Coleraine manager Ruaidhri Higgins said his side want "more success" in this year's Irish Premiership.

The Bannsiders won the Irish Cup last season and came second in the Irish League by three points.

It has been an impressive summer transfer window for Higgins' side who have signed Northern Ireland international Conor McMenamin as well as Derry City's Ben Doherty.

"When you look at some of the signings the so-called bottom six clubs are making, it is going to be an even stronger league I feel this year and extremely competitive," Higgins told BBC Sport NI.

"When you hear people writing off Linfield, I think that is very, very naive. Larne are the reigning champions and deserve respect and Glentoran will be really, really strong again and then you have the really competitive teams outside of them as well.

"Cliftonville, Ballymena, you look at their recruitment, and Dungannon, they are always difficult to beat. I am leaving clubs out and you look last year we went to Bangor and lost so any given day you can get turned over by anyone if you are off it."

Read more of Higgins' thoughts pre-season.here.

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Portadown manager David Jeffrey said his new club are a side with "a history and heritage".

The 63-year-old is returning to management to add to his over 20 years of experience in the Irish League after three years out.

The Ports finished eighth last season and have had a busy transfer window with six new players joining the side.

"I have, it took several weeks to appreciate the privilege of being appointed Portadown's new manager, but I am quite comfortable with it," Jeffrey told BBC Sport NI.

"It was a very considered decision; my partner Rose was recovering from breast cancer and thank God she is in a good place. That was pivotal.

"The history of the club is amazing, particularly what Ronnie McFall did was outstanding and it is a club with a history and heritage."

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Dungannon Swifts host Coleraine in a repeat of May's Irish Cup final, a game which today's visitors to Stangmore Park won 3-2.

This afternoon's line-ups show plenty of changes for both teams, reflecting a busy summer of transfer activity across the league.

Swifts manager Rodney McAree hands a debut to defender Barney McKeown, while Kris Lowe returns for a second spell, as does former Coleraine midfielder Jamie Glackin who starts on the bench.

On loan Derry City defender Rob Slevin comes straight into the Coleraine side, but Northern Ireland international Conor McMenamin must make do with a place on the bench.

Dungannon Swifts: Dunne, McKeown, Dillon, Alves, Glenny, Lowe, Gordon, Doyle, Wallace, Bigirimana (c), McAllister.

Subs: Henderson, Scott, Maguire, Smith, Mitchell, McBrien, Glackin.

Coleraine: Webb, Kane, Boyle, Stewart, Patching, Shevlin, Cooper (c), Slevin, Devine, McDonald, Doherty.

Subs: Robinson, Jarvis, McGregor, Murray, Ives, Henderson, McMenamin.

Image source, BBC Sport

Glentoran captain Marcus Kane said being at the east Belfast side for so long has "changed" him.

Kane has been captain of the Glens for 10 of his 15 seasons so far and has won the Irish Cup on three occasions.

Now, he will aim to help the side to secure silverware after they failed to win any last campaign.

"It is a good achievement and one I am very proud of," Kane told BBC Sport NI.

"To represent a club at any level, but to captain is special. It has changed me and I am now a Glentoran fan, my family are all Glentoran.

"It could have been hard for me, but the fans have been more than nice to me and welcomed me and my family."

The Glens finished third last year and Kane believes the league has got stronger over the summer.

Manager Declan Devine has brought in three new signings as the side aim to push for their first Irish Premiership since 2008-09.

"A lot of teams have strengthened," he continued.

"The league as a brand has got better and better. No team are just showing up, you have to bring your game to get three points."

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It was revealed this week that Bangor striker Ben Arthurs has completed a three-month ban after testing positive for cocaine following an Irish Premiership game in March.

The 28-year-old was subject to an anti-doping test after his side faced Glentoran on 10 March and a statement from UK Anti-Doping [UKAD] on Thursday said Arthurs admitted to "ingesting cocaine for recreational purposes within a social setting".

Under UKAD rules, athletes can be issued reduced three-month suspensions "if they can establish that they used the substance out-of-competition and in a context unrelated to sport performance".

An independent expert concluded that the use of the drug "most likely" took place before the day of the game, which Glentoran won 4-0.

Arthurs was suspended by Bangor in April and at the time it was said the Seasiders were "unable to provide further details" while an investigation took place.

With Arthurs' having been issued with a provisional suspension on 7 April, his ban has been served and, having already returned to pre-season training, he is eligible to face Cliftonville at Clandeboye Park when Lee Feeney's side begin their 2026-27 Irish Premiership campaign on 15 August.

It will be Arthurs' ninth season at the club where he is the second top goalscorer in their history.

Doping control was introduced in the Irish Premiership and Women's Premiership in 2024 in a move joint-funded by the Irish Football Association [IFA] and Northern Ireland Football League [NIFL].

BBC NI approached the IFA and NIFL for comment.

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Limavady United midfielder Oisin Duffy said the side aim to be "competing in every game" on their return to the Irish Premiership for the first time in 18 years.

