Limerick F.C.

Foundation and early years

Limerick got its first taste of senior soccer in the early 1930s when the Limerick District Management Committee (LDMC) arranged a number of friendly matches between senior clubs such as Waterford F.C. and Bray and a local junior selection. The success of these fixtures prompted the LDMC to form a senior side and attempt to gain entry to the Free State League. Their application was accepted in June 1937 and a Limerick senior team replaced Dolphin who had withdrawn from the league. On 19 July 1937, a new, private company, Limerick Association Football and Sports Co. Ltd, was registered. On 22 August 1937, Limerick played its first match. It was against Shamrock Rovers in the Dublin City Cup, a prominent competition that ran from the 1930s to the 1970s, and won 1–0. They ended the 1937–38 season in 10th place out of 12 teams, but managed to capture their first trophy when they beat Cork United 1–0 in the replayed final of the Munster Senior Cup at the Markets Field. During those early seasons, Limerick lined out in red-and-white striped jerseys and white shorts. When Waterford resigned from the league in 1941, the club purchased their blue jerseys and would wear blue and white for the next 40 years. The 1940s saw Limerick make some big improvements on the playing field and they were twice runners-up in the League of Ireland (1943–44 and 1944–45), were beaten in two FAI Cup semi-finals (1942–43 and 1946–47) and were runners-up in the League of…

League of Ireland: 2 1959–60, 1979–80 FAI Cup: 2 1970–71, 1981–82 League of Ireland Cup: 3 1975–76, 1992–93, 2001–02 League of Ireland First Division: 3 1991–92, 2012, 2016 League of Ireland Shield: 2 1953–54, 1983–84 Dublin City Cup: 2 1958–59, 1969–70 Munster Senior League: 1 1985–86 Munster Senior Cup: 13 1937–38, 1948–49, 1953–54, 1958–59, 1962–63, 1976–77, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1988–89, 1994–95, 2005–06, 2011–12, 2014–15

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