University College Dublin A.F.C. facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
UCD A.F.C

Full name	University College Dublin Association Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Students, College
Founded	1895; 130 years ago (1895) (as Catholic University Medical School)
Ground	UCD Bowl
Ground Capacity	3,000 (1,500 seated)
Manager	William O'Connor
League	League of Ireland First Division
2024	League of Ireland First Division, 2nd of 10
Home colours Away colours

University College Dublin Association Football Club, usually called UCD, is the football team for University College Dublin. They play in the League of Ireland First Division. The club started in 1895. They joined the League of Ireland in 1979. Since 2008, they have played at the UCD Bowl. This stadium is also home to the college's rugby team. 'The Students' wear bright sky blue and navy uniforms. Their other teams play in the Leinster Senior League. William O'Connor is their current manager.

Club History

How UCD AFC Started

UCD AFC began in 1895 as the Catholic University Medical School Football Club. They started playing games regularly the next year. Their main team played against other universities. A second team joined outside competitions. The club helped start the Leinster Junior League in 1896. They reached the semi-finals of the Leinster Senior Cup in 1897.

The club became University College Dublin AFC in 1908. This happened when the new university took over the Medical School. UCD won the first Intervarsities competition, the Collingwood Cup, in 1914. They also won the Irish Intermediate Cup in 1915. They beat Portadown 2–1 in a replayed final.

When the Irish Free State was formed in 1921, a new football group, the Football Association of Ireland, was created. UCD played in the FAI Cup against Shamrock Rovers, losing 6–2. UCD was asked to join the League of Ireland in 1922. However, they had to say no. This was because their academic year started in October, and they couldn't form a team for the League of Ireland Shield in September. In 1945, they won the FAI Intermediate Cup. They beat Cobh Ramblers 4–2 in the final.

Joining the League and European Adventures

In 1970, UCD joined the League of Ireland B Division. From 1976, they went on many trips to play football. They were the first Western football team to play in China. They also toured places like India, Hong Kong, and the United States.

On July 22, 1979, UCD was invited to join the League of Ireland again. This time, they said yes. Their first game as a senior club was on August 26, when they lost 2–1 to Drogheda United. Theo Dunne became the first team coach. He led the team until he retired in 2001. Dr. Tony O'Neill was the General Manager when the club joined the League. He stayed in that role until he passed away in 1999.

Success in the 1980s

This chart shows where University College Dublin finished in the League of Ireland each year.

At first, the club found it hard in the league. They never finished higher than twelfth place. But in December 1980, they won the Leinster Senior Cup. They beat St Patrick's Athletic 2–1 in the final.

Big changes happened in 1983. The club, which used to be amateur, became semi-professional. This meant players who were not students could also play for the first team. This is still mostly true today. By the end of the 1983–84 season, UCD won the FAI Cup. They beat Shamrock Rovers 2–1 after a replay.

Winning the FAI Cup meant UCD got to play in a European competition for the first time. This was the European Cup Winners Cup. They played against Everton, a very strong team from England. Everton had famous players like Neville Southall and Kevin Sheedy. The home game was played in Tolka Park. About 9,000 people watched UCD draw 0–0. Two weeks later, Everton won 1–0. UCD almost scored a goal that would have let them win on away goals. Everton went on to win the whole competition that year. UCD's performance was amazing because Everton was voted the best club team in the world for 1985.

After this, UCD had to let go of many of their best players because of money problems. They were moved down to a lower league in 1985–86. But in 1987, UCD won the World Collegiate Championships in New Mexico. They were promoted back to the Premier Division in 1988–89.

The 1990s and Early 2000s

In the 1999–2000 season, UCD finished fourth in the league. This meant they qualified for the Intertoto Cup. They played against a Bulgarian team called PFC Velbazhd Kyustendil. UCD drew 3–3 in the first game at Belfield Park. They then drew 0–0 in Bulgaria. They were knocked out because of the away goals rule.

In 2001, Paul Doolin became the new manager. The team did well at first. But in 2003, they were close to being moved down a league. Pete Mahon took over as manager. UCD almost made an amazing comeback, losing only four games out of 16.

In 2004, UCD was promoted back to the Premier Division easily. They reached the League Cup final in 2005. They lost 2–1 to Derry City. The 2006 season was one of UCD's best in years. They finished 6th in the league and reached the FAI Cup quarterfinals. Many UCD players were noticed by bigger clubs.

Recent Years (2009–Present)

After Pete Mahon left, Martin Russell became manager in 2009. UCD won their second First Division title. They were promoted back to the top league of Irish football. In 2011, the club played in the Setanta Sports Cup, an all-Ireland competition. They lost 2–0 over two games.

