Home Farm F.C.

Last updated

Home Farm
Home Farm FC logo.png
Full nameHome Farm Football Club
Nickname(s)The Farm Boys
Founded1928;96 years ago (1928)
Ground Whitehall Stadium (1989–)
Tolka Park (1970-1989)
Capacity6,664
Owner Trustees
ChairmanEamonn Mahon
League League of Ireland (1972-1999)
Leinster Senior League (2000-)

Home Farm Football Club is an Irish association football club based in Whitehall, Dublin. It was founded in 1928. The club joined the League of Ireland in 1972 after merging with Drumcondra. Following this merger they were briefly known as Home Farm Drumcondra. Between 1995 and 1999 they played as Home Farm Everton before a split within the club led to the formation of Home Farm Fingal (later Dublin City). The original Home Farm reverted to junior status.

Contents

Home Farm is perhaps best known for its youth system which has produced dozens of players who have gone on to play for clubs throughout the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom. In addition many have also gone on to represent the Republic of Ireland at international level. [1]

History

Formation

In the mid-1920s when Leo Fitzmaurice, the brother of Trans-Atlantic aviator James Fitzmaurice, organised a street football league in the Drumcondra / Whitehall area of Northside Dublin. This league originally featured five teams – Drumcondra Road, Ormonde Road, Hollybank Road, Richmond Road and Home Farm Road. In 1928 the latter two, led by Don Seery and Brendan Menton Snr respectively merged to form Home Farm Football Club. Menton later became president of the Football Association of Ireland while Seery was the father of Ronan Seery, the founder of Dublin City. The new club began to play their home games at Griffith Avenue playing in black and gold stripes. However this was only because their first set of shirts were purchased at a jumble sale and these were the only colours available. By the next season, the colours were changed to blue and white hoops. [2] [3]

Academy Club

Home Farm soon established a reputation for developing schoolboys into senior international footballers. In 1936 when they won the Free State Minor Cup, the team included Johnny Carey. By 1937 Carey, together with Paddy Farrell and Kevin O'Flanagan, was one of at least three former Home Farm players who had become Irish internationals, having played for the FAI XI. Carey and O'Flanagan made their debut in the same game against Norway on 7 November 1937, in a qualifier for the 1938 World Cup. O'Flanagan even scored in the 3–3 draw. [4] All three would also play for the IFA XI. Carey went on to become a legend at Manchester United and was the first of several Home Farm graduates who established themselves at the club. In 1953 Liam Whelan, one of the legendary Busby Babes and among the victims of the Munich air disaster, made the same journey.

During the 1960s Home Farm produced twenty full internationals including, among others, Paddy Mulligan. The club's senior team also gained some minor successes. They won the FAI Intermediate Cup on three occasions in 1963, 1967 and 1968 and finished as runners up in 1966 and 1970. In 1964 they also won the Leinster Senior Cup beating Dundalk in the final. [5] Meanwhile, Home Farm Under 14s under coach Joe Fitzpatrick earned a place in the Guinness Book of Records for their match winning sequence of 79 games between 1968 and 1971. [6]

League of Ireland

In 1972 Home Farm and their trustees, Brendan Menton Sr. and Don Seery, finally got a chance to field a senior team in the League of Ireland when they merged with Drumcondra. Drums were £6,000 in debt and regularly propping up the league table. After almost 20 years in charge, Sam Prole sold the club to the junior team down the road. As part of the deal Home Farm also gained Tolka Park as home ground. Home Farm also agreed to keep the famous Drums name alive by playing under the name Home Farm Drumcondra but, after just a year, they infuriated the Prole family by reverting to the name Home Farm. [5]

In 1975 Home Farm won the FAI Cup for the only time. With a team managed by Dave Bacuzzi and including Noel King, James Higgins, Martin Murray and Dermot Keely, they beat Dundalk, Cork Celtic and St Patrick's Athletic in earlier rounds before defeating Shelbourne 1–0 in the final at Dalymount Park. [7] As a result, they became the first amateur team to win the FAI Cup in forty years. The following season they competed in the European Cup Winners Cup, playing against French side, RC Lens. They drew 1–1 at home but lost the away leg 6–0.

