Kerry F.C. (Ireland)

Coordinates: 52°17′00″N 9°42′57″W / 52.28338°N 9.71576°W / 52.28338; -9.71576
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
"Kerry FC" redirects here. For the Welsh football club, see Kerry F.C. (Wales).

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Mounthawk Park, Tralee
Capacity1,400[1]
ManagerConor McCarthy
LeagueLeague of Ireland First Division
2023League of Ireland First Division, 10th of 10
WebsiteClub website

Kerry Football Club (

Mounthawk Park
.

The club competes in the

Cobh Ramblers
.

History

Early Days

Participation from County Kerry in the League of Ireland began when a team representing the Kerry District League (KDL) participated in the Eircom U21 League in 2002 and 2003, while Tralee Dynamos subsequently played in the third-tier A Championship between 2009 and 2011.[2][3] Following the folding of the A Championship in 2011, Tralee Dynamos submitted an application for a licence to compete in the League of Ireland First Division for the 2012 season. However, their application was unsuccessful.[4][5]

Underage Leagues

The KDL resumed participation with the League of Ireland at underage level in the late 2010s, joining the Southern Elite Division of the Under-17 League in 2016 and subsequently that of the Under-19 League in 2019.[6][7]

Senior Side

It was announced on 22 June 2022 that an application had been made by Kerry Football Club, an entity comprising the KDL and a consortium led by

Treaty United midfielder Matt Keane was announced as the club's first signing, followed by Seán McGrath from Cobh Ramblers.[20]

The club's first ever competitive senior fixture took place on 17 February 2023, a 2–0 home defeat against

Mounthawk Park.[21][22] The following week, Leo Gaxha scored the club's first ever senior goal, in a 3–1 defeat against Bray Wanderers at the Carlisle Grounds.[23][24] Kerry secured their first point in the League of Ireland on 3 March, following a 1–1 draw with Treaty United at Mounthawk Park.[25] Figures released upon the completion of the first series of First Division fixtures showed that Kerry had an average home attendance of 1,194, placing them fifth out of the ten clubs in the division, with all four home matches selling out.[26][27] Kerry secured their first-ever win in the League of Ireland at the fourteenth attempt, with a 3–2 victory away to Athlone Town on 12 May,[28] before recording their first-ever clean sheet on 2 June, following a scoreless draw with Finn Harps at Finn Park.[29] On 17 November 2023, it was announced that Billy Dennehy had stepped down as manager to return to his original position of Sporting Director, with Conor McCarthy taking over as manager.[30] On 24 November 2023, Brian Ainscough departed the club to take over ownership of Dundalk, pulling his funding in Kerry after 1 year with the club.[31]

First team squad

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Croatia CRO Antonio Tuta
2 DF Republic of Ireland IRL Robert Vasiu
3 DF Republic of Ireland IRL Sean O'Connell
4 DF Republic of Ireland IRL Jack Kavanagh
5 DF Republic of Ireland IRL Andy Spain (Captain)
6 DF United States USA Ethan Kos
7 MF Republic of Ireland IRL Seán McGrath
8 MF Republic of Ireland IRL Ronan Teahan
9 FW Republic of Ireland IRL Ryan Kelliher
10 FW Ukraine UKR Valerii Dolya
11 FW Republic of Ireland IRL Daniel Okwute
12 FW Republic of Ireland IRL Kennedy Amechi
13 MF Republic of Ireland IRL Nathan Glesson
No. Pos. Nation Player
14 MF Republic of Ireland IRL Steven Healy (on loan from Galway United)
15 DF Republic of Ireland IRL Kevin Williams
16 GK Republic of Ireland IRL Lee Axworthy
17 FW Republic of Ireland IRL Cian Brosnan
18 DF Republic of Ireland IRL Samuel Aladesanusi
21 DF Republic of Ireland IRL Daire McCarthy (on loan from Galway United)
22 FW Republic of Ireland IRL Victor Udeze
25 DF Republic of Ireland IRL Graham O'Reilly
26 MF Republic of Ireland IRL Togor Silong
27 MF Republic of Ireland IRL Ferdia O'Brien
29 MF Republic of Ireland IRL Oisin Breen
30 GK Republic of Ireland IRL Aaron O'Sullivan
31 FW Republic of Ireland IRL Cianan Cooney