In 2014, Aaron Callaghan became the new coach. UCD had a tough year and were moved down to the First Division.

In July 2015, UCD made history. They became the first team from the second tier of the League of Ireland to win a European match. They beat F91 Dudelange, the champions of Luxembourg, in the Europa League. UCD won 1–0 at home. In the away game, they drew 2–2, meaning they won on away goals. In the next round, they lost to Slovan Bratislava.

In 2017, the club's youth team played in the UEFA Youth League. They lost on penalties to Molde FK, a team that included Erling Haaland.

In September 2018, UCD won promotion to the Premier Division again. They also reached the semi-finals of the FAI Cup. However, the 2019 season was very difficult. Many players left, and the team lost 12 games in a row. They were moved back to the First Division for 2020.

After finishing third in 2021, UCD won play-off games against Treaty United and Bray Wanderers. They then beat Waterford FC 2–1 to get promoted back to the 2022 League of Ireland Premier Division.

In the 2022 season, UCD fought hard to stay in the Premier Division. They won their first game of the season against Finn Harps. A strong finish to the season meant UCD finished 9th. They played Waterford FC again in a play-off game. A goal by Tommy Lonergan helped UCD win 1–0. This meant they stayed in the Premier Division. In 2023, UCD finished 10th and were moved down to the First Division.

Scholarship Program

UCD AFC is known for its scholarship program. This program allows players to play senior football while also getting a college degree. It started in 1979 when UCD joined the League of Ireland. The first player to get this award was Keith Dignam. Famous past scholars include Kevin Grogan, Joe Hanrahan, and Gary Dicker.

Famous Former Players

Many well-known players have played for UCD over the years. Todd Andrews, who later became a chairman of big companies, played for the club. His son, David Andrews, who became a Minister for Foreign Affairs, also played. Brian Lenihan, who later ran for President of Ireland, scored in a 1953 FAI Cup game.

Willie Browne played for UCD and later played for the Republic of Ireland national football team. Former Irish international Kevin Moran, who played for Manchester United, also played for UCD. Moran also won a Gaelic football medal with Dublin in 1976. Jason Sherlock did the same nineteen years later. Conor Sammon, Enda Stevens, and Andy Boyle also played for Ireland after starting at UCD.

Hugo MacNeill won the Collingwood Cup with UCD. He later played for the Ireland national rugby union team in rugby. In 1983, Leeds United legend Peter Lorimer played three games for UCD. Dave Norman played for Canada while at UCD. He played in the 1986 World Cup.

Gavin Whelan and Pat Jennings (son of the famous Northern Irish goalkeeper) played for UCD in the 2000s. In 2016, Dylan Watts signed for English champions Leicester City from UCD.

There is a popular story that Brazilian star Sócrates played for the club, but there is no proof of this.

Fan Culture

UCD has a small group of fans. One famous fan was Dermot Morgan, an actor from the TV show Father Ted. He sometimes visited Belfield to watch games. When asked why he went to UCD matches, Dermot reportedly said, "Because I hate crowds."

From 2001 to 2010, an unofficial club magazine called Student Till I Graduate published 91 issues. A book called One Night in Dudelange – Adventures in the UEFA Europa League tells the story of the club's 2015 Europa League journey.

The UCD Superleague is a league for teams mostly made up of UCD students and former students. Some players from this league have gone on to play for UCD and other League of Ireland teams.

European Record

Overview of European Matches

European Matches Played

Senior Team

Season	Competition	Round	Opponent	Home Score	Away Score	Total Score
1984–85	European Cup Winners' Cup	First Round	Everton	0–0	0–1	0–1
2000	UEFA Intertoto Cup	First Round	Velbazhd Kyustendil	3–3	0–0	3–3 (away goals)
2015–16	UEFA Europa League	First Qualifying Round	F91 Dudelange	1–0	1–2	2–2 (away goals)
		Second Qualifying Round	Slovan Bratislava	1–5	0–1	1–6

Youth Team

Season	Competition	Round	Opponent	Home Score	Away Score	Total Score
2017–18	UEFA Youth League	First Round	Molde	2–1	1–2	3–3 (penalties)
2024–25	UEFA Youth League	First Round	Stjarnan	3–0	2–3	5–3
		Second Round	2 Korriku	1–3	1–2	2–5

