User:Albert.white/Shamrock Rovers
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- For the "Shamrock Rovers XI" that played Brazil in 1973, see Shamrock Rovers XI vs Brazil
| Shamrock Rovers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Shamrock Rovers Football Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | The Hoops and Rovers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Founded | 1901 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ground | Tolka Park | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Capacity | 9,500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chairman |  Jonathan Roche |
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| Manager | Pat Scully |
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| League | Eircom Premier Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006 | First Division Champions | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Shamrock Rovers Football Club is a football club in Dublin that plays in the Football League of Ireland. The club's colours are green and white, similar to Celtic F.C., and the club goes by the nicknames The Hoops and Rovers. Shamrock Rovers originally played in green and white stripes. The green and white hooped jerseys were adopted Belfast Celtic donated a set of their hooped jersies to Shamrock Rovers in the 1920s.
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[edit] History
The club, founded in 1901, originally hails from the inner Dublin suburb of Ringsend. From the early 1920s until 1987 they played at Glenmalure Park, Milltown and became Ireland's most successful club. Shamrock Rovers have won more FAI Cups (24) and leagues (15) than any other Irish club. For many years, Rovers were Ireland's most prestigious team. Famous achievements included the winning of six FAI Cups in a row in the 1960s and four consecutive league titles (including three "doubles") in the 1980s. In addition, they were also the first Irish club to play in the European Cup, playing Manchester United in 1958. Further, the Shamrock Rovers were one of the European club teams which spent the 1967 season in the United States founding the North American Soccer League, representing Boston as the Boston Rovers. Shamrock Rovers have also supplied more different players to the Republic of Ireland national football team (62 in all) than any other single club. Famous players to have played for the club include: Jimmy Dunne, Paddy Coad, Jackie Jameson, Frank O'Neill, John Giles, Jim Beglin, Liam O'Brien,and Eamon Dunphy. Irish Rugby international Tony Ward also played for the club for a period in the 1970s. Up until the 1970s, Shamrock Rovers were well supported, attracting over 20,000 people regularly to Glenmalure Park and up to 40,000 for Cup Finals and European matches at Dalymount Park. Ultimately a combination of poor results, competition from televised football and other attractions meant that by the 1980s the club's crowds averaged below 3,000. However, prior to a severe crisis that began in the late 1980s, Shamrock Rovers were still, to many, considered the most prestigious club in Irish football.
In 1987, the club's home ground was sold by the then owners, the Kilcoyne family. It was subsequently demolished and developed for housing. Supporters waged a long and acrimonious but futile campaign to save the ground. Home games were boycotted ultimately forcing out the Kilcoynes as owners. The club has been without a home from that time until the present. The most stable period since was while playing at the Royal Dublin Society's grounds in Ballsbridge between 1990 and 1996. During this time Rovers won a league trophy (in 1994) and attracted reasonable crowds. Since then the club have been trying to develop a stadium in Tallaght and have played their home matches at several venues all over the city including Tolka Park, Richmond Park and the athletics venue at Morton Stadium in Santry.
Shamrock Rovers experienced severe financial troubles during the 2005 season, due to overspending and an accumulation of massive debts and spent a period under Examinership (a form of financial administration). The supporters association, 'the 400 club', who had been bankrolling the club during the Examinership process assumed control of the club.
[edit] The Present
Today, Shamrock Rovers not only have a senior team and an Under 21 team operating in the eircom League but also an intermediate team, sixteen schoolboy teams, a senior ladies team and three schoolgirl teams. Shamrock Rovers Schoolboys have teams from u7s to u18s playing in the Dublin & District Schoolboys League and there are currently sixteen teams with a total of 208 players and these are looked after by 35 managers and coaches. With the exception of the senior team all these teams are based in Tallaght.
- shamrock rovers in the community...
Shamrock Rovers are active participants of the Show Racism the Red Card Ireland initiative. This includes giving out 'Show Racism the Red Card' posters at some matches during the season.
Football is great for bringing people of all nationalities together. We need to encourage this in our everyday lives. We also need to recognise that talent comes from within regardless of race, colour or creed.[1]
—Pat Scully, Pat Scully, Manager, Shamrock Rovers F.C.
[edit] 2007 Season
Shamrock Rovers were promoted to the premier division after the 2006 season. They will have Tolka Park as the venue for their home games for the 2007 season.
