History of Dundalk F.C. (2002–present) facts for kids
President's Cup, FAI Cup, Leinster Senior Cup & League of Ireland Champions trophy on display in Oriel Park in 2015
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| Founded | September 1903 as Dundalk G.N.R. Association Club |
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| League | League of Ireland Premier Division |
This article tells the story of Dundalk Football Club from 2002 until today. It covers a time when the club faced many challenges but also achieved great success, winning many trophies.
Contents
Tough Times and Comebacks (2002–2012)
After winning the FAI Cup in 2002, Dundalk was also moved down to a lower league. This win gave the club some hope, but it didn't last long. The next season was shorter, and some important players left. Dundalk lost the FAI Cup quickly and then lost badly in Europe to Varteks Varazdin from Croatia. The team's poor performance continued in the league.
The club tried new managers, but results didn't improve much. In 2003, Dundalk finished 10th in the First Division, which was their worst season ever. The club faced money problems. To help, they sold their training ground in 2005 and put in an artificial pitch at Oriel Park to earn more money.
In 2006, under new manager John Gill, Dundalk finished second in the First Division. They won a play-off game but were still not allowed to be promoted to the top league. This was because of a new system by the FAI that looked at both on-field and off-field performance. Many fans and local newspapers called this decision unfair.
Despite this setback, Dundalk kept trying. In 2008, they finally won the First Division title and were promoted back to the Premier Division. This happened after a dramatic last day of the season.
Back in the Premier Division, Dundalk did well at first. They even qualified for the Europa League in 2010. They won their first European match in Oriel Park since 1991. However, money problems grew again, and the club's owner decided to sell. In 2012, the club was in danger of closing down. Luckily, local businessmen Andy Connolly and Paul Brown took over. They helped the club stay in the top league by winning a play-off game.
A Time of Many Trophies (2013–2019)
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With new owners, Stephen Kenny became the new manager. He rebuilt the team, bringing in new players who were not well-known. In 2013, Dundalk surprised everyone by finishing second in the league.
The next year, in 2014, Kenny led the club to win their first League title since 1995. They also won the League Cup, achieving their first "Double" (winning both the League and League Cup).
The 2015 season was amazing. Dundalk dominated, winning their third League and FAI Cup Double. They lost only one match all season. In 2016, they won their third league title in a row. That same year, Kenny's team made history in Europe. They became the first Irish team to earn a point and then win a match in the group stage of a European competition.
In 2017, Dundalk won the League Cup again. In 2018, American investors took over the club. Kenny's team continued their success, winning another League and Cup Double. This was their second Double under Kenny and the fourth in the club's history. After this great success, Stephen Kenny left to manage the Republic of Ireland U-21 team.
To keep the team strong, Vinny Perth, who had been Kenny's assistant, became the new Head Coach. He had immediate success in 2019, winning the President's Cup. Even though they were far behind early leaders Shamrock Rovers, Dundalk caught up and won their 14th league title. They also won the League Cup, getting another League and League Cup Double. They almost won a "Treble" (three major trophies), but lost in the FAI Cup Final. However, they finished the season by winning the first-ever Champions Cup against Linfield.
Changes and New Challenges (2020–present)
In 2020, a goal scored by Jordan Flores became very popular online. Soon after, the COVID-19 pandemic stopped football for a while. When the league restarted, Dundalk struggled. After losing in the Champions League qualifiers, manager Vinny Perth was replaced by Italian Filippo Giovagnoli.
Dundalk then entered the Europa League and did very well. They won several matches to qualify for the Europa League group stages! They played against big teams like Arsenal, Rapid Wien, and Molde. Dundalk scored in some of these matches but didn't win any points. They also received a fine because their interim coach didn't have the highest coaching license.
In the league, Dundalk finished third. But they had great success in the FAI Cup. They set a new club record with an 11–0 win in the semi-final. Then, they won the final against Shamrock Rovers in extra time, with David McMillan scoring three goals. This was their twelfth FAI Cup win.
The 2021 season started with another trophy, the President's Cup. However, after some losses, both the manager and coach left. Vinny Perth returned as head coach in June. Dundalk struggled in the league and in the new Europa Conference League. Before the season ended, the club was bought by local owners again.
In 2022, former captain Stephen O'Donnell became the new head coach. He led the team to a third-place finish, which meant they qualified for the Europa Conference League again. However, in 2023, they didn't do as well in Europe and finished in the middle of the league table.
At the end of 2023, the club had another new owner, Brian Ainscough. A difficult start to the 2024 season led to Stephen O'Donnell leaving. Noel King, a former player, was named manager but resigned after only 25 days due to health reasons.
Special Moments in Dundalk's History
The 2006 FAI Report
In 2006, the FAI used a new system to decide which teams would be in the top league. This system looked at how well clubs performed both on and off the field. Dundalk was rated well for off-field things but not as well for on-field results over the past five seasons. Because of this, they were not promoted to the Premier Division in 2007, even though they had won their play-off.
This decision made many Dundalk supporters very angry. One fan, who was very upset, went to the FAI's old office and protested. The situation ended peacefully when the club's manager spoke with the fan. The club's owner later said they were happy to move on. Interestingly, some of the clubs that were promoted ahead of Dundalk later faced serious financial problems.
Club Incidents (2009-2012)
The years between Dundalk's return to the Premier Division in 2009 and the ownership crisis in 2012 had some unusual events. For example, in 2009, a player was fired for an inappropriate action during a game. The club later had to pay him money after he won a case against them.
Another time, a former marketing manager also won a large sum of money from the club in a legal case. In 2010, a player named Neale Fenn asked to leave the club, saying he wanted to retire. However, he signed with another team just four days later! Dundalk got some satisfaction when they beat his new team 5–1 later that season.
Dispute Over Oriel Park
During Stephen Kenny's time as manager, there was a legal disagreement between the new owners of the club and the previous owner, Gerry Matthews. This was about the lease of Oriel Park, the club's home ground. The previous owner kept control of the ground lease and a Youth Development Centre. This meant the new owners couldn't do much more than basic repairs and the Youth Centre couldn't be used.
The previous owner wanted a large sum of money for the lease and the centre. This disagreement lasted for over three years. It was finally solved in early 2017, and the club got full control of Oriel Park again.
Images for kids
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President's Cup, FAI Cup, Leinster Senior Cup & League of Ireland Champions trophy on display in Oriel Park in 2015
