University College Dublin Association Football Club ( ga, Cumann Sacar Choláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath), known commonly as UCD, is the
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 c ...
team of
University College Dublin
University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland ...
. They play in 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 f ...
. Founded in 1895, the club was elected to the League of Ireland in
1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
under the management of Dr. Tony O'Neill. Since the
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
season they have played at the
UCD Bowl UCD can refer to:
Education
*University College Dublin, Irish university
**University College Dublin A.F.C., the university's association football club
**University College Dublin RFC, the university's rugby union club
**UCD GAA, the university G ...
, also home to the
college's rugby team. 'The Students' play in sky blue and navy. Their reserve and freshers teams play in the
Leinster Senior League.
History
Foundation and early years
University College Dublin AFC was founded in 1895 as the Catholic University Medical School Football Club, and began playing regular games the following year. A First XI played college games against other universities and a Second XI entered outside competitions. The club was founder members of the Leinster Junior League in 1896 and reached the semi-finals of the
Leinster Senior Cup in 1897. The club became University College Dublin AFC when the new university annexed the Medical school in 1908. UCD won the inaugural Intervarsities competition, the
Collingwood Cup
The Collingwood Cup is an association football cup competition featuring university teams from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It is organised by the Irish Universities Football Union, and is the oldest surviving all Ireland associ ...
, in 1914 and added the
Irish Intermediate Cup
The Irish Intermediate Cup is a Northern Irish football competition for teams of intermediate status, including NIFL Premiership reserve sides. It is a straight knock-out tournament and is currently sponsored by McCombs Coach Travel.
The curre ...
the following year, beating Portadown 2–1 in a replayed final. When the
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State ( ga, Saorstát Éireann, , ; 6 December 192229 December 1937) was a state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-year Irish War of Independence between th ...
was formed in 1921 and the new
Football Association of Ireland was formed, UCD participated in 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 ...
preliminary round against fellow non-League team
Shamrock Rovers
Shamrock Rovers Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Ruagairí na Seamróige) is an Irish association football club based in Tallaght, South Dublin. The club's senior team competes in the League of Ireland Premier Division and it is the most su ...
, losing 6–2 in
Windy Arbour
Windy Arbour () is a small suburban village in the Dundrum area of Dublin, Ireland. Situated between Dundrum and Milltown, along the banks of the Slang River (also Dundrum or Slann River).
History
The name of the area was originally Irish ' ...
. UCD were invited to join 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 us ...
in 1922, but had to turn it down on the basis of not being able to field a team in the
League of Ireland Shield
The League of Ireland Shield ( ga, Sciath Sraithe na hÉireann) is a defunct Irish football tournament which was introduced when the League of Ireland started in 1921 and ran uninterrupted until 1972. It was played before the league season began ...
in September as the Academic year didn't commence until October. In 1945 they won the
FAI Intermediate Cup
The FAI Intermediate Cup ( ga, Corn Comortais Peile na hÉireann), also known as the FAI Umbro Intermediate Cup and the Pat O'Brien Intermediate Challenge Cup, is a cup competition organized by the Football Association of Ireland for intermediate ...
when beating fellow future League of Ireland members
Cobh Ramblers
Cobh Ramblers Football Club (CRFC) ( ga, Cumann Peile Chóstóirí Chóbh) is an Irish football club. The club, founded in 1922 and elected to the League of Ireland in 1985, hails from Cobh, County Cork and play their home matches at St. Colm ...
4–2 in the final. UCD appeared in 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 ...
in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, their final appearance as a non-League outfit coming in 1957 when
Cork Athletic
Cork Athletic Football Club was a former Irish football club based in Cork. They played in the League of Ireland between 1948 and 1957. They were the successor club of Cork United. When United quit the league in October 1948, Cork Athletic was ...
beat UCD 4–2 in the
Mardyke
The Mardyke ( ga, An Mhuirdíog) is an area in Cork city, on the northern half of the long western part of the island formed by the two channels of the River Lee near the city centre. It was historically left as open space because the land along ...
.
1970s
In 1970 the club was elected to the
League of Ireland B Division
The League of Ireland B Division is a former league within the Republic of Ireland football league system. Its debut season was 1964–65. It was originally a second level league. However following the emergence of the League of Ireland First Di ...
