Crusaders FC
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| Full name | Crusaders Football Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Hatchetmen, The Crues |
| Founded | 1898 |
| Ground | Seaview, Belfast |
| Capacity | 3,383 |
| Chairman | Stephen Bell |
| Manager | Stephen Baxter |
| League | NIFL Premiership |
| 2015–16 | NIFL Premiership, 1st |
| Website | www |
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.
The club's fierce rivals are Cliftonville. Matches between the two clubs are known as the North Belfast derby. Rivalries also exist with other Belfast sides such as Linfield and Glentoran.
Crusaders Football Club was formed in the year 1898, with the exact date 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 committee.
Many names were suggested for the club, including Rowan Star, Cultra United, Mervue Wanderers, Moyola (all names from local streets), and others such as Queen's Rovers, and the Lilliputians (the inspiration for this name most likely came from the book Gulliver's Travels, which was inspired by Cavehill which overlooks North Belfast, and is said to resemble a giant face). Thomas Palmer felt that a name of more international significance should be adopted and he suggested 'Crusaders', after the medieval Christian knights.
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