Despite this cup success, their performances in the League of Ireland were poor and between 1972 and 1987, when they were relegated to the League of Ireland First Division, they never finished higher than ninth. [8] Lack of league success, however, did not stop the club continuing to produce players like Ronnie Whelan. During the 1980s Whelan became an established player at Liverpool and was a key member of the Republic of Ireland team under Jack Charlton.

Home Farm Everton

In Home Farm linked up with Everton in a sponsorship deal which resulted in the club briefly becoming known as Home Farm Everton. As part of the deal, Everton got first choice of the best Home Farm players and in 1996 they signed Richard Dunne. At the end of the 1995–96 season Home Farm Everton finished third in the First Division and then beat Athlone Town in a promotion/relegation play-off and returned to the League of Ireland top division. During the subsequent season Steve Archibald briefly played for the club. However, after a poor performance against Derry City, Archibald was allegedly told to "eff off home" by then manager Dermot Keely. [9] After just one season back in the top division, they were relegated. Keely subsequently guided the club to success in the League of Ireland First Division Shield in 1998. The club continued to play as Home Farm Everton until 1999. [10]

Split

Home Farm FC crest HomeFarmFC.png
Home Farm FC crest

In 1999 when the sponsorship deal with Everton collapsed, Home Farm decided to abandon their League of Ireland ambitions. However Ronan Seery, the club's chief executive officer, persuaded the club to sell their franchise to him. This effectively resulted in a split within the club. Seery subsequently formed a new professional team, Home Farm Fingal. Fingal is an old name for an area corresponding approximately with Northside Dublin. They took Home Farm Everton's place for the 1999–2000 season before changing their name to Dublin City in 2001. Meanwhile, the amateur and youth sections began playing once again as Home Farm F.C. and their senior team entered the Leinster Senior League.

Home Farm U14s

Despite the decline of Home Farm's senior team, the U14s continued strongly, playing regularly in the Dublin and District Schoolboy League.

During the 1990s under coach Paddy Hilliard they went unbeaten for five years and under Gerry Garvan they were unbeaten for a further three years between 1999 and 2002. Along the way they won the Schoolboys FAI Cup twice. [6] [11] In 2002, Garvan took his team to play a Celtic youth team in Glasgow and Darren O'Dea scored twice as Home Farm won 2–0. O'Dea, Diarmuid O'Carroll, Gary Walsh and Gareth Christie were already being tracked by Celtic youth development officer, Tommy Burns, and all four were subsequently offered contracts. In addition Ipswich Town became the latest English club to recognise Home Farm's potential and they signed up goalkeeper Shane Supple, defender Michael Synnott and midfielder Owen Garvan. Another member of the team Chris McCann signed for Burnley. [1] [12]

Sponsorship deals

Leeds United

In January 2000 Home Farm announced an arrangement with Leeds United. At the time United featured several graduates of the Home Farm academy in their squad, most notably Gary Kelly, Ian Harte, Stephen McPhail and Alan Maybury. Under the arrangement, Leeds provided technical support to the Home Farm coaching team, led by Liam Tuohy and Home Farm featured the Leeds crest on their shirts. [13] [14] Another player who was on the books of both clubs as a junior goalkeeper was Nicky Byrne, later to find success as a singer with Westlife.

Renault

In February 2005 Home Farm unveiled a €1 million sponsorship deal with several groups, most notably Renault Ireland.

The aim of the investment was to establish the club as a major soccer academy on a European scale. It was planned for the money to be invested in the club over the following three years. The Irish Department of Sports, Arts and Tourism, the Irish Youth Foundation and the club president, Tony O'Reilly also contributed to the fund.

