The Kerry District League (known as the Denny Kerry District League for sponsorship reasons) is an association football league featuring amateur and junior clubs from County Kerry. The KDL is a winter league run by Adrian Casey. Its top division, the Premier A, is a seventh level division in the Republic of Ireland football league system.
The league is regularly featured in the local newspapers – The Kerryman and the Kerry's Eye. Killarney Celtic FC recently won the Premier A for a seventh successive season.[3]
History
The league was formed in 1971 with eight teams competing in the first season.[4] Its founding members included Tralee Dynamos and Killarney Athletic, both of whom had previously played in the Limerick Desmond League. Other founding members included St Brendan's Park.[5] Tralee Dynamos were the inaugural champions and subsequently became the league's most successful team.[6][7][8]
For the 2023–24 season, the league had six divisions: Premier A, Premier B, Division 1, 2, 3 and 4.[10] By the 2025–26 season, the Premier A division had its name changed to the KDL Premier and the Premier B division had been renamed the KDL Championship.[11][12] This season also saw a new entry to the league. The new team, called Kerry Blues, is made up entirely of members from an Gardai Síochána.[13]
League pyramid
The Kerry District League has six divisions. The league also organises a women's division.[14]
As of November 2024, there is no promotion or relegation system between the Kerry District League and the Munster Senior League.[15] Junior clubs can apply to join the intermediate ranks if they feel they are capable, starting at the lowest intermediate division. The last non-Cork side playing at intermediate level was Tralee Dynamos in the early 2000s.[15]
The KDL purchased Mounthawk Park in Tralee in the mid-1990s. It now serves as both the headquarters of the league and as home ground for the Kerry League representative teams. Several KDL clubs, especially those in the greater Tralee area, also use Mounthawk Park as their home pitch.[7] In August 2015 a new all-weather pitch was opened at Mounthawk Park by Martin O'Neill and John Delaney.[23] It is the home ground of Kerry F.C. in the League of Ireland First Division and has a capacity of 1,200.[24]
Representative teams
A senior Kerry League representative team regularly competes in the Oscar Traynor Trophy, playing against teams representing other leagues.[25] In recent seasons they have also competed in the League of Ireland Cup. In 2016 a Kerry League U17 team will play in the League of Ireland U17 Division.[26][27] Kerry now have both U17 & U19 teams competing in both the SSE Airtricity National U17 & U19 respectively.
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Ireland