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Dublin University
| Full name |
Dublin University Football Club |
| Union |
IRFU
Leinster |
| Nickname(s) |
Trin |
| Founded |
1854 |
| Region |
Dublin |
| Ground(s) |
College Park, Dublin |
| Capacity |
200 |
| President |
Sheamus Considine |
| Coach(es) |
Tony Smeeth |
| Captain(s) |
Johnny Iliff |
| League(s) |
AIB
League |
|
|
|
| Official
website |
| www.dufc.ie |
Dublin University Football Club
(DUFC) is the rugby union club of the University of Dublin, Trinity College, in Dublin, Ireland.
History
The first known record of the Club appears under the heading
'Trinity College' in the Daily Express of 1 December
1855 and is taken to show that it had then been in existence for at
least a year:
FOOTBALL. - A match will be played in the College Park today
(Saturday) between original and new members of the club. Play to
commence at two o'clock College time.
[1]
The club had thus been founded by about 1854, and it has a
well-documented, continuous history since then, which gives it a
strong claim to be considered the world's oldest extant football club of any code.
Although Guy's
Hospital FC, had been founded in London in 1843, so had existed
before DUFC, it later folded up for some years during the
nineteenth century.[1]
It should also be noted that football in Trinity pre-dates the
foundation of the Club itself. A poem by Edward Lysaght shows that
it was being played in the College Park in the 1780s.[1]
Being the oldest rugby club in Ireland, DUFC has won its fair
share of trophies over the years. Its most notable achievement in
recent years was the winning of the AIB League Division 2 in the 03'-04' season,
which also gained the club promotion to Division 1. This level of
competition was short lived unfortunately, with the club returning
to Division 2 after two seasons.
Present
status
The DUFC 1stXV currently plays in the second division of the AIB League. The club also
fields three Junior teams who ply their trade in the Leinster J1,
J3 and J4 Metro Leagues[2],
and two U21 teams who play in the JP Fanagan Premier and Pennant
leagues respectively.[2]
The 1stXV plays against University College
Dublin in the annual Colours Match which has been ongoing
since its inception in 1952. Trinity has won on 21 occasions, the
latest being the 2008/09 match. The club also has a Women's XV,
which competes in AIL Division 2.[3]
Grounds
The clubs main playing field is College Park[4],
which is within the grounds of Trinity in the Dublin city centre.
It also has two other football fields used mainly by the Junior
teams on Santry Avenue in the Dublin suburb of Santry.[3][5]
Notable
Players
Ireland
Dublin University Football Club has a long tadition of its
players gaining the highest international honours, with over 160
past players being capped for Ireland since 1875.
Some of the most famous and presently memorable are listed
below.
British
and Irish Lions
DUFC also has a long history of providing Lions Tourists, with the most
recent contribution being Jamie Heaslip in 2009.
Ireland
Coaches
Dublin University past players Roly Meates and Gerry Murphy both
went on to coach Ireland at different times. Roly is also an
honorary life member of DUFC, having coached the club for 28
years.
Honours
- AIB Division
Two
- AIB Division Four
- Leinster Club Senior
Cup
- Winners: 1883, 1884, 1886, 1887, 1890, 1893, 1895,
1897, 1898, 1900, 1905, 1907, 1908, 1912, 1920, 1921, 1926, 1960,
1976: 19
- Dudley Cup
- Winners: 1975/76, 1986/87, 1990/91, 1994/95:
4
- Metropolitan Cup
- Winners: 1923, 1928, 1934, 1967:
4
- Metropolitan J1 League
- Section B Winners: 2009: 1
- Greenlea Cup (J7)
- All Ireland U20 Championship
- Winners: 2002/03, 2004/05: 2
- Runners Up: 2005/06: 1
- McCorry Cup
- Winners: 1983, 2000, 2003: 3
- JP Fanagan 1st Division
- Minor League
- Winners: 1908, 1909, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1920,
1922, 1923, 1924, 1932, 1934: 12
- The Colours Match
- Winners: 1955, 1956, 1959, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1969,
1974, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991,
1995, 1996, 2007, 2009: 21
References
External
links
|
Founding Clubs of the IRFU |
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| Founding
Members of the Irish Rugby Football Union - 1879 |
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| Founding
Members of the Irish Football Union - 1874 |
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| Founding
Members of the Northern Football Union of Ireland - 1875 |
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