. From 1976, they embarked on a series of landmark tours, becoming the first western football team to play in China, and following that with tours in places like
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
,
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
,
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
,
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
,
Jordan
Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
,
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
,
Macao
Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...
, the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
,
Sudan
Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
,
Kenya
)
, national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Nairobi
, coordinates =
, largest_city = Nairobi
, ...
and
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. A second invitation to join the League of Ireland was accepted on 22 July 1979, when
Cork Celtic
Cork Celtic F.C., originally Evergreen United F.C., was an Irish football club based in Cork. They played in the League of Ireland between 1951 and 1979 and played their home games at Turners Cross. In 1974, they were League of Ireland champi ...
were expelled for not having their financial affairs in order. Their first competitive game as a senior club was on 26 August, when they lost 2–1 to
Drogheda United
Drogheda United Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Dhroichead Átha Aontaithe) is a semi-professional Irish association football club based in Drogheda, County Louth playing in the League of Ireland Premier Division. They play their home matches ...
in the
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 ...
. Theo Dunne was appointed first team coach, and apart from a brief spell at Home Farm 1990–1994, he was in charge of first team affairs until he retired as coach in 2001. Dr. Tony O'Neill, who was General Manager when the club joined the League, remained in that role until his untimely death from cancer in October 1999.
1980s
The club struggled initially in the league after their election, never finishing higher than twelfth in the 16-team league, although they did win the
Leinster Senior Cup in December 1980, beating
St Patrick's Athletic
St Patrick's Athletic Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Lúthchleas Phádraig Naofa) is a professional Irish association football club based in Inchicore, Dublin, that plays in the Irish Premier Division. Founded in May 1929, they played origin ...
2–1 in the final. However, important changes within the club in 1983 marked a dramatic upturn in fortunes. The previously amateur club turned semi-pro, and players outside of the college were allowed to represent the first team. This is still the situation today, although in practice most of the players are either students or ex-students. By the end of the
1983–84 season, UCD had won 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 ...
, beating
Shamrock Rovers
Shamrock Rovers Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Ruagairí na Seamróige) is an Irish association football club based in Tallaght, South Dublin. The club's senior team competes in the League of Ireland Premier Division and it is the most su ...
2–1 after a replay. Shamrock Rovers weren't to lose another game in the competition for over three years – until they lost to UCD in 1988.
That win saw UCD qualify for European competition – the
European Cup Winners Cup – for the first time. The draw pitted them against
Everton, then one of the leading sides in England and boasting players of the calibre of
Neville Southall,
Kevin Sheedy,
Graham Sharp
Henry Graham Sharp (19 December 1917 – 2 January 1995) was a British figure skater. In 1939, he won both the European Figure Skating Championships and the World Figure Skating Championships. Before that, he had won three consecutive si ...
,
Peter Reid and
Andy Gray. The home leg was played in
Tolka Park and a crowd of 9,000 – many times UCD's average league crowd – saw the Students come away with a scarcely believable 0–0 draw. Another remarkable performance was to follow two weeks later as a solitary Graham Sharp goal gave Everton a 1–0 win.
Joe Hanrahan skimmed the bar for the Students late on; had he scored, UCD would have progressed on away goals – as it was, Everton went on to win the entire competition, and smashed several records in winning their nation's league title. UCD's performance was made all the more remarkable by the fact that at the end of the year Everton were voted the best club side in the World for 1985, by the managers of world national teams.
That season saw UCD finish fourth in the league, but they were then forced to release many of their best players due to financial difficulties.
Joe Hanrahan signed for
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 City of Salford, Salford to ...
for IR£30,000,
Ken O'Doherty
Kenneth Brendan O'Doherty (born 30 March 1963 in Dublin) is a former professional association football, footballer, who played for University College Dublin A.F.C., University College Dublin, Crystal Palace F.C., Crystal Palace, Huddersfield To ...
moved to
Crystal Palace and
Alan O'Neill left for
Dundalk. The team were relegated in 1985/86 with eight points, a record low in the Premier Division. Despite this, in 1987, UCD won the World Collegiate Championships in
Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Promotion in
1988–89 was followed by an immediate relegation, and it was
1994–95 before UCD were to return to the Premier. They did so by recording a then record points tally for the First Division, also breaking the record for most goals scored and fewest goals conceded.
