Content deleted Content added
Andygray110 (talk | contribs) |
Portsfc1887 (talk | contribs) |
||
Line 1:
{{short description|Association football club in Northern Ireland}}
{{about|the current Northern Irish football club|the defunct English founder members of The FA|Crusaders F.C. (England)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2022}}
{{Infobox football club
| clubname = Crusaders
| image = Crusaders F.C. logo.png
| upright = 0.95
| fullname = Crusaders Football Club
| nickname = The Crues, The Hatchetmen
| founded = {{start date and age|df=yes|1898}}
| ground = [[Seaview (football ground)|Seaview]]
| capacity = 3,383<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.footballgroundmap.com/grounds/northern-ireland/nifl-premiership|title=NIFL Premiership Football Grounds In Northern Ireland|publisher=footballgroundmap.com|access-date=26 March 2023}}</ref>
| chairman = Ronnie Millar
| manager = Declan Caddell
| league = [[NIFL Premiership]]
| season = [[2024–25 NIFL Premiership|2024–25]]
| position = [[NIFL Premiership]], 6th of 12
| website = {{URL|http://www.crusadersfc.com}}
| pattern_la1 = _crusaders2526h
| pattern_b1 = _crusaders2526h
| pattern_ra1 = _crusaders2526h
| pattern_sh1 = _crusaders2526h
| pattern_so1 = _crusaders2526h
| leftarm1 = 000000
| body1 = FF0000
| rightarm1 = 000000
| shorts1 = 000000
| socks1 = EF0000
| pattern_la2 = _lks2526h
| pattern_b2 = _crusaders2526a
| pattern_ra2 = _lks2526h
| pattern_sh2 = _crusaders2526a
| pattern_so2 = _crusaders2526a
| leftarm2 = FFFFFF
| body2 = FFFFFF
| rightarm2 = FFFFFF
| shorts2 = FFFFFF
| socks2 = FFFFFF
}}
'''Crusaders Football Club''' is a semi-professional<ref>{{cite web|url=https://crusadersfootballclub.com/history|title=History of Crusaders|publisher=Crusaders Football Club|accessdate=18 June 2024}}</ref> [[Northern Ireland|Northern Irish]] [[association football|football]] club playing in the [[NIFL Premiership]]. The club, founded in 1898, is based in north [[Belfast]] and plays its home matches at [[Seaview (football ground)|Seaview]].
Crusaders originally played as a junior level team until 1931. They then played [[Northern Ireland football league system|intermediate level]] football until 1949, and during that time they were one of the top non-senior teams in the country, winning the [[Irish Intermediate League]] nine times and the [[Steel & Sons Cup]] on seven occasions. After the withdrawal of [[Belfast Celtic F.C.|Belfast Celtic]], Crusaders were elected to the top level in their place, in time for the start of the [[1949–50 Irish League|1949–50 season]]. Since then, the club has won 32 senior trophies; seven [[Northern Ireland Football League|league titles]], six [[Irish Cup]]s, two [[Northern Ireland Football League Cup|League Cup]]s, eight [[County Antrim Shield]]s, one [[Setanta Sports Cup]], two [[NIFL Charity Shield|Charity Shields]], two [[Gold Cup (Northern Ireland)|Gold Cup]]s, three [[Ulster Cup]]s and one [[Carlsberg Cup (Northern Ireland)|Carlsberg Cup]].
The club's traditional [[Kit (association football)|kit]] colours are red and black, and the current manager is Declan Caddell. The club's closest rivals are [[Cliftonville F.C.|Cliftonville]], with whom they contest the [[North Belfast derby]]. Rivalries also exist with other Belfast sides such as [[Linfield F.C.|Linfield]] and [[Glentoran F.C.|Glentoran]].
==History==
===Junior years (1898–1921)===
Crusaders Football Club was formed in the year 1898, although the exact date is unknown. The first meeting of the club is believed to have been held at 182 North Queen Street, Belfast, the home of Thomas Palmer who, along with James McEldowney, John Hume and Thomas Wade, was a member of the original club committee.
Various names were suggested for the club, including 'Rowan Star', 'Cultra United', 'Mervue Wanderers', 'Moyola' (all names of local streets), and others such as 'Queen's Rovers', and the 'Lilliputians'. Thomas Palmer felt a name of more international significance should be adopted and he suggested "Crusaders", after the [[Crusaders|medieval Christian knights]].<ref name="freewebs.com">[http://www.freewebs.com/groundhopper/crusaders.htm History], {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141016205030/http://www.freewebs.com/groundhopper/crusaders.htm |date=16 October 2014 }} freewebs.com; accessed 3 August 2017</ref> The team is informally known as the Crues.
Initially, the club was only able to undertake friendly fixtures until it was formally admitted to one of the local junior leagues. Players were compelled to pay a match fee of two pence before they could take the field; a strict "no pay, no play" club policy was enforced. The very first competitive game of which there is any existing written record was on
Crusaders went on to compete in the Dunville Alliance, Ormeau Junior Alliance, Alexandra Alliance, Woodvale Alliance and Irish Football Alliance (the latter of which they won three years in a row from 1916 to 1918) until their election to the Irish Intermediate League in 1921.
===Intermediate years (1921–1949)===
Crusaders rapidly became one of the top intermediate sides in the country, and won an impressive collection of trophies, including the Intermediate League championship six times in ten years from 1923 to 1933. In addition, the side were very successful in the top junior cup competition, the [[Steel & Sons Cup]], winning the competition on seven occasions as a junior side (the first team would win the same cup again many years later in 2005, after relegation to intermediate football).
The side also reached the [[Irish Cup]] semi finals three times in the 1920s. The first came in the 1923–24 season, where they were defeated by that season's Irish League champions [[Queen's Island F.C.|Queen's Island]] in a replay at Pirrie Park. In the 1924–25 season the Crues knocked out senior sides [[Larne F.C.|Larne]] and [[Belfast Celtic F.C.|Belfast Celtic]] before being halted by [[Glentoran F.C.|Glentoran]] at [[The Oval (Belfast)|The Oval]] in the semi-finals (who also went on to be champions that year). They reached the semi-finals once again in 1927, losing 2–4 at home to derby rivals Cliftonville. The Crues also reached the final of the Belfast Charities Cup in 1923 (losing to Glentoran), also an impressive achievement as the competition was open to all senior clubs in Belfast and the surrounding area.
Despite these feats, repeated applications for entry to the senior [[IFA Premiership|Irish League]] were turned down. The frustration at the club was such that serious consideration was given to making membership applications either to the [[Scottish Football League]] or to the [[League of Ireland]]. However, the Second World War intervened and no football at all was played by the Crues between April 1941 and September 1945. Crusaders began competing once more in the Intermediate League after the war, beginning with the 1945–46 season.
===Early Irish League years (1949–1960)===
Crusaders won the 1948–49 Intermediate League with a record number of points, and coupled with the vacancy created by the dramatic withdrawal of [[Belfast Celtic]] from the senior ranks in 1949, Crusaders were finally elected to the senior Irish League in time for the start of the 1949–50 season. Their first competitive game as a senior club was on 20 August 1949 and resulted in a 1–0 [[City Cup (Northern Ireland)|City Cup]] win at [[Portadown F.C.|Portadown]] – ex-Belfast Celtic striker Vincent Morrison, signed during that summer, had the honour of scoring the club's first ever goal as a senior club. Morrison was the club's top scorer of their first senior season with 11 goals in all competitions. The Crues' first league match took place on 26 November, a 1–4 defeat to [[Linfield F.C.|Linfield]] at [[Windsor Park]], and their first victory came on 10 December away to [[Ballymena United F.C.|Ballymena United]] by 3–1, but the side would have to wait until 1 April 1950 for the first league win at Seaview, with a 4–1 victory over [[Glenavon F.C.|Glenavon]]. The season was tough going for the 'Hatchetmen', as they were also known, and they had to apply for re-election after finishing in 11th place out of 12 clubs.
As has always been the case, however, Crusaders never lacked determination. On 17 May 1952 they participated in their first senior final, the [[Ulster Cup|Festival of Britain Cup]] final, which they lost 0–3 to Ballymena United. Under the player-managership of [[Jackie Vernon (footballer)|Jackie Vernon]] they recovered to win their first senior trophy in the 1953–54 season by defeating Linfield 2–1 in the final of the [[Ulster Cup]]. The 1950s were not easy in spite of the presence in the side of some excellent individuals and the end of the 1957–58 season saw another application for re-election. The decade also saw the emergence of [[Curry Mulholland]], who represented the club from 1951 until 1960, setting a goalscoring record of 149 which would not be beaten until the 1990s.
===Irish Cup wins and European forays (1960–1970)===
The 1960s brought much more success. On 17 May 1960 they won the [[County Antrim Shield]] for the first time, repeating the feat in 1965 with a 6–0 victory over [[Larne F.C.|Larne]] (this was the joint-biggest margin of victory in the final of the competition until Linfields 9–1 victory over Bangor in 1973). With Jimmy Murdough as coach they also picked up another Ulster Cup final win on 1 October 1963, with a reply victory of 1–0 over Glenavon. These successes were overshadowed by two unexpected victories in the [[Irish Cup]] finals of 1967 and 1968 against the might of [[Glentoran F.C.|Glentoran]] and Linfield respectively. This led to Crusaders' first sojourn into [[UEFA#Club|European competition]], against [[Valencia CF]] in August 1967. Also in 1968, they narrowly missed out on winning the [[Blaxnit Cup]] and becoming champions of all of [[Ireland]], losing 3–4 on aggregate to [[Shamrock Rovers F.C.|Shamrock Rovers]]. The 1960s also saw the emergence of some of the greatest players in Crusaders' history, such as [[Albert Campbell (footballer)|Albert Campbell]], (who was the club's most capped international player until surpassed by [[Colin Coates (footballer)|Colin Coates]]), [[Danny Trainor]], Joe Meldrum, [[Walter McFarland]] and Danny Hale, who scored an incredible 143 goals in just four seasons, including a club record of 55 goals in the [[1965–66 Irish League|1965–66 season]], which still stands to this day.
