Galway United History

Galway Rovers were founded in 1937 and competed at junior level. 1976 saw their first go at senior football when they took part in the FAI League Cup. A year later in 1977 they joined the League of Ireland and played their first ever senior league game on 28th August when they played St. Patrick's Athletic in Terryland Park.

It was a big step up for the club from local junior football to national senior competition and the early years were hard going. However within a few years they improved , and reached their first cup final in 1981. That was the League Cup which they lost to Dundalk on penalties.

Later in 1981 it was decided to change the name of the club to Galway United, the name by which it's still known.

United reached the final of the FAI Cup for the first time in 1985. They lost that game 1-0 to Shamrock Rovers, but as the Dublin side also won the League that year, United qualified for the European Cup Winners Cup. They played Lyngby of Denmark and despite a good performance they lost 4-2 on aggregate.

The next season 1985-86 saw United record their best ever league finish, when they were runners-up to Shamrock Rovers. That qualified United to play in Europe for the second year in a row. This time they'd qualified for the UEFA Cup. Earlier in the season they had won their first senior competition when they beat Dundalk 2-0 to win the League Cup. In the UEFA Cup the met Gronigen of Holland but lost 8-2 over two games.

The next significant event for Galway United was winning the FAI Cup for the first, and to date, the only time, in 1991. In the final they beat Shamrock Rovers by the same score line that they'd lost to them in the 1985 final. Johnny Glynn scored the goal. Winning qualified United for the European Cup Winners Cup again, and as on the previous occassion, they met Danish opposition. This time it was Odense, but United lost 7-0.

On those far away days when Galway United played in Europe, Terryland Park wasn't up to the standard required of a ground to host a European game. They played those games on other grounds. They played Lyngby in the Sportsground in Galway, Gronigen in Carraroe, and the game against Odense was played in Ballinderreen.

The high of winning the FAI Cup in 1991 was followed by the low of relegation to the first division for the first time in the 1991-92 season. It was but a fleeting visit as the won that league on the first time of asking. The also won the First Division Shield that season. They returned to the premier division in style, finishing third on their first season back.

The first season back in the premier division was 1993-94. United moved out of Terryland Park that season and played instead in Crowley Park which is the home of Galwegians Rugby Club. Terryland Park was being renovated. Galway United moves back home to Terryland Park in October 1994.

In 1996 after being three seasons back in the premier division, United were relegated again. On their return to the first division, they won the First Division Shield, and they also beat Cork City to win the League Cup. They were winning both trophies for the second time.

It took United three attempts to get promoted for the second time, seeing them back in the premier division in 1999. They reached the semi-final of the FAI Cup in 1999 and again in 2000. However their stay in the top league only lasted the same length as their last visit. They were relegated for a third time in 2002.

This time they found it harder to regain their top league status. They were only back in the premier division for the 2007 season. They'd failed to win promotion this time but were invited to participate in the top division of a new league being set up that year. The FAI had taken over the running of the league from the clubs themselves and invited Galway United into the top division.

Galway United have been in the premier division since and and arel participating for the fifth straight season in 2011. In 2008, United qualified for the semi-final of both the FAI Cup and the League Cup both lost both games to Derry City.

By 2010 the club was having financial problems. The Board were no longer able to generate enough money to keep the club viable. They had to turn to the Galway United Supporters Trust for help. GUST are a supporters group who are in existence for about a decade, and have given financial support to the club through various forms of fund raising. GUST provided most of the finance that got the club to the end of 2010. Prior to the start of the 2011 season GUST took over the day to day running of the club.

In order to return the club to financial viability GUST have launched the Maroon Army Scheme. People who join the Maroon Army agree to make a small monthly contribution to the club. The members of the scheme are entered to a members only draw for cash prizes. It is hoped that the initiative will make the club financially stable and competitive on the football field.