1990s
In
1999–00, a late burst saw UCD finish fourth in the league and qualify for the
Intertoto Cup. Their opponents were the Bulgarian side
PFC Velbazhd Kyustendil, who boasted a couple of full
Bulgaria internationals, including
Ilian Stoyanov, who would go on to represent his country in the
2004 European Championships. UCD kept up their proud European record with a pulsating 3–3 draw in the first leg in
Belfield Park
Belfield Park was a sports venue in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Ireland which was the home ground of University College Dublin A.F.C. from 1930 until 2007. It was previously a walled garden of Belfield House.
The ground was officially opened in A ...
, before drawing 0–0 in Bulgaria to bow out on away goals. History unfortunately repeated itself as the Students once again nearly sneaked victory as they hit the post late on.
2000–2009
In 2001,
Paul Doolin, one of the most successful players in the League of Ireland, took over as manager from former player Martin Moran. After enjoying a successful first season, the team only just avoided relegation in
2002–03 and were eleven points adrift when Doolin left to take over at
Drogheda United
Drogheda United Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Dhroichead Átha Aontaithe) is a semi-professional Irish association football club based in Drogheda, County Louth playing in the League of Ireland Premier Division. They play their home matches ...
in September 2003.
Pete Mahon
Pete or Petes or ''variation'', may refer to:
People
* Pete (given name)
* Pete (nickname)
* Pete (surname)
Fictional characters
* Pete (Disney), a cartoon character in the ''Mickey Mouse'' universe
* Pete the Pup (a.k.a. 'Petey'), a character ( ...
was immediately installed as the new manager, and UCD almost staged an incredible Houdini act, losing four games in 16, closing the gap at the bottom to two points and recording the highest points total for a relegated team.
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
saw more of the same, as UCD, together with
Finn Harps, smashed the First Division points record and were promoted with ease. UCD marked their return to the Premier Division with a highly creditable 1–1 draw away to two-time reigning champions Shelbourne. There was a bright point in College's ultimately indifferent season when they got into the
League Cup final after a last-gasp 2–1 victory over
Shelbourne in the semi-final at Tolka Park. They went on to lose the final 2–1 to
Derry City
Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...
at
Belfield Park
Belfield Park was a sports venue in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Ireland which was the home ground of University College Dublin A.F.C. from 1930 until 2007. It was previously a walled garden of Belfield House.
The ground was officially opened in A ...
.
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
was one of UCD's most successful seasons in a few years. Despite being knocked out of the League Cup in the first round, The Students recovered well, finishing the season in 6th place and reaching the quarter-finals 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 ...
. The performances of many in the squad did not go unnoticed, with Darren Quigley and
Gary Dicker
Gary Richard Perry Dicker (born 31 July 1986) is an Irish football coach and former professional player who is under-21's assistant manager at Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion.
He started his career with League of Ireland club UCD a ...
establishing themselves as
under-21 internationals. Quigley then went one better and became on
B international, when he appeared as a substitute against
Scotland B
The Scotland national football B team, controlled by the Scottish Football Association, is run occasionally as a second team for the Scotland national football team. During the period when Berti Vogts was manager of the national team, it was also ...
in November. UCD players also attracted interest from many British clubs. Quigley had trials at many clubs across the water,
Stockport County paid €56,000 for Dicker in May 2007 and
Patrick Kavanagh signed for
Birmingham City after impressing on trial there. The club were relegated at the end of the 2008 season and Manager Pete Mahon wasn't offered a new contract.
2009–present
Mahon's assistant since 2005
Martin Russell
Martin Russell is an English recording engineer, record producer, composer, and musician. He has been a core member of the music group Afro Celt Sound System since the recording of the first album '' Volume 1: Sound Magic'' in mid-1995, and has ...
took over as manager. With a largely new team, UCD bounced back to the top flight of Irish football at the first time of asking by securing their second First Division title, promoted after a 5–0 away win over
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 pl ...
in the penultimate match of the season on 30 October 2009, ahead of former Premier Division teams
Shelbourne,
Longford Town,
Waterford United FC
Waterford Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Phort Láirge) formerly Waterford United Football Club is an Irish association football club based in Waterford who play in the League of Ireland First Division. The club was founded and elected to the ...
as well as a strong challenge from recently formed
Sporting Fingal FC. In the 2009 FAI Cup, UCD's second team qualified for the first round by virtue of reaching the final of the 2008/09 FAI Intermediate Cup. They lost 2–1 at home to Arklow Town, who were drawn to play UCD's first team in the second round, also in the UCD Bowl. Despite taking the lead, Arklow, who had no eligible goalkeeper for the tie, ultimately lost 3–1.
