History
Foundation
Greystones United A.F.C. can trace its origins back to 1923 when a group of local teenagers met in North Beach to form the town's first association football team, Greystones A.F.C. Founding members included Tom Quinn, Larry Byrne, Frankie Ward and Henry Lawless, who hosted the meeting. By 1924, the club had entered a team into the Dublin Boys Realm League in the Phoenix Park. [3]
Early years
Although Greystones A.F.C. would join the Wicklow League in 1947, the club experienced a period of decline in the 1960s. However, demand at underage level continued to grow and another club, Greystones United, was founded in 1969. [4] [5] Greystones Schoolboys was set up in 1981 by Brendan Walsh and John Dunne and, in 1987, these two clubs merged to form Greystones United F.C. Starting with four youth teams playing at Darcy’s Field, the club grew steadily under the leadership of their volunteers and, by 2008, it had ten schoolboy teams in the Wicklow League and a senior team in the Leinster Senior League. [3]
Merger
2015 saw the merger of Greystones United and town neighbours Greystones A.F.C. The United name was kept and applied to the team competing in the top division of the Leinster Senior League. The club retained their traditional colours of green and white, with red and black as their alternative colour. [6] [3]
In 2019, Greystones was featured in an episode of BetVictor's Training SOS programme with Liverpool F.C. [7]
Post-amalgamation
The club qualified for the preliminary round of the 2017 FAI Cup, losing 0–3 at home to Sheriff YC. [2]
In 2018, Greystones became one of the founding clubs of the Women's Under-17 National League. [8]
In 2022, Greystones United AFC entered into a partnership with Bray Wanderers for the Women’s League of Ireland. Through this partnership, Greystones field women's Under-17 and Under-19 teams in the LOI Academy leagues. In 2024, the partnership with Bray Wanderers was extended to Greystones' schoolboys teams as well. [9]
Grounds
The club's senior men's team play their Leinster Senior League games at Archfield. [10] Before the two clubs merged, Greystones A.F.C. played at Archfield, a pitch colloquially known as "The Bog" for its soft ground. Greystones United played at Darcy’s Field, where the club built its youth reputation. [3]
In 2003, a new home was secured at Woodlands. Preparatory work began in 2005, and the first match was played there in May 2006. Woodlands is the main base of the club, featuring a full-size all-weather pitch, modern clubhouse and multiple playing fields. Archfield still supports training and matches. [3]
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