Galway United Football Club (

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

: ''Cumann Peile Ghaillimh Aontaithe'') is an Irish association football club based in

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a city in the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay, and is the sixth most populous city on ...

. They play in the

League of Ireland First Division The League of Ireland First Division ( ga, Céad Roinn Sraith na hÉireann), also known as the SSE Airtricity League First Division, is the second level division in both the League of Ireland and the Republic of Ireland football league system. Th ...

. They were founded as Galway Rovers F.C. during the 1930s. They made their

League of Ireland The League of Ireland ( ga, Sraith na hÉireann), together with the Football Association of Ireland, is one of the two main governing bodies responsible for organising association football in the Republic of Ireland. The term was originally use ...

debut in 1977–78 and changed their name to Galway United in 1981–82. After suffering financial difficulties, the club dropped out of the League of Ireland after the 2011 season but in

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Galway United returned initially playing as Galway F.C. for a season.

History

Galway Rovers

Galway United F.C. were founded as Galway Rovers F.C. in the

Claddagh Claddagh () is an area close to the centre of Galway city, where the River Corrib meets Galway Bay. It was formerly a fishing village, just outside the old city walls. It is just across the river from the Spanish Arch, which was the location of ...

district of

. The club's website claims the club was founded in 1937. However, according to a ''

Galway Advertiser The ''Galway Advertiser'' is a free newspaper distributed throughout Galway city and county each Thursday. It was the first of the regional newspapers under the "Advertiser" banner, which now also includes publications based in Athlone Athl ...

'' report, the club was active in 1933, winning a local junior competition known as the Celtic Shield. The first recorded mention of a Rovers team dates back to a meeting at 28 Dominick Street on 20 September 1898 but it's not known if this was related to the future Rovers club By 1937 Rovers were fielding youth teams as well as a junior side. Rovers won the Connacht Junior Cup in 1958 and they also played in the Western League. Rovers first gained national attention when they were invited to play in the 1976–77

League of Ireland Cup The League of Ireland Cup ( ga, Corn Sraithe na hÉireann), also referred to in Ireland as the 'League Cup', is an annual knockout competition in men's football in the Republic of Ireland. It is contested by League of Ireland clubs and invited c ...

. In 1977–78 they made their debut in the

. They played their first League of Ireland game on 28 August 1977 at

Terryland Park Eamonn Deacy Park, formerly known as Terryland Park, is an association football stadium in the Republic of Ireland based in the Terryland district of Galway. It is owned by the Galway Football Association and is the home ground of both Galway ...

against St. Patrick's Athletic. Eamonn Deacy scored Rovers' first League of Ireland goal on 2 October 1977. In 1980–81 Rovers reached the final of the League of Ireland Cup, but lost on penalties to

Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ga, Dún Dealgan ), meaning "the fort of Dealgan", is the county town (the administrative centre) of County Louth, Ireland. The town is on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the east coast of Ireland. It is h ...

1980s

In the 1981–82 season, Galway Rovers changed their name to Galway United and under their new name, the club reached two cup finals in successive seasons. United made their first appearance in an FAI Cup final in 1984–85 but lost 1–0 to Shamrock Rovers. In 1985–86 United became founder members of the League of Ireland Premier Division and finished second behind Shamrock Rovers in the new division's inaugural season. In 1985–86 United won its first major trophy after defeating

2–0 in the

final. Denis Bonner and Paul McGee scored the vital goals.

1990s

Galway United made a good start to the 1990s, winning their first FAI Cup and qualifying for

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

for a third time. In the 1990–91 FAI Cup final at

Lansdowne Road Lansdowne Road Stadium ( ga, Bóthar Lansdún, ) was a stadium in Dublin owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) that was primarily used for rugby union and association football matches. The stadium was demolished in 2007 to make way for ...

, United defeated Shamrock Rovers 1–0. With five minutes to go on the clock, captain Johnny Glynn scored a late goal. In 1991–92 United was relegated to the First Division for the first time, but the following season,

1992–93 Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 '' Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since t ...

, they returned to the Premier Division after winning the First Division title and the League of Ireland First Division Shield. The club finished 1993-94 in a respectable 3rd place. In 1995–96 United were relegated for a second time. In 1996–97 United won the

defeating

Cork City Cork ( , from , meaning 'marsh') is the second largest city in Ireland and third largest city by population on the island of Ireland. It is located in the south-west of Ireland, in the province of Munster. Following an extension to the city's ...

