First steps

The youngest members of the Cliftonville Academy played their first ever fixture as a team today.

Donning their strips for the first time, the Wee Reds – all of whom were born in 2016 – did themselves proud with a performance very much in keeping with their older colleagues across a busy weekend of Academy action.

The course of the last month has, in addition, heralded the return of the hugely popular fonaCAB Development League following an elongated absence.

Recent years have seen Solitude play host to a string of teams across various age-groups, where boys and girls contest games consisting of three 12-minute periods in a fun and simplified environment – with players, coaches and parents alike thrilled to get back to action in Covid-aware conditions.

Meanwhile, the Cliftonville Ladies Skill School continues to go from strength to strength and we’d love to welcome some new faces to Solitude for our next installment.

Open to girls of all abilities aged 5-9, sessions take place between 4.45pm-5.45pm on Wednesdays and 11am-12pm on Sundays and, at a cost of just £3, provide the perfect sporting environment for youngsters to improve their social, interactive and footballing skills, so why not bring your daughter along and let her experience the fun for herself?

With limited numbers permitted, anyone keen on getting involved is asked to register their interest by contacting Marty Douglas either by emailing marty@cliftonvillefc.net or by texting 07935443924.