Templeogue United Football Club, Dublin was established in 1977 and comprised of one team which was entered in the South Dublin Boys Football League.  It was originally called St. Jude’s Football & Athletic Club (as it was based in the Parish of St. Jude’s), and the team played in the park opposite Osprey Drive (before houses were built there) and sometimes on Orwell Park Green.

The club’s founder members included: Séamus O’Connor (Orwell Park); Eugene Hayes (Orwell Park); Séamus McHugh (Glendown); Willie Power (Glendown); and Andy Clerkin (Glendown).  Although there are no minuted records from the early years, it appears that Séamus O’Connor was Chairman from the start until 1981; Andy Clerkin was Honorary Secretary in the first year with Willie Power taking over for the next two years; and Eugene Hayes was Honorary Treasurer for the first two years, before Tony Taaffe took over the role from 1979 until 1985.  Lists of the Executive Committees from the beginning are in Appendix 1.

The earliest photographs available of Templeogue Utd. teams – then called St. Jude’s Football & Athletic Club.

Just nine years later - 1986 - nine teams were registered in the South Dublin Boys League and three teams in the Dublin and District Schoolboy League with players from the immediate catchment area, ranging in ages from under-10 to under-18 playing for the club.  There were now 20 managers in total.  In June 1987, there were fourteen managers at the Club’s A.G.M. when Eamonn Murray, Honorary Secretary stated that as practically all of the associations and clubs in the area were named St. Jude’s, that the Club should consider changing its name.  A general discussion followed, which resulted in a proposal from Martin O’Hanlon, seconded by Pat Kilmartin, that a change of name be made, with no connection to the St. Jude’s name.  The proposal was carried unanimously and the name of Templeogue United Football Club emerged.  By this stage, Templeogue Utd. had been allocated two soccer pitches in Tymon Park by Dublin County Council, which became its home.

In January 1992, the first sod was turned for the development of our own Pavilion in the shape of changing rooms, showers, toilets, shop etc. and in 1998, the second storey was completed, providing us with a proper Clubhouse, incorporating a function room and a meeting room.  A club certificate was sought and granted in March 2002, enabling us to enhance the social aspect of the Club by holding functions, parties and events etc.  Work on a new extension to provide changing rooms for our hugely successful girl’s and women’s section commenced in February 2003. Work was held up as finances ran out but hopefully it can be completed during the summer of 2004.

In February 1998, with the encouragement of South Dublin County Council both Templeogue Utd. Football Club and our neighbours St. Jude’s G.A.A. Club committed ourselves to work together towards the development of a high specification all-weather pitch (measuring 95m x 60m) in Tymon Park suitable for soccer, gaelic football, hurling and camogie.  A limited company, Willington Community Holdings Ltd., was formed and financial support was sought under the Sports Capital Programme, by way of a joint application to the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism, for a National Lottery grant.  We received €300,000 and the clubs raised the remaining finance of €450,000.  The superb facility, which was named ‘Tymon Turf’, was formally opened in November 2002 by An Taoiseach Mr. Bertie Ahern T.D. in the presence of the Mayor of South Dublin County Council, Councillor Jim Daly, and is in full use ever since.

Chairman: Pat Cooney; An Taoiseach: Bertie Ahern T.D.; Treasurer: Gerry Hughes; Secretary: Declan Dunne; and Vice-Chairman: David Spring

On the representative side, four former Templeogue Utd. players were signed by top English clubs: Barry Quinn by Coventry City; Colm Daly by Ipswich Town; Andrew Cousins by Leeds Utd. and most recently, Clive Delaney by West Ham Utd.  Barry has represented his country on four occasions at senior international level, as well as playing and captaining the Irish team on numerous occasions at under-age level.  We should not forget, of course, Richard Dunne, of Manchester City (and formerly of Everton), who is a son of our friend and first Clubhouse Manager, Dick, who has represented his country on seventeen occasions up to May 2003 and is still part of the senior international squad.  Richard also played numerous games for Ireland at under-age level and achieved the marvelous distinction of being voted by the F.A.I. Under-16 player-of-the-year for 1996.

Left to Right: Barry Quinn in his early days at Coventry City; Tony Cousins coaching three Templeogue Utd. players, including his brother Andrew in the centre; Clive Delaney (then with UCD) in the Club in 1999 with Niall Dunne; and Richard Dunne with Neil and Shane Spring in the Club in April 2000, following his debut as a full international against Greece in Lansdowne Road.

Many other players over the years have participated in trials at various ages, and some were selected on representative teams, e.g. Fintan Kenna for the Leinster Football Association’s under-18 tour of Westfalia, Germany in 1993; Brian O’Brien for South Dublin Boys under-13 team against Moscow schoolboys in Belfield in 1994; Colm Daly and Padraig Cooney for the DDSL’s under-14 and under-15 teams respectively against Belfast schoolboys in Santry in 1996.  In addition, Colm Daly was invited to trials with Glasgow Celtic in 1996, while Pat Burke guested for Nottingham Forest in the Foyle Cup in 1998.  Since then, Pat has gone on to play with U.C.D. in the Eircom League, as did Clive Delaney - whom we mentioned earlier.  Former players Colm Foley (St. Patrick’s Ath.), Darragh Kavanagh (Shamrock Rovers) and Mark Leech (U.C.D.) have also played in the Eircom League.