===Billy Johnston era (1971–1979)===
Jimmy Todd had won the second of those Irish Cups with the side in 1968, however by the early 1970s the Crues had declined slightly as the side of the 1960s broke up. Todd was replaced with [[Billy Johnston (footballer, born 1942)|Billy Johnston]] in early 1971, and he set about restructuring the squad. Under Johnston unprecedented success was to follow, with the [[IFA Premiership|Irish League]] championship trophy finding a home at Seaview in [[1972–73 Irish League|1972–73]], with the attacking duo of [[Tommy Finney]] and [[Jackie Fullerton]] scoring 47 goals between them. The club also set a record of going through the whole league campaign unbeaten at home, a feat which was repeated 40 years later in the [[2012–13 IFA Premiership|2012–13 season]]. This led to the club's first ever participation in the [[UEFA Champions League|European Cup]], in which they faced [[Dinamo Bucharest]] and had the misfortune of setting the record for a defeat in that competition, losing 0–11 in the away leg on 3 October 1973.
In the [[1975–76 Irish League|1975–76 season]] the Crues won the league for the second time, largely aided by the goalscoring of Ronnie McAteer who scored 20 league goals in 22 games. Sandwiched in between these successes was a County Antrim Shield and [[Carlsberg Cup (Northern Ireland)|Carlsberg Cup]] success in 1973–74.
The second championship triumph resulted in the never-to-be-forgotten European Cup-tie with [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]] which saw the brave Cruemen fall to the might of [[Kevin Keegan]] and [[John Toshack]] among others at [[Anfield]] by just 0–2 through a [[Phil Neal]] penalty and a Toshack strike. The home leg which followed was played before a crowd hanging from the rafters that would undoubtedly give the current health and safety legislators a heart attack. The Crues put up a dogged performance – Keegan scored in the 34th minute, and the Crues battled until the final ten minutes, when Liverpool's superior fitness told with four goals coming in the final ten minutes through [[David Johnson (footballer born 1951)|David Johnson]] (2), [[Terry McDermott]], and [[Steve Heighway]].
However the 1970s also saw [[The Troubles]] begin to affect Irish League football, with two incidents in particular affecting the football club. On 21 August 1979 there were more than 1,900 police officers on duty for a match between Crusaders and Cliftonville, more than has ever been recorded at a football match in the [[United Kingdom]].<ref name="community-relations.org.uk">{{cite web|url=http://www.community-relations.org.uk/about-us/news/item/686/memories-of-belfast-celtic-reawakened-as-ifa-tries-to-soothe-old-wounds|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202114155/http://www.community-relations.org.uk/about-us/news/item/686/memories-of-belfast-celtic-reawakened-as-ifa-tries-to-soothe-old-wounds|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 February 2014|title=Memories of Belfast Celtic reawakened as IFA tries to soothe old wounds|date=23 February 2011|publisher=Community Relations Council}}</ref> Another black day shadowed the club on 12 January 1980, when [[Royal Ulster Constabulary|RUC]] constable David Purse was shot dead by an [[Irish Republican Army|IRA]] gunman during a match with [[Portadown F.C.|Portadown]] – the only murder at a football ground during the Troubles.<ref name="community-relations.org.uk"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/sutton/alpha/P.html|title=Sutton Index of Deaths|first=Malcolm|last=Sutton|publisher=University of Ulster|work=CAIN (Conflict Archive on the INternet)|access-date=3 August 2017}}</ref>
===The
Johnston had left the club in 1977, and after a two-year spell of management by ex-player Norman Pavis, Ian Russell took charge of the club in 1979. While there was great promise shown initially during Russell's spell, with the club reaching both the County Antrim Shield and Irish Cup final in 1980, they did not build on this and Russell left in 1983.
Although performances on the pitch in the 1980s were steady, they certainly were not spectacular and the club paid the penalty for not building on earlier successes. [[Tommy Jackson (footballer born 1946)|Tommy Jackson]] took over in 1983, and led the Crues to their sole cup triumph during the decade, with the club winning the [[Gold Cup (Northern Ireland)|Gold Cup]] for the first time in the 1985–86 season.
Jackson left in 1986 and new manager [[Jackie Hutton]] had no money with which to buy players but he did the club a great service when he somehow completed the deal which brought [[Roy Walker (footballer)|Roy Walker]], initially as a player, to Seaview in 1988.
===Roy Walker era (1989–1998)===
Hutton was quick to recognise the leadership qualities in Walker and saw him as his potential successor. Walker took over as player-manager in September 1989, two years after his arrival as a player. One of his first tasks was to apply for re-election as the Crues finished 13th out of 14 clubs. Notable players to begin their association with the club during this era were the likes of [[Sid Burrows]], [[Glenn Hunter (footballer)|Glenn Hunter]] and [[Kirk Hunter]].
At the same time, local businessman [[Harry Corry]], pumped some desperately
Walker's sides – he dubbed them "the team with no boots" – went on to win nearly everything in sight whilst wealthier and bigger-supported clubs could only watch and wonder. There were two further championship titles won (1995 and 1997) whilst Crusaders also finished runners-up in 1993 (losing the title on [[goal difference]]) and 1996. Other trophies won were the [[County Antrim Shield]] (1992), [[Ulster Cup]] (1993) and [[Gold Cup (Northern Ireland)|Gold Cup]] (1996).
In turn, this meant more expeditions into Europe as the Crues took on teams from [[Switzerland]], [[Denmark]], [[Lithuania]] and [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]] within a five-year span. The team of the 1990s is regarded as one of the best in the history of the club, with a large part of the success revolving around the core of [[Kevin McKeown (footballer)|Kevin McKeown]], [[Glenn Dunlop]], [[Martin Murray (footballer)|Martin Murray]], [[Sid Burrows]], and the attacking duo of [[Glenn Hunter (footballer)|Glenn Hunter]] (who would go on to set a club goalscoring record of 157 goals) and [[Stephen Baxter (footballer)|Stephen Baxter]].
The team was affectionately known as the "God Squad", due to the large number of [[Christians]] in the playing squad and staff.<ref>[http://www.kccni.com/ppast.html Pastor's Past] Karmel City Church</ref> In addition to the first team and the reserves, teams at under-16 and under-18 level were introduced for the first time as the club looked to nurture and develop local talent in the area. Roy Walker suddenly resigned as manager in May 1998, just prior to the club's centenary dinner celebrations at [[Belfast City Hall]]. He was the longest-serving manager in the club's history until surpassed by Stephen Baxter in October 2013.
===Gradual decline (1998–2005)===
Subsequently, a lack of funds saw the Seaview fortunes decline as the decade came to a close, with Dublin-based player-managers [[Aaron Callaghan (footballer born 1966)|Aaron Callaghan]] and [[Martin Murray (footballer)|Martin Murray]] both resigning after one year apiece in charge. Callaghan managed to lead the club to third place in his sole season in charge, but it would be many years before the Crues would challenge at such a high level again. Former player [[Gary McCartney]] took over the managerial reins in July 2000. The team narrowly retained Premier Division status after a nail-biting play-off success over [[Lisburn Distillery F.C.|Lisburn Distillery]] thanks to a hat-trick from veteran Stephen Baxter in May 2001 but McCartney resigned just over twelve months later because of the limited budget at his disposal.
Popular veteran defender [[Alan Dornan]] was appointed as McCartney's successor at the end of June 2002 and the side retained [[IFA Premiership|Premier Division]] status that season under his guidance, although the squad was very inexperienced and often included six or seven teenagers. The emphasis on youth continued in 2003–04 as the Crues achieved a mid-table finish, an improvement compared to preceding seasons.
Dornan's next season in charge was not as successful. He was sacked just after midway through the season, as the Crues lay at the bottom of the table, despite having guided the team to the [[County Antrim Shield]] final, which they lost to Linfield. Dornan was the first ever Crusaders manager to be sacked. Former striker and fans' favourite Stephen Baxter was appointed as manager but despite an improvement in results, he could not keep the club in the Premier League, with the Crues losing out to Glenavon in a relegation play-off, the first ever Premier League team to lose to a First Division side in the play-offs. The relegation was the first time Crusaders had ever been relegated from any league, and meant an end to 56 consecutive seasons of senior football.
===Stephen Baxter era (2005–2024)===
They immediately bounced back the following year under Baxter by winning the [[IFA Championship|IFA Intermediate League]], the Intermediate League Cup, and [[Steel & Sons Cup]]. After their first season back in the top flight after promotion, the Hatchetmen finished in a creditable 6th place, after briefly topping the table at the beginning of the season.
[[File:FCRabotnicki-Crusaders2009.JPG|thumb|250px|[[2009–10 UEFA Europa League qualifying phase and play-off round|2009–10 UEFA Europa League qualifying match]] between FK Rabotnički and Crusaders F.C. at [[Philip II Arena]] in [[Skopje]]]]
In the 2007–08 season, the Crues finished in 7th position in the League after a somewhat inconsistent start to the season. They appeared in two finals, losing both the County Antrim Shield 1–2 to Glentoran, and the [[Irish League Cup]], 2–3 to Linfield.
