St. Kevin's Boys F.C.

Last updated

St. Kevin's
Full nameSt. Kevin's Football Club
Nickname(s)St. Kevin's Boys
SKB
Founded1959;66 years ago (1959)
GroundShanowen Road
Coordinates 53°23′20″N6°15′01″W / 53.3888°N 6.2504°W / 53.3888; -6.2504
League Leinster Senior League
Website stkfc.ie

St. Kevin's Football Club is an association football club originally based in Whitehall, Dublin. The club has since spread its reach across multiple locations in Dublin 9 and The Ward, County Dublin. [1] The club fields more than 40 schoolboy teams who play in the Dublin District Schoolboys League. [2] At senior level, the club fields two sides who play in the Leinster Senior League. The club name was changed from St. Kevin’s Boys Club in 2023 with the introduction of a girls football section for the first time. [3]

Contents

The club uses three playing facilities in Whitehall (at Ellenfield Park, at Larkhill Road and at St. Aidan's CBS), one in Santry (at Shanowen Road) and one in Ward (at Ward Cross). [3] [4] Other locations include the Royal College of Surgeons' Sports Grounds in Dardistown, Hampstead Park in Glasnevin and Coolgreena Road in Beaumont. [5]

As of 2024, St. Kevin's are strategic partners with Bohemian F.C. [6]

History

Foundation and development

Founded in 1959, by Fr. Des Williams, as St. Kevin's Boys Club, there was originally just one association football team at the club. [7] [8] By the mid-sixties, the club had both senior and underage teams who were challenging for trophies in the Amateur Football League (AFL) and the Dublin District Schoolboys League (DDSL). [9]

The club grew into one of the biggest schoolboy clubs in the country,[ citation needed ] with a number of players progressing on to full time careers in England, and played for the Irish International side. Playing in Ellenfield Park, beside Whitehall Church. In 1984 the club built the clubhouse and hall in Larkhill. In the 2000s, the club developed an all-weather pitch on Shanowen Road, adjacent to their clubhouse in Larkhill. [10]

On 31 May 2016, St. Kevin's first team played their last senior game in the Athletic Union League (AUL), having decided to move to the Leinster Senior League for the 2016–17 season. [11]

On 13 September 2016, the club's new 7,650 sq/m floodlit all-weather pitch, located at St Aidan's School, was opened by President Michael D Higgins. [12] [13] In August 2019, the club completed an upgrade to the 891 sq/m artificial turf pitch at Shanowen Road. [13] In June 2025, another all-weather pitch was developed on Larkhill Road. [14]

Academy cup

To commemorate their 50th year, in 2009, the club started the invitational annual St. Kevins Boys Club Academy Cup, which has hosted youth sides (under-13) from many of the best sides in Europe. [15] Academy sides from Ajax, [16] Arsenal, Benfica, [17] Barcelona, Celtic, Deportivo La Coruna, Borussia Dortmund, Genk, Bayer Leverkusen, Olympique Lyonnais, Real Madrid, and West Bromwich Albion have participated in the competition over the years. [18]

Bohemians & national underage leagues

The introduction of new national underage leagues by the FAI in 2017 dramatically altered the landscape for underage football. [19] By November 2017, St. Kevin's Boys had entered into a five-year deal with Bohemians. [20] The arrangement would see the two clubs enter joint teams into the Under-13 and Under-15 national leagues after a compensation agreement was reached. [21] [22] This followed similar partnerships agreed between League of Ireland clubs and schoolboy clubs in advance of the first full national Under-15 league season beginning in March 2018. [23] The arrangement extended to the U13 league when the season commenced in March 2019. [22] By 2020, the partnership had extended to the U17s with the joint team labelled 'Bohs-SKB'. [24] [25] In July 2022, Bohemians notified St. Kevin's that they would end their exclusive partnership when the deal expired in 2023. [26] In February 2024, the clubs announced a new deal covering their Under-13 and Under-14 teams. [6]

Grounds

The club's senior team play their Leinster Senior League matches at St. Aidan's. [27]

Notable former players

Internationals

Republic of Ireland internationals

Source: [15] [29] [30] [31]

Republic of Ireland U21 internationals

Source: [40] [41] [42]

