Ballymacash Sports Academy was born from Ballymacash Rangers Football Club in 2017.

Ballymacash Rangers Football club served the community of Ballymacash and local young people for over 30 years. It was formed in 1984 by young men in the area who wanted to play organised football and quickly moved in Rushmore Park in 1986 – their home ever since.

Through the club, thousands of young people have been engaged in football over the years and our teams have played football at Mid Ulster Intermediate A level for over 15 years.   The club have nurtured the ambitions of young people and our vision is to bring these young players in the NI Championship and NI Premier Divisions. Everyone is proud of what we have achieved so far because it came from the passion, support and hard work of our players, their families and the wider local community.

At the beginning of 2017, we embraced the fact that developing sports in the community meant developing stronger communities. We began to work in partnership with other local organisations and plan for better facilities, more sports activities and become a truly accessible Sports Academy on that very ground where we started.

We believe sporting participation and social cohesion go hand in hand and in turn, this makes communities stronger and healthier.

Our aims are:

• to increase participation in sports for those for all ages, gender and abilities
• to develop sporting skills at a competitive level for an affordable price
• to establish links between schools, sports clubs and the wider community
• to improve both physical and mental health for all participants
• to create job opportunities
• to contribute to the community development and its regeneration