During 2008–09 season, they finished in the top three of the League for the first time in 10 years. The club also won their first Irish Cup final since 1968, thanks to a [[Mark Dickson (footballer)|Mark Dickson]] goal, in a 1–0 victory over [[Cliftonville F.C.|Cliftonville]] at [[Windsor Park]] on 9 May 2009.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/northern_ireland/8043591.stm|title=Dickson goal wins cup for Crues|date=11 May 2009|publisher=BBC Sport}}</ref> The same season, Crusaders began a partnership with fellow North Belfast club [[Newington Youth F.C.|Newington]] in a cross-community initiative, which saw Newington play their home matches at Seaview. This became their permanent venue for home matches in 2011.
As a result, Crusaders entered Europe for the first time in 12 years and faced [[Republic of Macedonia|Macedonian]] side [[FK Rabotnički]] in the [[UEFA Europa League|Europa League]] second qualifying round. The game was drawn 1–1 with [[David Rainey (footballer)|David Rainey]] scoring on the 89th minute.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/irish/8150896.stm|title=Crusaders 1–1 FK Rabotnicki|date=14 July 2009|publisher=BBC Sport}}</ref> On 23 July 2009 in their second leg encounter with FK Rabotnicki in Macedonia they lost the game 4–2 and exited the competition 5–3 on aggregate.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uefa.com/competitions/uefacup/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011007071757/http://www.uefa.com/Competitions/uefacup/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 October 2001|title=UEFA Europa League|work= [[UEFA]]|publisher=UEFA}}</ref>
In a move endorsed by UEFA President [[Michel Platini]], the club changed from a grass pitch to a 4G-synthetic pitch. The artificial football turf pitch was manufactured by Act Global. They played their first game on the new pitch against Glentoran on 14 November 2009.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/irish/8360047.stm|title=Crusaders 1–1 Glentoran|date=14 November 2009|publisher=BBC Sport}}</ref> This move has turned out to be fruitful for the club, with matches at Seaview being the only games in Northern Ireland to survive the [[European winter storms of 2009–10|weather]] over the Christmas period.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/northern_ireland/8445792.stm|title=Weekend sport hit by big freeze|date=9 January 2010|publisher=BBC Sport}}</ref> The same season the side won their second major trophy in a year, picking up the [[County Antrim Shield]] after a 3–2 extra time victory over Linfield.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/irish/8471422.stm|title=Crusaders 3–2 Linfield|date=20 January 2010|publisher=BBC Sport}}</ref>
In the 2010–11 season Crusaders challenged Linfield for the league title, after being 13 points behind at one stage. They ended up as runners up. The Crues also reached final of the Irish Cup where they played Linfield at Windsor Park. Crusaders went 1–0 up through Declan Caddell, but goals from [[Peter Thompson (Northern Ireland footballer)|Peter Thompson]] and Mark McAllister condemned the Crues to defeat.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/13310496|title=Crusaders 1–2 Linfield|author=Lyle Jackson|publisher=BBC Sport|date=7 May 2011}}</ref>
The Crues then entered the [[2011–12 UEFA Europa League]] and received their biggest draw since the famous game against Liverpool 35 years before, as the side drew [[Premier League]] team [[Fulham F.C.|Fulham]] in the second qualifying round. In the home tie the side put up a brave fight, with new signing Timmy Adamson scoring an equalising goal and striking the bar with the score poised at 1–1, before eventually succumbing 1–3.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/14136438|title=Crusaders 1–3 Fulham|publisher=BBC Sport|date=14 July 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.caughtoffside.com/2011/07/15/crusaders-1-3-fulham-europa-league-qualifying-highlights-video/|title=Crusaders 1–3 Fulham: Europa League Qualifying Highlights (Video)|author=Mad Dog and Glory|date=15 July 2011|work=CaughtOffside|access-date=22 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720125658/http://www.caughtoffside.com/2011/07/15/crusaders-1-3-fulham-europa-league-qualifying-highlights-video/|archive-date=20 July 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> In the second leg, the Premier League side proved too strong for the Hatchetmen, as they dominated the game and won 4–0.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/14228159|title=Fulham 4–0 Crusaders (agg 7–1)|publisher=BBC Sport}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.caughtoffside.com/2011/07/22/fulham-4-0-crusaders-europa-league-qualifying-highlights-video/|title=Fulham 4–0 Crusaders: Europa League Qualifying Highlights (Video)|author=Mad Dog and Glory|date=22 July 2011|work=CaughtOffside|access-date=22 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723224801/http://www.caughtoffside.com/2011/07/22/fulham-4-0-crusaders-europa-league-qualifying-highlights-video/|archive-date=23 July 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>
At the same time, [[Seaview (football ground)|Seaview]] underwent extensive renovation, with two new stands and new seating installed, making the ground all-seater and one of the most modern sports stadiums in [[Northern Ireland]].<ref name="seaview4g.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.seaview4g.com/ |title=There's a lot more going on at Crusaders these days! |access-date=31 October 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110131142841/http://www.seaview4g.com/ |archive-date=31 January 2011}}</ref> That same season they won the [[Irish League Cup]], defeating [[Coleraine F.C.|Coleraine]] 1–0 at the [[Ballymena Showgrounds]] thanks to a [[Chris Morrow]] strike.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/16725272|title=Coleraine 0–1 Crusaders|author=Lyle Jackson|publisher=BBC Sport|date=28 January 2012}}</ref> Crusaders also became champions of [[Ireland]] for the first time, after defeating [[Derry City F.C.|Derry City]] in the [[2012 Setanta Sports Cup#Final|2012 Setanta Cup Final]] 5–4 in a penalty shootout after a 2–2 draw after extra time. Captain [[Colin Coates (footballer)|Colin Coates]] scored both goals during the match, with Coates, [[Chris Morrow]], Matthew Snoddy, [[Stuart Dallas]] and Gareth McKeown successfully converting their penalties.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/18033244|title=Crusaders 2–2 Derry City|author=Richard Petrie |publisher=BBC Sport|date=12 May 2012}}</ref>
Crusaders played Cliftonville on 26 January 2013 in the [[Irish League Cup]] final at Windsor Park losing 0–4 – a joint-record defeat in the competition's final.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/21200615|title=Cliftonville beat Crusaders 4–0 in League Cup final|author=Lyle Jackson|publisher=BBC Sport|date=26 January 2013}}</ref> The following season, the same two teams reached the final, playing out a drab 0–0 draw at Solitude, with Cliftonville retaining the trophy by winning 3–2 on penalties.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/25884029|title=League Cup final: Cliftonville beat Crusaders in shoot-out|publisher=BBC Sport|date=25 January 2014}}</ref>
The [[2014–15 NIFL Premiership|2014–15 season]] was a groundbreaking one for Crusaders. The season started with the side earning their first win in European competition for 18 years, defeating [[FK Ekranas]] of Lithuania in the UEFA Europa League 3–1 at home.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/28150633|title=Europa League: Crusaders 3–1 Ekranas|publisher=BBC Sport|date=3 July 2014}}</ref> In the return leg, Crusaders earned their first ever away victory in Europe, winning 2–1 thanks to two goals from Paul Heatley, and earning their first aggregate victory in Europe.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/28198265|title=Europa League: FK Ekranas 1–2 Crusaders (aggregate 2–5)|publisher=BBC Sport|date=10 July 2014}}</ref> In the second qualifying round, Crusaders bowed out against Swedish side [[IF Brommapojkarna]] after a 1–4 aggregate defeat.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/28278552|title=Europa League: Crusaders 1–1 IF Brommapojkarna (agg 1–5)|publisher=BBC Sport|date=24 July 2014}}</ref> In cup competition, Crusaders reached the quarter-final of the [[Northern Ireland Football League Cup]] and the semi-final of the County Antrim Shield, losing both ties to [[Bangor F.C.|Bangor]], and the semi-final of the Irish Cup, losing out to [[Glentoran F.C.|Glentoran]]. Despite this, the side saved their best performances for the league, going unbeaten from December to April and winning 12 of 13 games. A 1–0 derby victory away to Cliftonville thanks to a Paul Heatley goal all but sealed the title,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/32266687|title=Irish Premiership: Cliftonville 0–1 Crusaders|publisher=BBC Sport|date=11 April 2015}}</ref> with a 2–0 home win the following week against Glentoran with goals from Declan Caddell and yet another from Heatley confirming the Gibson Cup's place at Seaview.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/32366061|title=Irish Premiership: Crusaders 2–0 Glentoran|publisher=BBC Sport|access-date=3 August 2017|date=18 April 2015}}</ref>
In the [[2015–16 NIFL Premiership|2015–16 season]], Crusaders retained the league title for the first time in their history, after a 3–1 victory over Cliftonville at Solitude on 19 April 2016.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/36087817|title=Crusaders retain Irish Premiership title after beating Cliftonville|publisher=BBC Sport|date=19 April 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/northern-ireland/crusaders/cliftonville-13-crusaders-crues-join-the-greats-with-premiership-double-34639001.html|title=Cliftonville 1–3 Crusaders: Crues join the greats with Premiership double|publisher=Independent News and Media|work=Belfast Telegraph|access-date=3 August 2017|date=19 April 2016}}</ref> In the [[2016–17 NIFL Premiership|following season]] they narrowly missed out on winning the Gibson Cup for the 3rd time in a row, finishing 2nd to Linfield after a dramatic dip in Crusaders' form late in the season, with a 1–0 defeat to [[David Healy (footballer)|David Healy]]'s side at Windsor Park on 8 April 2017 proving to be the match that decided the league title. The 2016–17 season was the first since [[2013–14 NIFL Premiership|2013–14]] that Crusaders failed to win any silverware.