[edit] 2006 Season
Tolka Park was home to the Hoops for the 2006 season. The early matches saw Rovers start very brightly, first battling with Limerick FC, then Galway United and Dundalk for Division 1 supremacy. On Friday the 10th of November Rovers beat Finn Harps 4-0 in the penultimate match of the season to effectively win the First Division title. On Saturday 19th November the Hoops came from behind to get a 1-1 draw with Cobh Ramblers to secure the title. Rovers were presented with the 1st Division trophy after the match. The Rovers defence was the best in league history with only 13 goals conceded in 36 league games and 24 clean sheets kept. The 2006 Player of the Year is captain Aidan price and the young Player of the Year was awarded to Ian Ryan.
Three points were deducted by the FAI from the team's League of Ireland standings on 16 August 2006 for fielding a suspended player illegally.
Shamrock Rovers' pursuit of a first FAI Cup since 1987 advanced to the semi final stage after a 2-0 victory over non-league Castlebar Celtic in May, then a 2-0 win over Bohemian F.C. at Dalymount Park in September 2006, facilitated by two goals from David Cassidy. The result (pursuant to a 1-1 draw in the initial fixture at Tolka Park on live TV) cost Gareth Farrelly his job as Bohemians player/manager. Rovers then won a quarter final tie away to fellow First Division club Athlone Town F.C. 2-1 with goals from Ger Rowe and Robbie Clarke again on live television.
Shamrock Rovers were eliminated by St. Patrick's Athletic at the semi-final stage, losing 2-0 at Tolka Park on Friday, 27th October 2006. During the half time break Rovers legend Derek Treacy was introduced to a thundering ovation from the Rovers crowd. The club's quest for a 25th FAI Cup now extends into a second decade.
[edit] 2005 Season
2005 goes down as one of the worst yet one of the best years in Shamrock Rovers history. The club had serious financial problems. Following a period of examinership during the summer months of 2005 the supporters group, the 400 Club, successfully bid for ownership of the club. Financial irregularities arising from this caused Rovers to be deducted 8 points in the league table. Roddy Collins was sacked towards the end of the 2005 season with 12 months remaining on his contract. Collins took this dismissal to Employment Appeals Tribunal and a settlement was reached with the former manager in 2006. Terry Eviston and Alan O'Neill took charge of the team for the remaining matches of the 2005 season.
The Hoops lost a two leg relegation play-off 3-2 against Dublin City F.C. and were relegated for the first time in the history.
[edit] The early 2000's
Home games for the new millennium were played in the Morton Stadium in Stanry. Work began on the Tallaght Stadium in 2000 however as the building got stalled the Hoops would call Dalymount Park and Tolka Park home later in the decade.
The closest the hoops came to silverware in the early 2000's was the 2002 FAI cup final. Rovers lost 1-0 to Derry City.
[edit] The 1990's
From 1990 to 1996 Rovers played their home games in the RDS, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4. This was the closest the Hoops had to a permanent home since the closure of Milltown. The highlight of the decade was the thrilling 1993/94 season which saw the Hoops win the league for the fifteenth time and for the first time since leaving Milltown. Stephen Geoghegan scored twenty-three league goals that season and came within four of equalling Bob Fullam's record set in 1926/27.
The club chairman John McNamara sold out his interest in 1996 to a new consortium who, within a few months, announced exciting plans to bring Rovers to a new stadium in Tallaght on Dublin's south side. The original plan was to have an all-seated stadium with a capacity of 10,000 but serious objections by a group of local residents held the project up for years and work only began in 2000.
[edit] The 1980's
[edit] Other Teams
[edit] U21's
- ...
[edit] Schoolboys & Schoolgirls
Shamrock Rovers F.C. and Tallaght Town A.F.C. merged in 1997 to form a new schoolboys section to serve the Tallaght area in South West Dublin. Tallaght Town A.F.C. remained in operation with three intermediate teams participating in the Leinster Senior League. Two of these teams remain in operation today but are now playing under the name of Shamrock Rovers. Shamrock Rovers Schoolboys have teams from u7s to u18s playing in the Dublin District Schoolboys League and have continued to grow each year since 1997. There are currently sixteen teams with a total of 208 players and these are looked after by 35 managers and coaches.
