{{Short description|Armagh Gaelic footballer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}} {{Use Hiberno-English|date=November 2020}} {{Infobox GAA player | image = | name = Francie Bellew | irish = | nickname = ''Francie''<br/> ''Big Francie'' {{cn|date=May 2025}} | feet = 6 | inches = 0 | occupation = | sport = [[Gaelic football]] | code = Football | county = Armagh | province = Ulster | clposition = Full back | club = [[Crossmaglen Rangers GAC|Crossmaglen]] | clyears = 199x- | clapps(points) = | clcounty = 13 | clprovince = 7 | clallireland = 5 | clubs = [[Crossmaglen Rangers GAC|Crossmaglen]] | counties = [[Armagh county football team|Armagh]] | icposition = Full back | icyears = 2002-2009 | icapps(points) = 44 (?) | icprovince = 5 | icallireland = 1 | nfl = 1 | allstars = 1 | icupdate = 17:20, 22 April 2017 (UTC)<br>Championship games only | clupdate = 17:20, 22 April 2017 (UTC)| | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1976|3|25}} | birth_place = [[Crossmaglen]], [[County Armagh]], <br>Northern Ireland }}
'''Francis "Francie" Bellew''' (born 25 March 1976) is a [[Gaelic football]]er who played for the [[Armagh county football team|Armagh county team]]. He has won an [[All-Ireland Senior Football Championship]] medal, five [[Ulster Senior Football Championship|Ulster Championships]] and a [[National Football League (Ireland)|National League]] title with the county. He was also awarded an [[GAA GPA All Stars Awards|All Star]] for his performances in [[All-Ireland Senior Football Championship 2003|2003]].
Bellew plays club football for [[Crossmaglen Rangers GAC|Crossmaglen Rangers]] and has won four [[All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship]]s, seven [[Ulster Senior Club Football Championship]]s and 13 [[Armagh Senior Football Championship]]s with the club.
Bellew usually plays as [[Gaelic football and Hurling positions#Full Back|full back]] for both club and county. He is known as a hard-hitting and tough old-fashioned full back and these attributes along with his quiet demeanor and reluctance to talk to the media has resulted in him having a cult following among Armagh and Crossmaglen fans. He features in 24 reasons "Why GAA is better than soccer" under #6: [[John Terry]] would run a mile if he came up against Francie Bellew.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.denhaaggaa.com/|title=Why GAA is better than soccer|work=Den Haag}}</ref>
==Playing career== ===Inter-county=== Bellew made his Senior inter-county debut for Armagh against [[Louth county football team|Louth]] in early 2002, and subsequently made his Championship debut against [[Tyrone county football team|Tyrone]] later [[All-Ireland Senior Football Championship 2002|that year]]. That year he helped Armagh win the [[Ulster Senior Football Championship]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/northern_ireland/2111391.stm |title=Armagh win Ulster final |access-date=7 April 2009 |work=BBC Sport Online |date=7 July 2002 }}</ref> as well as the county's first ever [[All-Ireland Senior Football Championship]].{{fact|date=November 2020}}
In [[All-Ireland Senior Football Championship 2003|2003]] Armagh once again reached the All-Ireland final, but were defeated by neighbours Tyrone. He received an [[GAA All Stars Awards|All Star award]] for his performances that year. 2004 saw Bellew and Armagh again win the Ulster Championship.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/northern_ireland/gaelic_games/3884725.stm |title=Armagh outclass Donegal |access-date=7 April 2009 |work=BBC Sport Online |date=11 July 2004 }}</ref>
In 2005 Bellew helped Armagh win the National League, beating [[Wexford county football team|Wexford]] in the final.<ref>{{cite news |title=Wait is over for Armagh |work=Newry Democrat |date=4 May 2005 |access-date=7 April 2009 |url=http://archives.tcm.ie/newrydemocrat/2005/05/04/story4364.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110622113131/http://archives.tcm.ie/newrydemocrat/2005/05/04/story4364.asp |archive-date=22 June 2011 }}</ref> Later that year he helped Armagh win another Ulster Championship.<ref>{{cite web | title=McConville fires Armagh to glory | url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/northern_ireland/gaelic_games/4711099.stm | work=BBC Sport Online| date=25 July 2005 | access-date=7 April 2009 }}</ref>
Armagh completed a three-in-a-row of Ulster Championships in 2006.<ref>{{cite web | title=Donegal 0-09 1-09 Armagh (match report) | url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/northern_ireland/gaelic_games/5153174.stm | work=BBC Sport Online | date=9 July 2006 | access-date=7 April 2009 }}</ref> Bellew won another Ulster Championship medal with Armagh in 2008,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/northern_ireland/the_championship/7527825.stm |title=Armagh 1-11 0-8 Fermanagh (match report) |access-date=7 April 2009 |work=BBC Sport Online |date=27 July 2008 }}</ref> his fifth in all.
Bellew retired from inter-county football in April 2009.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/northern_ireland/gaelic_games/7991323.stm|title=Armagh trio call it a day|date=2009-04-09|publisher=BBC Sport|access-date=2009-04-09}}</ref>
===Club=== Bellew is part of the Crossmaglen team that has won 13 [[Armagh Senior Football Championship]]s in a row between 1996 and 2008.<ref name="IN_cross_13">{{cite news |first=Kenny |last=Archer |title=Thirteen on the trot for six of the best |work=[[The Irish News]] |page=42 |date=21 October 2008 |access-date=22 October 2008 |url=http://www.irishnews.com/searchlog.asp?reason=denied_empty&script_name=/pageacc.asp&path_info=/pageacc.asp&tser1=ser&sid=600712 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303170151/http://www.irishnews.com/searchlog.asp?reason=denied_empty&script_name=%2Fpageacc.asp&path_info=%2Fpageacc.asp&tser1=ser&sid=600712 |archive-date=3 March 2016 }}</ref> This equals the national record for consecutive county football championships set by Ballina Stephenites of [[Mayo GAA|Mayo]] between 1904 and 1916. He has also won the [[Ulster Senior Club Football Championship]] eight times (1996, 1998, 1999, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2010 and the [[All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship]] five times (1997, 1999, 2000, 2007 and 2011) with the club. Bellew, along with [[Paul Hearty]], John McEntee, Tony McEntee, [[Oisín McConville]] is one of six Cross players to have shared in all these successes since 1996.<ref name="IN_cross_13"/>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20090403000332/http://www.armagh-gaa.com/ Official Armagh GAA website] *[http://www.crossrangers.com/ Crossmaglen Rangers website]
{{Navboxes |title=Armagh squads |bg=#F68712 |fg=white |list1= {{Armagh Football Team 2002}} {{Armagh Football Team 2003}} {{Armagh Football Team 2005}} }} {{Navboxes |title=Awards |bg=gold |list1= {{2003 All Stars}} {{Armagh All Stars record}} }}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bellew, Francis}} [[Category:1976 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Armagh inter-county Gaelic footballers]] [[Category:Crossmaglen Rangers Gaelic footballers]] [[Category:Gaelic football backs]] [[Category:Winners of one All-Ireland medal (Gaelic football)]]