However, the Hatchetmen bounced back in the [[2017–18 NIFL Premiership|2017–18 season]], regaining the Gibson Cup in a title race that went to the final day of the season. In the end, it was a 2–1 victory at the [[Ballymena Showgrounds]] on 28 April 2018 that brought the league title back to Seaview for the 3rd time in 4 years, thanks to goals from [[Philip Lowry]] and [[David Cushley]], after Cathair Friel opened the scoring for [[Ballymena United F.C.|Ballymena United]] and threatened to send the title to eventual runners-up [[Coleraine F.C.|Coleraine]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/football/43937413|title=Irish Premiership: Ballymena United 1-2 Crusaders|date=28 April 2018|work=BBC Sport|access-date=14 November 2018|language=en-GB}}</ref> Crusaders also won the County Antrim Shield at the Ballymena Showgrounds after a 4–2 victory over Ballymena United on 23 January 2018.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/42774788|title=County Antrim Shield final: Ballymena United 2-4 Crusaders|date=2018|work=BBC Sport|access-date=14 November 2018|language=en-GB}}</ref> Crusaders finished the season having scored an incredible 106 league goals, with over half of this tally coming from the attacking trio of [[Paul Heatley]], [[Gavin Whyte]] and [[Jordan Owens (footballer)|Jordan Owens.]]
In the first qualifying round of the [[2018–19 UEFA Champions League|2018–19 Champions League]], Crusaders received their biggest European draw since facing Fulham 7 years earlier, being drawn against European group stage regulars and Bulgarian champions [[PFC Ludogorets Razgrad|Ludogorets Razgrad]]. However, the tie turned out to be no contest as the Crues were thrashed 7–0 at the [[Ludogorets Arena]], with goals from [[Marcelo Nascimento da Costa|Marcelinho]], [[Claudiu Keșerü]] and a 7-minute hat-trick from substitute [[Jakub Świerczok|Jakub Swierczok]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/44702673|title=Champions League: Ludogorets Razgrad 7-0 Crusaders|date=11 July 2018|work=BBC Sport|access-date=14 November 2018|language=en-GB}}</ref> The return leg at Seaview then ended 2–0 to the Bulgarian visitors, thanks to a strike from Swierczok and an own goal from left-back Rodney Brown.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/44845197|title=Champions League: Crusaders 0-2 Ludogorets Razgrad|date=17 July 2018|work=BBC Sport|access-date=14 November 2018|language=en-GB}}</ref> After an uneventful league campaign, the Crues completed a cup double by winning the [[County Antrim Shield]] with a 4–3 victory over Linfield,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47545832|title=County Antrim Shield final: Late double sees Crusaders beat Linfield 4-3 in thriller|work=BBC Sport |access-date=6 May 2019}}</ref> and the [[Irish Cup]] with a 3–0 victory over [[Ballinamallard United F.C.|Ballinamallard United]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/48162488|title=Irish Cup final: Crusaders 3-0 winners over Ballinamallard|work=BBC Sport |access-date=6 May 2019}}</ref>
In the [[2019–20 UEFA Europa League]], Crusaders beat [[B36 Tórshavn]] 5–2 on aggregate to reach the second qualifying round, where they faced English Premier League side [[Wolverhampton Wanderers]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/48866163|title=B36 Tórshavn 2–3 Crusaders|publisher=BBC|date=18 July 2019}}</ref> In the first leg at Molineux the Crues lost 2–0,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/jul/25/wolves-crusaders-europa-league-qualifying-round-first-leg-match-report-rangers|title=Wolves claim first-leg lead against Crusaders thanks to Jota and Vinagre|work=The Guardian|date=25 July 2019}}</ref> before losing 4–1 at Seaview in the second leg.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/irish-league/crusaders/europa-league-crusaders-knocked-out-by-wolves-despite-taking-the-lead-at-seaview-38366971.html|title=Europa League: Crusaders knocked out by Wolves despite taking the lead at Seaview|work=Belfast Telegraph|date=1 August 2019}}</ref>
In March 2022 Crusaders members voted 236–36 at an EGM in favour of accepting investment by the IRAMA company, who were seeking to buy a majority stake in the club.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/60868409|title=Crusaders FC: Irish Premiership club accept investment proposal by consortium including Ian Rush|publisher=BBC|date=24 March 2022}}</ref> This deal later fell through over tax issues.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sunday-life/sport/crusaders-big-money-takeover-deal-collapses-over-tax-fears/42015444.html|title=Crusaders' big money takeover deal collapses over tax fears|work=Belfast Telegraph|date=25 September 2022}}</ref> In May 2022, the club reached the final of the [[2021–22 Irish Cup]]. Trailing 1-0 for most of the match, Josh Robinson equalised in the last minute of the game to force extra time, and with penalty kicks approaching at the end of extra time, substitute Johnny McMurray scored the winning goal with virtually the last kick of the game to seal an extraordinary victory.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/61364894|title=Irish Cup final: Johnny McMurray's last-gasp stunner wins cup for Crusaders in hugely dramatic ending|publisher=BBC|date=7 May 2022}}</ref> In May 2023, Crusaders won the Irish cup for a second time in a row, once again beating Ballymena United, this time 4–0.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/65519600|title=Irish Cup final: Crusaders dominate Ballymena United to win decider|publisher=BBC Sport|date=7 May 2023}}</ref>
During the 2023–24 season, Baxter announced he would be stepping down as manager of the club, after 19 seasons in charge, at the end of the campaign.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/irish-league/stephen-baxter-to-leave-crusaders-after-19-years-in-charge-of-club/a242929649.html|title=Stephen Baxter to leave Crusaders after 19 years in charge of club|work=Belfast Telegraph|date=3 February 2024}}</ref> In Baxter's last domestic match, Crusaders defeated Coleraine 3–2 in the [[UEFA Conference League]] playoff final, to qualify for continental competition for the 12th time in 13 seasons.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/articles/cxx81wr68neo|title=Watch: 'It's been a blast' - Baxter goes out on a high|publisher=BBC Sport|date=6 May 2024}}</ref>
===Declan Caddell (2024–)===
Former player and head of Crusaders academy Declan Caddell was announced as Baxter's successor in March 2024, and is due to take charge for the 2024–25 season.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/68547853|title=Declan Caddell: Former Crusaders midfielder to succeed Stephen Baxter as manager|publisher=BBC Sport|date=12 March 2024}}</ref>
==Stadium==
{{main|Seaview (football ground)}}
The team played at a variety of venues before settling at [[Seaview (football ground)|Seaview]] in 1921, which is still their home to this day. Earlier home venues included the Glen (which later became part of Alexandra Park), Simpson's Boiler Fields on the [[Antrim Road#Cavehill to Bellevue|Cavehill Road]], the [[Shore Road, Belfast|Shore Road]] (opposite the Grove Leisure Centre) and Rokeby Park. Seaview was officially opened on 3 September 1921 by [[William Grant (Northern Ireland politician)|William Grant MP]], prior to kick-off in a 3–1 Intermediate League fixture victory against [[Cliftonville F.C.|Cliftonville Olympic]].<ref name="freewebs.com"/>
In July 1966 the original social club, dressing rooms and administration areas were destroyed by fire. They were replaced in 1970 by the present bigger and better facilities. [[Lisburn Distillery F.C.|Lisburn Distillery]] (known as Distillery prior to 1999) shared Seaview with Crusaders from 1971 until 1979, after their original [[Grosvenor Park, Belfast|Grosvenor Park]] home was destroyed in an arson attack. Since 1972, Seaview has been the venue for the [[Steel & Sons Cup]] Final, which is traditionally held on [[Christmas Day]] (unless the game falls on a Sunday). Only two finals have not been played at Seaview since then, the 1975 final and the 1984 final replay (both of which were played at Solitude).
In 2009, Crusaders became the first team in the Irish League to install a 4G [[artificial pitch]], endorsed by [[UEFA]].<ref name="seaview4g.com"/> The move has ensured that postponements due to bad weather have not affected Seaview as much as some other grounds. Other clubs have since followed suit, with Cliftonville installing a 3G artificial pitch the following year<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/irish/8728144.stm|title=Cliftonville to install new 3G pitch at Solitude|date=8 June 2010|publisher=BBC Sport}}</ref> and [[Bangor F.C.|Bangor]] in 2013.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/bangor-positive-they-wont-have-to-fold-after-windingup-order-34523369.html|title=Bangor positive they won't have to fold after winding-up order|author=Keith Bailie|date=9 March 2016|publisher=Independent News and Media|work=Belfast Telegraph|access-date=6 August 2018}}</ref>
In 2010, after European funding was declined, funding was secured from a private investor for the club to move to a new stadium in the Duncrue area of Belfast, near the docks (about 3/4 miles from Seaview) within "5 or 6 years".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/local/crusaders-ready-to-make-25m-leap-forward-with-new-stadium-28558729.html|title=Crusaders ready to make £25m leap forward with new stadium|publisher=Independent News and Media|work=Belfast Telegraph|date=14 September 2010}}</ref> However, with a stadium move subsequently shelved, the club submitted plans to redevelop the current stadium, and had planning permission approved in 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.insidermedia.com/insider/ireland/premiership-champions-set-for-stadium-nod|title=Premiership Champions Set For Stadium Nod|publisher=Insider Media|date=10 December 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.crusadersfc.com/newsdetail/ID/551|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181114224000/https://www.crusadersfc.com/newsdetail/ID/551|url-status=dead|archive-date=14 November 2018|title=Crusaders Football Club :: South Stand Development Gets Planning Green Light|last=Limited|first=Ni App Developers|website=www.crusadersfc.com|language=en|access-date=14 November 2018}}</ref>
==Support==
Crusaders has traditionally drawn its support from the people of north [[Belfast]], [[Newtownabbey]], and the south and east of [[County Antrim]]. From these members it elects its committee and its particular ethos, with a strong emphasis on community relations. An example of this is their local connection with [[Seaview Primary School]], who have a long-established connection with the club through fundraisers and charity events, as well as school fetes.