Renault Ireland chairman Bill Cullen, the driving force behind the deal, and O’Reilly are former Home Farm players. As part of the arrangement Home Farm jerseys featured the Renault logo alongside the club's distinctive crest. [15] [16]

Portsmouth

In 2009, Home Farm agreed a deal with Portsmouth F.C. [17] which has led to Carl Walshe and Chinedu Vine joining Portsmouth as first year scholars.

Notable former players

Dual Ireland internationals
Republic of Ireland internationals
Republic of Ireland under-21 internationals
League of Ireland XI players
Ireland national rugby union team internationals
Other internationals
Managers
Celebrities
Sports officials

Notable former coaches/managers

European record

SeasonCompetitionRoundOpponentHomeAway Aggregate
1975–76 European Cup Winners' Cup 1R Flag of France.svg Lens 1–10–61–7

Honours

Source: [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shelbourne F.C.</span> Association football club in Ireland

Shelbourne Football Club is an Irish professional football club based in Drumcondra, Dublin, currently playing in the League of Ireland Premier Division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University College Dublin A.F.C.</span> Football club

University College Dublin Association Football Club, known commonly as UCD, is the football team of University College Dublin. They play in the League of Ireland First Division. Founded in 1895, the club was elected to the League of Ireland in 1979 under the management of Dr. Tony O'Neill. Since the 2008 season they have played at the UCD Bowl, also home to the college's rugby team. 'The Students' play in bright sky blue and navy. Their reserve and freshers teams play in the Leinster Senior League. The current manager is Donegal native William O'Connor.

John Joseph Carey was an Irish professional footballer and manager. As a player, Carey spent most of his career at Manchester United, where he was team captain from 1946 until he retired as a player in 1953. He was also a dual internationalist, playing for and captaining both Ireland teams – the FAI XI and the IFA XI. In 1947 he also captained a Europe XI which played a Great Britain XI at Hampden Park. In 1949 he was voted the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year and in the same year captained the FAI XI that defeated England 2–0 at Goodison Park, becoming the first non-UK team to beat England at home. Carey was also the first non-UK player and the first Irishman to captain a winning team in both an FA Cup Final and the First Division. Like his contemporary Con Martin, Carey was an extremely versatile footballer and played in nine different positions throughout his career. He even played in goal for United on one occasion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tolka Park</span> Football stadium in Dublin, Ireland

Tolka Park is an Irish association football ground located in the north Dublin suburb of Drumcondra, on the northern banks of the River Tolka. It is currently the home ground of League of Ireland club Shelbourne. The stadium formerly held 9,680 people, but this has been scaled down in recent times due to health and safety regulations in the venue, mainly concerning the 'New' and Ballybough stands. Tolka Park has hosted national cup finals along with international matches, Champions League qualifiers, UEFA Cup, UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, UEFA Cup, UEFA Conference League ties and was a venue for the 1994 UEFA European Under-16 Championship and 2000 Rugby League World Cup. The ground has also in the past been used for boxing championships and basketball.

The Leinster Senior Cup is an association football cup competition organized by the Leinster Football Association. It is currently contested by LFA affiliated League of Ireland clubs, Leinster Senior League Senior Division clubs and invited teams from the various LFA affiliated junior leagues. Before the introduction of the FAI Cup, it was considered the major cup competition for clubs in what is now the Republic of Ireland. It is also the oldest association football cup competition in the Republic of Ireland.

Kevin Patrick O'Flanagan was an Irish sportsman, physician and sports administrator. An outstanding all-rounder, he represented his country at both soccer and rugby union. He was also a noted sprinter and long jumper and as a youth played Gaelic football. In his spare time he also played golf and tennis at a decent level. O'Flanagan played soccer for among others, Bohemian and Arsenal, and as an international he played for both Ireland teams – the FAI XI and the IFA XI. O'Flanagan also played rugby union for UCD, London Irish and Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drumcondra F.C.</span> Football club

Drumcondra Football Club is an Irish association football club based in Drumcondra, Dublin.

