Castle Villa FC Celebrate 40 Years

In a small village, called Castledermot, in Ireland you will find a soccer team that is built around tradition and Success; Castle Villa FC. Founded in 1969 by Walter Brooks, the team celebrated its 40th year in existence last October. In that time, the club has won many Dublin leagues, and in recent times has been one of the more dominant teams in the Kildare and district league. There was also a very famous Leinster Cup win in the early 90's. I can also say from experience that the under age system at Vila is extremely strong, and continues to feed great players through to senior level.

Mullarney Park, the name of the home field, has evolved over the past few seasons, with the addition of 2 astro-turf pitches and an extension to the locker rooms. In 2002, the club installed a drainage system underneath the pitch that has been very benificial in accordance with Irish weather patterns! There are not many teams that have seen stability like Castle Villa, due to the fact that there is a very dedicated board of directors, who have kept the team afloat in difficult times. This is, of course, unseen to the outside world! Year over year they have continued to be one of the more competitive teams in Leinster.Currently, the team is managed by Liam Murphy, with Anthony Lawler acting as club captain. Last season, the league transitioned to Summer soccer, with Villa winning in style, going unbeaten throughout.

I was lucky enough to grow up supporting Castle Villa, and got to go to games weekly to watch my Dad (Speedy Byrne) play right back for over a decade. I then went on to play school boys, and represent the team at senior level. During that time, putting on a Villa jersey was an honor, and it should still be considered a privilege to wear the team colors. While I was home for Christmas, I took a few snapshots of the facilities from the outside.