HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Cobh Ramblers Football Club (CRFC) ( ga, Cumann Peile Chóstóirí Chóbh) is an Irish
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...
club. The club, founded in 1922 and elected to the League of Ireland in 1985, hails from
Cobh Cobh ( ,), known from 1849 until 1920 as Queenstown, is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. With a population of around 13,000 inhabitants, Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour and home to Ireland's ...
,
County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns a ...
and play their home matches at St. Colman's Park. The club's colours are claret and blue. The club was a founding member of the
Cork Athletic Union League The Cork Athletic Union League, also known as the Cork AUL, is an association football league featuring amateur and junior clubs from County Cork. Its top division, the Premier League, is a seventh level division in the Republic of Ireland foot ...
in 1947 and is the only one of the 14 founding clubs still in existence today.


History

Cobh Ramblers was originally a
field hockey Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ...
club, and until the British withdrawal from
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...
, many club members played football with the British Army soldiers who were stationed at Cobh. This led to the re-formation of Cobh Ramblers as a football club. Founded in 1922, Cobh Ramblers Football Club first won the Munster Senior Cup in 1925. Additional (provincial) Munster Senior Cup titles were captured in the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s and 1970s. At a national level, the club played in the 1976
FAI League 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 ...
, reaching the semi finals. Cobh Ramblers joined the
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 ...
in 1985, after many years as a Munster Senior League side. One of the most successful of those teams was the team of 1983, who got to the semi final of the
FAI Cup The Football Association of Ireland Senior Challenge Cup (FAI Cup), known as the Extra.ie FAI Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland (as well as Derry ...
humbling many senior clubs on the way. They met
Sligo Rovers Sligo Rovers Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Ruagairí Shligigh) is an Irish professional football club playing in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland. The club is based in Sligo in the west of Ireland. The club was founded in 19 ...
in the semi-final that year and captured the imagination of the Irish footballing public, drawing crowds of over 20,000 to Flower Lodge for the home games as St Colmans Park was too small. There were 3 replays until Sligo finally won 3–2 and went on to win the Cup. Cobh won promotion to the Premier Division in 1988, after finishing First Division runners-up to
Athlone Town Athlone Town Association Football Club () is an Irish football club from Athlone who are playing in the League of Ireland. The club is the oldest in the League as it was founded in 1887. First elected to the League of Ireland in 1922, they pla ...
. Lasting just one season in the top flight, they won promotion again at the end of the 1992–93 season, this time as runners-up to
Galway United Galway United Football Club (Irish: ''Cumann Peile Ghaillimh Aontaithe'') is an Irish association football club based in Galway. They play in the League of Ireland First Division. They were founded as Galway Rovers F.C. during the 1930s. They m ...
. A play-off win over
Finn Harps Finn Harps Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Chláirsigh na Finne) are an Irish football club that play in the First Division of the League of Ireland, as of 2023. The club was founded in 1954 and elected to the league in 1969. However, it was te ...
saw Ramblers retain their Premier Division status at the end of the 1993–94 season, but the club were relegated in second-last place the following year. With Ramblers having played all but four of their League of Ireland campaigns in the First Division, they rarely get to play their local rivals Cork City, a Premier Division team, with the two usually only being able to match up in pre-season friendlies and the occasional cup match, Cobh being the minnows in terms of
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 ...
experience. In recent years, fan numbers have not been as high as they were during the glory days when Ramblers were in the top flight of Irish football and playing glamorous pre-season matches against the likes of
Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foo ...
and
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostl ...
. Though even with its lower attendance at home matches (usually about 600 or so, over 1000 for the 2008 season), the fans in attendance are loyal and take part in club fund-raisers and events as well as watching the match. It is hoped though that with a new younger generation becoming interested in the League of Ireland, due to promotion of the league and sport as a whole, that attendance and the fortunes of the club might improve. Ramblers appeared on live television for the first time on Friday, 10 November 2006 in an away fixture at
