Club with a cherished history first in Sligo to get FAI Club Mark
KILGLASS Enniscrone United Football Club is the first club in Sligo to be awarded the FAI Club Mark award which is a huge honour to our hard working committee, coaches and players.
Our goal has been to provide a safe environment in which to play soccer in west Sligo with the best facilities for coaches, players and fans to enjoy. As we look ahead, our aim is to develop Micheal McGowan Park for the surrounding communities for future generations.
Kilglass Enniscrone United Football Club was originally formed in 1978 as Enniscrone United FC and then amalgamated with Kilglass FC in 1998 to form the present club.
The Enniscrone United Team was started by a group of Enniscrone players who had played for Ballina Town in the Mayo League in the 1970s.
Enniscrone FC were accepted to play in the Mayo League in 1978 and the club had 18 successful years in the Mayo League. They also won two club competitions.
In 1993, the committee bought a piece of land in and had developed it into a new pitch.
The club raised funds to construct a clubhouse and stand. The grounds are named “Michael McGowan Park” in memory of former Club Chairman, Michael McGowan. The club was officially opened in 2003 by our good friends at Sligo Rovers who have maintained close ties with our members.
When the Mayo league changed over to a summer season in 1996, Enniscrone United moved to the Sligo Leitrim League.
The club’s youth development really took off when it joined the Sligo Leitrim Youths League.
We have competed from U11 level to U17 level and have enjoyed success over the years winning a number of titles including Sligo Leitrim Junior Soccer Premier League winners in 2005, and Division 1 winners in 2009.
In recent years, the club has put a lot of work into coaching youngsters from U6 up to U10 including both boys and girls. We have over 220 boys and girls in 2019 with 6 teams playing in the Sligo Leitrim league.
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson visited Micheal McGowan park in 2005 with Club Patron Joe Kennedy which was a huge honour for a grass roots club.
An FAI delegation visited the club in 2015 with Irish legend Ray Hougton who complimented our facility with the exclamation, “Now that’s a pitch!”.
In 2002, David O’Dowd joined Sligo Rovers from KEUFC youths and he went on to have a successful League of Ireland career with Rovers and later with Galway United.
Darragh Tuffy, another youth player from our club signed for English Premiership side Blackburn Rovers at the age of 15. Darragh also played for Republic of Ireland Under 15’s international team and remains as a coach for Blackburn Rovers to date.
The club’s development has continued over the years and our all-weather astro-pitch was opened in 2016.
In 2017 the club upgraded the access road and also had street lighting installed.
Plans are now in place to have the car parking area tarmacked.
Our stand has recently been upgraded and 134 seats have been installed.
The wheelchair accessible stand has been named the “Edward O’Dowd and Gerry Gilroy stand” in memory of two great club members who sadly passed away in recent years.
KEUFC also plays its part off the field with our volunteers helping out in various fundraising and other community groups and have raised funds for many worthy causes.
Indeed integrating our club within the community and other groups is of vital importance to our success and indeed our survival.
Our combined fundraiser Blotto with our local GAA club Enniscrone Kilglass has lead to us having one of the best grounds in the west of Ireland.
The club wishes to thank all sponsors, committee members, coaches and volunteers who have helped with the smooth running of the club and its teams and who have contributed greatly to the success that has been achieved over the years.
Finally we would like to thank our club secretary Pat McKeown who has been in this position since the foundation in 1978 and is a synonymous figure to our club who has dedicated so much to where KEUFC is today.