Saturday 12 April

The Northern Ireland Open Freestyle Wrestling Championships will be held at Downshire School, Carrickfergus on Saturday 12 April, starting at 9.30am. The event will begin with a display from local Irish dancers, followed by the wrestling tournament.

With teams of top wrestlers attending this annual event from across Europe, England, Scotland, Republic of Ireland, Wales and clubs from all over Northern Ireland, this has the potential to be the most successful tournament held within Northern Ireland since the 1980s. There will be senior, junior and mini wrestling matches and for the first time, the sport of submission wrestling under the new FILA rules.

Wrestling is a great spectator sport and everyone who comes along is guaranteed an exciting day. Everyone is welcome to come along and support their local wrestlers at this year's event.

Saturday 29 September

Northern Wrestlers clean up at the Irish Open

With a total 18 Medals, wrestlers from three Northern Irish wrestling clubs proved they are a ‘force to be reckoned with’.

Five Gold, eight Silver and five Bronze Medals were won by members of Knockagh Raiders Wrestling Club, Waterside Sharks Takedown Club and Larne Panthers Wrestling Club at the 60th Annual Irish Open Wrestling Championship held in Dublin On Saturday 29 September.

The competition was fierce with wrestlers from England and Scotland also taking part in the tournament. Irish Open Champions are Cameron Black, Cameron Burns, Scott Neill who also picked up Wrestler of the tournament, Andrew Purssell, his second Gold medal at this competition and Sammy Tufts 4 times consecutive Irish Open Champion. With more clubs, popping up across the country it will become easier for members of the public to see and participate in Freestyle wrestling.

John O’Rawe Northern Ireland’s National Coach said, “The level of wrestling is rising as is the sport’s popularity. The wrestlers we have now are a hardcore of tough-nuts that will not accept anything but their best performance. They really are starting to relate to the wrestlers we had in the 80’s when we had people trained by Dave Finlay winning British Championships at junior and senior level, wrestlers from Northern Ireland on the British wrestling Team and Commonwealth Games Competitors. I can only hope that with a result such as this one that we can raise profile of the sport and be taken more seriously as a sport that benefits all who take part.”