Under Russell, UCD remained in the
Airtricity League
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 us ...
Premier Division. In 2011 the club qualified for the
Setanta Sports Cup
The Setanta Sports Cup was a club football competition featuring teams from both football associations on the island of Ireland. Inaugurated in 2005, it was a cross-border competition between clubs in the League of Ireland from the Republic of ...
, an All-Ireland competition, where they lost to
Lisburn Distillery FC
Lisburn Distillery Football Club is a Northern Irish intermediate football club who are based in Ballyskeagh, County Down. A founder member of the Irish League, they currently play in the NIFL Premier Intermediate League, the third tier of the ...
2–0 over two legs. At the beginning of the 2014 season Russell was replaced by former coach Aaron Callaghan, who had to serve out a five-game dug-out suspension awarded while at rivals
Bohemian FC. UCD struggled all year and the Students lost a two-legged relegation/promotion play-off with
Galway FC in November 2014.
In July 2015, UCD became the first League of Ireland team from the second tier to progress through a European tie when they saw off Luxembourg champions
F91 Dudelange in the
Europa League. A lone Ryan Swan strike at the UCD Bowl gave the college their first win in a European game, and then a remarkable game at the
Stade Jos Nosbaum
The Stade Jos Nosbaum is a Association football, football stadium in Dudelange, in southern Luxembourg. It is currently the home stadium of F91 Dudelange. Until 1991, it was the home of US Dudelange. The stadium has a capacity of 2,558.
Refere ...
saw Swan give UCD the lead early in the game, but after Seán Coyne was sent off, F91 scored twice before half-time through
Joël Pedro and Kevin Nakache. UCD players put up the most incredible defensive display of the season led by goalkeeper
Niall Corbet
Niall is a male given name of Irish origin. The original meaning of the name is unknown, but popular modern sources have suggested that it means "champion" (derived from the Old Irish word ''niadh''),. According to John Ryan, Professor of Early a ...
and kept the second half scoreless to progress on away goals after a 2–2 aggregate draw, winning on the away goals rule. In the second round, UCD lost to a late deflected goal away to a
Slovan Bratislava with three players who had played at the
2010 FIFA World Cup
, image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg
, size = 200px
, caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...
, before losing the return leg 5–1, conceding three goals in the last ten minutes.
In 2017, the club competed in the UEFA Youth League, losing on penalties to a
Molde FK which included
Erling Haaland. Haaland was introduced as a sub in the return game in the
Aker Stadion and didn't score in his half-hour on the pitch, although he did score in the penalty shoot-out.
In September 2018 the club won promotion to the Premier Division after a 1–1 draw with
Finn Harps F.C which secured the Students the title. They also reached the semi-finals of the FAI Cup for the first time in 12 years only to lose 1–0 away to reigning double-champions Dundalk. However, a tumultuous 2019 season saw a number of players leave mid-season as they had finished college. A club record 12 consecutive defeats were followed by a record 10–1 defeat away to Bohemians, a match which brought about the end of Collie O'Neill's five years in charge. The club were relegated back to the First Division for 2020.
After finishing third in the table in the
2021 League of Ireland First Division
The 2021 League of Ireland First Division season was the 37th season of the League of Ireland First Division, the second tier of Ireland's association football league. The fixture list was released on 8 February 2021 and the competition commenc ...
, UCD defeated
Treaty United and
Bray Wanderers
Bray Wanderers Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Fánaithe Bhré) are an Irish association football club playing in the League of Ireland First Division. The club in its present form was founded in 1942 in Bray, and was known until 2010 as ''B ...
in the First Division Play-Offs before defeating
Waterford FC 2-1 in the Promotion/Relegation Play-Off to win promotion back to the
2022 League of Ireland Premier Division
The 2022 League of Ireland Premier Division, known as the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division for sponsorship reasons, is the 38th season of the League of Ireland Premier Division, the top Irish league for association football clubs sinc ...
.
In the
2022 League of Ireland Premier Division
The 2022 League of Ireland Premier Division, known as the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division for sponsorship reasons, is the 38th season of the League of Ireland Premier Division, the top Irish league for association football clubs sinc ...