Notes

• 1R: First round
• 1Q: First qualifying round

Players

Current Team Squad

No. Position Player 3 DF Adam Wells 4 DF Eanna Clancy 5 DF Carl Lennox 6 MF Sean Brennan 7 MF Mikey McCullagh 8 MF Ronan Finn (Captain) 9 FW Mikey Ragett 10 MF Ciaran Behan 11 MF Brian McManus 12 FW Matthew Alonge 14 DF Harry Curtis

No. Position Player 15 DF Ethan Hall 16 GK Dara Kavanagh 17 FW Killian Cailloce 18 DF Niall Holohan 19 MF Colin Bolton 22 FW Sam Norval 23 MF Ryan McBrearty 24 MF Adam Verdon 26 MF Luke O'Regan 28 GK Noah Douglas 29 FW Jake Doyle

Well-Known Former Players

This list does not include current players. Some players played in more than one decade, but they are listed by when they first played for UCD.

Current Coaching Staff

Club Achievements

First Team

• FAI Cup: 1
  • 1983–84
• FAI Super Cup: 1
  • 2000–01
• League of Ireland First Division: 3
  • 1994–95, 2009, 2018
• League of Ireland First Division Shield: 2
  • 1991–92, 1994–95
• Leinster Senior Cup: 3
  • 1980–81, 1994–95, 1995–96
• FAI Intermediate Cup: 1
  • 1944–45
• Irish Intermediate Cup: 1
  • 1914–15

Reserve Team

• League of Ireland B Division: 1
  • 1997–98
• A Championship: 2
  • 2008, 2010

Youth Team

• Dr Tony O'Neill Cup: 5
  • 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2016
• Enda McGuill Cup: 1
  • 2014–15

Intervarsity (University Competitions)

• Collingwood Cup: 47
  • 1914,1921, 1922, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1930, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1941, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1956, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1969, 1972, 1973, 1976, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2022 [Collingwood Cup Brochure]
• Harding Cup: 17
  • 1971, 1974, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1987, 1991, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2016
• Farquhar Cup: 1
  • 2012

Club Records

Most Games Played for UCD AFC

(Players in bold are still playing for UCD)

#	Name	Years Played	Games Played
1	Ciarán Kavanagh	1990–2002	383
2	Tony McDonnell	1993–2007	361
3	Alan Mahon	1997–2008	306
4	Alan McNally	1999–2009	275
5	Robbie Griffin	1990–1998, 2003	265
6	Mick O'Byrne	1993–2001	254
7	Éamonn McLoughlin	1994–2001	249
	Darren O'Brien	1986–1997	249
9	Mick O'Donnell	1995–2005	240
10	Robert McAuley	1997–2005	237

Most Goals Scored for UCD AFC

(Players in bold are still playing for UCD)

#	Name	Years Played	Goals
1	Mick O'Byrne	1993–2000	87
2	Darren O'Brien	1986–1997	70
3	Robbie Griffin	1990–1998, 2003	52
4	Robbie Martin	2000–2005	43
5	Colm Whelan	2020-2022	41
6	David McMillan	2008–2010, 2012–2013	40
6	Gary O'Neill	2015–2019	40
8	Jason Sherlock	1994–1998	39
8	Georgie Kelly	2016–2018	39
10	Yoyo Mahdy	2017–2020	36

Biggest Wins

Biggest Losses

Highest Scoring Games (Combined Score)

UCD AFC Fans' Player of the Year

Season	Winner
1999–00	Ciarán Martyn
2000–01	Clive Delaney
2001–02	Barry Ryan
2002–03	Barry Ryan
2003	Mick O'Donnell
2004	Seán Finn
2005	Darren Quigley
2006	Tony McDonnell
2007	Conan Byrne
2009	Evan McMillan
2010	Ciarán Kilduff
2011	Gerard Barron
2012	Michael Leahy
2013	David O'Connor
2014	Robbie Benson
2015	Ryan Swan
2016	Maxi Kougoun
2017	Georgie Kelly

Managers

• Ronnie Nolan (–1979)
• Dr Tony O'Neill (1979–83)
• Dermot Keely (1983 Player manager July–November)
• Theo Dunne (1983–90)
• Dr Tony O'Neill (1990–94) General Manager 1979–1999
• Theo Dunne (1994–99)
• Martin Moran (1999–2001)
• Paul Doolin (2001–03)
• Pete Mahon (Sept 15, 2003–Jan 12, 2009)
• Martin Russell (13 Jan 2009 – Oct 2013)
• Aaron Callaghan (November 2013-October 2014)
• Collie O'Neill (2015–August 2019)
• Maciej Tarnogrodzki (August 2019–December 2019)
• Andy Myler (2020-)

See also

In Spanish: University College Dublin Association Football Club para niños