Galway United Football Club () is an Irish professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

club based in

Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...

. They play in the

League of Ireland Premier Division The League of Ireland Men's Premier Division (), also known as the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in the Republic of Ireland and the highest level of the Republic of I ...

following promotion from the

First Division 1st Division or First Division may refer to: Military Airborne divisions *1st Parachute Division (Germany) *1st Airborne Division (United Kingdom) * 1st Airmobile Division (Ukraine) * 1st Guards Airborne Division Armoured divisions *1st Armoure ...

in 2023. They were founded as Galway Rovers F.C. during the 1930s. They made their

League of Ireland The League of Ireland is a national association football Sports league, league consisting of professional clubs in the Republic of Ireland and Derry, Derry City in Northern Ireland. It is governed by the Football Association of Ireland. It was ...

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 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

season but in

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

Galway United returned initially playing as Galway F.C. for a season. Like other sports teams from the county, Galway United are nicknamed "The Tribesmen", after the 14 "tribes" of Galway, the merchant families that established the city.

History

Galway Rovers

Galway United F.C. were founded as Rovers F.C. in the Claddagh district of

in honour of Sligo Rovers, the first League of Ireland club outside of Leinster to win the league in 1937. The club's website claims the club was founded in

1937 Events January * January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua. * January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into Feb ...

. However, according to a ''

Galway Advertiser The ''Galway Advertiser'' is a free newspaper distributed throughout Galway city and county each Thursday. History The ''Galway Advertiser'' was founded in 1970 by Ronnie O'Gorman, with the first edition published on 16 April 1970. O'Gorman edi ...

'' report, the club was active in

1933 Events January * January 11 – Australian aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independen ...

, 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, also referred to in Ireland as the 'League Cup', was an annual knockout competition in men's football in Ireland. It was contested by League of Ireland clubs and invited clubs from the lower levels of the Irish footb ...

. 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 List of association football venues in the Republic of Ireland, association football stadium in the Republic of Ireland based in the Terryland district of Galway. It is owned by the Gal ...

against

St. Patrick's Athletic St Patrick's Athletic Football Club, commonly known as Pat's or The Athletic, is a professional Irish association football club based in Inchicore, Dublin, that plays in the League of Ireland Premier Division. Founded in May 1929, they played ...

Eamonn Deacy Eamonn "Chick" Deacy (1 October 1958 – 13 February 2012) was a professional footballer from Galway, Ireland. Career Sligo Rovers After a trial at Clyde Deacy made an impressive League of Ireland debut for Sligo Rovers away to Shelbourne at ...

scored Rovers' first League of Ireland goal on 2 October 1977.

1980s

In 1980–81 Rovers reached the final of the League of Ireland Cup, but lost on penalties to

Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ) is the county town of County Louth, Ireland. The town is situated on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the north-east coast of Ireland, and is halfway between Dublin and Belfast, close to and south of the bor ...

. 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 The Football Association of Ireland Senior Challenge Cup (FAI Cup), known as the Sports Direct FAI Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland (as well as D ...

final in 1984–85 but lost 1–0 to

Shamrock Rovers Shamrock Rovers Football Club is an Irish professional Association football, football club based in Tallaght, South Dublin. The club's senior team competes in the League of Ireland Premier Division and it is List of football clubs by competit ...

. In 1985–86 United became founder members of the

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

and qualifying for

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

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

Lansdowne Road Lansdowne Road Stadium (, ) 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 the Aviva Stadium on ...

, United defeated

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

for the first time, but the following season, 1992–93, 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 Republic of Ireland, Ireland, the county town of County Cork, the largest city in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the List of settlements on the island of Ireland ...

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 is a professional Irish association football club based in Drogheda, County Louth playing in the League of Ireland Premier Division. They play their home matches at Sullivan & Lambe Park. The current club is the ...

2000s and decline

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

League of Ireland First Division The League of Ireland First Division, also known as the SSE Airtricity League First Division for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in both the League of Ireland and the Republic of Ireland football league system. The division w ...

and they did not return to the Premier Division until

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

In April 2005 United appointed

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

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 Mervue United A.F.C. is an Irish association football club based in Mervue, Galway. Their senior men's team currently plays in the Galway & District League. The club has previously fielded teams in the Connacht Senior League, the League of Ir ...

and Salthill Devon.