Galway United Galway United Football Club (Irish: ''Cumann Peile Ghaillimh Aontaithe'') is an Irish association football club based in Galway. They play in the League of Ireland First Division. They were founded as Galway Rovers F.C. during the 1930s. They m ...
, where they lost 1–0. On 10 November 2007 Cobh Ramblers beat Athlone Town 1–0 in Lissywoollen in what was a tense and nervous display. This victory gave Cobh Ramblers their first piece of Senior Silverware and crowned them First Division Champions. During the 2007 season, with their young squad, they recorded a 27-game unbeaten run, keeping 22 clean sheets. Their points tally of 77 points was also a record for the league. However, after suffering relegation from the
League of Ireland Premier Division The League of Ireland Premier Division ( ga, Príomhroinn Sraith na hÉireann), also known as the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division for sponsorship reasons, is the top level division in both the League of Ireland and the Republic of Ireland ...
, Ramblers subsequently failed to obtain a licence for the First Division due to financial constraints and so compete in the Newstalk A Championship (Ireland's third tier). In 2010 Ramblers missed out on gaining promotion back to the
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 ...
losing to
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 ...
in a play off. The Ramblers most noted past player is former Irish international and
Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...
star
Roy Keane Roy Maurice Keane (born 10 August 1971) is an Irish football pundit, coach and former professional player. He is the joint most successful Irish footballer of all time, having won 19 major trophies in his club career, 17 of which came durin ...
, while Irish international
Stephen Ireland Stephen James Ireland (born 22 August 1986) is an Irish former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. Ireland began his career with Cobh Ramblers before joining English club Manchester City in 2001. He made his professi ...
is a product of the Youth System.
Westlife Westlife is an Irish pop vocal group formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1998. The group currently consists of members Shane Filan, Mark Feehily, Kian Egan, and Nicky Byrne. Brian McFadden was a member, until he left in 2004. The group temporar ...
singer Nicky Byrne, who was also a footballer on the books at
Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road ...
, had a spell with the club too. On 18 March 2014, the club parted company with manager
Dave Hill David John Hill (born 4 April 1946) is an English rock musician. He is the lead guitarist, a backing vocalist and the sole continuous member in the English band Slade. Hill is known for his flamboyant stage clothes and hairstyle. Early life B ...
by mutual consent after five years. He was replaced by Martin Cambridge on an interim basis. In March 2015 Martin Cambridge tendered his resignation and Stephen Henderson returned to the club as first team manager. In Oct 2015 Stephen Henderson signed a new three-year contract with the club. In 2016 Henderson guided Ramblers to munster senior cup victory and to a 3rd-place finish in the first division. Cobh Ramblers were the only side to defeat first division champions Limerick that season and this coincided with a run of 5 victories in their last 5 league games to reach the playoffs. They narrowly lost 3–2 on aggregate to Drogheda Utd despite overturning a 2–0 deficit in the return leg at United Park after only nine minutes. In 2018, Ramblers reached the final of the EA Sports Cup Final. In the semi final they defeated Dundalk 1–0 at home with striker Chris Hull scoring the winner. After defeating Dundalk, and denying the eventual champions a treble, Ramblers lost the final away to Derry City 3–1.


Stadium

St Colman's Park was redeveloped during the mid-2000s. Construction of a new state of the art changing facility and press office along with a new Chairman's office was completed in 2006 along with new floodlights and a 900-seater stand replacing the old shed. The east stand, too has seen improvement with 450 new seats being installed. Plans for a new 900 seater stand adjacent to the existing stand have temporarily been put on hold due to minor financial difficulties at the club. A new slick surface was also added prior to the clubs admission to the Eircom/Airtricity League Premier Division in 2009. The stadium has hosted international underage games including games in the 1994 UEFA European Under-16 Football Championship qualifiers. Munster Schools Senior Cup games have also been staged at the stadium including the final which was won by local Cobh school, Coláiste Muire in 2010.


