 | ||
| Full name | St James's Gate Football Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Nickname | The Gate | |
| Founded | 1902; 123 years ago (1902) | |
| Ground | Iveagh Grounds Crumlin Road Dublin 12 | |
| League | Leinster Senior League League of Ireland | |
St James's Gate Football Club is anIrish association football club based inDrimnagh/Crumlin, Dublin. They played in theLeague of Ireland between1921–22 and1943–44 and again from1990–91 until1995–96. Gate were the inaugural winners of both the League of Ireland and theFAI Cup. Like several fellow early League of Ireland clubs, such asFordsons,Jacobs,Midland Athletic andDundalk, Gate had their origins as a factory orworks team. They were initially the football team of theSt James's Gate Brewery, the home ofGuinness. In July 2022 they narrowly survived folding and survived due to a public appeal.[1][2][3]
The club was founded in 1902.[4] The prime mover behind forming the club wasJohn Lumsden, then serving as a medical officer atSt James's Gate Brewery. The club first gained national recognition in 1909–10 when they won both theLeinster Senior League title and theIrish Intermediate Cup. In 1919–20, with a team that includedCharlie Dowdall,Paddy Duncan andErnie MacKay, Gate won four trophies – the Leinster Senior League title, the Irish Intermediate Cup, theLeinster Senior Cup and theLFA Metropolitan Cup.
In1921–22, together withShelbourne,Bohemians,Jacobs,Frankfort,Olympia,YMCA andDublin United, Gate became founder members of theLeague of Ireland. Like Gate, the other seven founding members had spent the 1920–21 season playing in theLeinster Senior League. Gate initially emerged as one of the strongest teams in the league and in their debut season won a treble. In addition to winning the inaugural league title, they also won the1921–22 FAI Cup and the 1921–22Leinster Senior Cup. This season proved to be the highlight of Gate's time in the League of Ireland. In1939–40 they won a second league title, however after finishing in last place in1943–44 they failed to gain re-election.[5] It had been suggested that the reason for this was the club announcing its intention to revert to amateur status. However, when the vote was being taken, the representative forShamrock Rovers stated, "the St. James's Gate club has not full control over their own finances, as any profit made during the season goes to the Guinness Athletic Union and is therefore lost to football." The other clubs were also known to be unhappy that members of the Guinness Athletic Union did not have to pay into home matches, depriving those clubs of their share of gate receipts.[6]
| Season | Pts | Place | Season | Pts | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1921–22 | 23 | 1st | 1933–34 | 13 | 8th |
| 1922–23 | 25 | 5th | 1934–35 | 27 | 2nd |
| 1923–24 | 20 | 5th | 1935–36 | 19 | 10th |
| 1924–25 | 17 | 6th | 1936–37 | 23 | 5th |
| 1925–26 | 11 | 8th | 1937–38 | 27 | 5th |
| 1926–27 | 12 | 9th | 1938–39 | 23 | 4th |
| 1927–28 | 14 | 7th | 1939–40 | 36 | 1st |
| 1928–29 | 14 | 6th | 1940–41 | 21 | 5th |
| 1929–30 | 11 | 9th | 1941–42 | 19 | 5th |
| 1930–31 | 18 | 10th | 1942–43 | 18 | 6th |
| 1932–33 | 10 | 11th | 1943–44 | 3 | 8th |
| 1932–33 | 17 | 6th |
| Stat | Opponent | Score | Competition | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record Win | Jacobs | 8–0 | 1929–30 | 24 August 1929 |
| Record Defeat | Waterford Cork United Shamrock Rovers | 0–7 0–7 0–7 | 1931–32 1943–44 1943–44 | 22 November 1931 19 December 1943 27 December 1943 |
In1990–91 Gate joined theLeague of Ireland First Division, replacingNewcastlewest. In 1995, the club was taken over by a consortium. Only one year later, however, just before the start of the1996–97 they pulled out of the league, unable to meet their financial responsibilities. They were replaced bySt. Francis.[5]
To celebrate their 110th anniversary, in July 2012 the club hosted a tournament.
 Ballymena United | 1–1 Ballymena won 5–3 after penalties |  Port Talbot Town |
|---|---|---|
| White, 90 | (Report) | ???, 6 |
 St James's Gate | 2–0 | Bohemians |
|---|---|---|
| (Report) |
| Bohemians | 0–6 | Port Talbot Town |
|---|---|---|
| (Report) |
| St James's Gate | 0–2 | Ballymena United |
|---|---|---|
| (Report) | Baker Teggart (pen) |
Gate originally played their home games at Bellevue Lodge by theGrand Canal nearInchicore. The same venue was also used byOlympia. Between 1921 and 1928 they played at St. James's Park inDolphin's Barn on a pitch hired by theGuinness board. In 1928 they moved to their current home at theIveagh Grounds.
On 28 May 1924 whenIreland made their international debut at the1924 Olympics againstBulgaria, the Ireland team included three Gate players –Paddy Duncan,Michael Farrell andErnie MacKay. A fourth member of the team, Paddy O'Reilly, would also later play for the club. Duncan also scored the Republic of Ireland's first international goal.Joe O'Reilly, with 20, was also the most capped player for Ireland in the pre–Second World War era.[9][10]
In addition to playing for Ireland teams selected by theFAI, at least five Gate players also played for Ireland teams selected by theIrish Football Association.
Johnny Carey – SeniorErnie MacKay – JuniorEmmet McLoughlin – AmateurFrank Heaney – Amateur[11] Harry Litton – Amateur[12]On seven occasions St James's Gate players finished as theLeague of Ireland's top goalscorer. On 30 March 1930, Willie Byrne scored six goals in a 7–1 win againstSligo Rovers.Paddy Bradshaw, with 68, remains Gate's top goalscorer in the League of Ireland.[13][5]
| Season | Player | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 1921–22 | Jack Kelly | 11 |
| 1932–33 | George Ebbs | 20 |
| 1933–34 | Alf Rigby | 13 |
| 1934–35 | Alf Rigby | 17 |
| 1937–38 | Willie Byrne | 25 |
| 1938–39 | Paddy Bradshaw | 22 |
| 1939–40 | Paddy Bradshaw | 29 |
Katie Taylor –Irish,European,World andOlympic boxing champion
