The St Mary’s Men’s Soccer Team received a makeover this year courtesy of its long-standing sponsors, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) — the education union. The team switched from their classic white strip to the recognisable “Ranch” colours of maroon and green.

The squad competed in the 2015-16 Northern Ireland Colleges Association Football League (NICAFL) this season. Although they were not successful in regaining the league title, they scored points in a fantastic 3-1 win over local rivals Stranmillis and recorded a 5-5 draw in a hard-fought battle with Ulster University Jordanstown (UUJ), thanks to a last-gasp free kick.


The league season started slowly but finished strongly with a bolstered squad that also prepared to challenge for the Crowley Cup for the first time in several years. The tournament began on Friday, 11 March, at Queen’s University Belfast with St Mary’s earning a 3-2 victory over University College Cork (UUC). International student, Dag Dierks, scored one of the goals. Unfortunately the team was beaten 3-1 by Ulster University Coleraine in the final on Sunday, 13 March.

The Committee of the Soccer Team will be hosting a “FIFA 16” fundraiser evening at the St Mary’s Student Centre on Tuesday, 19 April. We hope that the whole College community will support us.