Kilcock Celtic at the heart of the town
Kilcock Celtic connects its 1970 roots, Bawnogues facilities, green and white identity, academy entry point, broad player pathway and volunteer structure in County Kildare football.
Kilcock Celtic in Kilcock
Kilcock Celtic FC is a green, white and black football club from Kilcock, County Kildare. The club dates to 1970 and has grown into a large community football organisation based around Bawnogues in the town.
The modern club combines academy football, boys and girls teams, adult men, masters football, inclusive football activity, coach education and facility development. That makes Kilcock Celtic one of the main football anchors for families on the Kildare and Meath border.
Origins in 1970
The club began in 1970 after a local challenge match against Leaf United helped spark the idea of forming a Kilcock football side. The first identity was Courtown Rangers, with early goals set up near what is now part of the wider Bawnogues and community centre area.
The first committee included chairman Paddy Corscadden, secretary Martin Byrne and treasurer Pascal Prior. Steve Lambert became player manager, while founding member Martin Byrne remained closely associated with the story of the club through its first fifty years.
| Origin point | Kilcock detail |
|---|---|
| First season roots | A town football side grew from a friendly match involving Leaf United. |
| First name | Courtown Rangers. |
| First committee | Paddy Corscadden, Martin Byrne and Pascal Prior held the first chairman, secretary and treasurer roles. |
| Early football | The club entered the Amateur Football League and began in Division 5. |
From Courtown Rangers to Kilcock Celtic
The underage section started in 1975, and the club changed its name to Kilcock Celtic. That change connected the growing youth structure with the senior football group and gave the club the identity still used around Kilcock today.
During the late 1970s and early 1980s, the underage sides began to build momentum in the Catholic Youth Council League. A steady route from school age football into senior teams became one of the first signs that the club could last beyond its original adult group.
Early fundraising and local effort
The first years depended heavily on membership, local fundraising and volunteer work. The club had to cover goals, jerseys, entry fees, insurance and transport while still building the habits needed to run regular football.
Bingo, summer five a side and seven a side events, poker nights and race nights all helped keep the football running. Those early fundraising habits still explain much of the club culture: Kilcock Celtic grew because local people kept finding practical ways to support teams.
League journey
Kilcock Celtic spent twenty four years in the Amateur Football League before becoming a founding member of the Kildare Football League in 1994. The move brought the club into the Kildare football structure and gave the adult sides a new competitive home.
The senior team won its first senior league in the 1986 to 1987 season. Later, Kilcock Celtic won the Division 1 and 2 Shield in 2004, Division 1 Cup honours in 2006 and 2007, and second team cup and promotion success in 2010 and 2011.
| Football route | Milestone |
|---|---|
| Amateur Football League | The club competed there for twenty four years. |
| First senior league | Division 2A title in the 1986 to 1987 season. |
| Kildare Football League | Founding member from 1994. |
| Kildare honours | Division 1 and 2 Shield in 2004, Division 1 Cup in 2006 and 2007, plus second team cup and promotion milestones. |
Bawnogues home
Bawnogues is the main Kilcock Celtic football base. The ground is associated with grass football space, a training area, a full size all weather pitch and the wider community facilities around Kilcock.
The club agreed a lease with Kildare County Council in 2010. A grass pitch and training area opened in 2011, and the full size all weather pitch followed as a major facility step for training, matches and year round activity.
| Venue detail | Kilcock use |
|---|---|
| Ground area | Bawnogues, Kilcock, County Kildare. |
| Facilities | Grass pitch space, training area and full size all weather pitch. |
| Lease step | Agreement with Kildare County Council in 2010. |
| Pitch opening | Grass pitch and training area opened in 2011. |
Academy and underage pathway
The academy starts with young players at ages 4, 5 and 6, giving children a first football setting before they move into age group squads. The wider pathway has included teams from under 7 to under 18, with school age football forming one of the strongest parts of the club.
The underage section was rebuilt in 2000 by Joe O Dowd and Pat O Muircheartaigh for the Kildare District Underage League. Since then, Kilcock Celtic has become a broad family club with boys teams, girls teams, academy groups and older youth squads.
| Pathway area | Kilcock detail |
|---|---|
| Academy entry | Ages 4, 5 and 6. |
| School age range | Teams have covered under 7 to under 18 football. |
| Underage rebuild | Joe O Dowd and Pat O Muircheartaigh restarted the underage section in 2000. |
| Underage league route | Kildare District Underage League football. |
Scale of the club
Kilcock Celtic has described a player base of more than 600, spread across 27 teams from academy football to over 35 groups. The club has also had more than 80 coaches and more than 20 committee members involved across its main committees.
That scale means the club needs more than match day volunteers. It needs coaches, administrators, welfare leads, finance support, facility planning, parent communication and football committee work to keep the pathway organised.
| Club area | Scale |
|---|---|
| Players | More than 600 players across the club structure. |
| Teams | 27 teams from academy football to over 35 groups. |
| Coaches | More than 80 coaches involved. |
| Committees | More than 20 committee members across executive, finance and football structures. |
Girls, ladies and inclusive football
Girls football has become a major part of the Kilcock Celtic pathway. The club has moved from the first girls teams into a wider female football route, with strong growth in girls and ladies football noted alongside academy and boys development.
Kilcock Celtic has also developed inclusive football activity through Football for All, Infinity Football, Jumpers For Goalposts, Disney Programme activity and transition year student involvement. Those projects show a club trying to make football available to more children and families.
| Participation area | Kilcock route |
|---|---|
| Girls pathway | Girls teams sit inside the wider school age route. |
| Ladies football | Female football growth is part of the modern club plan. |
| Inclusive football | Football for All and Infinity Football have been part of club activity. |
| Community projects | Jumpers For Goalposts, Disney Programme activity and transition year student projects have added wider participation routes. |
Coach support
Kilcock Celtic actively looks for coaches as the club grows. New and experienced coaches are welcomed, with football committee guidance through Garda vetting, safeguarding and the first steps into team support.
