Dundalk F.C.
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| Full name | Dundalk Football Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nickname(s) | The Lilywhites | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Founded | 1903 as G.N.R. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ground | Oriel Park, Dundalk, County Louth (Capacity 6,000) |
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| Chairman |  Gerry Mathews |
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| Manager | John Gill |
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| League |  FAI First Division |
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| 2007 | 3rd | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | Club home page | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Current season |
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Dundalk Football Club (Irish: Cumann Peile Dhún Dealgan) is an Irish football club based in Dundalk, County Louth. The club currently play in the FAI First Division of the FAI League of Ireland. Founded in 1903, they are the second most successful team, in terms of trophies won, in the history of the League of Ireland. The traditional colours of the club are white jerseys with black shorts. Due to their white jerseys, they have been nicknamed the Lilywhites. They play their home games in Oriel Park, which has a capacity of 6,000.
A local rivalry is shared with Drogheda United.
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[edit] History
The first newspaper reports of organised football in Dundalk appeared in the Dundalk Democrat on 17 December 1892, when an article about a match that had occurred nine days previously involving a club named Dundalk featured. The Dundalk team had beaten Institution 2nd XI 1–0. The sport gradually took a foothold in a developing town, which held strong ties to both the military and the railway infrastructure given its location between Dublin and Belfast, as well as links to local ports. Affiliated to the Leinster Football Association before the turn of the century, a team from Dundalk, commonly known as Rovers, took their place in the Leinster Senior League in 1900–01 for the first time. The club continued to exist (as the town’s most established club) until the outbreak of the First World War in 1914.
However, other clubs also began to make their presence felt in the locality. One in particular, the Great Northern Railway Association Club, otherwise known as the Dundalk GNR, founded in September 1903, spawned the modern-day Dundalk Football Club. The Dundalk GNR were located at the Athletic Grounds and competed in the Dundalk and District League from 1905 until 1914, although media coverage remained patchy. Sports coverage was re-instated in the local media in 1919, with the Dundalk and District League re-established in time to start a competition during the 1919–20 season. Included among the teams was a selection representing the Dundalk GNR. The club were also partaking in the Newry League at the time, but political change at a national level was to effect this. Following the formation of the Football Association of the Irish Free State (FAIFS; later to become the Football Association of Ireland or FAI) in Dublin to govern football in the Irish Free State the control of footballing matters in Northern Ireland was left to the Irish Football Association (IFA).
The Dundalk GNR were not involved in the fledgling Irish Free State Senior League (later to become the League of Ireland), which kicked off at the start of the 1921–22 season. It involved only Dublin-based clubs; all of which has stepped up from the Leinster Senior League. This ultimately opened the way for the Dundalk GNR to move up to the Leinster Senior League. They were the only club from outside of the capital to compete in the 1922–23 season. Their first game was played on 7 October 1922 against Inchicore United and ended in a 2–1 loss. Nevertheless, the club established itself in the top rank, and a third-place finish in the 1925–26 season paved the way for the club’s election to the ten-team Free State Senior League at the expense of Pioneers F.C., and ahead of Bendigo F.C. and Drumcondra; the two clubs that had headed the Dundalk GNR in their final season in the Leinster Senior League. Within four seasons, the club had moved from the Dundalk and District League, through the Leinster Senior League, and were ready to establish themselves in the elite Irish Free State Senior League, which included the likes of Shelbourne, Bohemians and Shamrock Rovers. The club, still known as the Dundalk GNR, and continuing in the black and amber kit from their pre-War origins, travelled to Cork to face Fordsons in their opening match on 21 August 1926. The match ended in a 2–1 defeat.
The club were re-named Dundalk F.C. in 1930 and became the first provincial team to win the league title in 1932–33. The club has an unbroken membership of the League of Ireland, a record shared with only two other members from that time; Bohemians and Shamrock Rovers. The club moved to their current home venue, Oriel Park, in 1936. In the 1970s and 1980s, the club had an impressive record in European competition at home, going undefeated for five years, playing against top opposition in the form of PSV Eindhoven, Hajduk Split, Celtic, Porto and Tottenham Hotspur. With almost fifty trophy-wins, including nine league titles, one First Division title and having contested fourteen FAI Cup finals, the club has one of the most successful histories in League of Ieland football. Almost one hundred of the club's players have gained representative honours for Ireland and the League of Ireland.
Since 1999, and in conjunction with Irish League side Linfield of Belfast, the club has been engaged in a peace and reconciliation programme, known as the Dunfield Project, which through the medium of football is facilitating the coming together of young people from the Dundalk and Belfast communities. In 2002, the club won the FAI Cup for a ninth time. The club operated as a co-operative, with teams competing from school-boy level in Dublin-based leagues to girls and ladies teams, along with the first-team for a period until August 2006, when they were taken over by local business man Gerry Mathews. Dundalk celebrated their 2000th league game against Finn Harps on Thursday 8 March 2007 in Oriel Park. A crowd of 3000 turned up; a figure that is massive for the First division.
