CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF NEW ROSS CELTIC
CLUB HAS MADE A NAME FOR ITSELF WITH BIG WINS OVER THE YEARS
NEW ROSS CELTIC AFC was originally formed in 1928 and has been at the forefront of Wexford soccer over the decades.
It wasn’t until 1967, when a major push by the people of New Ross to produce a winning and consistent formula created what would become the great club which is still in existence today, fifty years on.
The club has had numerous homes over the years: Fitzgerald’s Field; Wally Gannon’s Field; The Bosheen; Albatros and finally Butlersland.
It was disbanded by the end of the 1920’s. In the 1940’s, due to World War II, the club went through a similar phase. Having played in the early days in the Waterford League for some four years they then joined the Wexford League and has since won every honour in Wexford Football Leagues including Youths several times.
Since the inauguration of the Premier Division in 1982 the senior team has dominated from the very beginning and has won it no less than 16 times.
In that season not only did they win the Premier League but went on to join the cream of Irish junior soccer with arguably the club’s greatest achievement by winning the Leinster Junior Cup in a memorable final against Dingle United of Dublin, the only goal coming from Colm Ryan from a penalty in extra time.
The club’s proudest moment saw club captain, the late Ger St Ledger lifting the Leinster Junior Cup in Tolka Park. New Ross Celtic are the only Wexford team to have ever achieved this great honour.
As well as being the only Wexford team ever to have achieved the Leinster Junior Cup, the club also reached the final of the FAI Junior Cup in 1994 when they unfortunately lost out to a very strong Clonmel side in Tipperary town.
What will also be remembered is what has become known as ‘ The Donaghmeade Saga’, where after numerous games, replays and objections by Donaghmeade New Ross Celtic AFC eventually won the last game 2-0 to go forward to the next round.
Although the club was established in 1967, the schoolboys section came into existence in the early 1970’s when Fr. Jack McCabe asked Bobby Dunphy who was working with underage team in the Youth Centre to put a team together to enter into the Wexford League. This was the beginning of the New Ross Celtic schoolboys who have Bobby to thank for, for his hard work getting things off the ground at the start and his ongoing dedication for years to come.
Although the club started in the Wexford League, the schoolboys did for a time play in the Waterford League before making a return to the Wexford League again.
The club has evolved into its modern set-up, starting out with the Saturday club for boys and girls ages three to seven years old following onto boys U10s all the way to U18 and senior level.
Since 2014, thanks to Martin O’Sullivan,
Brendan Keane and Ger Feeney who were also involved with the schoolboys section, the club now has a schoolgirls section with U11, U12, U14 and U16 teams. This current season a total of 13 teams are playing in their respective leagues.
During the last decade New Ross Celtic AFC has been foremost in its efforts to benefit the New Ross sporting community.
Through its set-up over the years the club are proud of having players go on to play in the League of Ireland.
These include: Paul Cashin; Joe Brazil; Pat O’Neill; Paul Harrington, Tom Kielthy, Greg Bolger and Ryan Delaney.
Greg and Ryan are part of the Cork City team which have just been crowned 2017 SSE Airtricity League Champions.
Club spokesperson Anne St Ledger said: ‘We are also proud to say we have a former player, Thomas O’Connor, who is currently with Southampton in the English League. Added to that we had three players who were capped at junior level: Shane Roche; Michael Grangel and Paul Phelan.’
The club would like to pay a special mention to the fundraiser which was responsible for financing their own facilities, The New Ross Celtic Club Lotto.
‘We started the Lotto in the mid 1980’s to raise funds to purchase a home of our own. This was started and run by a dedicated group of club members including, but not limited to: Johnny Hosey; Dick Brazil; Richie Butler and the late Mary Butler; Anne St Ledger and the late Ger St Ledger; Kevin Lyng and Tony Rossiter. This also extended to ticket sellers, especially Pat O’Neill whose weekly sales were so high that it greatly contributed to the overall total. The weekly lotto draw on a Monday night was seen as an important event in the club which always brought members together with one goal in mind, to have a ground of our own.’
The hard work of all these people eventually paid off in the early 1990’s when the club was finally in a position to purchase the land which would become the home to the great facilities they can offer today. Development started over the following few years and the club eventually started playing in Butlersland in the late 1990’s.
‘Our Butlersland home now boasts two floodlit playing pitches; two floodlit astroturf pitches, fully kitted clubhouse and is ever expanding and improving to meet any future needs. All these would be useless without the tireless efforts of our wonderful groundsmen, especially Packie O’Neill.’
The club runs fundraising and social events throughout the year to give it the means to invest more and more into its facilities and offerings to the town of New Ross.
‘Over the years these have included events such as “Celebrity Wannabe”; Strictly Come Dancing; discos; race nights; “Last Man Standing” and various competitions and fundraising events.
The club would finally like to acknowledge and thank everyone throughout the years who have been involved in or played in a New Ross Celtic jersey, especially those not with us today.
‘We need to pay special mention to two people in particular. Firstly the late Mary Butler who not only washed every jersey for countless years and fed everyone at matches with her soup and sandwiches. Secondly, the late Ger St Ledger, who played, captained and managed at schoolboy and senior level while also throwing in a hand with the groundsmen every Sunday morning for years.’
Both Mary and Ger were instrumental in the starting and running of the club lotto.
‘We would like to apologise to anyone who we may have omitted in the above. New Ross Celtic is a community organisation and a family, run for and by the people of New Ross. Without the members, the club would not be celebrating this great milestone in our history. Also thanks to all who have sponsored our club over the last 50 years, those of which are to numerous to mention. “Hon The Celts!”’