Galway United F.C.
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| Full name | Galway United Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Tribesmen | ||
| Founded | 2013 | ||
| Ground |
Eamonn Deacy Park, Galway | ||
| Capacity | 7,500 (5,000 seats) | ||
| Chairman | Jonathan Corbett | ||
| Manager | Tommy Dunne | ||
| League |
League of Ireland (Premier Division) | ||
| 2015 | Premier Division, 10th | ||
| Website | Club home page | ||
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Galway United Football Club (Irish: Cumann Peile na Gaillimhe) are an Irish football club located in Galway. The board of the club, founded in October 2013, contains representatives of Mervue United, Salthill Devon, Galway United Supporters' Trust and the Galway Football Association, after the demise of the original Galway United in 2011. The club was originally formed as Galway F.C. but changed its name to Galway United for the start of the 2015 season.[1]
History
Formation
Due to the original Galway United exiting the League of Ireland at the end of 2011 season, a supporters' group representing fans of the club, known as GUST (Galway United Supporters' Trust), attempted to facilitate the return of a "Galway United" club to the League of Ireland, but an application for the 2012 season was made after the deadline and in 2012 GUST was refused the opportunity to submit its application.
During 2013, discussions were held with Galway clubs, Mervue United and Salthill Devon along with the Galway Football Association and GUST, about having one unified team representing the county of Galway at the top level of association football in the Republic of Ireland as it was Football Association of Ireland's wish that one club should represent the city of Galway.[2] In late 2013, Galway F.C. was established.[3]
First season
The club submitted a request to join the League of Ireland First Division for the 2014 season.[4]
On 7 March 2014, Galway F.C. played their first ever competitive game in front of 2,418 spectators at Eamonn Deacy Park in a 1-0 defeat against Longford Town in the opening weekend of the 2014 League of Ireland first division.[5][6] The president of Ireland Michael D. Higgins was present in the crowd for the game.[7]
It took Galway until their fifth league game of the season to record a victory, beating Cobh Ramblers 4-0 at home at Eamonn Deacy Park. Defeat was to follow in their next match, falling to Dylan Connolly injury time winner for Shelbourne at home. That defeat on the 11th of April was to prove a turning point in their season. A run of 10 league matches unbeaten, stretching over a third of the league season until the end of May, was to follow, during which they scored 17 goals conceded just 7.
Defeat to eventual First Division winners Longford Town brought an end to their unbeaten run, but another shorter spell of four games without defeat in which they scored 10 goals and conceded just two demonstrated
The beginning of August brought games against promotion playoff rivals Shelbourne and Wexford Youths, followed by a tough away encounter with Longford town. Disappointing narrow defeats to Shelbourne and Wexford dented confidence somewhat, but an excellent away victory in City Calling Stadium against Longford marked another important turning point. It was to begin a run of five consecutive victories for the Tribesmen, setting up a tense finale to the season.
The final two matches of the league season pitted Galway away to Shelbourne and at home to Wexford Youths. American striker Jake Keegan netted an equaliser 5 minutes from time in Tolka Park to gain the point that all but mathematically guaranteed a playoff places for his team. As a result, the final league match of the season for Galway effectively became dead rubber, as Wexford required a 14 goal swing in goal difference to overtake Galway for the second of two playoff places, had they managed to win.
Playoffs
Galway finishing third behind Shelbourne resulted in the former playing the first leg at home. A goal in either half saw Galway bring a 2-0 lead into the second leg in Drumcondra. A first half Conor Murphy strike gave Shels a lifeline, but second half strikes from Ryan Connolly and Jake Keegan put the tie beyond the host.
Awaiting Galway in the Promotion/Relegation playoff final were UCD, who Galway had disposed of earlier in the season at the Belfield Bowl, by a 3-1 scoreline in the FAI Cup 2nd round. Galway native Timmy Molloy opened the scoring for UCD in the first leg in Dublin, but late, late goals from Paddy Barrett and Ryan Manning saw the tie turned on its head.
Having brought a 2-1 lead into the second leg and home advantage to look forward to, Galway grabbed the opportunity with both hands. Gary Shanahan widened the aggregate lead to two goals just before half-time, young attacker Ryan Manning made it 4-1 over the two legs on 71 minutes and in the final ten minutes, Alex Byrne rounded off the scoring and ensured promotion for Galway.