Technical Staff

Position Name
Manager Conor McCarthy
Assistant Manager James Sugrue
Goalkeeping Coach Derek O'Shea
Goalkeeping Coach Chris Hegarty
Strength & Conditioning Coach Shane Guthrie
Head of Youth Development Damian Locke

Management

Position Name
Chief Executive Officer TBC
Chief Operations Officer Steven Conway
Sporting Director Billy Dennehy
General Manager Sean O'Keeffe
Operations Manager Gerardine Nagle
Media Officer Ivan Hurley
Commercial Manager James Foley

Women's Team

In June 2023, Kerry FC announced the establishment of a women's football club, via acceptance into the FAI U17 Women's League for the 2024 season.[32]

References

  1. ^ Fallon, John (16 February 2023). "League of Ireland soccer has arrived in the Kingdom, and Kerry FC have no intentions of departing anytime soon". Irish Examiner.
  2. ^ "Eircom U21 League, 2002 & 2003". Kerry District League. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  3. Independent.ie
    .
  4. ^ "Cobh and Tralee fail to gain First Division licences". Irish Examiner. 15 February 2012. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  5. ^ Malone, Emmet (27 January 2012). "Tralee Dynamos and Cobh Ramblers surprised by exclusion from first division". The Irish Times. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  6. ^ "Kerry District League to join SSE Airtricity U17 League". FAI. 17 December 2015. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  7. extratime
    . Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  8. ^ Browne, P. J. (2 June 2022). "Kerry FC Take Major Step Towards Joining The League Of Ireland". Balls.ie. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  9. Independent.ie
    .
  10. ^ "Clubs issued League of Ireland licences for 2023". FAI. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  11. Independent.ie
    . Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  12. ^ Galvin, T. J. (16 November 2022). "Kerry FC awarded licence to compete in First Division next season". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  13. ^ Moynihan, Adam (16 November 2022). "BREAKING: Kerry FC granted League of Ireland licence". Killarney Advertiser. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  14. Independent.ie
    .
  15. ^ Murphy, Murt (17 November 2022). "Billy Dennehy: Fully amateur Kerry FC not fearful of competititon with GAA". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  16. The42.ie
    . Retrieved 17 November 2022.
  17. Independent.ie
    .
  18. The42
    . 19 December 2022.
  19. ^ Fallon, John (19 December 2022). "Billy Dennehy appointed Kerry FC manager ahead of League of Ireland tilt". Irish Examiner.
  20. ^ "Kerry reveal Billy Dennehy as manager; Keane and McGrath to play for Kingdom in 2023". Radio Kerry.
  21. Independent.ie
    .
  22. ^ Murphy, Murt (17 February 2023). "Kerry FC's first-ever League of Ireland match ends in defeat". The42.
  23. Independent.ie
    .
  24. Independent.ie
    .
  25. Independent.ie
    .
  26. Independent.ie
    .
  27. ^ Scanlon, Cronan (21 April 2023). "Finn Harps see increase in average home attendances". Donegal Daily. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  28. Independent.ie
    .
  29. Independent.ie
    .
  30. ^ https://kerryfc.com/change-in-senior-management-team-ahead-of-the-2024-season/
  31. ^ Fallon, John (24 November 2023). "Kerry FC owner Brian Ainscough switches to Dundalk". Irish Examiner.
  32. ^ Brennan, Paul (26 June 2023). "Kerry FC to field a team in the women's under-17 League of Ireland Academy from 2024". Independent.ie. Retrieved 6 August 2023.

52°17′00″N 9°42′57″W / 52.28338°N 9.71576°W / 52.28338; -9.71576

External links

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