Last updated : Tuesday, 16 April 2024
Introduction
The Crusaders are an amateur football league based in Northern Ireland. They compete in the Northern Ireland Football League, the top tier of Northern Irish football.
The club was founded in 1898 and has won the Irish League 11 times, the Irish Cup 23 times, and the League Cup 8 times.
The Crusaders play their home games at Seaview, a stadium in Belfast.
History
The Crusaders were founded in 1898 by a group of Catholic footballers who were unhappy with the sectarianism of the existing football clubs in Belfast.
The club's first home ground was at Milltown, but they moved to Seaview in 1927.
The Crusaders won their first Irish League title in 1928. They have since won the title 10 more times, most recently in 2022.
The club has also won the Irish Cup 23 times, the League Cup 8 times, and the Setanta Cup once.
Recent seasons
The Crusaders have been one of the most successful clubs in Northern Ireland in recent years. They have won the Irish League title twice in the last three seasons, in 2020 and 2022.
The club also reached the final of the Europa Conference League in 2022, where they lost to Feyenoord.
