Limavady United Football Club is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club playing in the NIFL Championship. The club comes from Limavady, County Londonderry, and plays home matches at the Showgrounds. Club colours are royal blue shirts with white trim, blue socks and royal blue shorts. Away colours are all yellow. The current manager is Paul Owens.

Limavady United
Full nameLimavady United Football & Athletic Club
Nickname(s)"The Roesiders"', '"The Lims"
Foundedc. 1955
GroundThe Showgrounds, Limavady
County Londonderry
Capacity1,500 (274 seated)
ManagerPaul Owens
LeagueNIFL Championship
2023–24NIFL Premier Intermediate League, 1st of 14 (champions; promoted)
WebsiteClub website

History

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There have been many football clubs in Limavady, dating back to 1880, when Alexander, a founding member of the Irish Football Association was formed by the Alexander Cricket Club. Alexander merged with another local club, Wanderers, in 1884 to form Limavady F.C.[1] Club historian David Brewster, however, dates the current Limavady club's formation to 1955.[2]

After a long time as a junior team, the club joined the senior Irish Football League in 1997–98, and reached its first Irish Cup semi-final in over a century in 2003–04. In 2008, the club lost its senior status when it failed to gain admission to the new IFA Premiership.

In April 2013, three players received suspensions after being found guilty of breaching IFA betting rules on one of the club's league matches.[3]

The club won the NIFL Championship 2 in the 2015–2016 season but were denied promotion to NIFL Championship 1 as they were unsuccessful in applying for a licence. However they were promoted as winners of the Premier Intermediate League in 2016–2017. They would be relegated at the end of the 2018/19 season.

Following a stay in the PIL, the club would make their NIFL Championship return following a 3–0 win away to Lisburn Distillery, also securing the league trophy.[4]

Carlos Tevez loan

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In September 2011, the club vice chairman David Brewster issued a fax to Manchester City, offering to take Argentinian International Carlos Tevez on loan after the player had refused to go on as a substitute in a UEFA Champions League fixture. The club offer suggested that they would ensure Tevez stayed match fit and would avoid being cup tied, but asked that City continued to pay his reported £200,000 per week wages, a figure higher than Limavady's entire turnover for a year.

The offer, although meant as tongue in cheek became global headline news with some news agencies believing the offer to be a serious one. The story gained the club brief worldwide recognition although Manchester City themselves did not respond.[5]

Current squad

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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK   NIR Richard Purcell
2 DF   NIR Aaron McLaughlin
3 DF   NIR Ryan Morrow
5 DF   NIR Tiarnan Boorman
7 MF   NIR Ryan Doherty
8 MF   NIR Stephen Lowry
10 FW   NIR Ian Parkhill
11 DF   NIR Lewis Tosh
12 DF   NIR Graham Crown
14 MF   NIR Connor McCloskey
16 MF   NIR Ruairi Boorman
17 MF   NIR John Butcher
18 FW   NIR Alex Pomeroy
No. Pos. Nation Player
19 DF   NIR Rodney Brown
20 FW   NIR Michael McCrudden
22 DF   NIR Andrew Whiteside
23 DF   NIR Jake Wallace
24 DF   NIR Adam Mullan
26 FW   NIR Joe McCready
30 DF   NIR Matthew Walker
31 GK   IRL Martin Gallagher
MF   NIR Dean Burke
FW   NIR Matthew Doherty
FW   NIR Matt Brown
DF   NIR Marcus O'Kane
DF   NIR Jack Mullan

Honours

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Former crest

Senior honours

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Intermediate honours

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Junior honours

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  • Irish Junior Cup: 1
    • 1963–64
  • North West City Cup: 2
    • 1960–61, 1966–67
  • North West Junior League: 1
    • 1968–69
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References

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  1. ^ Northern Whig, 8 December 1884; Belfast Newsletter, 12 October 1880
  2. ^ David Brewster (2017), Up the Lims, Chapter Five and 'Limavady United F.C. Family Tree'.
  3. ^ "Three Limavady United players banned over betting scandal". BBC Sport. 18 April 2013. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  4. ^ "Roesiders Sweep to Title Clinching Victory". NIFL Website. 23 April 2024. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  5. ^ "Limavady United's loan offer to Manchester City's Carlos Tevez". BBC News. 28 September 2011. Retrieved 19 April 2013.