Well-known people from Irish football have been involved in the Club or in the running of teams, such as Mick Leech (ex International), Tony Cousins (Shamrock Rovers and ex Liverpool), Paul Newe (league winner with Dundalk and Shelbourne), Sean Core and Dick Dunne (ex Shamrock Rovers), Sean Ryan (ex U.C.D. and Pegasus), and Thomas Dunne (Derry City), to name just a few.  In addition, most of our managers over the years have brought a wealth of experience to their running of teams, from their vast experiences as coaches or players.

There may not have been huge successes by teams in terms of winning trophies in the domestic leagues, but there have been some, particularly in the early years when Templeogue Utd. teams dominated the South Dublin Boys League.  Teams that stand out who achieved League and Cup doubles or consecutive League titles at various times were those managed by Tony Taaffe, Paddy Ashmore, Martin O’Hanlon, Peter Nolan, Derek Brady, David Spring and more recently Mick Simpson.  Of course, in the past six years or so, the ladies section has achieved phenomenal success.  In 1999 for example, we assumed the mantle of the premier underage club in women’s soccer in Dublin.  The three teams at under-10, 12 and 14 each won their leagues with 100% records, while two of them won their cup competitions.  In 2001, each of the under-age girls teams won their league, cup and/or shield, with the under-14 team winning the first All-Ireland Trophy for the Club - what a marvellous achievement.  The efforts of their managers, commencing with Brenda Brosnan and her husband Aidan, and continuing with many others including Paul O’Keeffe, Ronnie Cooke, Eilis Broderick, Fran Murphy, Brenda Lee, and of course Gerry Hughes are indeed commended.

In 1983, the Templeogue Utd. under-12 team, representing the Parish of St. Jude and managed by Tony Taaffe and Paddy Ashmore, won the Community Games All-Ireland soccer competition.  In the Summer of 1999, Templeogue Utd. players from David Spring’s team and once again representing St. Jude’s Community Games, won nine consecutive games to reach the National Finals in Mosney where they unfortunately lost the All-Ireland final after a penalty shoot-out (see team below left).  But, two years later, players from Noel Synnott’s and Des Buckley’s team (see team below right) went all the way – winning the Community Games All-Ireland 5-a-side indoor under-13 soccer competition in Mosney.

In between and since, many teams have ventured beyond these shores to participate in various tournaments.  In the early years, teams traveled over to the U.K., but in 1994, Templeogue United's under-13 team (photo on next page), managed by David Spring and Pat Cooney became the first team from the Club to compete in an international tournament.  It was in The Hague in Holland and although playing in the under-14 competition, and although giving a year away, the boys finished 4th overall, losing a penalty shoot-out in their final game.

Nearly every year since, teams from the Club have competed in other international tournaments - mainly in Holland - and acquitted themselves very well, with many of the aforementioned team - now playing under-16 and now managed by David Spring and Declan Dunne - bringing home the Trophy from Den Bosch in Holland in 1997.  Three years later, Noel Synnott’s and Des Buckley’s under-12 team (third photo down), won the Trophy without conceding a goal, having travelled to Arnhem in Holland in Easter 2000. Andy Ferrari's under-12's won went to Barcelona at Easter 2004 and duly won that tournament.

Our Under-16 team, who brought home the Trophy from Den Bosch in Holland in 1997.

Our Under-12 team, who brought home the Trophy from Arnhem in Holland in 2000.

Many other activities have taken place in the past 25 years or so.  For example, coaching courses have been organized by the Club; managers have attended other F.A.I. courses; Ray Hall, of Premiership Club Everton F.C. spent a weekend in 1995 with Templeogue Utd. managers and three of our teams; Middlesbrough’s chief youth coach, Stan Nicholson visited the Club over another weekend in 1999; renowned Dutch coach Ruel Timmer also spent time with our managers and teams in 2001; while Packie Bonner (below with some players) Fran Rooney (see News page) and Brian Kerr have visited the Club in recent times.

We have run our own Summer Coaching Courses with Theo Dunne overseeing them.  Then in January 1999, we reached agreement with University College Dublin Football Club for a comprehensive link-up between the two clubs involving a wide variety of activities, including access to the U.C.D. Soccer Scholarship Programme for Templeogue Utd. players who meet certain criteria.  Alan Kinsella became our Physiotherapist as well as our Chief Coach, through our link-up with U.C.D.

On the social side, Maurice Nicholson was the prime motivator in getting our Golf Society underway in May 1996, while Peter Nolan and Fran Byrne were responsible for organising virtually all the functions (cabarets, race nights, parties, fashion shows and other fund-raisers) that were held since they became involved some 15 years ago.