 | ||||
| Full name | Galway United Football Club | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames | The Tribesmen, United, Maroon Army | |||
| Founded | 1937 | |||
| Stadium | Eamonn Deacy Park | |||
| Capacity | 4,323 (3,300 seats) | |||
| Owner | Galway United Friends Co-operative Limited | |||
| Chairman | Jonathan Corbett | |||
| Manager | John Caulfield | |||
| League | League of Ireland Premier Division | |||
| 2025 | 8th of 10 | |||
| Website | galwayunitedfc | |||
 Current season | ||||
Galway United Football Club (Irish:Cumann Peile Ghaillimh Aontaithe) is anIrish professionalfootball club based inGalway. They play in theLeague of Ireland Premier Division following promotion from theFirst Division in 2023.They were founded asGalway Rovers F.C. during the 1930s. They made theirLeague of Ireland debut in1977–78 and changed their name toGalway United in1981–82. After suffering financial difficulties, the club dropped out of the League of Ireland after the2011 season but in2014 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.
Galway United F.C. were founded as Rovers F.C. in theCladdagh district ofGalway 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 in1937.[1] However, according to aGalway Advertiser report, the club was active in1933, winning a local junior competition known as the Celtic Shield.[2] 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.[3] By 1937 Rovers were fielding youth teams as well as a junior side. Rovers won theConnacht Junior Cup in 1958 and they also played in theWestern League. Rovers first gained national attention when they were invited to play in the 1976–77League of Ireland Cup. In1977–78 they made their debut in theLeague of Ireland. They played their first League of Ireland game on 28 August 1977 atTerryland Park againstSt. Patrick's Athletic.Eamonn Deacy scored Rovers' first League of Ireland goal on 2 October 1977.[2][1][4][5][6]
In 1980–81 Rovers reached the final of the League of Ireland Cup, but lost on penalties toDundalk. In the1981–82 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 anFAI Cup final in 1984–85 but lost 1–0 toShamrock Rovers. In1985–86 United became founder members of theLeague 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 defeatingDundalk 2–0 in theLeague of Ireland Cup final. Denis Bonner andPaul McGee scored the vital goals.[1][4][5][6][7]
Galway United made a good start to the 1990s, winning their firstFAI Cup and qualifying forEurope for a third time. In the 1990–91 FAI Cup final atLansdowne Road, United defeatedShamrock Rovers 1–0. With five minutes to go on the clock, captain Johnny Glynn scored a late goal. In1991–92 United was relegated to theFirst Division for the first time, but the following season,1992–93, they returned to thePremier Division after winning the First Division title and theLeague of Ireland First Division Shield. The club finished1993-94 in a respectable 3rd place.
In1995–96 United were relegated for a second time. In1996–97 United won theLeague of Ireland Cup defeatingCork City 4–2 over two legs along with theFirst Division Shield. It was the second time United had won both trophies.
United remained in the First Division until1998–99 when, underDon O'Riordan, they were promoted to the Premier Division after finishing as runners-up in the First Division toDrogheda United.[1][4][5][6][7]
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 2007–08Connacht Senior Cup. In2001–02 United were relegated to theLeague of Ireland First Division and they did not return to thePremier Division until2007[8] In April 2005 United appointedNick Leeson as commercial manager. He then became general manager in late November 2005 and by July 2007 he had become the club's CEO.[9][10] By the end of the decade United were joined in theLeague of Ireland by two otherGalway–based teams,Mervue United andSalthill Devon.[11]
By 2010 Galway United had debts estimated to be between €35,000 and €70,000. In 2011, afterNick Leeson 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.[9][11][12][13] However, after the2011 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 the2012 League of Ireland First Division season. Meanwhile, GUST unsuccessfully applied to join theLeague of Ireland as an independent club and continued to support the Galway United team playing in theLeague of Ireland U19 Division.[14][15][16]
In 2012 a report commissioned by theFootball Association of Ireland (FAI) recommended thatGalway city andCounty Galway should be represented in the League of Ireland by a single club or team based atEamonn Deacy Park. The O'Connor Report also recommended that GUST,Salthill Devon,Mervue United and theGalway Football Association, should work together to form such a club.[17] GUST was reluctant to support this "merger"[18] but eventually agreed.
