P.S.N.I. (RUC) Football Club History

Founded - 1928
Ground - Newforge Lane, Belfast

The history of football is in fact part of the history of the RUC and now the PSNI itself. Whilst the first trophy was not won until 1960 the game was played at all levels from the formation of the RUCAA in 1928. In the period between 1928 to 1956, when the club first entered the Northern Ireland Amateur League the force took part in the Steele and Sons Cup, the Irish Intermediate Cup and Police Internationals with England, Scotland and Wales. With the purchase of Newforge in 1956 the club under the direction of David Watton, entered the 1st Division of the Amateur League, which they duly won in 1971 and 1972. In 1970 the club entered the British Police Soccer Cup for the first time and continued the progress into the Irish League ‘B’ Division accompanied by Chimney Corner, Strandmillis and Milford Everton.

Since then the club has won numerous honours with the highlight being their Irish Cup run in 1979 when they lost 2-0 in the semi-final after a replay against Crusaders. Their most successful season however was 1986/87 when the RUC won the ‘B’ Division of the Irish League, the Smirnoff Cup, the Irish Intermediate Cup and the British Police Cup.

Following the loss of the famous RUC name the club has rebuilt under the name of the PSNI with the ambition to gain promotion to the Championship division of the Irish League.

Honours

Northern Amateur F.L.
Clarence Cup 1960/61
Border Reg Cup 1964/65
Cochrane Curry Cup 1964/65
John Lunn Cup 1965/66 RUC II
Co. Antrim Junior Shield 1965/66 RUC II
RUC Cup 1967/68 RUC II
Barron Cup 1970/71
Walter Moore Cup 1970/71 RUC II
Barron Cup 1972/73
Templeton Cup 1972/73 RUC II
Irish Int. Cup 1978/79
Irish Int. Cup 1979/80
PAA Champions 1981/82
Division 2 Champions 1982/83 RUC Olympic
Smirnoff Cup 1983
PAA Champions 1983/84
Division 1B N.I.A.L. Champions 1983/84
Irish Int. Cup 1984/85
Smirnoff Cup 1985
Irish League B Division 1986/87
Smirnoff Cup 1986
Irish Int. Cup 1986/87
P.A.A. Cup 1986/87
Steel & Sons Cup 1993/94
P.A.A. Cup 1994/95
WPFG Calgary 1997 (3rd place)
P.A.A. Champions 2012
WPFG Belfast 2013 Silver medal
2013/14 Runners Up Championship 2 and Promoted
2015/16 Runners Up Championship 2 and Promoted
P.S.U.K. Winners 2018

Hall of Fame - Police Football - McLeer Cup

Members are elected annually into the Police football Hall of Fame. To be eligible for the award recipients have to have been serving police officers in either the R.U.C. or P.S.N.I. In recognition the member inducted receives the McLeer Cup to hold for one year. The following have been inducted:

2006 - James Arbuthnot
2007 - Martin Murphy
2008 - Gary McCartney
2009 - David Gardiner
2010 - Ken Crozier
2011 - Ronnie Bell - Maurice Pyper
2012 - Ronnie McKee - Fred McCurry
2013 - Tom Turkington
2014 - Allen Thompson
2015 - Jimmy Black, Dick Wright and Brian Dunlop
2016 - David Watton, Denis Moloney and Cecil Chambers
2017 - Colin Young and Ken Green
2018 - Joe Crawford and Noel Gifford
2019 - John Jenkins