The Early Days
It was a gorgeous sunny day in Tallaght when nine of us gathered for a friendly game of footie. Little did we know how knackered we were going to be the next day but also little did we know how big the group would become too. The numbers gradually grew but things really took off when the Dublin Pride sports day took place in the Phoenix park. As the numbers swelled we moved the weekly kick about to the Fifteen Acres sports fields in the Phoenix Park. We had jokingly refered to ourselves as Men United GFC and some how the name stuck and was how we were known for the first year of ur existance. The club was formed the 24th of April 2005. The novel idea of having a gay football team in Dublin was first developed by Mark O'Donovan who was the main driver of the formation of the club and was the club's first Chairman.
Whats it all about?
The group is mainly about having fun playing football but there is an element of competition when we play other teams. We do have training and people have noticed huge improvements with their ball control and fitness levels. We want to have fun but always give 100% in competitions. We have also worked to finalise a formal structure around the club including a written constitution, a governance structure and player's insurance. These elements are all in place now.
The Name Change
Whilst Men United GFC was a fun name which reflected perhaps which club some of our members support, we decided in early 2006 to change our name to Dublin Devils FC in order to give us a unique identity which is important when playing teams, especially in tournaments abroad.
Highlights of Our First Year
It was a great year and we have had many events to choose from like the Table Quiz in Gubu (Thanks Francis!), the Dublin and Manchester Pride Sports Day, the Tournament in London but we had two events in particular which were very special. Our first international friendly match with the London Leftfooters in Dublin and representing Ireland in the Gay Games 2006 in Chicago!!
Exciting Times!
Since then, in the summer of 2007 The Devils sent a team to Argentina to compete in the IGLFA World Championship, competing against teams from all over the world. We have entered a gruelling winter league, playing together through cold wind and rain. We took part in the IGLFA World Championships in London in August 2008, making it to the Quarter-finals and being knocked out by the eventual winners. We are currently taking part in the Astro Winter league every Thursday night.
Looking Ahead!
In Ireland, we hope to one day to have a team in Cork, Belfast and Limerick and form an Irish league. We would be delighted to hear from people interested in setting up a team! We have also recently began to liase with GLEN and SARI to combat the issue of homophobia in football. Exciting times!