The FAI Intermediate Cup, 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 association football clubs from the Republic of Ireland. These include clubs competing in the Leinster Senior League and the Munster Senior League. It was originally known as the FAI Qualifying Cup and from the beginning it has been used as a qualifying competition for the senior FAI Cup. It is currently sponsored by Umbro and has previously been sponsored by Carlsberg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Con Martin</span> Irish footballer (1923–2013)

Cornelius Joseph Martin was an Irish footballer. Martin initially played Gaelic football for the Dublin county team before switching codes and embarking on a successful soccer career, playing for, among others, Drumcondra, Glentoran, Leeds United and Aston Villa.

Mick O'Flanagan was an Irish former sportsman who represented his country at both soccer and rugby union. As a soccer player, O'Flanagan played for, among others, Home Farm, Bohemians and Belfast Celtic. His older brother, Kevin O'Flanagan, was also a notable sportsman who also represented his country at both sports and played soccer for Bohs and Arsenal. On 30 September 1946, Mick and Kevin also played international soccer together for Ireland against England. A third brother, Charlie O'Flanagan, also played for Bohs.

Gerard Garvan is an Irish former footballer and coach who played as a midfielder for several clubs, during the 1960s and 1970s, in the League of Ireland, including Drumcondra, Shelbourne and Athlone Town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronnie Nolan</span> Irish footballer (1933–2023)

Ronald Christopher Nolan was an Irish footballer who played as a wing-half. At international level, he represented the Republic of Ireland national team, making ten appearances and scoring twice.

The Leinster Senior League Senior Division is the top division of the Leinster Senior League. It is organized by the Leinster Football Association. Together with the Munster Senior League Senior Premier Division, it forms the third level of the Republic of Ireland football league system. Formed in 1896, it is the oldest association football league in what is now the Republic of Ireland. Shelbourne have won the most titles. However, in more recent seasons Crumlin United, Cherry Orchard, Wayside Celtic and Bangor Celtic have been the divisions strongest teams. In 2014–15 Bluebell United were Leinster Senior League champions, 27 years after winning their previous title. Clubs from this division play in the Leinster Senior Cup, the FAI Cup, the FAI Intermediate Cup and the FAI Junior Cup. In recent seasons the winners of the Senior Division have also been invited to play in the League of Ireland Cup.

Midland Athletic Football Club was an Irish association football club. During the 1920s they played in both the League of Ireland and the Leinster Senior League. Despite the name, the club was based in Dublin and not the Midlands. Like several fellow early League of Ireland clubs, such as St James's Gate, Jacobs, Fordsons and Dundalk, Midland had their origins as a factory or works team. They were originally the football team of the Midland Great Western Railway based in Broadstone, Dublin. The club celebrated its 50th anniversary of its founding by holding a golden jubilee dinner in Moran's Hotel, Dublin on 10 December 1955. The occasion was noted in a Dublin newspaper with a photograph of the team and officials who represented them in the 1909–10 season.

The 2013–14 FAI Umbro Intermediate Cup was the 87th season of the FAI Intermediate Cup. Intermediate clubs from the Leinster Senior League, the Munster Senior League and the Ulster Senior League entered the competition. Avondale United finished as winners after they defeated UCD Reserves 3–0 in the final in Turners Cross. As a result Avondale United also became only the second club after Distillery to win the cup four consecutive seasons. They also became the first club to win the FAI Intermediate Cup seven times, making them the competition's most successful club.

Shamrock Rovers II was the reserve team of Shamrock Rovers. Throughout its history Rovers have entered reserve teams in various leagues including the Leinster Senior League, the League of Ireland B Division, the A Championship and the League of Ireland First Division.

