CLUB HISTORY:
Newtown Football Club was founded in
1977 and entered the Clare Junior League. Its founder members Red Austin,
Jim Rocks, Tom Mc Dade (Senior) (RIP) and Donal Magee (Senior), all
originally hailed from Belfast. Jimmy is still involved in the club but
all the founder members have sons and grandsons all heavily involved at
present. We currently have two junior teams, a youth team and five
schoolboy’s teams. All work at the club is voluntary and our existence
depends on community support and on a small number of "behind the scenes"
people who work tirelessly to ensure that Newtown soccer continues to
thrive at all levels. Newtown is known throughout all soccer circles in
the country and province for its allegiance to the highest ideals and
standards – these being linked to its characteristics of fair play hard
training, honest commitment, team spirit and above all playing attractive,
attacking football.
Since the
club’s foundation in 1977 the club played on Shannon Development’s
property in Ballycasey with the bare essentials and without facilities to
supply water and electricity. Having decided to take the momentous
decision to purchase their own land the club committed to develop this
area to the highest standard and now boast the best pitches in Clare if
not the province. Our main objective was to develop good playing surfaces
to facilitate the young in Shannon and to encourage good quality soccer
throughout the season regardless of weather. Surfaces in Shannon must be
developed from scratch and the club was aware that a six-figure sum would
be required in order to develop the proper playing surfaces for pitches.
We were the first club in Clare to obtain the use of three playing pitches
and the first to erect proper dressing room facilities.
Newtown
started playing on these pitches in September 1998. Not one penny was
borrowed. The weekly club lotto paid out big jackpot prizes in the local
area as well as contributing handsomely to the grounds development. The
same familiar faces buy and sell tickets week in, week out. Without this
local grass root support our enterprise would have been a non-starter.
Local businesses also came on board to give a helping hand. Shannon Town
Commissioners, Clare County Council and the National Lottery also helped
with well-timed cash grants. Newtown had now come a long way. In 1982 club
records show its profits for that year were a handsome £32.
Phase 2
is now commencing and the club is again starting from scratch. The next
phase is to provide proper training facilities. Any new fundraising ideas
would be very welcome. Contact any committee member. Any overseas readers
who are interested in a BskyB type investment, please do not hesitate to
contact us!!!!!.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Although a relatively new club
the "A" team won its first premier league title in 1987 and that same
season they defeated League of Ireland opponents Limerick City (1-0) Two
years later they won the league and cup double and reached the quarter
finals of the Munster Junior Cup where they were narrowly defeated after a
replay. In 1992 Newtown made its mark at national level by reaching the
last 16 in the Junior Football’s blue ribbon national cup, the F.A.I.
Junior Cup (over 1000 teams originally entered). A year later incredibly
Newtown went one step further and reached the last eight in the country –
only to be defeated after a replay.
Newtown
can proudly boast having supplied both of Clare's Junior/Amateur
internationals in Paul Carr and David Wall, with the latter in the current
squad(2006).