, UCD spent most of the season battling with Finn Harps to avoid automatic relegation. It was 15 games into the season before UCD managed their first win of the season, a 1-0 win away to Finn Harps. However, a strong finish to the season and a 3-1 win away to Finn Harps in the penultimate game of the season ensured that UCD finished in 9th place and avoided automatic relegation to the First Division, instead qualifying for the promotion/relegation playoff where they faced
Waterford FC in a repeat of the 2021 playoff. A 15th minute goal by Tom Lonergan, his 7th of the season, led UCD to a 1-0 win and ensured their survival in the Premier Division.
Scholarship scheme
UCD AFC is noted for its highly regarded scholarship scheme, which gives players the chance to combine senior football with the opportunity to earn a college degree. This was based on the North American model and created in 1979 on UCD's entry into the League of Ireland Senior Division. The first recipient of the award was
Keith Dignam, sponsored by Irish Potato Crisp manufacturer
Tayto. Past scholars include
Kevin Grogan
Kevin Grogan (born 15 November 1981 in Dublin) is an Irish former professional football player and current coach of Clarkstown SC Eagles in the National Premier Soccer League.
A uniquely talented youth player, Grogan was signed by Alex Fergus ...
,
Joe Hanrahan and his brother
Peter Hanrahan
Peter Hanrahan (born 23 February 1968, in Limerick) was an Irish soccer player during the 1980s and 1990s.
He was a midfielder or forward who played for UCD, Dundalk, Limerick City, Bohemians during his career in the League of Ireland.
Ha ...
,
Jason Colwell
Jason Colwell (born 31 January 1974 in Dublin) is an Irish former footballer.
Career
A midfielder Jason made his League of Ireland debut for UCD at Cobh Ramblers on 6 October 1991. After 160 league appearances over 6 years at UCD he join ...
,
Jason Sherlock,
Clive Delaney
Clive Delaney (born 2 January 1980 in Dublin) is a former Irish footballer who resides in Sydney, Australia.
Clive started his career on a scholarship at University College Dublin AFC in 1997 within the club's reserve team, transitioning to t ...
,
Gary Dicker
Gary Richard Perry Dicker (born 31 July 1986) is an Irish football coach and former professional player who is under-21's assistant manager at Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion.
He started his career with League of Ireland club UCD a ...
,
Paul Corry
Paul Corry (born 3 February 1991) is an Irish former footballer who played with UCD, Sheffield Wednesday, Northampton Town and Shamrock Rovers.
Career
Corry grew up in Castleknock, Dublin, and attended Belvedere College. Corry has represented ...
and Robbie Benson.
Former players
Many famous players have played for UCD down the years.
Todd Andrews, future Chairman of CIÉ and RTÉ, and his son
David Andrews, a future Minister for Foreign Affairs, both played in the Leinster Senior League for the club, as did
Brian Lenihan, who scored in a 1953 FAI Cup tie against
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 1928 ...
and later ran for President of Ireland.
Willie Browne won numerous international university caps while at UCD, he subsequently went on to win 3 full
Republic of Ireland caps, 16 amateur caps, one
Republic of Ireland B cap and six Inter-League caps and captained
Bohemian for 3 consecutive seasons. Former Irish international
Kevin Moran, who would later play for
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 City of Salford, Salford to ...
,
Sporting de Gijón and
Blackburn Rovers played in the
League of Ireland B Division
The League of Ireland B Division is a former league within the Republic of Ireland football league system. Its debut season was 1964–65. It was originally a second level league. However following the emergence of the League of Ireland First Di ...
and was signed for Manchester United from UCD's graduate team, Pegasus. Moran also won an
All-Ireland Gaelic football
Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by kic ...
winner's medal with
Dublin in 1976 while at UCD, as would
Jason Sherlock nineteen years later.
Conor Sammon
Conor Sammon (born 6 November 1986) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a forward for Alloa Athletic.
Sammon started his professional career in the League of Ireland Premier Division with University College Dublin and Derry City. ...
,
Enda Stevens and
Andy Boyle
Andrew Boyle (born 7 March 1991) is an Irish professional footballer, who primarily plays as a centre-back. Boyle currently plays for Dundalk. He has previously played for League of Ireland sides Dundalk, UCD and Shelbourne, Scottish club ...
also won senior international caps having started their careers with UCD.
