| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Dominic Joseph Foley | ||
| Date of birth | (1976-07-07)7 July 1976 (age 49) | ||
| Place of birth | Cork, Ireland | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Charleville | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1994–1995 | St. James's Gate | ||
| 1995–1999 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 21 | (3) |
| 1998 | →Watford (loan) | 8 | (1) |
| 1998 | →Notts County (loan) | 2 | (0) |
| 1998–1999 | →Ethnikos Piraeus (loan) | 7 | (3) |
| 1999–2003 | Watford | 33 | (5) |
| 2001 | →Queens Park Rangers (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2002 | →Swindon Town (loan) | 7 | (1) |
| 2002 | →Queens Park Rangers (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2003 | →Southend United (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2003 | →Oxford United (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 2003–2004 | Braga | 12 | (1) |
| 2004–2005 | Bohemians | 30 | (7) |
| 2005–2009 | Gent | 103 | (29) |
| 2009–2012 | Cercle Brugge | 70 | (19) |
| 2012 | Limerick | 15 | (3) |
| Total | 324+ | (73+) | |
| International career | |||
| 1996-1997 | Republic of Ireland U21 | 6 | (1) |
| 2000 | Republic of Ireland | 6 | (2) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2024 | Treaty United W.F.C. | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Dominic Joseph Foley (born 7 July 1976) is an Irish former professionalfootballer who played as aforward.
He played for nine clubs in England, finding stability in his late 20s and 30s in Belgium, where he represented two teams.
Foley was born inCork. In 1995, at the age of 19, he was signed byEnglish First Division clubWolverhampton Wanderers fromSt. James's Gate. He made his debut on 18 November as asubstitute in a 3–1 home loss againstOldham Athletic, but never managed to earn a regular place, and appeared in just 29 competitive matches in four seasons combined atMolineux Stadium.[1]
To gain playing time, Foley was loaned several times in the following years, toWatford,Notts County and Greek clubEthnikos Piraeus. He eventually moved to Watford, signed byGraham Taylor – who had originally brought him to Wolverhampton – on afree transfer.
Foley played 12 times inhis first year with theHornets (one goal), also making hisPremier League debut. Even though the campaign ended in relegation, he received his first call-up to theRepublic of Ireland national team;[2] his debut came on 30 May 2000 in a 2-1friendly defeat toScotland; five days later, his secondcap, againstMexico, saw him score the first of his two international goals, with all six appearances coming during the year.[3]
Early into2000–01, Foley netted alast-minute winner againstBarnsley,[4] but overall found playing opportunities scarce, being successively loaned by theVicarage Road side toQueens Park Rangers (two spells),[5]Swindon Town,[6]Southend United[7] andOxford United.[8]
Foley left England in 2003 for Portuguese clubBraga,[9] being scarcely used duringone sole season,[10] after which he returned to his country after one decade by signing forBohemians.
He impressed in the team's2005 UEFA Intertoto Cup game against Belgium'sGent, who bought him soon afterwards.[11]
Foley established at theJules Ottenstadion, scoring six goals in 25Belgian First Division A appearanceshis first season and bettering his totals in the following two campaigns, netting in double digits (respectively ten and 11) as theFlemish club finished fourth and sixth in the table, respectively;[12][13] additionally, he helped itreach the semi-finals of theBelgian Cup in 2007, scored three goals inthat year'sUEFA Intertoto Cup to help his team reach the third round,[14] notably netting againstCliftonville in a 2–0 home win (6–0 on aggregate),[15] and was namedclub captain at the start of2007–08.[16]
Foley helped Gent reach the final of the domestic cup in2007–08, opening the score againstAnderlecht after just six minutes but eventually losing the match 3–2.[17] The next season, however, new coachMichel Preud'homme rarely used him in his starting eleven and, with the player's contract due to expire, he was sold during the winter break to fellow league sideCercle Brugge KSV.[18]
On 22 February 2012, aged nearly 36, Foley returned to his homeland and joinedLimerick FC, having been released by Cercle the previous day.[19]
Foley caused controversy in 2005 when he successfully had his contract with Bohemians terminated over the failure of payment by the club of "bonuses". He then signed for Gent which had played against the Irish side only a few weeks before, sparking rumours of secret meetings between player and management after the match.
In 2009, Gent accused Cercle Brugge of secret reunions with Foley before he was allowed to engage in conversations in order to discuss his future. With his contract due to expire at the end of the season, the former'sgeneral manager, Michel Louwagie, claimed the player had discussed a contract before the allowed date of 1 January, saying:"I don't at all appreciate the way Cercle have behaved in relation to Foley. It is against the rules." On 21 January, Cercle announced that Foley had signed a three-year contract with the club, starting in June 2009.[20] On the 27th, however, both clubs agreed on an immediate transfer during thewinter transfer window.[21]
On 30 November 2023, Foley was appointed as Manager ofLeague of Ireland Women's Premier Division side Treaty United, his first role in management. Foley's first game as manager in March 2024 saw his Treaty United side pick up a 2–0 win overDLR Waves, the club's first home win in almost three years. Foley's side started the season with a five-game unbeaten streak before succumbing to defeat for the first time that season away toBohemian F.C. Women in April. He left his role at the end of the season having led Treaty United to their best ever finish in the Women's Premier Division.
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | |||
 Treaty United | 30 November 2023 | 12 October 2024 | 26 | 9 | 4 | 13 | 034.62 |
| Total | 26 | 9 | 4 | 13 | 034.62 | ||
Limerick