[edit] 2006 Promotion Controversy
Despite the fact that Dundalk FC had won what they perceived to be or believed should have been the annual promotion/relegation Play-Off, and what would have been a promotion/relegation game in any other normal season, in November 2006, they were one of the teams omitted from the 2007 FAI Premier Division and were, instead, chosen to play in the FAI First Division. Dundalk, however, argued that they had a right to compete in the Premier Division following their Play-Off defeat of Waterford United. "What was the point of the league taking our players and fans all the way down to Waterford if it counted for nothing?", questioned one official even though they were one of the clubs to vote for the FAI's new proposals earlier in 2006. Dundalk's protests had no real weight, however, as the 2006 season's game had never been billed as a promotion/relegation fixture. Furthermore, the claim that the game counted for nothing was technically incorrect - the Play-Off's purpose was solely to decide which teams were to be positioned in 12th and 13th place within the overall season standings of all 21 clubs for the purpose of the IAG's process and their dispensing of assessment points, and thus, it did contribute points to Dundalk's final assessment tally. However, that was little consolation. The difference between the two positions of 12th and 13th was a mere point anyway, which in the grand scheme of things did not make a significant difference to the final decision of the IAG. Although the game did count for something, it counted for very little and verged on pointlessness. Meanwhile, Galway United, who finished the season in 3rd place behind Dundalk's 2nd were chosen for the Premier Division. This infuriated Dundalk fans and on 13 December 2006 a disgruntled fan protested the Independent Assessment Group's decision by entering the headquarters of the FAI in Dublin and dousing the reception area in petrol whilst threatening to set it alight. After about an hour the stand-off that developed ended peacefully. After a subsequent meeting with the FAI, Dundalk's CEO, Gerry Matthews, expressed his satisfaction with the process.
[edit] Colours and Crest
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| The Dundalk GNR colours worn from 1903 until 1930. | |||||||||
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Dundalk's traditional colours are white jerseys (from which they get their nickname; the Lillywhites) and black shorts. However, this has not always been the case. Whilst playing under the auspices of the Great Northern Railway the club played in a black and amber-striped kit, right up until the GNR monicker was dropped and the team was renamed Dundalk F.C. in 1930.
The club's crest features three mythical martlets. The design is an adaptation of the heraldic symbols of Dundalk town's coat of arms, which also depict red marlets on a predominantly white shield.[1]
[edit] Shirt Sponsors and Kit Suppliers
[edit] Shirt Sponsors
| Years | Sponsor |
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| 1980-02 | Harp Lager |
| 2002 | Dundalk Cabs |
| 2003 | Oscars |
| 2004 | Carnbeg |
| 2005 | Park Inn |
| 2006-present | IJM |
[edit] Kit Suppliers
| Years | Kit Supplier |
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| 1980-04 | O'Neills |
| 2005 | Erreà |
| 2006 | Diadora |
| 2007-present | Umbro |
[edit] Home Grounds
The club played at the Athletic Grounds from 1903 until 1936, when they adopted Oriel Park as their home ground, where they have remained playing to date. Oriel Park, located on the Carrick Road, faces Dundalk railway station and the Great Northern Brewery. The ground's attendance record is 21,000. This record was set in 1979 on the occasion of the club’s European Champion Clubs' Cup second round tie against Celtic. The stadium, which now features a 1,600-seater stand, has hosted many memorable games for supporters including visits from Nottingham Forest, Liverpool, Ajax and Red Star.
In February 2005, the club announced a major programme for a complete revamp of Oriel Park, which will, upon completion, included the conversion of the pitch to an all-weather surface. Dundalk will be the first Irish club to make such a conversion and the first club in the world to use the licensed FIFA 2-star surface for competitive league games. Further plans are being made to upgrade the main stand, changing-areas and bar facilities. The ultimate aim is to restore the club’s standing amongst the premier clubs in Ireland. At the start of the 2007 season, fans of the club were delighted to see the developmental work done on the stadium over the close-season before the season's kick-off. A new roof was installed on the main stand and covered terracing was introduced along the opposite side of the pitch.