4-2 over two legs along with the First Division Shield. It was the second time United had won both trophies. United remained in the First Division until 1998–99 when, under Don O'Riordan, they were promoted to the Premier Division after finishing as runners-up in the First Division to

Drogheda United Drogheda United Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Dhroichead Átha Aontaithe) is a semi-professional Irish association football club based in Drogheda, County Louth playing in the League of Ireland Premier Division. They play their home matches ...

2000s

The 2000s were not a successful decade for Galway United. Ten different managers took charge of United during this era and, between them, they managed to win just one amateur trophy, the 2007–08 Connacht Senior Cup. In 2001–02 United were relegated to the

and they did not return to the Premier Division until 2007 In April 2005 United appointed

Nick Leeson Nicholas William Leeson (born 25 February 1967) is an English former derivatives trader whose fraudulent, unauthorized and speculative trades resulted in the 1995 collapse of Barings Bank, the United Kingdom's oldest merchant bank. Leeson w ...

as commercial manager. He then became general manager in late November 2005 and by July 2007 he had become the club's CEO. By the end of the decade United were joined in the

by two other

–based teams, Mervue United and

Salthill Devon Salthill Devon Football Club is an Irish association football club originally based in Salthill, Galway. Their senior team currently plays in the Galway & District League. They have previously played in the Connacht Senior League, the A Champi ...

2010s

By 2010 Galway United had debts estimated to be between €35,000 and €70,000. In 2011, after darra hislopresigned as CEO, the Galway United board of directors and the Galway United Supporters Trust ("GUST"), which had been established in 2001, came to an agreement under which the latter group took over financial responsibility for the club and the day-to-day running of the team. However, after the 2011 League of Ireland Premier Division season, in which Galway United lost 32 out of 36 games, this arrangement broke down. In December 2011 it was announced that Galway United would not be competing in the 2012 League of Ireland First Division season. Meanwhile, GUST unsuccessfully applied to join the

as an independent club and continued to support the Galway United team playing in the League of Ireland U19 Division. In 2012 a report commissioned by the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) recommended that

Galway city Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a city in the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay, and is the sixth most populous city on ...

and County Galway should be represented in the League of Ireland by a single club or team based at

Eamonn Deacy Park Eamonn Deacy Park, formerly known as Terryland Park, is an association football stadium in the Republic of Ireland based in the Terryland district of Galway. It is owned by the Galway Football Association and is the home ground of both Galway ...

. The O'Connor Report also recommended that GUST,

, Mervue United and the

Galway Football Association The Galway Football Association is the governing body for association football in County Galway. It is responsible for organizing and managing the Galway & District League, Eamonn Deacy Park, and Galway W.F.C. Affiliated leagues * Galway & Di ...

, should work together to form such a club. GUST was reluctant to support this "merger" but eventually agreed. Following the conclusion of the

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season, both Mervue United and Salthill Devon withdrew from the

to make way for a team known as Galway F.C. A new board of directors was established featuring representatives from GUST, Salthill Devon, Mervue United and the GFA. In

Galway played in the First Division and after finishing third and winning a play-off they gained promotion to the

2015 League of Ireland Premier Division The 2015 League of Ireland Premier Division was the 31st season of the League of Ireland Premier Division. Dundalk were champions and Cork City finished as runners-up. Teams Stadia and locations Personnel and kits Note: Flags indicate n ...

. Before the start of the season Galway F.C. was renamed Galway United. In 2015 the club had the opportunity to record a third

success when they played St. Patrick's Athletic in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: * Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...

at Eamonn Deacy Park, however they lost the tie 4-3 in a penalty shoot out following a scoreless draw. On 27 October 2017, Galway United were relegated to the

after a 4–3 loss to

in their final game of the

2017 League of Ireland Premier Division The 2017 League of Ireland Premier Division was the 33rd season of the League of Ireland Premier Division. The league began on Friday 24 February 2017 and concluded on 27 October 2017. Fixtures were announced on 9 December 2016. On 17 October, ...

at Eamonn Deacy Park. Despite finishing the 2017 season in 10th place, a normally safe position, a change in league format ahead of the 2018 season meant that this was not enough for the club to retain its place in the top flight. It was announced on the 30th of March 2022, that the Comer Brothers would be taking majority ownership of the club. Following a vote of the supporters trust, 82% backed the move which would see the Comers take an 85% ownership stake in the club. They have announced an initial influx of half a million euro into the club with ambitions to take the club back to the Premier Division.

