Northern Ireland

Crusaders

Crusaders Football Club is a Northern Irish semi-professional football club, playing in the NIFL Premiership. The club, founded in 1898, hails from Belfast and plays its home matches at Seaview. Club colours are red and black. The current manager is former player Stephen Baxter, who is the club's longest serving manager, having been appointed in 2005. Crusaders played intermediate football until 1949, and during that time they were one of the top non-league teams in the country. The withdrawal of Belfast Celtic from the senior ranks in 1949 resulted in Crusaders being elected in their place in time for the start of the 1949–50 season.