[edit] Honours
- League of Ireland: 9
- 1932–33, 1962–63, 1966–67, 1975–76, 1978–79, 1981–82, 1987–88, 1990–91, 1994–95
- League of Ireland First Division: 1
- 2000–01
- FAI Cup: 9
- 1942, 1949, 1952, 1958, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1988, 2002
- League Cup: 4
- 1977-78, 1980-81, 1986-87, 1989-90
- League of Ireland Shield: 2
- 1966-67, 1971-72
- Top Four Cup: 2
- 1963-64, 1966-67
- Leinster Senior Cup: 6
- 1950-51, 1960-61, 1970-71, 1973-74, 1976-77, 1977-78
- President's Cup: 9
- 1930-31, 1951-52, 1963-64, 1964-65, 1979-80, 1980-81, 1981-82, 1988-89, 1989-90
- Dublin City Cup: 5
- 1937-38, 1942-43, 1948-49, 1967-68, 1968-69
- Inter City Cup: 1
- 1942
[edit] Club Records
[edit] European Record
Dundalk FC have had a chequered but nonetheless respectable history in European football; they were one of the first Irish football teams to play in Europe and the very first Irish side to go three rounds in the European Cup. For almost fifty years Dundalk have played against some of the greatest clubs in Europe, with Liverpool, Celtic, Rangers, FC Porto, Tottenham Hotspur, PSV Eindhoven and AFC Ajax (to name but a handful) all taking on the Oriel Park outfit.[2] Notable matches and results include:
- 1-1 draw (A) and 2-1 win (H) against DOS Utrecht in Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, 1968
- 1-1 draw (H) and 0-2 win (Match played in Haarlem, Netherlands, after rioting between rival factions in Dundalk) against Linfield FC in the preliminary round of the European Cup, 1979
- 3-2 defeat (A) and 0-0 draw (H) against Celtic in the 2nd round of the European Cup, 1979
- 1-1 draw (H) and 1-0 defeat (A) against Tottenham Hotspur in the European Cup Winners Cup, 1981
[edit] Appearance Records
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- All competitions: 580, Tommy McConville
- League: 400, Martin Lawlor
- European competition: 19, Tommy McConville
[edit] Goalscoring Records
- Career
- All competitions: 143, Joey Donnelly
- League: 70, Joey Donnelly
- Single season
- All competitions: 43, Joe Sayers, 1935-36
- League: 21, Philip Hughes, 2006
[edit] Miscellaneous
- Highest League victory:
- 9-0 v. Jacobs, 1932 (home)
- 9-0 v. Shelbourne, 1980 (home)
- Worst League Defeat:
- 1-9 v. Limerick, 1944 (away)
- Best defensive League season:
- 13 goals conceded in 30 games (0.43 per game), 1979-80
- Best offensive League season:
- 64 goals scored in 22 games (2.91 per game), 1930-31
- Record League sequences:
- Consecutive wins: 10, 1967-68
- Consecutive losses: 11, 1998-99 (last 8 games) and 1999-00 (first 3 games)
- Consecutive draws: 10, 2005
- Longest undefeated run: 22 games, 1990-91 (16 games) through 1991-92 (6 games)
- Longest without a win: 19 games, 2002-03 (10 games) through 2003 (9 games)
[edit] Images from Oriel
 Oriel Interior |
 The Home Of Football |
 The Team Line Up |
 Lilywhite Huddle |
 DFC against Racism |
[edit] Current squad 2008
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[edit] Technical staff
| Name | Role |
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| John Gill |
Manager |
| Gerry Scully |
Assistant Manager |
| Dr. Samir |
Club Doctor |
| Paul Cheshire |
Physiotherapist |
[edit] Club Officials
| Name | Role |
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| Jim Reilly |
Club President |
| Gerry Matthews |
C.E.O. |
| Tony O'Kane |
Chairman & FAI Representative |
[edit] Notable Former Players and Managers
[edit] Players
see also Cat:Dundalk F.C. players
[edit] Managers
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see also Cat:Dundalk F.C. managers
[edit] Supporters
Gate receipts at Oriel Park have been steadily increasing in recent years and the 2007 season is no exception, with attendances at the Carrick Road ground exceeding that of many of the Premier Division clubs.
Dundalk have been allowed for years now to play their home games on a thursday night much to the bemusement of all other clubs. They are unique in this sense in that they are the only club in Europe allowed to play home games during the week. In addition the numbers of away fans attending has nosedived because of this.
In addition to the official Dundalk FC Supporters Club, the Dublin DFC Supporters Club and the Travel Club, Dundalk also boasts a group of fanatically loyal Ultras known variously as the Mujahideen, the Lillywhite Army and D Shed Boys who reside on 'the Shed' side of Oriel Park on match days.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- The Official Dundalk F.C. Website
- The History of Dundalk F.C.
- Dundalk F.C. Fans Forum
- The Lilywhite
- D-Shed Boys Fans Forum
- Dundalk F.C. Trust
- Dundalk W.F.C.
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Dundalk Football Club
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FAI First Division 2008
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