Hugo MacNeill won the Collingwood with UCD, but went on to greater things with the
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team is the men's representative national team for the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team represents both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Ireland competes in the annual Six Nations Champi ...
, winning the
Triple Crown in 1985 and playing in the
1987 Rugby World Cup
The 1987 Rugby World Cup was the first Rugby World Cup. It was co-hosted by New Zealand and Australia – New Zealand hosted 21 matches (17 pool stage matches, two quarter-finals, the third-place play-off and the final) while Australia hosted 11 ...
in New Zealand. In 1983, the
Leeds United legend and record goalscorer
Peter Lorimer played three games before returning to England for a final spell with Leeds.
Dave Norman Dave may refer to:
Film, television, and theater
* ''Dave'' (film), a 1993 film starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver
* ''Dave'' (musical), a 2018 stage musical adaptation of the film
* Dave (TV channel), a digital television channel in the ...
played senior international football for
Canada while at UCD and went on to play in the
1986 World Cup
The 1986 FIFA World Cup was the 13th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial Association football, football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was played in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June 1986. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-tea ...
. Former
Sky Sports and current
Setanta Sports pundit
Paul Dempsey played for one season in 1982/83 before taking up a job with the
BBC
Gavin Whelan (nephew of
Ronnie Whelan) and Pat Jennings (son of Northern Irish international
Pat Jennings) played for UCD in the mid-2000s. In August 2016, Dylan Watts signed for English Premiership champions
Leicester City from UCD.
A popular rumour has it that Brazilian star
Sócrates ever played for the club; however, there is no evidence for this.
Fan culture
UCD has a small fanbase, which included until his untimely death the ''
Father Ted'' actor
Dermot Morgan, an occasional visitor to Belfield. When asked why he attended UCD matches, Dermot reportedly replied "Because I hate crowds".
From 2001 to 2010, the unofficial club fanzine ''Student Till I Graduate'' published a record 91 issues. The book ''One Night in Dudelange – Adventures in the UEFA Europa League'' chronicles the club's 2015 Europa League campaign and was listed for Sports Book of the Year in 2019.
The
UCD Superleague UCD can refer to:
Education
* University College Dublin, Irish university
**University College Dublin A.F.C., the university's association football club
** University College Dublin RFC, the university's rugby union club
** UCD GAA, the universit ...
is an inter-varsity league consisting of teams predominantly made up of UCD students and alumni. The league has produced a handful of UCD and other
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 us ...
players.
European record
''Correct as of 18 October 2017''
Overview
Matches
Senior
Youth
Notes
* 1R: First round
* 1Q: First qualifying round
Players
Current squad
Notable former players
''Current players excluded. Some players spanned several decades, they are placed in the decade they made their debut for UCD.''
1920s
*
Todd Andrews
*
Ernie Crawford
1930s
*
Morgan Crowe
1950s
*
David Andrews
*
Willie Browne
*
Brian Lenihan
1960s
*
Ollie Byrne
1970s
*
Kevin Moran
*
Hugo MacNeill
1980s
*
David Norman
*
Joe Hanrahan
*
Dermot Keely
Dermot Keely (born 8 March 1954) is an Irish former manager and player. He was a schoolteacher by profession.
Family
Keely's family have played League of Ireland football at various levels. His late father Peter Keely played for Shelbourne., hi ...
*
Ken O'Doherty
Kenneth Brendan O'Doherty (born 30 March 1963 in Dublin) is a former professional association football, footballer, who played for University College Dublin A.F.C., University College Dublin, Crystal Palace F.C., Crystal Palace, Huddersfield To ...
*
Alan O'Neill
*
Peter Lorimer
1990s
*
Clive Delaney
Clive Delaney (born 2 January 1980 in Dublin) is a former Irish footballer who resides in Sydney, Australia.
Clive started his career on a scholarship at University College Dublin AFC in 1997 within the club's reserve team, transitioning to t ...
*
Ciarán Martyn
Ciarán Martyn (born 25 March 1980) is a midfielder for Ballinamallard United of the NIFL Premiership.
Career
Born in Sligo, Ireland, Martyn started his career at U.C.D. where he scored in a 2000 UEFA Intertoto Cup clash with PFC Velbazhd K ...
