# Ulster Footballer of the Year

The Ulster Footballer of the Year is an association football player of the year award in Northern Ireland. One of two player of the year awards in Northern Ireland, the other is the Northern Ireland Football Writers' Association award. The Ulster award is the older of the two.
It is awarded by Castlereagh Glentoran Supporters' Club to the player who is adjudged by an independent committee to have been the best of the season in the Irish League. The award has been presented since the 1950–51 season, when the inaugural winner was Kevin McGarry of Cliftonville. The current holder of the award is Chris Shields, of Linfield. Glenn Ferguson has won the award most often: on three separate occasions.

## List of winners

| Year | Player | Club |
| 1950–51 | Kevin McGarry | Cliftonville |
| 1951–52 | Eric Treverrow | Ballymena United |
| 1952–53 | Sammy Hughes | Glentoran |
| 1953–54 | Jimmy Delaney | Derry City |
| 1954–55 | Maurice McVeigh | Glenavon |
| 1955–56 | Dick Keith | Linfield |
| 1956–57 | Wilbur Cush | Glenavon |
| 1957–58 | Jackie Milburn | Linfield |
| 1958–59 | Clancy McDermott | Coleraine |
| 1959–60 | Billy Neill | Glentoran |
| 1960–61 | Albert Campbell | Crusaders |
| 1961–62 | Tommy Dickson | Linfield |
| 1962–63 | Roy Rea | Glentoran |
| 1963–64 | Trevor Thompson | Glentoran |
| 1964–65 | Dougie Wood | Derry City |
| 1965–66 | Tommy Leishman | Linfield |
| 1966–67 | Walter Bruce | Glentoran |
| 1967–68 | Sammy Hatton | Linfield |
| 1968–69 | Billy McAvoy | Ards |
| 1969–70 | Billy Humphries | Ards |
| 1970–71 | Bryan Hamilton | Linfield |
| 1971–72 | Billy Humphries | Ards |
| 1972–73 | Sammy Lunn | Portadown |
| 1973–74 | Arthur Stewart | Ballymena United |
| 1974–75 | Eric Bowyer | Linfield |
| 1975–76 | Warren Feeney | Glentoran |
| 1976–77 | Peter Rafferty | Linfield |
| 1977–78 | Jim Martin | Linfield |
| 1978–79 | Roy Walsh | Glentoran |
| 1979–80 | Lindsay McKeown | Linfield |
| 1980–81 | George Dunlop | Linfield |
| 1981–82 | Felix Healy | Coleraine |
| 1982–83 | Jim Cleary | Glentoran |
| 1983–84 | Bobby Carlisle | Cliftonville |
| 1984–85 | Martin McGaughey | Linfield |
| 1985–86 | Pat McCoy | Crusaders |
| 1986–87 | Raymond McCoy | Coleraine |
| 1987–88 | Alan Patterson | Glentoran |
| 1988–89 | Lindsay McKeown | Linfield |
| 1989–90 | Ollie Ralph | Newry Town |
| 1990–91 | Stephen McBride | Glenavon |
| 1991–92 | Raymond Morrison | Glentoran |
| 1992–93 | Stevie Cowan | Portadown |
| 1993–94 | Noel Bailie | Linfield |
| 1994–95 | Kevin McKeown | Crusaders |
| 1995–96 | Peter Kennedy | Portadown |
| 1996–97 | Stephen Baxter | Crusaders |
| 1997–98 | Marty Tabb | Cliftonville |
| 1998–99 | John Devine | Glentoran |
| 1999–2000 | Vinny Arkins | Portadown |
| 2000–01 | Glenn Ferguson | Linfield |
| 2001–02 | Mickey Keenan | Portadown |
| 2002–03 | Gary Smyth | Glentoran |
| 2003–04 | Glenn Ferguson | Linfield |
| 2004–05 | Paul Leeman | Glentoran |
| 2005–06 | Glenn Ferguson | Linfield |
| 2006–07 | William Murphy | Linfield |
| 2007–08 | Alan Mannus | Linfield |
| 2008–09 | Chris Scannell | Cliftonville |
| 2009–10 | Rory Patterson | Coleraine |
| 2010–11 | Alan Blayney | Linfield |
| 2011–12 | Gary McCutcheon | Ballymena United |
| 2012–13 | Liam Boyce | Cliftonville |
| 2013–14 | Joe Gormley | Cliftonville |
| 2014–15 | Paul Heatley | Crusaders |
| 2015–16 | Billy Joe Burns | Crusaders |
| 2016–17 | Jamie Mulgrew | Linfield |
| 2017–18 | Gavin Whyte | Crusaders |
| 2018–19 | Jimmy Callacher | Linfield |
| 2019–20 | No award due to COVID-19 pandemic in Northern Ireland | No award due to COVID-19 pandemic in Northern Ireland |
| 2020–21 | Shayne Lavery | Linfield |
| 2021–22 | Chris Shields | Linfield |
| 2022–23 | Leroy Millar | Larne |
| 2023–24 | Kyle McClean | Linfield |

### Wins by player (multiple)

| Player | Total | Years |
| Glenn Ferguson | 3 | 2001, 2004, 2006 |
| Billy Humphries | 2 | 1970, 1972 |
| Lindsay McKeown | 2 | 1980, 1990 |

### Wins by country

| Club | Players | Total |
| Northern Ireland | 57 | 61 |
| Scotland | 7 | 7 |
| Republic of Ireland | 3 | 3 |
| England | 1 | 1 |

### Wins by club

| Club | Players | Total |
| Linfield | 22 | 25 |
| Glentoran | 13 | 13 |
| Crusaders | 7 | 7 |
| Cliftonville | 6 | 6 |
| Portadown | 5 | 5 |
| Coleraine | 4 | 4 |
| Ards | 2 | 3 |
| Ballymena United | 3 | 3 |
| Glenavon | 3 | 3 |
| Derry City | 2 | 2 |
| Newry City | 1 | 1 |