The great and the good of Northern Ireland football celebrate the Amateur League’s centenary at City Hall bash

Aaron Hughes, Gerry Armstrong and David Healy were guests of honour at the Northern Amateur Football League dinner alongside former FIFA vice-President David Martin

Representatives from clubs such as Killyleagh were in attendance on Saturday at the City Hall in Belfast

The Northern Amateur Football League is celebrating its centenary year

Former FIFA vice-President David Martin (centre) admitted Saturday's dinner at the City Hall was a great way to mark the NAFL's centenary

Age-old rivalries were set aside and dicky-bows donned as the Amateur League toasted 100 years and counting at a plush dinner in City Hall on Saturday night.

In its centenary year, Northern Ireland’s biggest football league in terms of member clubs is in rude health, having seen off a world war, when its membership dipped to its lowest number, just 21, and some 30 years of conflict — not to mention a pandemic — to continue to thrive and grow.

Just once since its formation in 1923 has it failed in its mission to provide the country’s amateur players with a season in which to compete — that being the Covid-hit campaign of 2020/21.

It’s a success story worth celebrating, as more than 200 players, clubmen and officials from its 94 member clubs did in City Hall on Saturday night.

And former FIFA vice-President David Martin, a long-serving NAFL office-bearer, reckons as long as the beautiful game exists, there’ll be an Amateur League to go alongside it.

“It was a great night, enjoyed by all,” Martin told the Belfast Telegraph.

“It was a fantastic celebration of the Northern Amateur Football League, a century old.

“Numerically, it’s as big as ever, 180 teams (including seconds), and we’re never short of applications to get in.

“Where there’s amateur football