In 2002 the Under 17 team came through eight rounds to beat off the best and lift the Football Association of Ireland All Ireland Youths Cup. In 2003 the then Under 14 team won the DSL Major Division unbeaten and added the Harmon Cup to make it a memorable double. In the 2005 Northern Ireland Milk Cup, Shamrock Rovers took on Barcelona and did the club and Tallaght proud with a superb performance in a game in which they were unlucky to lose 2-1. Barcelona went on to win the tournament.
Shamrock Rovers have three scoolgirl teams.
The Rovers youth team have been invited to take part in the prestigious international Dr Pepper Dallas Cup next April in Texas, USA. Rovers will be the first ever Irish club to take part
[edit] Ladies
- ...
[edit] Tallaght Community Stadium
In the 1990's Shamrock Rovers were granted land in the Dublin suburb of Tallaght to build a new stadium. Work on the stadium ceased in 2001 and in March 2005 South Dublin County Council announced that they were taking back the land that they had granted to the club, as the conditions of the planning permission had not been met. They plan now to complete the stadium and will run it as a municipal stadium with Shamrock Rovers as the preferred tenants. However, this has been challenged by some figures in the local Gaelic Athletic Association club, Thomas Davis who want the design of the stadium modified so that their games could be played there, in the event of it becoming a municipal facility.
These people have appealed the construction of a football-only stadium to the High Court arguing that 'the youth of Tallaght will be restricted to a diet of Association football' and that a soccer only ground would place the 'applicant at a severe disadvantage in attracting the youth of Tallaght to our club (Thomas Davis), our sport and the GAA culture[2]'.
The Minister for Sport, Arts and Tourism has consistently supported the government decision to support the Stadium as a soccer only venue. [3][4]
The GAA can’t be facilitated in the stadium – it is as simple as that. I don’t know why they are persisting with it. They are simply holding up Shamrock Rovers from moving in, that’s all that will come of any action. It can go to a hearing but there will be no climbdown by the Government. It is proposed to be the new home stadium for Shamrock Rovers and will have a capacity for 6,000 spectators. The stadium would need to be redesigned to accommodate Gaelic games. The GAA have their own site in Rathcoole and there are 24 acres there that are to be developed and I have said that I would help them with that but that’s not enough for them. [5]
—John O'Donoghue (politician), John O'Donoghue T.D., Minister for Sport, Arts and Tourism
On Thursday, 14 December 2006 the FAI pledged financial assistance for the Hoops’ High Court battle involving GAA club Thomas Davis.
We want to see Shamrock Rovers playing in the Tallaght Community Stadium – and as soon as possible. We have been working hard behind the scenes with the various stakeholders over the past two years to see Tallaght completed for soccer in the area. [6]
—John Delaney, FAI Chief Executive, John Delaney
March 16th 2007 has been set as the date for the full hearing for the application for a judicial review. This will mean that the stadium construction will have been stalled by this legal case for a minimum of 13 months. This delay means that Shamrock Rovers will have been without a home ground for over 20 years.
[edit] Shamrock Rovers Members Club
The Shamrock Rovers members club was originally formed as the 400 Club in 2002, whereby supporters donate a fixed amount of money each month to help finance the football club. The monthly amount is €40. Initially the 400 Club was intended to secure a mortgage for the construction of the Tallaght Stadium. However, it later developed into an independent supporters association that ended up taking over the club in 2005. The 400 Club played a crucial part in paying for Rovers' recent progress through Examinership. They paid off a portion of the club's debts and then assumed responsibility for the running of the football club. The SRFC Members club has a Board of Directors known as Trustees. The Board is elected once a year. Each person who donates has one vote in relation to this Board. After the Examinership period, the Board of Trustees also became the Board of Directors of Shamrock Rovers Football Club. At the 2006 AGM of the 400 Club there was a vote to rename the club as the SRFC Members Club. Currently, there are about 470 members.
[edit] Supporters
[edit] Supporters Clubs
Shamrock Rovers has several supporters clubs. Latest club details and events are published in Hoops Scene, the matchday programme and every Wednesday in the Evening Herald. It is not uncommon for fans to belong to several supporters clubs.
- Tallaght Hoops Supporters Club
The Tallaght Hoops Supporters Club was founded in early 1999 and are based in Tallaght.
- Pride of Ringsend Supporters Club
The Pride Of Ringsend Supporters Club is the newest supporters club founded and was founded in early 2006 and is based in Ringsend, Rovers birthplace. The club HQ is Gleesons Lounge in Irishtown.
