Greetings reader, and a warm welcome along to the Football Chatters website. If you don’t mind, I’d just like a moment of your time to explain what Football Chatters is all about and what you can expect to find.
Football Chatters is designed with supporters and followers of the domestic and international game in Northern Ireland at the forefront, delivering a total experience across a variety of fronts including the Sports Direct Premiership, Sports Direct Women’s Premiership Playr-Fit Championship and Playr-Fit Premier Intermediate League, as well as cup competitions such as the Irish Cup, County Antrim Shield, BetMcLean Cup, Mid-Ulster Cup and North West Cup.
There is also coverage of the Northern Ireland international team, adding to concise viewpoint and comment on some of the most important and major talking points surrounding the domestic product. Bumper exclusive interviews are also part of the package as part of the goal of providing as complete and authentic an outlook on Irish League football as you will find.
No stone is left unturned and no topic is off limits on this site. If it’s on the agenda, I endeavour to have it covered here, and if it’s something that matters to you, then it also matters to me.
So, happy scrolling; I’m sure you’ll find plenty that satisfies your enjoyment of the Irish League and, as a burgeoning media outlet, the number of articles and the content to be covered will only grow and grow.
And if you like what you see, then why not subscribe so that you receive articles as and when they come out straight into your inbox?
There is also a link to my Ko-fi account (scroll right down to the ‘Buy Me a Coffee’ button), so if you would like to make a donation, feel free to do that too.
I’m excited for the continued growth of the website and I’d love to have you along for the journey. Whether you’re here for a long while or a short one, I’m glad that you’ve chosen to visit and hope you like what you see.
Kind regards,
Lewis Bennett (founder and administrator of the Football Chatters blog)
- It’s unfair to put blame at feet of Linfield and Cliftonville for Irish Cup Final crowd disorder
A penny for the thoughts of Linfield and Cliftonville this week. This year’s Irish Cup Final was a spectacular in every sense. Nearly 15,000 packed inside Windsor Park for the biggest-attended domestic fixture in Northern Ireland this century and an occasion to savour that, for the most part, featured backing from both sides that supported… Read more: It’s unfair to put blame at feet of Linfield and Cliftonville for Irish Cup Final crowd disorder - Irish League chiefs must improve provisions in place to attract younger fans and families
Let’s get a basic fact of life out of the way first – no one likes a price hike. No one likes a price hike in the same way that no one likes paying taxes, bills, debts, insurance and other such necessary expenses which, in themselves, are rising amid a general rise in the cost… Read more: Irish League chiefs must improve provisions in place to attract younger fans and families - How the Irish FA’s new ‘Conference Layer’ for intermediate football can be big hit or own goal
Changes to the intermediate football sphere in Northern Ireland have long been touted and, going by the Irish FA’s latest update on the topic, closer than ever to coming to fruition. From the 2026-27 campaign, a new ‘Conference Layer’ will be in effect as part of a radical shake-up of the intermediate levels of the… Read more: How the Irish FA’s new ‘Conference Layer’ for intermediate football can be big hit or own goal - Steven McCullough’s crucial goal in relegation play-off seals him as a Ballymena United great
There’s been a change in priorities for Ballymena United during recent years – albeit not necessarily the type supporters would’ve perhaps wanted. In 2019, the Braidmen were the second best team in the Irish League. Runners-up behind Linfield that year, and just seven points adrift of top spot, the peak years of David Jeffrey’s tenure… Read more: Steven McCullough’s crucial goal in relegation play-off seals him as a Ballymena United great - Ending Cliftonville’s Irish Cup drought proves Jim can fix it… now he must target league glory
Finally, it’s Cliftonville’s year in the Irish Cup. An agonising waiting game ends at last and a drought that lasted 45 painful years is over in one burst of champagne rain. Since 1979, the Reds have contrived to fail in various ways in their pursuit of that elusive ninth Irish Cup – until a man… Read more: Ending Cliftonville’s Irish Cup drought proves Jim can fix it… now he must target league glory
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