However, the club's serious financial plight became very apparent in the early 2000s and in 2002 consideration was given to changing the structure from one of a membership-based organisation to that of a public limited company. Members voted at the AGM against such a change in May 2002. In 2009, club members voted to become a [[company limited by guarantee]].
Crusaders attract a loyal support and had the fourth-highest average attendance in Northern Ireland for the [[2014–15 NIFL Premiership|2014–15 season]], with an average of 1,275. In the [[2015–16 NIFL Premiership|2015–16 season]], their average attendance was the second-highest in the league after [[Linfield F.C.|Linfield]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.irishleaguesupporters.com/attendances.php|title=Attendances|work=Irish League Supporters|access-date=3 August 2017}}</ref>
===Average attendance===
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:100%"
|-
!Season
!Average
|-
|2008–09 || 795
|-
|2009–10 || 1,114
|-
|2010–11 || 819
|-
|2011–12 || 923
|-
|2012–13 || 853
|-
|2013–14 || 908
|-
|2014–15 || 1,275
|-
|2015–16 || 1,562
|-
|2016–17 || 1,513
|-
|2017–18 || 1,494
|-
|2018–19 || 1,394
|-
|2019–20 || 1,347
|-
|2020–21 || 369<ref group="nb">Attendances were curtailed during the [[2020–21 NIFL Premiership]] season due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].</ref>
|-
|2021–22 || 1,536
|-
|2022–23 || 1,607
|-
|2023–24 || 1,634
|}
===Rivalry===
{{main|North Belfast derby}}
Crusaders biggest rivals are [[Cliftonville F.C.|Cliftonville]], with whom they contest the [[North Belfast derby]]. Crusaders traditionally dominated the rivalry (not failing to score in home league matches against the Reds from 1949 until 1998) mainly due to Cliftonville's amateur status; since the mid-1970s the derby has been much more competitive. Crusaders have won 153 games to Cliftonville's 85, and since competing at the same level have won 28 senior honours to Cliftonville's 19. The sides have contested four cup finals together, with Cliftonville winning the 1979 County Antrim Shield final, the 2013 and 2014 League Cup finals, and Crusaders winning the 2009 Irish Cup final.
Historically, Crusaders shared a rivalry with [[Brantwood F.C.|Brantwood]] (who play in [[Skegoneill Avenue]] about 500 yards away from Seaview) when both sides were junior teams. With Crusaders' election to the Irish League in 1949, the intense rivalry gradually faded away. Crusaders also share city rivalries with other Belfast clubs [[Linfield F.C.|Linfield]] and [[Glentoran F.C.|Glentoran]].
==League and cup history==
===Recent seasons===
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%; text-align: center"
|-
!rowspan="2"|Season
!colspan="8"|[[Northern Ireland Football League|League]]
!align=center|[[Irish Cup]]
!align=center|[[Northern Ireland Football League Cup|League Cup]]
!align=center|[[County Antrim Shield]]
!align=center|[[NIFL Charity Shield]]
!align=center|[[Scottish Challenge Cup]]
!align=center|[[Setanta Sports Cup]]
!colspan="2"|[[UEFA#Competitions|Europe]]
<!--
!colspan="2"|Other Competitions
-->
!rowspan="2"|Notes
|-
! style="width:30px;"|Pos.
! P
! W
! D
! L
! GF
! GA
! Pts.
! style="width:50px;"|Result
! style="width:50px;"|Result
! style="width:50px;"|Result
! style="width:50px;"|Result
! style="width:50px;"|Result
! style="width:50px;"|Result
! Competition
! style="width:50px;"|Result
<!--
! Competition
! Result
-->
|-
!2008–09
|bgcolor="#cd7f32"|'''[[2008–09 IFA Premiership|3rd]]'''
|38 || 16 || 14 || 8 || 63 || 45 || '''62'''
|bgcolor=gold|[[2008–09 Irish Cup|'''W''']]
|[[2008–09 Irish League Cup|Last 16]]
|bgcolor="#cd7f32"|[[2008–09 County Antrim Shield|SF]]
| –
| –
| –
|''did not qualify''
| –
| –
|-
!2009–10
|'''[[2010–11 IFA Premiership|4th]]'''
|38 || 17 || 9 || 12 || 57 || 52 || '''60'''
|[[2009–10 Irish Cup|QF]]
|[[2009–10 Irish League Cup|Last 16]]
|bgcolor=gold|[[2009–10 County Antrim Shield|'''W''']]
| –
| –
| –
|UEFA Europa League
|[[2009–10 UEFA Europa League#Second qualifying round|2QR]]
| –
|-
!2010–11
|bgcolor=silver|'''[[2010–11 IFA Premiership|2nd]]'''
|38 || 23 || 5 || 10 || 78 || 59 || '''74'''
|bgcolor=silver|[[2010–11 Irish Cup|RU]]
|bgcolor="#cd7f32"|[[2010–11 Irish League Cup|SF]]
|bgcolor="#cd7f32"|[[2010–11 County Antrim Shield|SF]]
| –
| –
|[[2011 Setanta Sports Cup|QF]]
|''did not qualify''
| –
| –
|-
!2011–12
|'''[[2011–12 IFA Premiership|5th]]'''
|38 || 18 || 10 || 10 || 63 || 47 || '''64'''
|bgcolor=silver|[[2011–12 Irish Cup|RU]]
|bgcolor=gold|[[2011–12 Irish League Cup|'''W''']]
|[[2011–12 County Antrim Shield|QF]]
| –
| –
|bgcolor=gold|[[2012 Setanta Sports Cup|'''W''']]
|UEFA Europa League
|[[2011–12 UEFA Europa League#Second qualifying round|2QR]]
| –
|-
!2012–13
|bgcolor=silver|'''[[2012–13 IFA Premiership|2nd]]'''
|38 || 26 || 5 || 7 || 82 || 41 || '''83'''
|bgcolor="#cd7f32"|[[2012–13 Irish Cup|SF]]
|bgcolor=silver|[[2012–13 Irish League Cup|RU]]
|bgcolor="#cd7f32"|[[2012–13 County Antrim Shield|SF]]
| –
| –
|[[2013 Setanta Sports Cup|QF]]
|UEFA Europa League
|[[2012–13 UEFA Europa League#First qualifying round|1QR]]
| –
|-
!2013–14
|bgcolor="#cd7f32"|'''[[2013–14 NIFL Premiership|3rd]]'''
|38 || 18 || 12 || 8 || 67 || 42 || '''66'''
|bgcolor="#cd7f32"|[[2013–14 Irish Cup|SF]]
|bgcolor=silver|[[2013–14 Northern Ireland Football League Cup|RU]]
|bgcolor=silver|[[2013–14 County Antrim Shield|RU]]
| –
| –
|[[2014 Setanta Sports Cup|QF]]
|UEFA Europa League
|[[2013–14 UEFA Europa League#First qualifying round|1QR]]
| –
|-
!2014–15
|bgcolor=gold|'''[[2014–15 NIFL Premiership|1st]]'''
|38 || 25 || 7 || 6 || 93 || 43 || '''82'''
|bgcolor="#cd7f32"|[[2014–15 Irish Cup|SF]]
|[[2014–15 Northern Ireland Football League Cup|QF]]
|bgcolor="#cd7f32"|[[2014–15 County Antrim Shield|SF]]
| –
| –
| –
|UEFA Europa League
|[[2014–15 UEFA Europa League#Second qualifying round|2QR]]
| –
|-
!2015–16
|bgcolor=gold|'''[[2015–16 NIFL Premiership|1st]]'''
|38 || 28 || 7 || 3 || 79 || 28 || '''91'''
|bgcolor="#cd7f32"|[[2015–16 Irish Cup|SF]]
|[[2015–16 Northern Ireland Football League Cup|Last 16]]
|[[2015–16 County Antrim Shield|QF]]
|bgcolor=silver|[[NIFL Charity Shield#Results|RU]]
| –
| –
|UEFA Champions League
|[[2015–16 UEFA Champions League#Second qualifying round|2QR]]
| –
|-
!2016–17
|bgcolor=silver|'''[[2016–17 NIFL Premiership|2nd]]'''
|38 || 27 || 6 || 5 || 83 || 36 || '''87'''
|[[2016–17 Irish Cup|QF]]
|[[2016–17 Northern Ireland Football League Cup|QF]]
|bgcolor=silver|[[2016–17 County Antrim Shield|RU]]
|bgcolor=silver|[[NIFL Charity Shield#Results|RU]]
|[[2016–17 Scottish Challenge Cup|Last 16]]
| –
|UEFA Champions League
|[[2016–17 UEFA Champions League#First qualifying round|2QR]]
| –
|-
!2017–18
|bgcolor=gold|'''[[2017–18 NIFL Premiership|1st]]'''
|38 || 28 || 7 || 3 || 106 || 38 || '''91'''
|[[2017–18 Irish Cup|Last 16]]
|bgcolor="#cd7f32"|[[2017–18 Northern Ireland Football League Cup|SF]]
|bgcolor=gold|[[2017–18 County Antrim Shield|'''W''']]
| –
|bgcolor="#cd7f32"|[[2017–18 Scottish Challenge Cup|SF]]
| –
|UEFA Europa League
|[[2017–18 UEFA Europa League#First qualifying round|1QR]]
| –
|-
!2018–19
|'''[[2018–19 NIFL Premiership|4th]]'''
|38 || 20 || 5 || 13 || 68 || 55 || '''65'''
|bgcolor=gold|'''[[2018–19 Irish Cup|W]]'''
|bgcolor="#cd7f32"|[[2018–19 Northern Ireland Football League Cup|SF]]
|bgcolor=gold|[[2018–19 County Antrim Shield|'''W''']]
| –
|[[2018–19 Scottish Challenge Cup|Last 32]]
| –
|UEFA Champions League<br>UEFA Europa League
|[[2019–20 UEFA Champions League#First qualifying round|1QR]]<br>[[2019–20 UEFA Europa League#Second qualifying round|2QR]]
| –
|-
!2019–20
|bgcolor="#cd7f32"|'''[[2019–20 NIFL Premiership|3rd]]'''
|31 || 17 || 8 || 6 || 66 || 30 || '''59'''
|[[2019–20 Irish Cup|QF]]
|bgcolor=silver|[[2019–20 Northern Ireland Football League Cup|RU]]
|[[2019–20 County Antrim Shield|QF]]