Dessie Glynn was a Republic of Ireland international footballer who played for Drumcondra and Shelbourne in the late 1940s and 1950s, scoring 111 goals in his League of Ireland career. Glynn was also Drumcondra's all-time top goalscorer with 96 goals between 1949 and 1956. Eamon Dunphy described Glynn as "a splendidly versatile centre-forward, a scorer and maker of goals". Glynn grew up in Drumcondra, Dublin, was educated at St. Vincent's C.B.S. and worked for the Irish civil service. In 1958 he spent nine months in hospital, suffering from tuberculosis – a condition which effectively ended his playing career. He later coached in New York.

Stella Maris Football Club is an Irish association football club based in Drumcondra, Dublin. Founded in 1943, the club caters for over 350 children, ranging in age from 5 to 18 years. Some thirty coaches and managers train, organise and oversee the teams and academy run by the club. The club enters several teams in the Dublin & District Schoolboy League and the Leinster Senior League. Stella Maris is best known for its youth system which has successfully produced dozens of players who have gone on to play for clubs throughout Ireland and the United Kingdom. Many have also gone on to represent the Republic of Ireland at international level.

The 2016–17 FAI Intermediate Cup, also known as the 2016–17 Umbro FAI Intermediate Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the 90th season of the national Intermediate Football competition of the Republic of Ireland. The sixteen teams that reach the Fourth Round will qualify for the 2017 FAI Cup.

Distillery Football Club was an Irish association football club originally based on Distillery Road in Drumcondra, Dublin. The club was active during the 1930s and 1940s, fielding teams in both the Leinster Senior League and the Athletic Union League. They also competed in the FAI Cup, the FAI Intermediate Cup, the FAI Junior Cup and the Leinster Senior Cup, winning the three latter trophies. Despite their successes at intermediate and junior level, unlike their contemporaries Sligo Rovers and St Patrick's Athletic, Distillery never joined the League of Ireland.

References

  1. 1 2 "Former Farm hands seize chance". Irish Independent. 14 February 2006. Retrieved 23 June 2009.
  2. ↑ "Home Farm FC History". Archived from www.homefarmfc.ie the original on 18 November 2007. Retrieved 27 January 2009.{{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  3. ↑ "eleven-a-side.com". eleven-a-side.com. 2 August 2002. Archived from the original on 24 November 2016. Retrieved 23 June 2009.
  4. ↑ "Carey and O'Flanagan international debut". Soccerscene.ie. 7 November 1937. Retrieved 23 June 2009.
  5. 1 2 Michael Nugent (30 September 2007). "bionicbohs.com". bionicbohs.com. Retrieved 23 June 2009.[ permanent dead link ]
  6. 1 2 "a2zsoccer.com". a2zsoccer.com. 26 September 2007. Archived from the original on 5 January 2009. Retrieved 23 June 2009.
  7. ↑ "FAI Cup records". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 25 May 2015. Retrieved 23 June 2009.
  8. ↑ "League of Ireland tables". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 21 February 2008. Retrieved 23 June 2009.
  9. ↑ Is that Schu? (29 August 2007). "Steve Archibald". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 3 August 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2009.
  10. ↑ "League of Ireland First Division tables". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 3 June 2009. Retrieved 23 June 2009.
  11. ↑ "FARM DREAM TEAM BEATEN". a2zsoccer.com. 26 September 2007. Archived from the original on 27 May 2008. Retrieved 23 June 2009.
  12. ↑ www.timesonline.co.uk
  13. ↑ Shape up (6 January 2000). "independent.ie". Irish Independent. Retrieved 23 June 2009.
  14. ↑ "rte.ie". rte.ie. 5 January 2000. Retrieved 23 June 2009.
  15. ↑ Trailer park (22 February 2005). "independent.ie". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 4 August 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2009.
  16. ↑ "eleven-a-side.com". eleven-a-side.com. 22 February 2005. Retrieved 23 June 2009.[ permanent dead link ]
  17. ↑ "Pompey team up with Home Farm". portsmouthfc.co.uk. 23 February 2009. Retrieved 5 July 2009.
  18. ↑ Mark Herbert, Donie Butler (1994–95). FAI Yearbook & Diary 1995. Dublin: Sportsworld Ltd.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.