History of Shamrock Rovers F.C.

The club, founded in 1901(though some sources suggest the club was founded in 1899),originally hails from the inner Dublin suburb of Ringsend. The name of the club comes from Shamrock Avenue in Ringsend where the first club rooms were secured. From the early 1926 until 1987 they played at Glenmalure Park, Milltown and became Ireland's most successful club. Glenmalure Park was opened in September 1926, with a friendly game against Belfast Celtic. Shamrock Rovers have won more FAI Cups (24) and leagues (16) than any other Irish club. For many years, Rovers were Ireland's most prestigious team. Famous achievements included the winning of six FAI Cups in a row in the 1960s and four consecutive league titles (including three "doubles") in the 1980s. In addition, they were also the first Irish club to play in the European Cup, playing Manchester United in 1957. Further, Shamrock Rovers were one of the European club teams which spent the 1967 season in the United States founding the North American Soccer League, representing Boston as the Boston Rovers.

Shamrock Rovers have also supplied more different players to the Republic of Ireland national football team (62 in all) than any other single club. Famous players to have played for the club include: Jimmy Dunne, Paddy Coad, Jackie Jameson, Frank O'Neill, John Giles, Mick Leech, Pat Dunne, Noel Synnott, Jim Beglin, Paddy Mulligan, Johnny Fullam, Mick Smyth, Liam O'Brien,and Eamon Dunphy. Irish Rugby union international Tony Ward also played for the club for a period in the 1970s. Up until the 1970s, Shamrock Rovers were well supported, attracting over 20,000 people regularly to Glenmalure Park and up to 40,000 for Cup Finals and European matches at Dalymount Park. Ultimately a combination of poor results, competition from televised football and other attractions meant that by the 1980s the club's crowds averaged below 3,000. However, prior to a severe crisis that began in the late 1980s, Shamrock Rovers were still, to many, considered the most prestigious club in Irish football.

In 1987, the club's home ground was sold by the then owners, the Kilcoyne family. It was subsequently demolished and developed for housing. Supporters waged a long and acrimonious but futile campaign to save the ground. Home games were boycotted ultimately forcing out the Kilcoynes as owners. The club has been without a home from that time until the present. The most stable period since was while playing at the Royal Dublin Society's grounds in Ballsbridge between 1990 and 1996. During this time Rovers won the League Championship (in 1994) and attracted reasonable crowds. Since then the club have been trying to develop a stadium in Tallaght and have played their home matches at several venues all over the city including Tolka Park, Richmond Park and the athletics venue at Morton Stadium in Santry.

Shamrock Rovers experienced severe financial troubles during the 2005 season, due to overspending and an accumulation of massive debts and spent a period under Examinership (a form of financial administration). The supporters association, 'the 400 club', who had been bankrolling the club during the Examinership process assumed control of the club.

The Present

Today, Shamrock Rovers Schoolboys have teams from u7s to u18s playing in the Dublin & District Schoolboys League and there are currently sixteen teams with a total of 208 players and these are looked after by 35 managers and coaches. With the exception of the senior team all these teams are based in Tallaght.

Shamrock Rovers are active participants of the [http://www.theredcard.ie Show Racism the Red Card Ireland] initiative. This includes giving out 'Show Racism the Red Card' posters at some matches during the season. Quote|Football is great for bringing people of all nationalities together. We need to encourage this in our everyday lives. We also need to recognise that talent comes from within regardless of race, colour or creed. [cite web | title = Rovers help Show Racism the Red Card | url=http://www.shamrockrovers.ie/pressarchive/press_release_23_June_2006.php | publisher = Shamrock Rovers F.C | date = 2006-06-23 | accessdate = 2006-12-30 ] |Pat Scully|Pat Scully, Manager, Shamrock Rovers F.C.

2007 Season

Shamrock Rovers were promoted to the Premier division after winning the First Division in the 2006 season. Due to the ongoing legal action by Thomas Davis to have the Tallaght Stadium redesigned the Hoops home ground for the season was again Tolka Park.

2006 Season

Tolka Park was home to the Hoops for the 2006 season. The early matches saw Rovers start very brightly, first battling with Limerick FC, then Galway United and Dundalk for Division 1 supremacy. On Friday the 10th of November Rovers beat Finn Harps 4-0 in the penultimate match of the season to effectively win the First Division title. On Saturday 19 November the Hoops came from behind to get a 1-1 draw with Cobh Ramblers to secure the title. Rovers were presented with the 1st Division trophy after the match. The Rovers defence was the best in league history with only 13 goals conceded in 36 league games and 24 clean sheets kept. The 2006 Player of the Year is captain Aidan price and the Young Player of the Year was awarded to Ian Ryan.

Three points were deducted by the FAI from the team's League of Ireland standings on 16 August 2006 for fielding a suspended player illegally. Shamrock Rovers' pursuit of a first FAI Cup since 1987 advanced to the semi final stage after a 2-0 victory over non-league Castlebar Celtic in May, then a 2-0 win over Bohemian F.C. at Dalymount Park in September 2006, facilitated by two goals from David Cassidy. The result (pursuant to a 1-1 draw in the initial fixture at Tolka Park on live TV) cost Gareth Farrelly his job as Bohemians player/manager. Rovers then won a quarter final tie away to fellow First Division club Athlone Town F.C. 2-1 with goals from Ger Rowe and Robbie Clarke again on live television.

Shamrock Rovers were eliminated by St. Patrick's Athletic at the semi-final stage, losing 2-0 at Tolka Park on Friday, 27 October 2006. During the half time break Rovers legend Derek Tracey was introduced to a thundering ovation from the Rovers crowd. The club's quest for a 25th FAI Cup now extends into a second decade.

2005 Season

2005 goes down as one of the worst yet one of the best years in Shamrock Rovers history. The club had serious financial problems. Following a period of examinership during the summer months of 2005 the supporters group, the 400 Club, successfully bid for ownership of the club. Financial irregularities arising from this caused Rovers to be deducted 8 points in the league table. Roddy Collins was sacked towards the end of the 2005 season with 12 months remaining on his contract. Collins took this dismissal to Employment Appeals Tribunal and a settlement was reached with the former manager in 2006. Terry Eviston and Alan O'Neill took charge of the team for the playoff matches of the 2005 season.

The Hoops lost a two leg relegation play-off 3-2 against Dublin City F.C. and were relegated for the first time in the history.

The early 2000's

Home games for the new millennium were played in the Morton Stadium in Santry. Work began on the Tallaght Stadium in 2000 however as the building got stalled the Hoops would call Dalymount Park and Tolka Park home later in the decade.

The closest the hoops came to silverware in the early 2000s was the 2002 FAI Cup Final. Rovers lost 1-0 to Derry City.

The 1990's

From 1990 to 1996 Rovers played their home games in the RDS, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4. This was the closest the Hoops had to a permanent home since the closure of Milltown. The highlight of the decade was the thrilling 1993/94 season which saw the Hoops win the league for the fifteenth time and for the first time since leaving Milltown. Stephen Geoghegan scored twenty-three league goals that season and came within four of equalling Bob Fullam's record set in 1926/27.

The club chairman John McNamara sold out his interest in 1996 to a new consortium who, within a few months, announced exciting plans to bring Rovers to a new stadium in Tallaght on Dublin's south side. The original plan was to have an all-seated stadium with a capacity of 10,000 but serious objections by a group of local residents held the project up for years and work only began in 2000.

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