| –
| –
| –
|UEFA Europa League
|[[2019–20 UEFA Europa League#Second qualifying round|2QR]]
|{{ref label|League|A|}}
|-
!2020–21
|'''[[2020–21 NIFL Premiership|6th]]'''
|38 || 16 || 6 || 16 || 62 || 50 || '''54'''
|bgcolor="#cd7f32"|[[2020–21 Irish Cup|SF]]
| –
|[[2020–21 County Antrim Shield|QF]]
| –
| –
| –
|''did not qualify''
| –
|{{ref label|League Cup|B|}}
|-
!2021–22
|'''[[2021–22 NIFL Premiership|4th]]'''
|38 || 21 || 5 || 12 || 60 || 36 || '''68'''
|bgcolor=gold|'''[[2021–22 Irish Cup|W]]'''
|[[2021–22 Northern Ireland Football League Cup|Last 16]]
|[[2021–22 County Antrim Shield|QF]]
| –
| –
| –
|''did not qualify''
| –
| –
|-
!2022–23
|'''[[2022–23 NIFL Premiership|5th]]'''
|38
|19
|10
|9
|72
|45
|'''67'''
|bgcolor=gold|'''[[2022–23 Irish Cup|W]]'''
|[[2022–23 Northern Ireland Football League Cup|Last 32]]
|[[2022–23 County Antrim Shield|Last 16]]
|bgcolor=gold|'''[[NIFL Charity Shield#Results|W]]'''
| –
| –
|UEFA Europa Conference League
|[[2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League#Second qualifying round|2QR]]
| –
|-
!2023–24
|'''[[2023–24 NIFL Premiership|4th]]'''
|38
|19
|7
|12
|61
|43
|'''64'''
|[[2023–24 Irish Cup|Last 32]]
|[[2023–24 Northern Ireland Football League Cup|Last 16]]
|[[2023–24 County Antrim Shield|Last 16]]
|bgcolor=gold|'''[[NIFL Charity Shield#Results|W]]'''
| –
| –
|UEFA Europa Conference League
|[[2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League#Second qualifying round|2QR]]
| –
|-
|}
{{smalldiv|1=
:A. {{note|League}} League was curtailed after 31 games and awarded on points per game average as a result of the [[COVID-19 pandemic in Northern Ireland]].
:B. {{note|League Cup}} League Cup competition was not held as a result of the [[COVID-19 pandemic in Northern Ireland]].
}}
==European record==
{{main|Northern Irish football clubs in European competitions}}
''Fully up to date as of 3 August 2023''
===Overview===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Competition
! Matches
! W
! D
! L
! GF
! GA
|-
| [[UEFA Champions League|European Cup / UEFA Champions League]]
| {{center|14}}
| {{center|1}}
| {{center|2}}
| {{center|11}}
| {{center|7}}
| {{center|52}}
|-
| [[UEFA Europa League|UEFA Cup / UEFA Europa League]]
| {{center|26}}
| {{center|6}}
| {{center|4}}
| {{center|16}}
| {{center|27}}
| {{center|62}}
|-
| [[UEFA Europa Conference League]]
| {{center|8}}
| {{center|2}}
| {{center|3}}
| {{center|3}}
| {{center|12}}
| {{center|13}}
|-
| ''[[UEFA Cup Winners' Cup|European Cup Winners' Cup]]''
| {{center|6}}
| {{center|0}}
| {{center|2}}
| {{center|4}}
| {{center|5}}
| {{center|18}}
|-
| '''TOTAL'''
| {{center|'''54'''}}
| {{center|'''9'''}}
| {{center|'''11'''}}
| {{center|'''34'''}}
| {{center|'''51'''}}
| {{center|'''145'''}}
|}
===Matches===
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:100%; text-align: center;"
! Season
! Competition
! Round
! Opponent
! Home
! Away
! [[Aggregate score|Aggregate]]
|-
| [[1967–68 European Cup Winners' Cup|1967–68]]
| [[European Cup Winners' Cup]]
| [[1967–68 European Cup Winners' Cup#First round|1R]]
| align="left"| {{flagicon|Spain|1945}} [[Valencia CF|Valencia]]
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|2–4
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|0–4
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|'''2–8'''
|-
| [[1968–69 European Cup Winners' Cup|1968–69]]
| [[European Cup Winners' Cup]]
| [[1968–69 European Cup Winners' Cup#First round|1R]]
| align="left"| {{flagicon|Sweden}} [[IFK Norrköping|Norrköping]]
| bgcolor="#ffffdd" style="text-align:center;"|2–2
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|1–4
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|'''3–6'''
|-
| [[1973–74 European Cup|1973–74]]
| [[UEFA Champions League|European Cup]]
| [[1973–74 European Cup#First round|1R]]
| align="left"| {{flagicon|Romania|1965}} [[Dinamo Bucharest]]
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|0–1
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|0–11
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|'''0–12'''
|-
| [[1976–77 European Cup|1976–77]]
| [[UEFA Champions League|European Cup]]
| [[1976–77 European Cup#First round|1R]]
| align="left"| {{flagicon|England}} [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]]
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|0–5
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|0–2
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|'''0–7'''
|-
| [[1980–81 European Cup Winners' Cup|1980–81]]
| [[European Cup Winners' Cup]]
| [[1980–81 European Cup Winners' Cup#First round|1R]]
| align="left"| {{flagicon|Wales}} [[Newport County F.C.|Newport County]]
| bgcolor="#ffffdd" style="text-align:center;"|0–0
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|0–4
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|'''0–4'''
|-
| [[1993–94 UEFA Cup|1993–94]]
| [[UEFA Europa League|UEFA Cup]]
| [[1993–94 UEFA Cup#First round|1R]]
| align="left"| {{flagicon|Switzerland}} [[Servette FC|Servette]]
| bgcolor="#ffffdd" style="text-align:center;"|0–0
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|0–4
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|'''0–4'''
|-
| [[1995–96 UEFA Cup|1995–96]]
| [[UEFA Europa League|UEFA Cup]]
| [[1995–96 UEFA Cup#Preliminary round|PR]]
| align="left"| {{flagicon|Denmark}} [[Silkeborg IF|Silkeborg]]
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|1–2
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|0–4
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|'''1–6'''
|-
| [[1996–97 UEFA Cup|1996–97]]
| [[UEFA Europa League|UEFA Cup]]
| [[1996–97 UEFA Cup#Preliminary round|PR]]
| align="left"| {{flagicon|Lithuania}} [[FK Žalgiris|Žalgiris Vilnius]]
| bgcolor="#ddffdd" style="text-align:center;"|2–1
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|0–2
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|'''2–3'''
|-
| [[1997–98 UEFA Champions League|1997–98]]
| [[UEFA Champions League]]
| [[1997–98 UEFA Champions League#First qualifying round|1QR]]
| align="left"| {{flagicon|Georgia}} [[FC Dinamo Tbilisi|Dinamo Tbilisi]]
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|1–3
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|1–5
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|'''2–8'''
|-
| [[2009–10 UEFA Europa League|2009–10]]
| [[UEFA Europa League]]
| [[2009–10 UEFA Europa League#Second qualifying round|2QR]]
| align="left"| {{flagicon|Macedonia}} [[FK Rabotnički|Rabotnički]]
| bgcolor="#ffffdd" style="text-align:center;"|1–1
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|2–4
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|'''3–5'''
|-
| [[2011–12 UEFA Europa League|2011–12]]
| [[UEFA Europa League]]
| [[2011–12 UEFA Europa League#Second qualifying round|2QR]]
| align="left"| {{flagicon|England}} [[Fulham F.C.|Fulham]]
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|1–3
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|0–4
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|'''1–7'''
|-
| [[2012–13 UEFA Europa League|2012–13]]
| [[UEFA Europa League]]
| [[2012–13 UEFA Europa League#First qualifying round|1QR]]
| align="left"| {{flagicon|Norway}} [[Rosenborg BK|Rosenborg]]
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|0–3
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|0–1
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|'''0–4'''
|-
| [[2013–14 UEFA Europa League|2013–14]]
| [[UEFA Europa League]]
| [[2013–14 UEFA Europa League#First qualifying round|1QR]]
| align="left"| {{flagicon|Norway}} [[Rosenborg BK|Rosenborg]]
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|1–2
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|2–7
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|'''3–9'''
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[2014–15 UEFA Europa League|2014–15]]