Name change
On the 7th December 2014, the club announced that its licence application for the 2015 season would be under the name of Galway United, taking the name of its predecessor.[8]
Support
The club has a loyal fan base based around the city and county of Galway, also extending into south Mayo and north Clare. Galway United were averaging gates of circa 500 during the 2011 season. Galway United's only supporters club was the GUST (Galway United Supporters Trust). Over the years, GUST has provided considerable support to Galway United by way of fund-raising. When Galway United folded, the GUST along with Mervue United, Salthill Devon and the Galway Football Association held discussions about having one unified team representing the county of Galway. The result was the formation of Galway F.C. which GUST continue to support. The fan base of Galway are known as the Maroon Army. Michael D. Higgins, the President of Ireland, is a supporter of the club.
Players
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Personnel
Current technical staff
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Manager | Tommy Dunne |
| Assistant manager | Leo Tierney |
| Assistant coach | Gary O'Connor |
| Goalkeeping coach | Mark Cobey |
| Fitness coach | Adrian Craddock |
| Physio | Emmet Hartigan |
| Kit manager | Dermot Ryan |
Management
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Chairman | Jonathan Corbett |
| Secretary | John Flannery |
| Office Manager | Mike Daly |
| Media Officer | Vinny O'Connor |
| Graphic Designer | Morgan O'Brien |
Stadium
Galway United play their home matches at Eamonn Deacy Park on the Dyke Road in Galway city. Formerly known as Terryland Park, the ground was first used for football in 1935 and the land was sold to the Galway Football Association by Dean Flynn in 1950 for £250.[9]
In 1977, the old Galway United (then called Galway Rovers) became the first Galway club to join the League of Ireland with Terryland Park serving as the team's home ground from then until 2011, when the team became defunct. In 1993 a large redevelopment was carried out on the stadium, followed by the construction of a 1,700-seater stand on the north side of the pitch in 1997. The stadium underwent redevelopment in 2007 after a €500,000 grant was received from the Irish Government. A new 1,500 seat stand and camera platform were added, with the new stand increasing the capacity to 5,000. In the following years, new dressing rooms for players and officials, medical rooms, showers, a media and conference room and new TV and radio facilities were added.[9]
In 2012, the stadium was renamed in honour of Eamonn Deacy. Deacy was a Galway native who played for Galway Rovers in the 1970s, moved to Aston Villa's and was part of their 1981–82 European Cup-winning squad, before returning home and finishing his career with Galway United. He was also the grandson of Dean Flynn, who had sold Terryland Park to the Galway F.A. in 1950.[9]
Deacy Park has hosted Ireland under-21 games in the past,[9] and has occasionally served as a home to the city's schools in senior competitions.[10][11] The stadium is also known for its good playing conditions, with Noel Connolly named "Groundsman of the Year" in 1997 and the pitch voted as the best surface in the League of Ireland in both 2007 and 2008.[9][12]
References
- ↑ Connacht Tribune, 18 November 2014
- ↑ Independent report on Galway senior football presented
- ↑ Football's comin' home — compromise reached as Galway FC applies to league
- ↑ Galway FC prepare licence application for 2014
- ↑ "Galway FC 0 - 1 Longford Town". Extra Time. 7 March 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
- ↑ "Galway FC 0 - 1 Longford Town". Connachttribune. 7 March 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
- ↑ "Galway FC 0 - 1 Longford Town". Galway FC Official Site. 7 March 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
- ↑ http://galwayunitedfc.ie/galway-united/
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Terryland Park". Galway Advertiser. 17 September 2015. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
- ↑ "Umbro Dr. Tony O'Neill Senior Boys Cup". FAI Schools. 6 May 2009. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
- ↑ "St. Mary’s of Galway book place in Schools Senior Final". Football Association of Ireland. 2 March 2010. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
- ↑ "Terryland Park voted best surface". Extratime.ie. 10 November 2008. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
External links
- Galway FC Official Website
- The GUST Forum
- Galway FC on Facebook
- Galway FC on Twitter
- Galway FC on YouTube
- Galway FC on Instagram
- Galway FC on Audioboo
- Galway FC on Soccerway
- Galway FC on Extratime