Ballynanty Rovers AFC

  • Ballynanty Rovers F.C. 810 x 456

Formed in 1955, Ballynanty Rovers AFC is a Schoolboy/girl and Junior Soccer Club based on Limerick’s Northside.

Ballynanty Rovers AFC was founded in 1955 when the newly developed housing estate of Ballynanty Beg on the north side of Limerick city came into being and with a sizable youth population looking for recreational activities it was the far-sightedness of five or six 15 year olds who got together to form the now nationally famous football club.

The fledgling club was very fortunate to garnish support from their immediate area and over time spread their appeal throughout the North side of the city and to this day the fantastic “Balla” support is vital in the success of the club and was nor never will be underestimated.

It didn’t take long for Ballynanty Rovers to taste success in junior football when after only two years since our entry we won the area final of the FAI (Cromer Cup), quite an achievement for a relatively new club and the following year were crowned league champions in a very competitive local league in Limerick.

Ballynanty Rovers were already making waves on the national scene when in 1957 got to the quarter finals of the FAI junior cup only to be beaten by eventual winners Virginians of Dublin by 3 goals to 2. The same year our youth team unluckily lost out to Glasheen of Cork by a score line of 4-3 in the final of the Munster Youth Cup.

Ballynanty had success at nearly all grades, schoolboy and junior in the intervening years but had our first provincial success in the 1963-64 season when we won the Munster Youth Cup.

Our finest hour came in 1975 when we won the FAI youth cup by defeating Wembley of Cork by 2 goals to nil after securing the youth league the same year.

The following year our junior team reached the final of the FAI Junior cup only to go down to Whitehall Rangers of Dublin 2-0. That team played 50 games that year reaching 6 finals and winning two.

In 1981-82, Balla won the Munster Junior Cup winning a replay with Cork side Casement Celtic adding the trophy to the league and Lawson cups the same year.

The following year we got to the final of the FAI junior cup for the second time and after a 1-1 draw with St. Francis of Dublin in Tolka Park lost the replay in Jackman Park 3-1.

In 1985, a very successful youth side won almost everything locally and lost out to Home Farm in the final of the FAI Youth cup.

We haven’t had that level of success in the immediate years that followed but in the 2000’s we have won two league titles and runners up in the Munster Junior Cup no less than three times.

In reaching the FAI Junior cup final in 2014, we bridged a gap of 31 years since our last appearance… long overdue!

In July 2018, Ballynanty Rovers purchased a home ground at Bateman Park, which they we had previously leased for the past 40 years.

Location
Limerick City
Address

Ballynanty, Limerick

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Treaty Stone Limerick. Photo Piotr Machowczyk