2010s demise and rise

By 2010 Galway United had debts estimated to be between €35,000 and €70,000. In 2011, after

resigned 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 The 2011 League of Ireland Premier Division was the 27th season of the League of Ireland Premier Division. The league was also known as the Airtricity League for sponsorship reasons. The division featured 10 teams. Shamrock Rovers were champions ...

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 The 2012 League of Ireland First Division season was the 28th season of the League of Ireland First Division. The First Division was contested by 8 teams and Limerick won the title. Teams Overview Due to the expansion of the Premier 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 The League of Ireland U19 Division is the under-19 division of the League of Ireland. The current division is the successor of earlier U21 and U20 divisions. Like the Premier Division and First Division, the U19 Division is currently sponsored ...

In 2012 a report commissioned by the

Football Association of Ireland The Football Association of Ireland (FAI; ) is the governing body for association football in the Republic of Ireland. Organisation The FAI has an executive committee of five members under the president, who receive expenses, as well as a p ...

(FAI) recommended that

Galway city Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...

and

County Galway County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...

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 Galwa ...

. The O'Connor Report also recommended that GUST, Salthill Devon,

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

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

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 F.C. 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 na ...

. 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

in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...

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.

2020s

It was announced on 30 March 2022, that brothers Brian and Luke Comer of the Comer Property Group would be granted an option to acquire the majority ownership of the football club which had been operating under a fan owned model since its re-emergence in 2014. Following a vote of the members of the Galway United Friends Co-operative Limited, 82% backed the move which would see the Comer brothers take an option to acquire an 85% ownership stake in the club. The club remains 100% owned by Galway United Friends Co-operative Limited. The Comer brothers announced an initial influx of half a million euro into the club with ambitions to take it back to the Premier Division. In October 2022, the club announced that it would be launching a women's team, to compete in League of Ireland Women's Premier Division from the 2023 season onwards. On 23 July 2023 the women's team made history by winning the inaugural All-Island Cup in their maiden season, defeating Cliftonville Ladies F.C. 1–0 in the final at

The Showgrounds, Sligo The Showgrounds is a stadium in Sligo, Ireland, which has been home of Sligo Rovers F.C., Sligo Rovers since the club was formed in 1928. History The Showgrounds was leased until 1968 when it was then purchased for Sligo Rovers by a trust foun ...

. On 22 September 2023, Galway United won the

title for the second time in the club's history with five matches to spare, when they defeated Kerry FC 4–0. This ensured a return to top flight football for the first time since

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

. They finished the league season with a record total of 94 points, with 98 goals scored and a 100% home win record.

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 Dexcom Stadium (formerly The Sportsground) is the home of Connacht Rugby. It opened in 1927 and has been used to host Connacht Rugby matches since. Dexcom Stadium is able to hold up to 8,129 people without temporary seating. When greyhound rac ...

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 n ...

Galway United also played a home

European European, or Europeans, 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 and other West ...

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 Carraroe (in Irish language, Irish, and officially, , meaning 'the red quarter') is a village in Connemara, the coastal Irish-speaking region (Gaeltacht) of County Galway, Ireland. It is known for its traditional fishing boats, the Galway Hook ...

and

Ballinderreen GAA Ballinderreen GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Ballinderreen, County Galway, Ireland. The club was founded in 1884. The parish already was deeply rooted in hurling before the foundation of the GAA. The club is situated in So ...

Players

First Team Squad

Out on loan

Under-20 Squad

Technical staff

European record

Overview

Matches

Shirt sponsors and manufacturers

Notable former players

;

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...

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 Ireland. For much of its history, the League ...

representatives ; Republic of Ireland U23 internationals * Seamus Conneely *

Shane Guthrie Shane Guthrie (born 11 December 1984) is an Irish Association footballer, footballer who plays for Kerry F.C. (Ireland), Kerry in the League of Ireland First Division. He has played Gaelic football with Kerry and Munster club champions and All- ...

* Stephen O'Donnell *

Jay O'Shea James O'Shea (born 10 August 1988) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for club Brisbane Roar. While he is primarily an attacking midfielder, he can also operate as a winger and striker. O'Shea began his ...

; Republic of Ireland U21 internationals ; Republic of Ireland U19 internationals ; Republic of Ireland U18 internationals ;Other senior internationals

Managerial history

Honours

**''Runners Up'': 1985–86: 1 *

**''Winners'': 1990–91: 1 **''Runners Up'': 1984–85: 1 *

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

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

: 2 *

**''Winners'': 1992–93,

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

: 2 **''Runners Up'': 1998–99:,

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

2 * League of Ireland First Division Shield: **''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

*
The 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