Grounds

Galway United's principal home ground is

, previously known as Terryland Park. In 1993 while Terryland Park underwent redevelopment, Galway United played their matches at the

Galway Sportsgrounds The Sportsground, also known as The Galway Sportsgrounds and the Galway Greyhound Stadium and the Connacht Rugby Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Galway, Ireland. It opened in 1927, with the playing of a football match and has been used to ...

and at Crowley Park. In

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

Galway United also played a home

European European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...

game at the Sportsgrounds. On the other two occasions United qualified for Europe they played their home games at the home grounds of

Carraroe GAA CLG An Cheathrú Rua (Irish language, Irish: ) is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in the Gaeltacht area of Carraroe, County Galway, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The club is a member of the Galway GAA. Notable players include Seán Óg ...

and Ballinderreen GAA.

Personnel

Current squad

Technical staff

Management

European record

Overview

Matches

Shirt sponsors and manufacturers

Gallery

Tommy Dunne (footballer born 1972) 3.jpg, Former Galway United manager,

Tommy Dunne Tomás Dunne (born 21 May 1974) is an Irish hurling coach and former player who is from Toomevara, County Tipperary in Ireland. He is the current coach of the Tipperary senior hurling team. Dunne enjoyed a distinguished playing career with To ...

File:Terryland park.jpg, Galway United's home ground,

Notable former players

;

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...

senior internationals ;

League of Ireland XI The League of Ireland XI, more recently referred to as the ''Airtricity League XI'' for sponsorship reasons, is the representative team of the League of Ireland, the national association football league of the Republic of Ireland. For much of its ...

representatives ; Republic of Ireland U23 internationals * Seamus Conneely * Shane Guthrie * Stephen O'Donnell *

Jay O'Shea James O'Shea (born 10 August 1988) is an Irish professional footballer who plays for A-League club Brisbane Roar. He is primarily an attacking midfielder, but can also operate as a winger and striker. O'Shea began his career with St Joseph's ...

; Republic of Ireland U21 internationals ; Republic of Ireland U19 internationals * Mick Cooke * Laurence Gaughan * John Russell ; Republic of Ireland U18 internationals *

Ryan Casey Ryan Casey (born 3 January 1979) is a former professional footballer who played as left-back. Ryan was appointed as the FAI Development Officer for Sligo in July 2007. He spent most of his career with Swansea City. Born in England, he played ...

* Donal Higgins * Don O'Riordan * Alex Murphy ;Other senior internationals

Honours

* League of Ireland Premier Division **''Runners Up'': 1985–86: 1 * FAI Cup **''Winners'': 1990–91: 1 **''Runners Up'': 1984–85: 1 *

**''Winners'': 1985–86, 1996–97: 2 **''Runners Up'': 1979–80, 2015: 2 *

**''Winners'':

: 1 **''Runners Up'': 1998–99:,

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

2 * League of Ireland First Division Shield: 2 **''Winners'': 1992–93, 1996–97: 2 * Connacht Senior League **''Winners'': 1984–85, 1985–86, 1987–88: 3 **''Runners Up'': 1986–87, 1993–94: 2 * Connacht Senior Cup **''Winners'': 1984–85, 1995–96, 2007–08: 3 * Connacht Senior League Challenge Cup **''Winners'': 1998–99: 1 **''Runners Up'': 1986–87, 1993–94: 2 * Connacht Junior Cup **''Winners'': 1957–58: 1 **''Runners Up'': 1946–47: 1

References

External links

Galway United FC Official WebsiteGalway United FC on FacebookGalway United FC on TwitterGalway United FC on YouTubeGalway United FC on InstagramThe Galway United ForumGalway United FC on Soccerway
{{Authority control Association football clubs in County Galway League of Ireland First Division clubs Association football clubs in Galway (city) Former League of Ireland Premier Division clubs