Others

See also

References

  1. ↑ Location Archived 28 March 2023 at the Wayback Machine St Kevins Football Club. Retrieved: 2023-03-27.
  2. ↑ "St Kevin's Boys Club Your Club – Teams". skbfc.yourclub.ie. Archived from the original on 17 November 2017. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  3. 1 2 "Club History – St Kevins FC" . Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  4. ↑ "Location - St Kevins Football Club - Your Club". www.skbfc.yourclub.ie. Archived from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  5. ↑ soccer-ireland.com (6 January 2023). "St Kevins Boys Football Club, Dublin - Soccer Pitch Directions : Fixtures Secretary, Contact Details". Irish Football. Archived from the original on 23 June 2025. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  6. 1 2 Jordan, Luke. "Bohemian's announce new strategic partnership with St. Kevin's Football Club". extratime.com. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  7. ↑ "History - St Kevins Boys club - Your club". www.skbfc.yourclub.ie. Archived from the original on 10 June 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  8. ↑ "A discreet bishop and loyal diocesan administrator". The Irish Times. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  9. ↑ "Honours - St Kevins Boys club - Your club". www.skbfc.yourclub.ie. Archived from the original on 3 July 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  10. ↑ History Archived 10 June 2019 at the Wayback Machine St. Kevins Boys Football Club.
  11. ↑ "End of an Era". www.skbfc.yourclub.ie. 31 May 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
  12. ↑ Ireland, Office of the President of. "Diary President Officially Opens All Weather Training Facility For St. Kevins Boy". president.ie. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  13. 1 2 "Synthetic Grass Football Pitch at St Kevin's Boys FC". PST Sport. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  14. ↑ "New Astro Turf Pitch in the Holy Child BNS". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  15. 1 2 Fanning, Dion. "How St Kevin's became the breeding ground for Ireland's most technical footballers - SportsJOE.ie | SportsJOE.ie". SportsJOE.ie. Archived from the original on 19 June 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  16. ↑ St Kevins Boys Academy Cup 2014 The Coach Diary.
  17. ↑ St Kevin's Boys tournament returns this Easter Archived 19 June 2019 at the Wayback Machine March, 2015, www.fai.ie
  18. ↑ St Kevins Boys 2018 Academy Cup Launch Archived 19 June 2019 at the Wayback Machine Dublin Gazette, February 12, 2018.
  19. ↑ Henderson, Dave. "State of Play: Time for a rethink at Irish U-21 level". The Irish Times. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  20. ↑ "Bohemians and St. Kevin's Boys agree Player Development Pathway partnership | Bohemian FC". bohemianfc.com. Archived from the original on 30 May 2020. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  21. ↑ Malone, Emmet. "Bohemians and St Kevin's Boys announce underage partnership". The Irish Times. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  22. 1 2 "Bohemian FC/St Kevin's Boys partnership launched". www.leagueofireland.ie. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  23. ↑ "24 teams to make up Under 15 National League". www.leagueofireland.ie. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  24. ↑ Reporter, Gazette (5 February 2021). "Derek Pender secures promotion at Bohemians". Dublin Gazette Newspapers - Dublin News, Sport and Lifestyle. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  25. ↑ ""Last season was out of this world" - Bohs U19 manager Craig Sexton". www.leagueofireland.ie. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  26. ↑ Casey, Gavan (20 July 2022). "Bohemians to end partnership with St Kevin's Boys as they reshape academy structure". The 42. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  27. ↑ "St. Kevin's FC – Soccer". www.finalwhistle.ie. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  28. ↑ "Maybury finds his soul at Hearts". www.thetimes.com. 16 March 2003. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  29. ↑ "Evan Ferguson | Career in Pictures | West Ham United F.C." www.whufc.com. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  30. ↑ "West Brom defender Dara O'Shea: St Kevin's gave me my break". OneFootball. 26 August 2025. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  31. ↑ "'We played the Dubliners against the country boys... I could see Brian Kerr thinking: S**t'". The42. Archived from the original on 9 January 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2025. Carr himself was a product of the Dublin schoolboy system, playing for Trinity Boys, St Kevin's and Stella Maris as a midfielder.
  32. ↑ "PressReader.com - Digital Newspaper & Magazine Subscriptions". www.pressreader.com. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
  33. ↑ "Trevor Clarke | Stats | History | Career Details | Images | extratime.com - The Home of Irish Football - Extratime.com". www.extratime.com. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  34. ↑ "Exciting UEFA Championship qualifier in prospect in Kilkenny | Football Association of Ireland Official Website". www.fai.ie. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  35. ↑ "Gavin Kilkenny | Stats | History | Career Details | Images | extratime.com - The Home of Irish Football - Extratime.com". www.extratime.com. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  36. ↑ Fennessy, Paul (31 May 2021). "'I've never for one minute doubted his talent and I've always said he would be a senior international'". The 42. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  37. ↑ "Jamie Mullins | Stats | History | Career Details | Images | extratime.com - The Home of Irish Football - Extratime.com". www.extratime.com. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  38. ↑ "Liverpool sign Irish teen dubbed the new Gareth Bale | JOE.ie". JOE.ie. Archived from the original on 20 May 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  39. ↑ "'He died right in front of me . . . I blamed myself' – Ross Tierney's rocky road to Dublin decider". Irish Independent. 27 November 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  40. ↑ "Doyle: Curtis's innate drive bodes well after EPL debut". 13 May 2024.
  41. ↑ Team, Extratime. "Doncaster sign former Bohs defender Sean Grehan from Crystal Palace". extratime.com. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  42. ↑ Dollery, Paul (16 February 2017). "Manchester City was 'the right club at the wrong time' for Dubliner Karl Moore". The 42. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
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