Following the conclusion of the2013 season, both Mervue United and Salthill Devon withdrew from theLeague of Ireland First Division 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.[1][19][20] In2014 Galway F.C. played in the First Division and after finishing third and winning a play-off they gained promotion to the2015 League of Ireland Premier Division. Before the start of the season Galway F.C. was renamed Galway United.[1] In 2015 the club had the opportunity to record a thirdLeague of Ireland Cup success when they playedSt. Patrick's Athletic in thefinal at Eamonn Deacy Park, however they lost the tie 4–3 in a penalty shoot out following a scoreless draw.[21]
On 27 October 2017, Galway United were relegated to theLeague of Ireland First Division after a 4–3 loss toDundalk in their final game of the2017 League of Ireland Premier Division at Eamonn Deacy Park.[22] Despite finishing the2017 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 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.[23][24]
In October 2022, the club announced that it would be launching awomen's team, to compete inLeague of Ireland Women's Premier Division from the 2023 season onwards. On 23 July 2023 the women's team made history by winning the inauguralAll-Island Cup in their maiden season, defeatingCliftonville Ladies F.C. 1–0 in the final atThe Showgrounds, Sligo.
On 22 September 2023, Galway United won theLeague of Ireland First Division title for the second time in the club's history with five matches to spare, when they defeatedKerry FC 4–0. This ensured a return to top flight football for the first time since2017.[25] They finished the league season with a record total of 94 points, with 98 goals scored and a 100% home win record.
Galway United's principal home ground isEamonn Deacy Park, previously known as Terryland Park. In 1993 while Terryland Park underwent redevelopment, Galway United played their matches at theGalway Sportsgrounds and atCrowley Park. In1985 Galway United also played a homeEuropean game at the Sportsgrounds. On the other two occasions United qualified for Europe they played their home games at the home grounds ofCarraroe GAA andBallinderreen GAA.[1][26]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Numbers shown display numbers worn during appearances for senior team
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Manager | John Caulfield[27] |
| Assistant Manager | Jon Daly |
| First Team Coach | Alan Murphy[28] |
| First Team Analyst | Robbie Crosbie |
| Performance Coach | Danny Broderick |
| Physiotherapist | Richard Grier |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Gianluca Aimi |
| Academy Manager | Sean Kimberley[29] |
| Competition | Matches | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UEFA Cup | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| European Cup Winners' Cup | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 11 |
| TOTAL | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 19 |
| Season | Competition | Round | Opponent | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985–86 | European Cup Winners' Cup | 1R |  Lyngby | 2–3 | 0–1 | 2–4 |
| 1986–87 | UEFA Cup | 1R |  Groningen | 1–3 | 1–5 | 2–8 |
| 1991–92 | European Cup Winners' Cup | QR | Odense | 0–3 | 0–4 | 0–7 |
| Year | Kit manufacturer | Shirt partner |
|---|---|---|
| 1984/85 | Adidas | Glen C |
| 1985/86 | ||
| 1990/91 | Wrangler | |
| 1991/92 | Spall | |
| 1992/93 | O'Neills | |
| 1993/94 | McDonald's Gaillimh | |
| 1994/95 | Adidas | |
| 1995/96 | Digital | |
| 1996/97 | ||
| 1997/98 | ||
| 1998/99 | ||
| 1999/00 | Compaq | |
| 2000/01 | Prostar | |
| 2001/02 | Stanno | |
| 2002/03 | Erreà | Hewlett-Packard |
| 2003 | Radisson SAS Hotel Galway | |
| 2004 | Umbro | Harmack Developments |
| 2005 | ||
| 2006 | ||
| 2007 | O'Connell Drylining | |
| 2008 | Rival | |
| 2009 | Papa John's | |
| 2010 | ||
| 2011 | ||
| 2014 | Macron | Comer Group Ireland |
| 2015 | ||
| 2016 | Uhlsport | |
| 2017 | ||
| 2018 | ||
| 2019 | Puma | |
| 2020 | ||
| 2021 | O'Neills | |
| 2022 | ||
| 2023 | ||
| 2024 | ||
| 2025 |
|
| Dates | Name |
|---|---|
| 1976–1978 |  Amby Fogarty |
| 1978–1979 |  Tommy Callaghan |
| 1979–1983 | John Herrick |
| 1983–1984 | Paddy Mulligan |
| 1984–1985 | Tom Lally |
| 1985–1988 | Tony Mannion |
| 1988 | John Herrick |
| 1988–1989 | Seamus McDonagh |
| 1989–1990 | Paul McGee |
| 1990–1991 | Joey Malone |
| 1992–1995 | Tony Mannion |
| 1995–1997 | Denis Clarke |
| 1997–2001 | Don O'Riordan |
| 2001 | Dave Connell |
| 2001–2004 | Tony Mannion |
| 2005–2006 | Stephen Lally |
| 2006–2008 | Tony Cousins |
| 2008 | Jeff Kenna |
| 2009 |  Ian Foster |
| 2010–2011 |  Sean Connor |
| 2014–2016 | Tommy Dunne |
| 2017–2018 | Shane Keegan |
| 2018–2020 | Alan Murphy |
| 2021– | John Caulfield |
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