Waterford

Waterford Football Club (Irish: Cumann Peile Phort Lairge) is an Irish association football club based in Waterford. The club finished top of the 2017 League of Ireland First Division, winning promotion to the 2018 League of Ireland Premier Division. The club was founded and elected to the league in 1930. Originally the club was based at the greyhound stadium known as Kilcohan Park, but has now moved to the Waterford Regional Sports Centre.

History

Waterford FC 1930–1982

Waterford first participated in the league in the 1930–31 season finishing ninth and again from 1931–32 before dropping out of the league for two seasons. Waterford re-entered the league in the 1935–36 season along with Sligo Rovers. Waterford won the Shield in their first season.

Waterford won the FAI cup for the first time in their history in 1937 beating St. James Gate and also won the Shield.

The club were league runners up in 1937–38 season and again in the 1940–41 season. Both Waterford and League winners Cork United finished on equal points but Cork were awarded the title as Waterford were unable to compete in the play-off due to a dispute regarding payment to players. At the end of the campaign, the original Waterford resigned from the League of Ireland, only for a new entity, with the same name, to be elected in, for 1944–45 season. Waterford won the Shield again in the 1952–53 season and were again runners-up in the League this time to St. Patrick's Athletic in the 1954–55 season and again in the 1962–63 season.

The club eventually won the league title for the first time in the 1965–66 season, (under manager Paddy Coad) setting a then league record of 13 straight league victories. The 1965/66 title was the beginning of a hugely successful spell for the club domestically. The following season they played in the preliminary round of the Champions cup against Vorwarts Berlin, an East German and Army side, losing 6–1 at Dalymount Park and 6–0 in East Berlin. This page also has a version in other languages :  Уотерфорд (russian)