Newbridge Town Football Club is an Irish association football club based in Newbridge, County Kildare. The club was founded in 1969 following a meeting at Newbridge Town Hall. As of the 2025/2026 season, Newbridge Town's senior men's team was competing in the Leinster Senior League's Senior 1A competition.[2]
Founded in 1969, Newbridge Town Football Club entered the Counties League Division in their first ever season. Newbridge Town finished fourth and in the same season won the Counties Cup. In the following seasons, the club won Division 2 and gained promotion to Division 1. They won that league and moving into the Leinster Junior League where they played clubs that included Cherry Orchard, Home Farm and Wayside Celtic. Newbridge town moved through a number of grades and into the Leinster Senior League, going on to win the Leinster Senior League Senior Division in the 1998/99 season.[3]
Off the pitch, the Newbridge Town had developed a youth project to help develop young players. Youth teams were introduced to cater for increased interest, and 2nd and 3rd teams were formed in the club's maiden year.[citation needed] In 1973, the club committee invited Wacker München, from Germany, to play against Newbridge Boys. Two matches were played and both games drew crowds in excess of 2,000 to Ryan's field for each game. Both matches ended in draws.[citation needed] In the late 1970s, Tom Shaw became Newbridge Town's first international when he was selected for the Irish Youth team. He was followed by goalkeeper Alan Gough.[3]
In the early 1980s, the club bought land beside the railway station in Newbridge town and named it Station Road, playing their league games there.[citation needed]
In 2002, Newbridge Town were invited to join the Eircom League. However, it was decided to invite all interested football bodies to a formation meeting for a team that all of County Kildare could support. It was decided to take this step under the name of Kildare County FC.[citation needed]
Over the years, Newbridge Town has developed its facilities at Station Road and it now has a sports hall, a clubhouse, a 250-seat stand, training facilities, all-weather and grass pitches, showers and dressing rooms. A new 550-seat stand was later installed in the Station Road ground.[citation needed]
The club has also increased in the number of teams and it now[when?] fields two men's senior teams, one ladies senior team, an over 35s masters team and 34 schoolboy and schoolgirl teams ranging from the Under-9 to Under-18 age groups.[citation needed] The latter play in the Dublin and District Schoolboys League.[4]
People of note
Alan Gough
Alan Gough, a goalkeeper, was capped with the Republic of Ireland Under-21 international team on several occasions in the early 1990s.[3][5] He moved from Newbridge to Portsmouth as an apprentice and subsequently signed for Fulham. After moving back to Ireland and signing with Galway United in 1992, he later joined Shelbourne and won the FAI Cup with Shelbourne in 1996 and 1997.[citation needed] He moved to Glentoran in 1999 and won the league Irish Cup and Irish League Cup in his first season there. After a spell at Derry City, Gough returned to Galway in 2004 and was Galway United's first team captain for the 2006 season. Gough retired from football at the end of the 2006 season and later became manager of Longford Town FC.[6]
Joe Barry, Joe Carey, Jimmy Dowling and Tony Hannigan
Joe Barry, Joe Carey, Jimmy Dowling and Tony Hannigan were involved in setting up the meeting which resulted in the formation of Newbridge Town in 1969.[3] Dowling was also later involved in the formation of Kildare County FC.[7]
↑ "Alan Gough". extratime.com. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
↑ "About Us - Kildare County FC". kildarecountyfc.com. Retrieved 15 November 2025. Jimmy Dowling [..] Former player, secretary and chairman of Newbridge Town [..] Was the original brainchild behind Kildare County
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