In this week’s Kildare Nationalist we carry a profile of Kilcock Celtic Football Club.
By Neil Jordan
HISTORY
FOUNDED as Courtown Rangers in 1970 the club was renamed Kilcock Celtic in 1975. It originally participated in the Amateur Football League (AFL) with the most memorable moment being the Division 2A title win in 1986/87.
Men’s First Team captain, Michael Brown, receiving a sponsored set of jerseys from Ray The Barber, Kilcock
In 1994 when the Kildare & District Football League (KDFL) was established the club joined as a founding member. With the growth in the town’s population the club re-established an underage section to compete in the Kildare & District Underage League (KDUL) in 2000.
Celtic won its first trophy in KDFL following its move from the AFL when it won the Division 1-2 Shield in 2004. More success followed with the club winning the Division 1 Cup in 2006 and 2007.
Kilcock Celtic won promotion to the top division in the KDFL for the first time in 2021.
In 2022, Kilcock Celtic entered the Leinster Senior League (LSL) for the first time with the teams competing in LSL Premier 1 Sunday and LSL Premier 1 Saturday.
Off the pitch, so to speak, in a landmark moment in 2010 the club agreed a lease with Kildare County Council and developed a grass pitch and training finally providing the club with a proper home. Further developments in recent years include a new training pitch and all-weather pitch which opened in 2020. These developments would not have been possible without the help of the local community who helped fundraise and James McArdle who donated the pitch surface.
Today the club has surpassed over 700 members and with the FIFA Women’s World Cup on the horizon next Summer Kilcock Celtic hopes that they will see a further bounce in the number of players wanting to play football.
Women and Girls Football
Kilcock Celtic FC rejuvenated girls’ football at the Club some seven years ago under the guidance of Ger Lynch, supported by club officials in particular Martin ‘Bruno’ Byrne. Having an excellent astro pitch with committed FAI qualified girls’ coaches has led to approximately 130 girls training at the club making it one of the largest clubs in Kildare.
Senior women’s team manager, Sharon Reilly, receiving a sponsored set of jerseys from local business YoGra Yoga
Improved development of girls’ football has led to success in competitions – KDUL Runner Up U13 in 2021 and 2022, Runner Up KDUL U13 Cup and Winner KDUL U15 Cup in 2022.
The improvement of the girls’ football setup has led to a number of the club’s players been selected for KDUL Gaynor Cup and Inter-League teams in the last three years as well as ETP and international trials.
As the Irish women’s team goes from strength to strength so too the girls’ teams at Kilcock Celtic FC.
At senior level the club entered a new senior team into the Eastern Women’s Football League (EWFL) in 2022. The club looks forward to the teams second season competing in the league in 2023 and the squad growing and expanding with ambitions to bring back some silverware to the club next season. New players are always welcome
Men’s And Boys’ Football
Kilcock Celtic now has over 20 underage boys’ teams from academy all the way up to and including U15 currently competing in the KDUL with new players joining all the time.
The club also have infinity football and football for all and it hopes to cater for everyone who wants to play football. Even “older” players are catered for with two Over 35 teams playing in the KDFL.
In 2022, the club restructured at senior level with two senior teams now competing in the Leinster Senior League (LSL) for the first time in the club’s history whilst continuing an affiliation with the Leinster Football League where the U21 side compete.
In the first year of this new project, the two sides have been competitive in their respective divisions on Saturday and Sunday with the Sunday team taking a huge scalp before Christmas by defeating former League of Ireland side St James Gate 4-1 in the first round of the LSL Polikoff Cup.
The hope is over the coming years that the club will consolidate and progress in the junior ranks of the LSL with the eventual aim to become an intermediate club in the future
Sponsorship
Kilcock Celtic are a community-based football club that relies on the generosity of its members and local business for support.
The club is always extremely grateful for any sponsorship received. Anyone interested in getting involved can reach the club via their social media channels or at [email protected]
Upcoming U21 Fixture:
Leinster Football League Macron Sportswear Sheeran Cup Round 1
Kilcock Celtic (u21B) v Celbridge Town (u19), Bawnogues, Friday 6 January, 7.30pm