- Hoops Supporters Club
The Hoops Supporters Clubs was founded in 1991. The club runs buses to all away games.
- SRFC Ultras
Rather than being an official supporters club, the Ultras are a group of supporters who aim to enhance matchdays by creating a carnival atmosphere.
[edit] Fanzines
Over the years Shamrock Rovers fans have produced several fanzines. There is currently no fanzine, and the growth of on-line discussion forums has been blamed for this decline.
- Hooped on a feeling - Published one issue in September 1996.
- Hoops Upside Your Head
- Glenmalure Gazette
- Some Ecstasy - published for three seasons from 1992/93 and 1994/95.
[edit] Books
Shamrock Rovers have been the subject of several books over the years. C'mon the Hoops by Charlie Willoughby, a history of the club, was published in 1987 just after the disastrous sale of Glenmalure Park. The Hoops by Robert Goggins (ISBN 0-7171-2121-6), the club's official history, was published in 1993. Most recently We are Rovers an oral fan-based history of the club was written by Eoghan Rice and published by Nonsuch Publishing in 2005 (ISBN 1-84588-510-4).
[edit] Honours
- League titles: 15
- 1922-23, 1924-25, 1926-27, 1931-32, 1937-38, 1938-39, 1953-54, 1956-57, 1958-59, 1963-64, 1983-84, 1984-85, 1985-86, 1986-87, 1993-94
- First Division title: 1
- 2006
- FAI Cups: 24
- 1925, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1936, 1940, 1944, 1945, 1948, 1955, 1956, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1978, 1985, 1986, 1987
- League Cups: 1
- 1976-77
- League of Ireland Shield: 18
- 1924-25, 1926-27, 1931-32, 1932-33, 1934-35, 1937-38, 1941-42, 1949-50, 1951-52, 1954-55, 1955-56, 1956-57, 1957-58, 1962-63, 1963-64, 1964-65, 1965-66, 1967-68.
- Leinster Senior Cup: 16
- 1923, 1927, 1929, 1930, 1933, 1938, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1964, 1969, 1982, 1985, 1997
Full list of Shamrock Rovers Honours.
[edit] European Record
Shamrock Rovers have a long, illustrious history in European competitions. In the 1960s and again in the 1980s, Shamrock Rovers figured in regular European competition. Some of the most notable European performances of the 1960s included:
- a 2-2 draw and 1-0 defeat to Valencia CF in Inter-Cities Fairs Cup 1963-64
- a 1-1 draw and 2-1 defeat to Real Zaragoza in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup 1965-66
- a 1-1 draw and 3-2 defeat to Bayern München in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1966-67
[edit] Notable Results
- Record Losses
- 0-7 v St James's Gate F.C., League, 22nd April 1937
- 0-7 v Cork City F.C., Dublin City Cup, 31st August 1938
- 0-7 v Górnik Zabrze, UEFA Cup 1994-95
- Record Win
- 11-0 Bray Unknowns F.C., League, 28th October 1928
- Other games of note
- 1-0 win against Arsenal F.C., 25th February 1986
- 2-0 win against Manchester United, 14th August 1986, Shay Brennan testimonial
- 2-1 win against Manchester United, 18th March 1987
[edit] Record Statistics
- Highest number of goals in a season: 23
- Stephen Geoghegan 1993/94
- Bob Fullam 1926/27
[edit] Current squad
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[edit] References
- ^ Rovers help Show Racism the Red Card. Shamrock Rovers F.C (2006-6-23). Retrieved on December 30, 2006.
- ^ Paul Hyland. "Landmark Day on cards for Hoops (quoting the affidavit to the High Court)", Evening Herald, 2006-11-23, pp. 106-107. Retrieved on November 23, 2006.
- ^ Speech by Minister O'Donoghue on the Adjournment Debate 9 February 2006 Tallaght Stadium. Department of Sport, Arts and Tourism (2006-02-09). Retrieved on December 30, 2006.
- ^ Parliamentary Debates (Official Report - Unrevised) Dáil Éireann Thursday, 9 February 2006. oireachtas.ie (2006-2-9). Retrieved on December 30, 2006.
- ^ Minister stands firm on stadium row. Hogan Stand (2006-11-29). Retrieved on November 29, 2006.
- ^ "FAI Back Hoops on Tallaght", FAI website, 2006-12-14. Retrieved on December 14, 2006.
