Rathfriland Rangers Football Club, referred to as Rathfriland Rangers, or "The Whites", is a Northern Irish semi-professional football club, playing in the NIFL Championship. Rathfriland Rangers are a part of the Mid-Ulster Football Association. They compete in the Irish Cup.

The club was managed by former player Ally Wilson from March 2021 to October 2026. During this time, the club experienced an unprecedented era of success, gaining promotion from the NAFL Premier Division to the NIFL Championship, whilst also enjoying numerous Cup successes.

Overview The club is based in Rathfriland, County Down, was formed in 1962 and joined the Newcastle & District League before attaining intermediate status and then joining the Amateur League in 1986.H. Johnstone & G. Hamilton (n.d.) A Memorable Milestone: 75 Years of the Northern Amateur Football League, p. 213 The club currently consists of four teams: the 1st XI (Rangers), 2nd XI (Reserves) 3rd XI (Swifts) as well as an under-17 squad. The Reserves team plays in the Mid-Ulster Football League Reserve Championship, whilst the Swifts are in Reserve division 2 of the Mid-Ulster Football League. The club won the Intermediate Cup in 2022, defeating Armagh City in the final. In 2023, the club was promoted to the NIFL Premier Intermediate League for the first time. In their first season in PIL, the club would finish in 4th place, narrowly missing out on a NIFL Championship play-off spot, a commendable achievement for the club. A 3rd place finish at the end of the 2024-25 season, was followed up with a further 3rd place finish in 2025-26. With four clubs being promoted at the end of this season, Rathfriland secured an historic promotion to the NIFL Championship.

The club is captained by Jack Barbour.

Current squad

Honours

Senior Honours:

Mid-Ulster Cup Runners-Up 2025-26

Intermediate Honours:

NIFL Premier Intermediate League 3rd place (Promoted) 2025-26 Northern Amateur Football League: Premier Division 2021–22, 2022–23 IFA Intermediate Cup: 2021–22 Bob Radcliffe Cup: 2019–20, 2023–24, 2025-26 Border Cup: 2016–17 Northern Amateur Football League: Division 1A 1997–98, 2015–16 Northern Amateur Football League: Division 1B 1996–97

External links nifootball.co.uk – website for fixtures, results and tables of all Northern Ireland amateur football leagues.

Notes