Villa F.C.

Villa FC
Full nameVilla Football Club[1]
NicknameThe Villa[2]
Founded1953
GroundConnors Park[3]
ManagerConor Coad
LeagueWaterford & District Junior League
Websitehttps://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.

The club have qualified for the FAI Cup on three occasions, including in 2007 and 2022.[4][5]

History

Villa Football Club was founded in 1953 in Waterford City, Ireland.[6] The club drew support from the city streets of Sexton Street, Leamy Street and Griffith Place, down as far as Morrison’s Road.[7] 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.[7] 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.[7][8]

In 1978, the club leased the ground beside Ozier Park from the Waterford Junior League. Originally a dumping site, by 1980 it had been renovated into a football pitch, complete with a drainage system and dressing rooms.[2] The ground was named Connors Park after former player, coach and secretary Eugene Connors, who died in 1983.[2]

It has achieved a number of footballing successes[9] in Waterford since its founding. Villa FC's Premier team plays in the Waterford & District Junior League, and has won the competition[10] twice.[11][12] Villa FC also won the FAI Junior Cup in 2022,[13] winning 1:0 in the final, as well as a number of other honours[9] at levels from schoolboy to senior. Villa FC operates from their home ground at Connors Park in Poleberry, Waterford City.[3] 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).[14]

In April 2022, Villa beat Inchicore Athletic to qualify for the first round of the FAI Cup.[5]

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.[15] 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".[16]

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.[17][18]

Current squad

As of 2023/2024 season, the club's "premier" squad included:[19]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF  IRL Jayson Molumby (Plays as a midfielder for EFL Championship club West Bromwich Albion)
— DF  IRL Lee O'Connor (Plays as a defender for EFL League Two club Tranmere Rovers)

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.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— FW  IRL Kenny McEvoy (Retired. Played for Tottenham Hotspur and other English league clubs.)
— DF  IRL Timi Sobowale (Plays as a defender, for Norwegian Third Division club Florø SK)

Honours

FAI Junior Cup

  • Winners: 2021–22[13]

All-Ireland President's Junior Cup

  • Winners: 2022–23[20]

Munster Youth Cup

Waterford and District Junior League

  • Premier League

Ardagh Cup

  • Winners: 1969-70, 1970-71, 2007-08

References

  1. ^ a b "Villa FC | Football Club in Waterford | Lifetimes of Football". villafc.ie. Archived from the original on 2024-02-23. Retrieved 2023-07-22.
  2. ^ a b c Keane, Matt (2008-05-21). "Soccer folk mourn Frankie O'Byrne". The Munster Express. Archived from the original on 2026-02-14. Retrieved 2026-02-14.
  3. ^ a b "Return of Football in Connors Park". Villa Football Club. Retrieved 2026-02-14.
  4. ^ "FAI Cup 2025 » History: All-Time Table". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 2026-02-22.
  5. ^ a b "Villa FC beat Inchicore Athletic to seal spot in extra.ie FAI Cup First Round". Extra.ie. 23 April 2022. Retrieved 2026-01-15.
  6. ^ "Our History - The History of Villa F.C. | Villa FC Your Club". www.villafc.yourclub.ie. Retrieved 2026-02-08.
  7. ^ a b c "Club History - Villa FC: Lifetimes of Football". Villa FC. Archived from the original on 2021-02-28. Retrieved 2026-02-03.
  8. ^ a b c "Roll of Honour - Munster Youths Cup". Munster Football Association. Archived from the original on 2023-12-04. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
  9. ^ a b "Villa Football Club Honours | Junior League | Schoolboy League". villafc.ie. Archived from the original on 2024-08-12. Retrieved 2026-02-14.
  10. ^ https://wjl.leaguerepublic.com/index.html
  11. ^ a b "Villa crowned Waterford Premier Division champions". Waterford Local Radio - WLRFM. 11 May 2022.
  12. ^ a b "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.
  13. ^ a b "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.
  14. ^ "Villa Football Club History | Waterford Football League | Villa Stories". villafc.ie. Retrieved 2024-06-06.
  15. ^ "Villa FC win FAI Centenary Junior Cup against Pike Rovers | Football Association of Ireland". www.fai.ie.
  16. ^ "Kilgallon nets winner as Villa FC claim first FAI Junior Cup title". Irish Examiner. 22 May 2022.
  17. ^ a b "Villa clinch Waterford Premier League title for fifth year running". WLRFM.com. 2025-10-02. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
  18. ^ Stafford, Tom (11 February 2026). "Root One - extratime.com's weekly look at grassroots football in Ireland". extratime.com. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
  19. ^ "Villa FC Premier Squad 2023-24". Villa FC. Archived from the original on 2024-03-21. Retrieved 2024-03-21.
  20. ^ "Coalisland Athletic pipped by Villa in Presidents' Junior Cup final". irishfa.com. Irish Football Association. 17 January 2023. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
  21. ^ "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.
  22. ^ "Waterford JL Premier League 2023/24 – Soccer". www.finalwhistle.ie. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
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