthday recently. 

Best wishes to Veronica Kidd and Jennifer Magill who are improving after short stays in Hospital. 

Also we extend Sympathy to Sports Bond agent Reid McAuley on the recent passing of his uncle Sammy McAuley. 

Two winners on Saturday against Loughgall. The opening goal scored by Ben Kennedy was recorded as 25 minutes ( 24 minutes 41 seconds).William Kirkpatrick of Maghera was a winner. Now William attends matches with his good friend Robert Rainey. At the Cliftonville match it was Robert who won the First Score and now William has matched his friend and won £50.It was a good day for William as his Daughter Stephanie Pearson won Third prize in the Grand Sports Draw and he also met up with his old friend  Alfie Stewart who was Guest speaker at the Corporate dinner. 

The other winner was Ballymena United supporter Rhonda Clarke who had a 25 minute card ,Rhonda also collected £50 prize money Next First Score will be at Solitude on Tuesday evening. At Mourneview on Saturday First Score will be offered bonus of £25.if there is no claim for the First Score at Shamrock park then a bonus of £25 will be offered at Crusaders on October 26th.

Sam Nicholson was the winner of the Grand Sports Draw First prize which was a trip to Newcastle United for two people. Uniquely Sam Nicolson is the Chairman of Loughgall football club. Loughgall had supported Ballymena United by taking a table at the Corporate dinner. Sam purchased a book of tickets before the Draw took place at half time.He was president  the Boardroom as tradition is that the visiting Chairman is asked to partake in the Draw. Ballymena United Chairman Chris Selwood undertook the First draw and drew the winning ticket belonging to Sam!! Promoter Brian Thompson said he had never seen anything like it in all his years. Sam then drew out the Second prize which belonged to David Morrison from Ballymena. Ballymena United Director  Andrew McDowell drew the third prize which belonged to Stephanie Pearson. 

The three Directors then continued to complete the draw,

The other prizewinners were 

4th Prize Jimmy Douglas

5th Prize Jonny  Downey 

6th Prize John Millar

7th Prize  Alastair Martin

8th Prize  Allen Stewart 

9th Prize  Kobert Clyde 

10 th Prize Eugene Diamond 

Once a5the Grand Sports Draw proved to be very popular. A Big Thank you to all who Sponsored prizes particularly John Pogue in Co Durham who will look after Sam Nicholson when he goes to see Newcastle United. Also thanks to all who bought and sold ballots particularly the following who sold multiple books Margaret Downey  Alan Armstrong, Alastair Shaw, Mary Gilchrist and  George Stirling .The Grand Sports Draw continues to be a very unique promotion and does not have an equal anywhere in Northern Ireland 

With the nights closing in Direct canvassing will be out  for a few more evenings .

Ballymena United FC would like to acknowledge the successful outcome of Loughgall FC’s recent appeals against The Northern Ireland Football League on 2 decisions relating to Sunday Football. 

We supported our colleagues at Loughgall during the process and had been invited to attend the appeal as guests of Loughgall but this was denied. 

As a club we missed the appeals cut off point but signed a participation agreement with a caveat that we did not waive our right to non participation in Sunday Football. We fully supported Loughgalls stance that clubs should be free to enter the NIFL league cup without waiving their rights to non participation in Sunday Football and that they should also not be penalised financially for non participation in Sunday Football. 

We will continue to oppose Sunday football on the basis of the religious beliefs of the players, staff and supporters of Ballymena United FC and also the mental and physical health of our players, staff and volunteers involved in the day to day workings of our club. 

Sunday football will deny a club operating on a part time basis the opportunity to have a rest day of which we should all be entitled. 

It’s been well documented and spoken about in local football circles that volunteers are the lifeblood of the majority of clubs. Asking them to now be available for Sunday football matches puts a lot of volunteers and therefore the clubs under undue pressure. As we’ve mentioned, we place the health and wellbeing of our club stakeholders at the top of our priority list and for that and the others reasons outlined we will continue to oppose Sunday football.