| rowspan="2"| [[UEFA Europa League]]
| [[2014–15 UEFA Europa League#First qualifying round|1QR]]
| align="left"| {{flagicon|Lithuania}} [[FK Ekranas|Ekranas]]
| bgcolor="#ddffdd" style="text-align:center;"|3–1
| bgcolor="#ddffdd" style="text-align:center;"|2–1
| bgcolor="#ddffdd" style="text-align:center;"|'''5–2'''
|-
| [[2014–15 UEFA Europa League#Second qualifying round|2QR]]
| align="left"| {{flagicon|Sweden}} [[IF Brommapojkarna|Brommapojkarna]]
| bgcolor="#ffffdd" style="text-align:center;"|1–1
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|0–4
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|'''1–5'''
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[2015–16 UEFA Champions League|2015–16]]
| rowspan="2"| [[UEFA Champions League]]
| [[2015–16 UEFA Champions League#First qualifying round|1QR]]
| align="left"| {{flagicon|Estonia}} [[FC Levadia Tallinn|Levadia Tallinn]]
| bgcolor="#ffffdd" style="text-align:center;"|0–0
| bgcolor="#ffffdd" style="text-align:center;"|1–1
| bgcolor="#ddffdd" style="text-align:center;"|'''1–1 ([[Away goals rule|a]])'''
|-
| [[2015–16 UEFA Champions League#Second qualifying round|2QR]]
| align="left"| {{flagicon|Albania}} [[KF Skënderbeu Korçë|Skënderbeu]]
| bgcolor="#ddffdd" style="text-align:center;"|3–2
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|1–4
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|'''4–6'''
|-
| [[2016–17 UEFA Champions League|2016–17]]
| [[UEFA Champions League]]
| [[2016–17 UEFA Champions League#Second qualifying round|2QR]]
| align="left"| {{flagicon|Denmark}} [[FC Copenhagen|København]]
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|0–3
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|0–6
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|'''0–9'''
|-
| [[2017–18 UEFA Europa League|2017–18]]
| [[UEFA Europa League]]
| [[2017–18 UEFA Europa League#First qualifying round|1QR]]
| align="left"| {{flagicon|Latvia}} [[FK Liepāja|Liepāja]]
| bgcolor="#ddffdd" style="text-align:center;"|3–1
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|0–2
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|'''3–3 ([[Away goals rule|a]])'''
|-
| [[2018–19 UEFA Champions League|2018–19]]
| [[UEFA Champions League]]
| [[2018–19 UEFA Champions League#First qualifying round|1QR]]
| align="left"| {{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[PFC Ludogorets Razgrad|Ludogorets Razgrad]]
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|0−2
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|0–7
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|'''0–9'''
|-
| [[2018–19 UEFA Europa League|2018–19]]
| [[UEFA Europa League]]
| [[2018–19 UEFA Europa League#Second qualifying round|2QR]]
| align="left"| {{flagicon|Slovenia}} [[NK Olimpija Ljubljana|Olimpija Ljubljana]]
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|1−5
| bgcolor="#ffffdd" style="text-align:center;"|1–1
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|'''2–6'''
|-
| rowspan=2|[[2019–20 UEFA Europa League|2019–20]]
| rowspan=2|[[UEFA Europa League]]
| [[2019–20 UEFA Europa League#First qualifying round|1QR]]
| align="left"| {{flagicon|Faroe Islands}} [[B36 Tórshavn]]
| bgcolor="#ddffdd" style="text-align:center;"|2–0
| bgcolor="#ddffdd" style="text-align:center;"|3–2
| bgcolor="#ddffdd" style="text-align:center;"|'''5–2'''
|-
| [[2019–20 UEFA Europa League#Second qualifying round|2QR]]
| align="left"| {{flagicon|England}} [[Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.|Wolverhampton Wanderers]]
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|1−4
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|0−2
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|'''1–6'''
|-
| rowspan=2|[[2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League|2022–23]]
| rowspan=2|[[UEFA Europa Conference League]]
| [[2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League#First qualifying round|1QR]]
| align="left"| {{flagicon|Gibraltar}} [[F.C. Bruno's Magpies|Bruno's Magpies]]
| bgcolor="#ddffdd" style="text-align:center;"|3–1
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|1−2
| bgcolor="#ddffdd" style="text-align:center;"|'''4–3'''
|-
| [[2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League#Second qualifying round|2QR]]
| align="left"| {{flagicon|Switzerland}} [[FC Basel|Basel]]
| bgcolor="#ffffdd" style="text-align:center;"|1–1
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|0−2
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|'''1–3'''
|-
| rowspan=2|[[2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League|2023–24]]
| rowspan=2|[[UEFA Europa Conference League]]
| [[2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League#First qualifying round|1QR]]
| align="left"| {{flagicon|Finland}} [[FC Haka|Haka]]
| bgcolor="#ddffdd" style="text-align:center;"|1–0
| bgcolor="#ffffdd" style="text-align:center;"|2–2
| bgcolor="#ddffdd" style="text-align:center;"|'''3–2'''
|-
| [[2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League#Second qualifying round|2QR]]
| align="left"| {{flagicon|Norway}} [[Rosenborg BK|Rosenborg]]
| bgcolor="#ffffdd" style="text-align:center;"|2–2
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|2–3 {{aet}}
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|'''4–5'''
|-
| [[2024–25 UEFA Conference League|2024–25]]
| [[UEFA Conference League]]
| [[2024–25 UEFA Conference League#First qualifying round|1QR]]
| align="left"| {{flagicon|Wales}} [[Caernarfon Town F.C.|Caernarfon Town]]
| bgcolor="#ddffdd" style="text-align:center;"|3–1 {{aet}}
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|0–2
| bgcolor="#ffdddd" style="text-align:center;"|'''3–3 (7–8 [[Penalty shoot-out (association football)|p]])'''
|}
===UEFA ranking===
{{updated|5 July 2024|<ref>{{Cite web |last=UEFA.com |title=Member associations – UEFA Coefficients – Club coefficients |url=https://www.uefa.com/nationalassociations/uefarankings/club/#/yr/2022 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130113004406/http://www.uefa.com:80/memberassociations/uefarankings/club/ |archive-date=13 January 2013 }}</ref>}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
! Rank !! Team !! Points
|-
|281|| align="left" |{{flagicon|Slovenia}} [[NK Celje|Celje]]||4.500
|-
|282|| align="left" |{{flagicon|Malta}} [[Ħamrun Spartans F.C.|Ħamrun Spartans]]||4.500
|- bgcolor="#ddffdd"
|283|| align="left" |{{flagicon|Northern Ireland}} '''Crusaders'''||4.500
|-
|283|| align="left" |{{flagicon|Azerbaijan}} [[Gabala SC|Gabala]]||4.500
|-
|285|| align="left" |{{flagicon|Northern Ireland}} [[Larne F.C.|Larne]]||4.500
|}
==Players==
===Squad===
{{updated|26 June 2025}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nifootballleague.com/all-clubs/crusaders/|title=Crusaders - Current Squad|publisher=Northern Ireland Football League|accessdate=30 April 2023}}</ref>
{{Fs start}}
{{Fs player|no=1|nat=
{{Fs player|no=2|nat=
{{
{{Fs player|no=4|nat=
{{Fs player|no=6|nat=
{{Fs player|no=7|nat=
{{Fs player|no=8|nat=
{{
{{
{{
{{Fs player|no=14|nat=
{{Fs player|no=15|nat=NIR|name=Jarlath O’Rourke|pos=DF}}
{{Fs mid}}
{{Fs player|no=16|nat=
{{Fs player|no=18|nat=
{{Fs player|no=19|nat=
{{Fs player|no=20|nat=
{{Fs player|no=21|nat=
{{Fs player|no=23|nat=
{{Fs player|no=25|nat=
{{Fs player|no=26|nat=
{{Fs player|no=28|nat=
{{Fs player|no=31|nat=
{{fs player|no=33|nat=NIR|name=[[Jonathan Tuffey]]|pos=GK}}
{{Fs player|no=42|nat=NIR|name=Lloyd Anderson|pos=MF}}
{{fs player|no=43|nat=NIR|name=Lewis Barr|pos=DF}}
{{Fs end}}
===Youth players with first team squad appearances===
{{fs start}}
{{Fs player|no=26|nat=NIR|name=Ryan Donnelly|pos=MF}}
{{fs player|no=40|nat=NIR|name=Joshua Ness|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=55|nat=NIR|name=Bernard Nsiah|pos=FW}}
{{Fs player|no=64|nat=NIR|name=Matthew Beattie|pos=MF}}
