Kilcullen · Founded 2016
A young Kilcullen club moving quickly through Kildare football
St Anthony’s Youths FC is the Kilcullen club record, connecting KDUL underage football with the KDFL adult pathway and a home base at Kilcullen Community Centre Astro.
Club identity
St Anthony’s Youths FC
St Anthony’s Youths FC is a Kilcullen, County Kildare club founded in 2016. The badge identifies the club through a black shield, white bird, bridge arches, wave lines, purple detail and the Est 2016 mark.
The club first appeared through the Kildare & District Underage League before adding adult football in the Kildare & District Football League. KDFL and local press sources consistently place the club in Kilcullen, with the all weather pitch beside Kilcullen Community Centre as its home football setting.
The modern profile is unusually fast moving for a young club: underage football, academy activity, two senior outfits reported in local coverage, and a senior side that climbed the KDFL divisions before lifting the Premier Division Cup in 2025.
Home ground
Kilcullen Community Centre Astro
St Anthony’s Youths are based at Kilcullen Community Centre Astro, also listed in fixture records as Kilcullen All Weather. The pitch is the central venue for training, underage football and KDFL home matches attached to the club.
The venue sits in a shared community setting, so arrival details can depend on the age group, match organiser, booking schedule and fixture listing. Supporters and visiting teams should follow the current fixture for the exact pitch, kickoff time and competition venue.
Origins
From KDUL roots into adult football
The KDFL account of the July 2021 Manager of the Month award records that St Anthony’s Youths was formed in 2016, played its first seasons in the KDUL and then entered the adult ranks in Division 3 of the KDFL.
That same league note named Keith Powell and David Horgan as the management team and described player development in Kilcullen and surrounding areas as a central priority. It also placed the club in a strong early position, with a Division 2 playoff place reached during only its third year in adult football.
Local coverage in 2024 added more shape to that pathway, reporting an average senior squad age of about 20 to 21 and a steady movement of younger players into adult football.
Pathway
Academy, underage teams and senior football
St Anthony’s opened its first kids academy in 2021. By late 2024, the club was reported as catering for close to 100 members across two senior sides, two underage teams and an academy.
The strongest pathway detail from the published record is the connection between the Under 20 group and the senior panel. Local reporting said 11 players from the Under 20 group had joined the senior setup in 2024, including Tom Healy, who scored a hat trick in the Division 1 Cup final that season.
For families, the important practical point is year of birth. The KDUL and KDFL strands can involve different organisers, age groups and fixture sources, so parents should confirm the correct group, registration status, training night and coach contact through the club before attending.
| Football area | Published detail |
|---|---|
| Academy | First kids academy session noted by KDFL coverage in 2021. |
| Underage | KDUL connection in the club record, with local coverage also identifying underage teams. |
| Under 20 | Reported as an important bridge into the senior squad during the 2024 season. |
| Senior | KDFL adult football from Division 3 through Division 1 and into Premier Division competition. |
Rise through the leagues
Division 3 beginnings to Premier Division football
St Anthony’s entered the KDFL adult ranks in Division 3 and had already reached the Division 2 playoff conversation by 2021. The club then climbed into Division 1 and was pushing hard for further promotion during the 2024 season.
The 2024 campaign included a 13-match winning streak and a second consecutive Division 1 Cup win. Injuries checked the league title push late in the season, but the public record shows a side already looking beyond Division 1.
By 2025, St Anthony’s were in the Premier Division. Final Whistle match records and Kildare coverage list Premier Division matches at Kilcullen All Weather, including home league fixtures against clubs such as Kildare Town, Ballycane Celtic, Caragh Celtic, Mavida and Corban’s Celtic.
Cup honours
Three major cup seasons in a row
St Anthony’s won the Division 1 Cup in 2023, with Dean Conroy scoring the only goal of the final. The club retained the trophy in 2024, beating Naas United 4-3 after a seven-goal final that included a Tom Healy hat trick and a decisive late penalty from Rob Ryan.
The next step came in October 2025, when St Anthony’s defeated Kildare Town 2-0 in the Georgina Donnelly Premier Division Cup final. KDFL and Kildare Nationalist reports both record Ross Dowling Connor and Ross Cahill as the goalscorers.
That Premier Cup mattered because it arrived in the club’s first season at that level and denied Kildare Town a domestic double. For a club founded in 2016, it gives the Kilcullen page a clear senior football storyline as well as its youth pathway.
| Season | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2016 | Club formed in Kilcullen. |
| 2021 | KDFL note records adult progress from Division 3 and the start of the kids academy. |
| 2023 | Division 1 Cup won against Naas United. |
| 2024 | Division 1 Cup retained after a 4-3 final win over Naas United. |
| 2025 | Premier Division Cup won 2-0 against Kildare Town. |
Visitors
Before travelling to a St Anthony’s fixture
Use the latest league fixture for the final venue. Most club records point to Kilcullen Community Centre Astro or Kilcullen All Weather, but cup finals and some fixtures can be assigned to neutral or opposition grounds.
Players should bring footwear suited to the listed surface, shin guards, water and weather-ready clothing. For younger age groups, check whether the match is a KDUL fixture, a KDFL fixture or a club training session, because arrival times and meeting points can vary.
Sources
Official and league sources
KDFL clubs listing
KDFL Manager of the Month, July 2021
Kildare Nationalist club profile, 2024
KDFL Premier Cup final report, 2025
Kildare Nationalist Premier Division Cup report, 2025
Final Whistle St Anthony’s Youths FC team record
Current registrations, team contacts, fixtures and pitch assignments should be confirmed with St Anthony’s Youths FC, the KDUL or the KDFL before travelling.