Limavady won promotion to the top flight after topping the Championship table by nine points last year.

The promotion is the side's second in three years under manager Paul Owens and they will take confidence into this campaign after knocking Linfield out of the Irish Cup last season.

"The goal is hopefully we will be competing and we are not trying to come up to go straight back down," Duffy told BBC Sport NI.

"Hopefully we are going to be competing in every game, putting it up to teams and hopefully we can get a lot of good results throughout the season."

It is a challenging start to the campaign for Limavady with a trip to face Glentoran at the Oval up first before matches against Carrick Rangers, defending champions Larne and then Linfield.

Despite the tough opening fixtures, Duffy added the side are ready and "looking forward to the first game of the season".

"I am buzzing for the season to start now," he continued.

"Pre-season has been really good and a lot of work has gone in. We have done really well and we are ready for it now.

"We are very nearly there and looking forward to the first game against Glentoran."

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Carrick boss Stephen Baxter opts for continuity after a successful season last year with just two new faces.

One of those is enforced as Dylan Agnew starts in goal with regular keeper Nathan Gartside suspended after being sent off in Carrick's European play-off defeat at the end of last season, while Jordan Forsythe bolsters the Rangers midfield following his summer switch from Crusaders.

Portadown, with David Jeffrey making his return to management after a three-year absence, hand debuts to five new faces with Conor Falls, Liam Jessop, Rhys Breen, Mikey Hewitt and Dominic Dos Santos Martins.

Carrick Rangers: Agnew, Place, Callacher, McCullough, Buchanan-Rolleston, Snoddy, Forsythe, Steele, Heatley, Lecky, Gibson.

Subs: O'Connor, CLucas, Maciulaitis, Moore, Crowe, Cherry, Hastings.

Portadown: McCarey, Hewitt, MacKinnon, Breen, Martins, Scott, Thompson, Jessop, Teelan, Falls, Fyfe.

Subs: Barry, Isamala, Carson, Altintop, Minzamba, O'Mahoney, Obhakhan.

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Ballymena United manager Oran Kearney believes a busy summer transfer window has allowed him to put his "own stamp" on the Sky Blues' squad.

Kearney is preparing for his first full season in the Showgrounds dugout after replacing Jim Ervin last December.

Ballymena have signed 10 new players and 18 have left the side in what has been a summer of transition after a lacklustre ninth placed finish last season.

"There has been a huge number of ins and outs and that is not ideal," Kearney told BBC Sport NI.

"You would not want it through a run of windows, but I think for this window it was important to try and put your own stamp on it and a level of freshness about us.

"In the Irish League you have your four full-time teams and they should finish above the eight part-time ones but that is the exciting part for me and that is the challenge. That is what my job, we are as ready as possible to try and upset the apple cart."

The 48-year-old managed Coleraine for 14 years over two spells and won the Irish Cup in 2018 and the 2020 League Cup during his tenure.

Now, he believes that his experience can help the Sky Blues end their nine-year stint without a trophy.

"It has been a brilliant time and one I have thoroughly enjoyed since coming in the door," he continued.

"Whether people like it or not they are quite a lot of similarities between the Coleraine and Ballymena. They are both well supported country clubs and the big one is they would both love success and something to cheer about.

"It has been a lot of transition, and I am looking forward to trying to bring some enjoyment and joy to this club."

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David Healy begins his 11th Irish Premiership season in charge of Linfield this afternoon and has opted for a strike force of Matthew Fitzpatrick and Kieran Offord this afternoon.

The visitors haven't tasted victory against the Blues in the league at Windsor Park since 2004, but manager Oran Kearney is looking to change that today.

His starting XI consists of five new signings, all of which played for Linfield just last season with Fuad Sule also returning to midfield.

Linfield: Johns, Nolan, Shields (c), Millar, McClean, Offord, Hall, Frizzell, McGee, Fitzpatrick, Leahy.

Subs: Glavin, Wells, Brown, Baird, Moore, McCullough, Chapman.

Ballymena United: Walsh, Toure, Whiteside, Sule, McKee, Archer, Rutkowski, Allen, McCallion, Clarke (c), Edogun.

Subs: Breen, Glynn, Kennedy, Leetch, Murray, McEleney, Hood.

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Limavady United make a return to the Irish Premiership following an 18-year absence as they travel to The Oval to take on Glentoran.

Paul Owens' side will be hoping for an extended stay in the top-flight this time around after cruising to the Championship title last season.

It has been a busy summer of recruitment for the Roesiders with Owens bringing in a number of experienced players to bolster the squad alongside the Lowry brothers, Stephen and Philip.

Aaron Jarvis, Stephen O’Donnell and Daniel Lafferty have plenty of games behind them at this level are are sure to play a big role for the club this season.

Former Coleraine captain O'Donnell, the highly rated Oisin Duffy and Leon Boyd are the only new faces involved this afternoon with Jarvis and Lafferty named among the subs.

