Villa FC

Last updated
Villa FC
Villa FC logo.png
Full nameVilla Football Club [1]
NicknamesThe Villa; Villa
Founded1953
GroundConnors Park
ManagerConor Coad
LeagueWaterford & District Junior League
Website https://villafc.ie/

Villa Football Club is an Irish association football club based in Waterford, Ireland. [1] Their senior men's team competes in the Waterford & District Junior League's Premier Division.

Contents

The club qualified for the FAI Cup in 2022. [2]

History

Villa Football Club was founded in 1953 [3] in Waterford City, Ireland. [4] Villa first appeared in a 5-a-side tournament in July 1953 and by September had entered two teams in the schoolboy leagues, at under-14 and under-15 level. The club's first league game was against Bolton in September 1953, which resulted in a 3–1 victory. [3] In 1959, the club became the first Waterford side to win the Munster Youth Cup, then known as the Munster Minor Cup, when they beat Cork side Glasheen to win the 1958–59 trophy. [3] [5]

It has achieved a number of footballing successes [6] in Waterford since its founding. Villa FC's Premier team plays in the Waterford & District Junior League, and has won the competition [7] twice. [8] [9] Villa FC also won the FAI Junior Cup in 2022, [10] winning 1:0 in the final, as well as a number of other honours [6] at levels from schoolboy to senior. Villa FC operates from their home ground at Connor's Park in Poleberry, Waterford City. A number of former Villa FC players have gone on to success in football leagues outside Ireland, including Kenny McEvoy (Tottenham Hotspur), Lee O'Connor (Manchester United), Jayson Molumby (Brighton), and Timi Sobowale (Manchester City). [11]

In April 2022, Villa beat Inchicore Athletic to qualify for the first round of the FAI Cup. [2]

FAI Junior Cup Win, 2022

In 2022, Villa won the FAI Junior Cup, defeating Pike Rovers from Limerick at Turners Cross in Cork with the winning goal scored by Conor Kilgannon. [12] Speaking of the win after the match, Villa manager Conor Coad noted that it was "a historic day for us and it's been a massive season for us, we've never won our own local Premier League and to go and do that recently and back it up with this win is something we could have only dreamed of at the start of the year". [13]

The club added to their trophy haul with the 2021–22 Waterford Junior League. They added two more league titles before the league transitioned to a calendar year schedule. Villa won the shortened league season in 2024 and went on to add the inaugural league trophy of the summer season in 2025. [14] [15]

Current squad

As of 2023/2024 season, the club's "premier" squad included: [16]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.Pos.NationPlayer
— GK Flag of Ireland.svg  IRL Craig Dunphy
— GK Flag of Ireland.svg  IRL Dylan Nolan
— GK Flag of Ireland.svg  IRL Kieran Doheny
— DF Flag of Ireland.svg  IRL Eoghan Rea
— DF Flag of Ireland.svg  IRL Adam Heaslip
— DF Flag of Ireland.svg  IRL Dylan Walsh
— DF Flag of Ireland.svg  IRL Conor Signorelli
— DF Flag of Ireland.svg  IRL John Tamen(Irish/Cameroonian)
— DF Flag of Ireland.svg  IRL James Kennedy
— DF Flag of Ireland.svg  IRL Ravelli Kilonda
— DF Flag of Ireland.svg  IRL Dylan Stickel
— DF Flag of Ireland.svg  IRL Shane O'Brien
— DF Flag of Ireland.svg  IRL Nils Lukaku
No.Pos.NationPlayer
— MF Flag of Ireland.svg  IRL Aaron O'Connor
— MF Flag of Ireland.svg  IRL Luke Walsh
— MF Flag of Ireland.svg  IRL Conor Whittle
— MF Flag of Ireland.svg  IRL Adam Conway
— MF Flag of Ireland.svg  IRL Conor Kilgannon
— MF Flag of Ireland.svg  IRL Evan Ryan
— MF Flag of Ireland.svg  IRL Stephen Imiren
— FW Flag of Ireland.svg  IRL Dean Walsh
— FW Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg  COD Regix Madika
— FW Flag of Ireland.svg  IRL Shane O'Brien
— FW Flag of Ireland.svg  IRL Alex Phelan
— FW Flag of Ireland.svg  IRL Dylan Butler

Capped players

Republic of Ireland Senior Internationals

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Republic of Ireland U21 Internationals

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Honours

FAI Junior Cup

All-Ireland President's Junior Cup

Munster Youth Cup

Waterford and District Junior League

Ardagh Cup

References

  1. 1 2 "Villa FC | Football Club in Waterford | Lifetimes of Football". villafc.ie. Archived from the original on 2024-02-23. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  2. 1 2 "Villa FC beat Inchicore Athletic to seal spot in extra.ie FAI Cup First Round". Extra.ie. 23 April 2022. Retrieved 2026-01-15.
  3. 1 2 3 "Club History - Villa FC: Lifetimes of Football". Villa FC. Archived from the original on 2021-02-28. Retrieved 2026-02-03.
  4. ↑ "Our History - The History of Villa F.C. | Villa FC Your Club". www.villafc.yourclub.ie. Retrieved 2026-02-08.
  5. 1 2 3 "Roll of Honour - Munster Youths Cup". Munster Football Association. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
  6. 1 2 "Villa Football Club Honours | Junior League | Schoolboy League". villafc.ie.
  7. ↑ https://wjl.leaguerepublic.com/index.html
  8. 1 2 "Villa crowned Waterford Premier Division champions". Waterford Local Radio - WLRFM. 11 May 2022.
  9. 1 2 "Villa retain Premier crown to Coad's delight". Waterford Local Radio - WLRFM. 25 April 2023. Archived from the original on 2024-03-21. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
  10. 1 2 "Villa FC win FAI Centenary Junior Cup against Pike Rovers". FAI.ie. Football Association of Ireland. 22 May 2022. Archived from the original on 2023-08-01. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
  11. ↑ "Villa Football Club History | Waterford Football League | Villa Stories". villafc.ie. Retrieved 2024-06-06.
  12. ↑ "Villa FC win FAI Centenary Junior Cup against Pike Rovers | Football Association of Ireland". www.fai.ie.
  13. ↑ "Kilgallon nets winner as Villa FC claim first FAI Junior Cup title". Irish Examiner. 22 May 2022.
  14. 1 2 "Villa clinch Waterford Premier League title for fifth year running". WLRFM.com. 2025-10-02. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
  15. ↑ Stafford, Tom (11 February 2026). "Root One - extratime.com's weekly look at grassroots football in Ireland". extratime.com. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
  16. ↑ "Villa FC Premier Squad 2023-24". Villa FC. Archived from the original on 2024-03-21. Retrieved 2024-03-21.
  17. ↑ "Coalisland Athletic pipped by Villa in Presidents' Junior Cup final". irishfa.com. Irish Football Association. 17 January 2023. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
  18. ↑ "Villa end 61 year wait to land Munster Youth title". Waterford News & Star. 15 August 2020. Archived from the original on 2023-07-31. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
  19. ↑ "Waterford JL Premier League 2023/24 – Soccer". www.finalwhistle.ie. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
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