Current squad


Youth teams


Under-19s

The National under-19 league was introduced in 2011, replacing the old A Championship. Cobh Ramblers won the Southern Division that year, gaining promotion to the Elite Division. During the 2022 season, the Cobh's under-19 team secured the LOI Tier 2 League title with a record of 14 wins and 4 draws from 18 games.


Under-17s

Cobh Ramblers entered a team in the first ever League of Ireland under-17 season in 2015. The side was made up of players from across the county of Cork. As of 2020, the under-17 side was coached by former Cork City F.C. and
Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1899 as R ...
defender,
Darren Dennehy Darren Dennehy (born 21 September 1988) is an Irish former footballer who played as a defender for Everton, Cardiff City, Hereford United, Gillingham & Barnet in England, before returning home to play for Cork City, St Patrick's Athletic & L ...
.


Supporters

Cobh Ramblers fanbase, known as the "Claret and Blue Army", used to locate in the East stand, behind the goal. Nowadays they locate at the far end of the South stand. There is also a Cobh Ramblers Supporters Club, who are involved in fundraising for the club. In 2019, Cobh Ramblers changed the ownership structure of the club and became a fully fan owned entity. Now operating under the guise of Cobh Ramblers Co-Operative Society.


Honours

*
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 ...
: 1 **
2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple Inc., Apple's first iPhone (1st generation), iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakis ...
* EA Sports Cup: Runners-Up 1 * Munster Senior League: 15 ** 1925–26, 1934–35, 1935–36, 1943–44, 1956–57, 1971–72, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1984–85 * Munster Senior Cup: 5 ** 1924–25, 1943–44, 1978–79, 1982–83, 2015–16, 2021-22 * FAI Intermediate Cup: 2 ** 1979–80, 1982–83 * Enda McGuill Cup: 1 ** 2013–14 *Munster Youths Cup: 3 ** 1989–90, 1993–94, 1999-0


Notable former managers

* Alfie Hale (1988–1989) * Damien Richardson (1995) * Ian Butterworth (1998) *
Dave Hill David John Hill (born 4 April 1946) is an English rock musician. He is the lead guitarist, a backing vocalist and the sole continuous member in the English band Slade. Hill is known for his flamboyant stage clothes and hairstyle. Early life B ...
(2009–2014) * Stephen Henderson (2004–2008) (2015–2019)


Notable former players

*
Roy Keane Roy Maurice Keane (born 10 August 1971) is an Irish football pundit, coach and former professional player. He is the joint most successful Irish footballer of all time, having won 19 major trophies in his club career, 17 of which came durin ...
* Nicky Byrne * David Meyler * Jaze Kabia *
Jason Kabia Jason Thomas Kabia (born 26 May 1969) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. Career Born in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Kabia played non-league football with Oakham United, before spending two seasons in the Football ...
*
Colin Falvey Colin Falvey (born 20 June 1985) is an Irish former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. Career Ireland Falvey was born in Cork. He was a trainee and youth player at English clubs Gillingham and Carlisle United, but began his ...
*
John Hollins John William Hollins (born 16 July 1946) is an English retired footballer and manager. He was initially a midfielder who, later in his career, became an effective full-back. Hollins, throughout his footballing career, featured for clubs such a ...
*
Stephen Ireland Stephen James Ireland (born 22 August 1986) is an Irish former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. Ireland began his career with Cobh Ramblers before joining English club Manchester City in 2001. He made his professi ...
*
Graham Cummins Graham Rickard Cummins (born 29 December 1987) is a retired Irish footballer. Playing career Early career Cummins played the majority of his schoolboy football with Tramore Athletic and also had a spell with College Corinthians. Cobh Rambler ...
* Michael Devine (footballer)


References


External links

* {{Authority control Association football clubs established in 1922 Association football clubs in County Cork Former League of Ireland Premier Division clubs A Championship teams 1922 establishments in Ireland Cobh League of Ireland First Division clubs Former Munster Senior League (association football) clubs Former Cork Athletic Union League clubs