It's been a quieter close season for the Glens with Zeno Rossi, Greg Sloggett and Rhys Walsh the only new arrivals to date.

Boss Declan Devine will be hoping the arrivals of Rossi and Sloggett can mitigate the loss of key men Cammy Palmer and MJ Kamson-Kamara, whose time in east Belfast came to a close at the end of last season.

Rossi, who scored on his competitive debut for the club in the Conference League qualifying defeat to RFS, makes his league debut with Sloggett and Walsh not involved.

Glentoran: Crellin, Cooney, Kane, Rossi, Thomson, Clarke, McEneff, Hoban, Singleton, Malone, Jenkins.

Subs: Watt, Kelly, Stewart, Gallagher, Larmour, Weatherup, Faloona.

Limavady Utd: Gallagher, Farren, O'Donnell, T Boorman, Brown, S Lowry, Carlin, P Lowry, Duffy, Butcher, Boyd.

Subs: Doherty, Lafferty, Walker, Jarvis, R Boorman, Wilson, Gaston.

Image source, BBC Sport

Larne manager Gary Haveron said the prevention of a delayed start to the Irish Premiership and Championship seasons is the "best solution" after proposals put forward by the Northern Ireland Football League were approved on Tuesday night.

The vast majority of clubs voted in favour of the three proposals that were put forward by NIFL at an extraordinary general meeting [EGM].

Should the EGM not have occurred or NIFL failed to gain 75% of the votes, both seasons starting on Friday, 7 August would have been in doubt.

"I think by far it's the best solution that could have happened," Haveron told BBC Sport NI.

"I think NIFL has been an absolute breath of fresh air for this league. I'm massively supportive of them and I think they're trying to push for all the right reasons, to try and progress the league and move us in the right direction and I feel faith that they will.

"I'm glad that common sense has prevailed there and the right decision has been come to. I hope everybody just moves on very swiftly from it and the league can go ahead again."

Read more of what the Larne boss had to say here, external.

Image source, Presseye

Watch highlights as Cliftonville secured season-opening bragging rights over Crusaders with a 2-1 win at Solitude.

After a summer of transfers, preparation and uncertainty, the start of the Irish Premiership 2026-27 season has finally arrived.

A full 104 days after Larne lifted the Gibson Cup in style, the north Belfast derby between Cliftonville and Crusaders kick started what looks set to be another exciting year in the Irish League.

It has been a far from simple summer, with plenty of talking points off the field and even this week the threat of the season being delayed.

However, with that crisis averted and the opening round of matches now just days away, BBC Sport NI takes a look at some of the talking points around the league this season.

Read Jana McCabe's thoughts on the new season here.

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Cliftonville's new signings made an immediate impact as the Reds beat north Belfast rivals Crusaders 2-1 in the Irish Premiership season opener.

Ben Quinn, a summer arrival from Portadown, gave Jim Magilton's side an early lead with a close-range finish.

Another debutant, former Airdrieonians midfielder Dean McMaster, notched Cliftonville's second with a neat free kick in the second period.

Crusaders pulled a goal back through substitute Elliot Dunlop in stoppage time, but it was not enough to prevent Cliftonville from claiming three points.

"On the balance of the play we controlled large parts of the game. They were always a threat on the counter attack, even at the death," Jim Magilton said.

"You can't switch off and we did and got punished. It's the first game of the season, we played well and we looked a threat.

"That was the pleasing aspect. We can do better but I'm delighted with the result."

BBC Sport NI has agreed a new three-year broadcast deal with the Irish FA and Northern Ireland Football League to ensure the continuation of extensive free-to-air coverage of international and domestic football across BBC iPlayer, online, radio and TV.

The new deal means BBC Sport NI will show 30 live Boyle Sports Premiership streams per season - starting with Cliftonville's 2-1 win over Crusaders - as well as 10 senior Women's Northern Ireland international matches and action from domestic cup competitions.

Finals of the Clearer Water Irish Cup and BetMcLean Cup will be shown live on BBC television and BBC iPlayer, as well as streamed coverage of games in the former competition from the fifth round onwards.

Live coverage of the Irish Premiership will also continue on BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Sounds, while highlights from NIFL and Irish Cup games will be available across BBC platforms.

Image source, BBC Sport

Good afternoon and welcome to our coverage of the opening Saturday of the Irish Premiership season.

The new Irish League campaign kicked off on Friday night as Cliftonville defeated Crusaders 2-1 at Solitude to capture the first three points of the new term.

There are four matches up for decision this afternoon, including Linfield against Ballymena United at Windsor Park and Glentoran against Limavady United at the Oval.

Coleraine, many people's favourites for the title this season, are away to Dungannon Swifts in a repeat of last season's Irish Cup final.

Two of the veteran managers of the Irish League meet at Taylors Avenue as Stephen Baxter's Carrick Rangers take on David Jeffrey's Portadown.

We'll have our usual offering of live text updates, audio courtesy of Radio Ulster's Sportsound, plus in-play clips, so be sure to stay with us throughout the afternoon. We have you covered.