Coach education includes player development courses such as PDP 1, PDP 2 and PDP 3 when needed. The club has also used professional coach support from Eoghan O Meara and Brendan Rooney, plus session planning help and access to the all weather pitch for training.
| Coaching area | Support |
|---|---|
| Coach entry | Open to new and experienced volunteers. |
| Safeguarding route | Football committee guidance with Garda vetting and safeguarding. |
| Coach education | PDP 1, PDP 2, PDP 3 and other course support when needed. |
| Training help | Professional coach support and prepared session plans. |
Affiliations and football routes
Kilcock Celtic connects into several football routes. The coach information identifies links with the Kildare District Underage League, Kildare District Football League, Leinster Football League, Eastern Womens Football League and Leinster Senior League.
This mix matters for players because the club has teams at different ages and levels. A child can start in academy football, move into school age squads, and later see adult, masters or senior pathways within the same green and white club.
| Route | Full name |
|---|---|
| KDUL | Kildare District Underage League. |
| KDFL | Kildare District Football League. |
| LFL | Leinster Football League. |
| EWFL | Eastern Womens Football League. |
| LSL | Leinster Senior League. |
Safeguarding and standards
The club handbook places strong emphasis on safe, enjoyable football. Coaches and volunteers are expected to complete Garda vetting and safeguarding before working with children or vulnerable people in football.
Kilcock Celtic also sets out expectations for respectful coaching, parent behaviour, player support, communication, event approval and committee oversight. The aim is to protect children while keeping football encouraging and well organised.
| Standard | Club practice |
|---|---|
| Garda vetting | Required for those working with children or vulnerable people in football. |
| Safeguarding | Safeguarding certificates are part of the coach and volunteer process. |
| Behaviour | Respectful communication with players, match officials and spectators is expected. |
| Event control | Special events and fundraising activity go through committee approval. |
Club values
Kilcock Celtic presents itself as a club where everyone who wants to play football is welcome, regardless of race, religion, gender or ability level. That value sits beside the aim of helping players improve skills, confidence and love of the game.
The handbook highlights sportsmanship, football skills, self discipline, teamwork, integrity, equality, fair play and a positive atmosphere. Those values are central to how the club wants coaches, parents and players to behave.
Organisation and committees
Kilcock Celtic uses an executive committee, finance committee, facility committee and football committee structure. This spreads responsibility across administration, money, grounds, team support, child welfare, registration and communication.
The football committee is designed to include age group coach input, helping the club connect planning decisions with what is happening around teams. The structure is also intended to match FAI Q Mark standards and give members clear lines for questions or concerns.
| Committee area | Role |
|---|---|
| Executive committee | Chairperson, treasurer, assistant treasurer, secretary, child welfare officer, registrar, PRO and committee members. |
| Finance committee | Chairperson, treasurer, secretary and committee members. |
| Facility committee | Grounds and facility focus. |
| Football committee | Chairpersons, secretary and coaches, with age group representation as an aim. |
Contact routes
The club contact route includes thomas.byrne69@gmail.com for general football and advertising enquiries. Social channels include KilcockCeltic on X, kilcockcelticfc on Instagram and the Kilcock Celtic FC YouTube channel.
Named contact areas include Julie Reidy as child welfare officer, Thomas Byrne for insurance claims and Brendan Rooney for academy ages 4, 5 and 6. Families should still confirm the current contact for their age group before attending a first session.
| Contact area | Detail |
|---|---|
| thomas.byrne69@gmail.com. | |
| X | KilcockCeltic. |
| kilcockcelticfc. | |
| YouTube | Kilcock Celtic FC channel. |
Club colours and crest
Kilcock Celtic uses green, white and black across its crest and visual identity. The circular crest carries the full club name, the initials K C F C, the year 1970 and a central bridge and water scene with green and white fields.
The badge links the club name, colours, founding year and locality in one mark. The green and white look also makes the club easy to recognise around Bawnogues and in Kildare football.
Visiting Bawnogues
Visitors should use Bawnogues, Kilcock, County Kildare for Kilcock Celtic football activity. The venue sits within the Kilcock community sports area, close to the town and the wider Commons West and Bawnogues development.
Because Kilcock Celtic has academy, school age, adult and community activity, families and visiting teams should confirm the exact pitch, arrival time and contact before travelling. The Bawnogues football base can be busy when several groups are active at once.
Parent and player checklist
A new family contacting Kilcock Celtic should begin with the player age, year of birth, previous football experience and preferred route: academy, boys football, girls football, youth, adult, masters, Football for All or volunteer coaching.
For a first visit, confirm the ground, coach name, session time, footwear, registration step and whether the activity is on grass or the all weather pitch. That detail is especially useful because Kilcock Celtic operates at a large scale across many teams.
- Young players: Ask whether academy ages 4, 5 and 6 or an age group squad is the right starting point.
- Girls football: Ask for the current girls or ladies route for the player age.
- New coaches: Ask about Garda vetting, safeguarding and football committee support.
- Visitors: Use Bawnogues, Kilcock and confirm the exact pitch plan before travel.
Kilcock Celtic summary
Kilcock Celtic brings together a 1970 origin story, the Courtown Rangers beginnings, the Kilcock Celtic name, Bawnogues facilities, academy football, school age teams, girls and ladies growth, adult football, masters football and inclusive football activity.
The result is a deep community football pathway for Kilcock: a club with history, a large volunteer base, strong safeguarding expectations, committee structure, coach education, green and white identity and a clear home at Bawnogues.
