Draft:Bright GFC

{{AFC submission|d|nn|u=Niallh26|ns=118|decliner=Rahmatula786|declinets=20250620131809|ts=20250612020114}}

{{AFC submission|d|corp|u=Niallh26|ns=118|decliner=Jannatulbaqi|declinets=20250605074518|small=yes|ts=20250602232007}}

{{AFC comment|1=The draft, in its current form, is not ready for the main article namespace. The text is overly promotional in tone/intent and a number of the sources (especially those which support the "community role" section) do not mention the subject org at all, and do not support the promotional text they are placed alongside. Guliolopez (talk) 09:10, 12 June 2025 (UTC)}}

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{{AFC comment|1=The draft, in its current form, is not ready for the main article namespace. The text is overly promotional in tone/intent and a number of the sources (especially those which support the "community role" section) do not mention the subject org at all, and do not support the promotional text they are placed alongside. Guliolopez (talk) 09:10, 12 June 2025 (UTC) }}

{{Infobox GAA club

|club gaa=Bright GFC

|irish=Breachtain

|crest=17843 profile.png

|founded=1951

|province=Ulster

|county=Down

|nickname=

|colours=Green and Gold

|grounds= Ballynoe Road, Downpatrick, BT30 8AJ

|coordinates={{coord|54.294514|-5.715348|display=inline|region:IE_type:landmark}}

|kit1 = Home Kit

|pattern_b2=_whitecollar

|leftarm=008000

|pattern_la=_shoulder_stripes_gold_stripes

|rightarm=008000

|pattern_ra=_shoulder_stripes_gold_stripes

|pattern_b=_goldhorizontal

|body=008000

|shorts=FFFFFF

|pattern_so=_gold

|socks=008000

}}

File:Bright GAC.png

File:Farmland south of Corbally Road - geograph.org.uk - 2746268.jpg

Bright Gaelic Football Club (GFC) is a local Gaelic athletic club (GAC) affiliated with the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) based in the parish of Bright in County Down, Northern Ireland. It organises activities in several Gaelic games, including Gaelic football, hurling, and camogie.{{cite web |title=Bright GAA Club |url=http://bright.down.gaa.ie/index.html |website=Down GAA |access-date=30 May 2025}}

==History==

=Foundation=

Gaelic football had been played in the parish since the late 1800s.{{cite book |last1=Heenan |first1=Kieran |last2=Ní Chléirigh |first2=Poilín |title=The History of the GAA Clubs in County Down, Old and New |publisher=Michael Wallace |year=2018 |isbn=9780992763725}} The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) had taken longer to get going in Ulster than in other parts of Ireland,{{cite journal |last=Bourke |first=Marcus |title=The Early GAA in South Ulster |journal=Clogher Record |volume=7 |issue=1 |year=1969 |pages=5–26 |publisher=Clogher Historical Society |doi=10.2307/27695626 |jstor=27695626}} and it wasn't until 1951 that Bright GFC was established.

Initially, the club operated under the name "Scollogstown," using local farmland in that locale for matches due to the lack of dedicated sports facilities.{{cite journal |last=Stranney |first=William |title=Whiterock Dance Hall (1931–1950) |journal=Lecale Review |issue=6 |year=2008 |pages=9–17 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339740278 |access-date=23 June 2025}} The club started putting more focus on getting young people involved, especially schoolboys, by encouraging them to take part in training and games, something also supported in the GAA’s 2015–2017 Strategic Plan.{{cite web |title=GAA Strategic Plan 2015–2017 |url=https://www.gaa.ie/api/pdfs/image/upload/gah6np0i1grhjj3xr7yp.pdf |website=Fáilte chuig gaa.ie – suíomh oifigiúil CLG / Welcome to gaa.ie – official GAA website |date=March 2015 |access-date=11 June 2025}}

===Early development===

A senior team was formed following a friendly match arranged to generate interest, and a focus on youth development led to the creation of the East Down Schoolboys League. The club's first competitive match was played against Castlewellan in a wet flooded pitch. The youth team later progressed to win the Down County Minor Championship in 1956.{{cite web |title=Bright GFC Club History |url=http://bright.down.gaa.ie/clubhistory.html |website=Bright GFC |date=26 February 2019 |access-date=11 June 2025}} Throughout its early years, the club played matches in various locations, including Ballynewport, Legamaddy, Grangecam, Oakley, and Rossglass, depending on field availability. Over time, the club name changed several times before adopting the parish name, Breachtain (Bright).

Facilities

As of 2025, the club's grounds are located on Ballynoe Road in Marshallstown, near Carney Hill{{cite web |title=Bright Community Centre & GFC |url=https://www.google.com/maps/place/Bright+Community+Centre/@54.2946706,-5.7187304,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x48613f004ff8e78d:0x7bc293a230c04897!8m2!3d54.2946706!4d-5.7161555!16s%2Fg%2F11w5bjkgnt?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDYwOS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D |website=Google Maps |access-date=2 June 2025}} and the clubhouse doubles as the Community Centre. Bright GFC fields teams at various age levels, including under-14 and under-16, as well as senior and reserve teams. The club won the Down Junior Football Championship title in 2019.{{cite news |title=By George he's got it as Bright come good |url=http://www.thedownrecorder.co.uk/pages/?title=By_George_he%E2%80%99s_got_it_as_Bright_come_good |work=Down Recorder |date=9 October 2019 |access-date=11 June 2025}}

=Facilities expansion=

In April 2019, the club introduced a new set of dugouts at the pitch. This improvement was funded through a combination of national funding allocated to GAA clubs and contributions from the local community.{{cite news |last=Mageean |first=Paddy |title=Bright GAC Notes For 8th April 2019 |url=https://downnews.co.uk/bright-gac-notes-for-8th-april-2019/ |work=Down News |date=9 April 2019 |access-date=11 June 2025}}

A new away kit was sponsored and presented to club officials prior to the first home game of the season in 2016 against Ardglass.{{cite news |last=McKinney |first=Cyril |title=Bright GAC Notes For 12 April 2016 |url=https://downnews.co.uk/bright-gac-notes-for-12-april-2016/ |work=Down News |date=17 April 2016 |access-date=11 June 2025}}

Notable players

A member of the Down team that won the 1994 Senior Football Championship final, Richard Starkey, played for Bright U12's.{{cite web |url=https://inpho.ie/app/WebObjects/Shop.woa/3/wo/5RZBAzVhWBIEVBGJfiuRJ0/0.0.27.7.16.2?Search=00002113%3ARichard+Starkey+Down+Football+1995&0.27.7.16.2.3=SEARCH+IMAGES&wosid=5RZBAzVhWBIEVBGJfiuRJ0 |title=Richard Starkey Down Football 1995 |website=Inpho Photography |access-date=20 March 2025}}{{fv|reason=Linked webpage doesn't mention the club? Or that Starkey played with the club as a child?}}

References

{{Draft categories|

:Category:Gaelic games clubs in County Down

:Category:Gaelic football clubs in County Down

:Category:Hurling clubs in County Down

}}