{{fs mid}}
{{Fs player|no=68|nat=NIR|name=Eoin Conlon|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=83|nat=NIR|name=Cole McEnlea|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=92|nat=ALB|name=Aureli Karrabecaj|pos=MF}}
{{fs end}}
===On loan===
{{Fs start}}
{{Fs player|no=40|nat=NIR|name=Rian Brown|pos=GK|other=On loan at [[Newington F.C.|Newington]] until 1st July 2026}}
{{Fs player|no=62|nat=NIR|name=Johnny James|pos=DF|other=On loan at [[Harland and Wolff Welders F.C.|H&W Welders]] until 1st July 2026}}
{{Fs player|no=70|nat=NIR|name=Karter Bond|pos=FW|other=On loan at [[Ballyclare Comrades F.C.|Ballyclare Comrades]] until 1st July 2026}}
{{Fs end}}
==Management team==
{|class="wikitable"
|-
!Position
!Staff
|-
|Manager|| Declan Caddell
|-
|Assistant manager||[[David Rainey (footballer)|David Rainey]]
|-
|Coach||Peter Thompson
|-
|Physiotherapist||Brian Strain
|-
|Goalkeeping coach||David McClelland
|-
|Coach||Steven Livingstone
|-
|Club doctor||David McCracken
|-
|Club chaplain||Frankie Weir
|-
|Kitman||Roy McReynolds
|-
{{Fb oi footer|s=[https://www.crusadersfc.com/whoweare Crusaders F.C.]|date=March 2021}}
==Managerial history==
<ref>Barnes et al. (2001), pp. 54–57.</ref>
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:100%"
|-
!Name
!Years
!Senior honours
|-
|{{flagicon|Ireland|1783}} Albert Mitchell
|1950–1952
|
|-
|{{flagicon|Ireland|1783}} [[Jackie Vernon (footballer)|Jackie Vernon]]
|1952–1956<ref group="nb">Player-manager from 1952–1955.</ref>
|[[Ulster Cup]]
|-
|{{flagicon|Ireland|1783}} Hugh Rankin
|1956–1962
|[[County Antrim Shield]]
|-
|{{flagicon|Northern Ireland}} [[Sammy McCrory]]
|1962–1963<ref group="nb" name="PM">Player-manager.</ref>
|
|-
|{{flagicon|Northern Ireland}} Jimmy Murdough
|1963–1966
|[[Ulster Cup]], [[County Antrim Shield]]
|-
|{{flagicon|Ireland|1783}} Ted Smyth
|1966–1968
|[[Irish Cup]]
|-
|{{flagicon|Ireland|1783}} Jimmy Todd
|1968–1971
|[[Irish Cup]], [[County Antrim Shield]]
|-
|{{flagicon|Northern Ireland}} [[Billy Johnston (footballer, born 1942)|Billy Johnston]]
|1971–1977
|[[IFA Premiership|Irish League]] (2), [[County Antrim Shield]], [[Carlsberg Cup (Northern Ireland)|Carlsberg Cup]]
|-
|{{flagicon|Northern Ireland}} Norman Pavis
|1977–1979
|
|-
|{{flagicon|Northern Ireland}} Ian Russell
|1979–1983
|
|-
|{{flagicon|Northern Ireland}} Clarke Frampton
|1983<ref group="nb" name="CM"></ref>
|
|-
|{{flagicon|Northern Ireland}} [[Tommy Jackson (footballer born 1946)|Tommy Jackson]]
|1983–1986<ref group="nb">Player-manager from 1983–1985.</ref>
|[[Gold Cup (Northern Ireland)|Gold Cup]]
|-
|{{flagicon|Northern Ireland}} Roy McDonald
|1986<ref group="nb" name="CM"></ref>
|
|-
|{{flagicon|Scotland}} [[Jackie Hutton]]
|1986–1989
|
|-
|{{flagicon|Northern Ireland}} [[Roy Walker (footballer)|Roy Walker]]
|1989–1998<ref group="nb">Player-manager from 1989–1993.</ref>
|[[IFA Premiership|Irish League]] (2), [[Irish League Cup|League Cup]], [[Gold Cup (Northern Ireland)|Gold Cup]], [[Ulster Cup]], [[County Antrim Shield]]
|-
|{{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Aaron Callaghan (footballer born 1966)|Aaron Callaghan]]
|1998–1999<ref group="nb" name="PM"></ref>
|
|-
|{{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Martin Murray (footballer)|Martin Murray]]
|1999–2000
|
|-
|{{flagicon|Northern Ireland}} [[Gary McCartney]]
|2000–2002
|
|-
|{{flagicon|Northern Ireland}} [[Alan Dornan]]
|2002–2005<ref group="nb">Player-manager from 2002–2003.</ref>
|
|-
|{{flagicon|Northern Ireland}} Roy Bennett
|2005<ref group="nb" name="CM">Caretaker manager.</ref>
|
|-
|{{flagicon|Northern Ireland}} [[Stephen Baxter (footballer)|Stephen Baxter]]
|2005–2024
|[[NIFL Premiership]] (3), [[Irish Cup]] (4), [[Setanta Cup]], [[Irish League Cup|League Cup]], [[County Antrim Shield]] (3), [[NIFL Charity Shield|Charity Shield]] (2)
|-
|{{flagicon|Northern Ireland}} Declan Caddell
|2024–
|
|-
|}
==Honours==
===Senior honours===
*'''[[IFA Premiership|Irish League/NIFL Premiership]]: 7'''
**[[1972–73 Irish League|1972–73]], [[1975–76 Irish League|1975–76]], [[1994–95 Irish League|1994–95]], [[1996–97 Irish League|1996–97]], [[2014–15 NIFL Premiership|2014–15]], [[2015–16 NIFL Premiership|2015–16]], [[2017–18 NIFL Premiership|2017–18]]
*'''[[Irish Cup]]: 6'''
**[[1966–67 Irish Cup|1966–67]], [[1967–68 Irish Cup|1967–68]], [[2008–09 Irish Cup|2008–09]], [[2018–19 Irish Cup|2018–19]], [[2021–22 Irish Cup|2021–22]], [[2022–23 Irish Cup|2022–23]]
*'''[[Irish League Cup]]: 2'''
**[[1996–97 Irish League Cup|1996–97]], [[2011–12 Irish League Cup|2011–12]]
*'''[[County Antrim Shield]]: 8'''
**[[1959–60 County Antrim Shield|1959–60]], [[1964–65 County Antrim Shield|1964–65]], [[1968–69 County Antrim Shield|1968–69]], [[1973–74 County Antrim Shield|1973–74]], [[1991–92 County Antrim Shield|1991–92]], [[2009–10 County Antrim Shield|2009–10]], [[2017–18 County Antrim Shield|2017–18]], [[2018–19 County Antrim Shield|2018–19]]
*'''[[NIFL Charity Shield]]: 2'''
**2022, 2023
*'''[[Gold Cup (Northern Ireland)|Gold Cup]]: 2'''
**[[1985–86 Gold Cup|1985–86]], [[1995–96 Gold Cup|1995–96]]
*'''[[Ulster Cup]]: 3'''
**[[1953–54 Ulster Cup|1953–54]], [[1963–64 Ulster Cup|1963–64]], [[1993–94 Ulster Cup|1993–94]]
* '''[[Carlsberg Cup (Northern Ireland)|Carlsberg Cup]]: 1'''
**[[1973–74 Carlsberg Cup|1973–74]]
===All-Ireland honours===
* '''[[Setanta Sports Cup]]: 1'''
**[[2012 Setanta Sports Cup|2012]]
===Intermediate honours===
*'''[[IFA Championship|Irish First Division]]: 1'''
**[[2005–06 Irish First Division|2005–06]]
*'''[[Steel & Sons Cup]]: 8'''
**1922–23, 1926–27, 1928–29, 1930–31, 1933–34, 1936–37, 1947–48, 1953–54,<ref group="nb" name="RES">Won by Crusaders Reserves.</ref> 2005–06
*'''[[IFA Championship#Knock-out competitions|IFA Intermediate League Cup]]: 1'''
**2005–06
* '''[[Irish Intermediate League]]: 9'''
**1922–23, 1925–26, 1926–27, 1928–29, 1930–31, 1932–33, 1937–38, 1938–39, 1948–49
*'''[[Irish Intermediate Cup]]: 3'''
**1926–27, 1937–38, 1938–39
* '''[[Irish Intermediate League#List of McElroy Cup winners|McElroy Cup]]: 3'''
**1929–30, 1931–32, 1947–48
*'''Clements Lyttle Cup: 1'''
**1924–25
*'''[[IFA Reserve League|Irish League B Division Section 2/NIFL Premiership Development League]]: 3'''
**1996–97,<ref group="nb" name="RES"></ref> 2021–22,<ref group="nb" name="RES"></ref> 2022–23<ref group="nb" name="RES"></ref>
*'''[[George Wilson Cup]]: 3'''
**1952–53,<ref group="nb" name="RES"></ref> 2006–07,<ref group="nb" name="RES"></ref> 2014–15<ref group="nb" name="RES"></ref>
*'''Louis Moore Cup: 1'''
**1972–73<ref group="nb" name="RES"></ref>
===Junior honours===
*'''Irish Junior Alliance First Division: 3'''
**1915–16, 1916–17, 1917–18
*'''Lyttle Trophy: 3'''
**1915–16, 1917–18, 1920–21 <small>(shared)</small>
*'''Empire Cup: 1'''
**1905–06
*'''Polland Cup: 1'''
**1903–04
*'''Alexandra Alliance: 1'''
**1901–02
===Friendly honours===
* '''Stena Line Trophy: 1'''
**1996–97
==See also==
*[[Crusaders Strikers F.C.|Crusaders Strikers]], a [[women's association football]] club amalgamated with Crusaders since 2009.
==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}
<references group="nb" />
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
{{commons category}}
*{{official website|http://www.crusadersfc.com/}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20121018105238/http://home.online.no/~smogols/ifcp/clubs/crusaders/clubcrusaders.htm Crusaders Statistics and Results] – Irish Football Club Project
{{Crusaders F.C.}}
{{Football in Northern Ireland}}
{{NIFL league}}
[[Category:Crusaders F.C.| ]]
[[Category:Association football clubs established in 1898]]
[[Category:Association football clubs in Northern Ireland]]
[[Category:NIFL Premiership clubs]]
[[Category:Association football clubs in Belfast]]
[[Category:1898 establishments in Ireland]]
| |||