*
Tony McDonnell
*
Barry Ryan
*
Jason Sherlock
2000s
*
Ian Bermingham
Ian Bermingham (born 6 June 1989 in Dublin) is an Irish former professional footballer that played 13 seasons with League of Ireland Premier Division club, St Patricks Athletic, where he was club captain and is the all-time appearance record ...
*
Andy Boyle
Andrew Boyle (born 7 March 1991) is an Irish professional footballer, who primarily plays as a centre-back. Boyle currently plays for Dundalk. He has previously played for League of Ireland sides Dundalk, UCD and Shelbourne, Scottish club ...
*
Conan Byrne
Conan Byrne (born 10 July 1985) is a retired Irish footballer who last played for NIFL Premiership club Glenavon, having spent six seasons with St Patrick's Athletic, three seasons with Sporting Fingal, three seasons with Shelbourne and thr ...
*
Alan Cawley
Alan Cawley (born 3 January 1982 in Sligo) is a retired Irish footballer.
Career
Before signing for Leeds United Cawley attended Summerhill College in Sligo. He began his career at Leeds United and had a spell at Sheffield Wednesday before r ...
*
Paul Corry
Paul Corry (born 3 February 1991) is an Irish former footballer who played with UCD, Sheffield Wednesday, Northampton Town and Shamrock Rovers.
Career
Corry grew up in Castleknock, Dublin, and attended Belvedere College. Corry has represented ...
*
Gary Dicker
Gary Richard Perry Dicker (born 31 July 1986) is an Irish football coach and former professional player who is under-21's assistant manager at Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion.
He started his career with League of Ireland club UCD a ...
*
Ronan Finn
Ronan Finn (born 21 December 1987) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Shamrock Rovers in the League of Ireland. He has also played for UCD, Sporting Fingal and Dundalk. Having made over 50 appearances in Europe ...
*
Ciarán Kilduff
Ciarán Kilduff (born 29 September 1988) is an Irish footballer who most recently played as a striker with Shelbourne in the League of Ireland Premier Division. He has played for seven clubs in the League of Ireland throughout his career and ...
*
Shane McFaul
Shane Charles Alan McFaul (born 23 May 1986 in Dublin) is an Irish former professional footballer. McFaul has played for over 11 clubs in 5 countries throughout Europe, Asia and North America, including UCD (over two spells), Sporting Fingal & ...
*
David McMillan
*
Evan McMillan
*
Conor Sammon
Conor Sammon (born 6 November 1986) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a forward for Alloa Athletic.
Sammon started his professional career in the League of Ireland Premier Division with University College Dublin and Derry City. ...
*
Enda Stevens
*
Derek Swan
Derek Anthony Swan (born 24 October 1966) is an Irish former footballer who played as a forward. He played for Home Farm, Bohemians, Port Vale, FC Wageningen, Shamrock Rovers, Dundalk, Glentoran and UCD.
Club career
Swan began his career ...
2010s
*
Robbie Benson
Robert Benson (born 7 May 1992) is an Irish people, Irish professional association football, footballer who plays as a midfielder, for Dundalk F.C., Dundalk in the League of Ireland Premier Division. He has also played for his hometown club, At ...
*
Ayman Ben Mohamed
* Dylan Watts
*
Simon Power
*
Jason Byrne
*
Kaleem Simon
Kaleem Strawbrige-Simon (born 8 July 1996) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for UAE First Division League club Gulf United. Born in England, he plays for the Montserrat national team.
Club career
Simon came through the UC ...
* Gary O'Neill
* Greg Sloggett
*
Dáire O'Connor
*
Liam Scales
Liam Scales (born 8 August 1998) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or left-back for Scottish Premiership club Aberdeen, on loan from Celtic.
Personal life
Scales is from Barndarrig, County Wicklow. He studied Iri ...
*
Georgie Kelly
George Martin Kelly (born 12 November 1996) is an Irish association football player who plays as a forward for EFL Championship club Rotherham United.
Career UCD
Kelly joined UCD after a brief stint with Derry City. In 2017, Kelly scored a ha ...
*
Jason McClelland
Jason McClelland (born 5 March 1997) is an Irish professional footballer who plays for League of Ireland Premier Division club, St Patrick's Athletic, having previously played for UCD for 5 seasons.
Club career Early career
McClelland start ...
*
Liam Kerrigan
Liam Kerrigan (born 9 May 2000) is an Irish footballer who plays as a midfielder, winger, or striker for Como.
Career
Kerrigan started his career with Irish side Sligo Rovers. After 3 years with UCD, he signed for Como in the Italian second ...
Current technical staff
Honours
;First Team
*
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 ...
: 1
** 1983–84
*
FAI Super Cup: 1
** 2000–01
*
League of Ireland First Division: 3
**
1994–95,
2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
,
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
*
League of Ireland First Division Shield
The League of Ireland First Division Shield was an association football competition featuring teams from the League of Ireland First Division. The inaugural winners were Derry City. It was also the first competition Derry City won after they joi ...
: 2
** 1991–92, 1994–95
*
Leinster Senior Cup: 3
** 1980–81, 1994–95, 1995–96
*
FAI Intermediate Cup
The FAI Intermediate Cup ( ga, Corn Comortais Peile na hÉireann), also known as the FAI Umbro Intermediate Cup and the Pat O'Brien Intermediate Challenge Cup, is a cup competition organized by the Football Association of Ireland for intermediate ...
: 1
** 1944–45
*
Irish Intermediate Cup
The Irish Intermediate Cup is a Northern Irish football competition for teams of intermediate status, including NIFL Premiership reserve sides. It is a straight knock-out tournament and is currently sponsored by McCombs Coach Travel.
The curre ...
: 1
** 1914–15
;Reserve team
*
League of Ireland B Division
The League of Ireland B Division is a former league within the Republic of Ireland football league system. Its debut season was 1964–65. It was originally a second level league. However following the emergence of the League of Ireland First Di ...
: 1
** 1997–98
*
A Championship: 2
**
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
,
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
;Youth team
*
Dr Tony O'Neill Cup
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 ...
: 5
** 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2016
*
Enda McGuill Cup
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 ...
: 1
** 2014–15
;Intervarsity
*
Collingwood Cup
The Collingwood Cup is an association football cup competition featuring university teams from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It is organised by the Irish Universities Football Union, and is the oldest surviving all Ireland associ ...
: 47
** 1914,1921, 1922, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1930, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1941, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1956, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1969, 1972, 1973, 1976, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2022
ollingwood Cup Brochure*
Harding Cup: 17
** 1971, 1974, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1987, 1991, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2016
*
Farquhar Cup: 1
** 2012
Club records
Most senior appearances for UCD AFC
(Players in bold still playing for UCD)
Most senior goals scored for UCD AFC
(Players in bold still playing for UCD)
Record wins
Record defeats
Highest aggregate scores
UCD AFC Supporters' Player of the Year
List of UCD seasons[Note – all data quoted with reference to match results and tables published in contemporary newspapers, particularly the Irish Press, Irish Independent, and Evening Herald]
Notes
Managers
* Ronnie Nolan (–1979)
* Dr Tony O'Neill (1979–83)
* Dermot Keely(1983 Player manager July–November)
* Theo Dunne (1983–90)
* Dr Tony O'Neill (1990–94) General Manager 1979-1999
* Theo Dunne (1994–99)
* Martin Moran (1999–2001)
*
Paul Doolin (2001–03)
* Pete Mahon (Sept 15, 2003–Jan 12, 2009)
*
Martin Russell
Martin Russell is an English recording engineer, record producer, composer, and musician. He has been a core member of the music group Afro Celt Sound System since the recording of the first album '' Volume 1: Sound Magic'' in mid-1995, and has ...
(13 Jan 2009 – Oct 2013)
*
Aaron Callaghan (November 2013-October 2014)
* Collie O'Neill (2015–August 2019)
*
Maciej Tarnogrodzki
Maciej Tarnogrodzki (born 28 August 1975) is a Polish professional football manager and former player who is currently in charge of IV liga Masovia club Weszło Warsaw.
From 2009 to 2012, Tarnogrodzki worked with youth and reserve teams of ...
(August 2019–December 2019)
*
Andy Myler (2020-)
Footnotes
External links
UCD AFC website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dublin
Association football clubs established in 1895
Association football clubs in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown
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 c ...
Belfield, Dublin
University and college association football clubs in the Republic of Ireland
League of Ireland Premier Division clubs
1895 establishments in Ireland
Former League of Ireland First Division clubs
League of Ireland B Division clubs
Leinster Senior League (association football) clubs