Nenagh AFC

A Nenagh club founded in 1951

Nenagh AFC is one of Tipperary’s long established football clubs. The club was founded in 1951 and plays in navy and yellow.

The crest carries a well and bucket motif, two yellow stars and the 1964 year mark, while the modern football base is the Brickfields complex on Old Birr Road.

Brickfields on Old Birr Road

Brickfields is located on Old Birr Road, Nenagh, Co. Tipperary, E45 X750. It is the club’s football home and also a busy community venue for local and regional groups.

The complex includes an astroturf pitch, four grass pitches, four large dressing rooms with showers, a large car park and WiFi availability.

Brickfields, Old Birr Road, Nenagh, Co. Tipperary, E45 X750.

Facilities for football and the community

The main indoor space is a bright activity hall with a timber floor measuring about 61 feet by 31 feet. The complex also has private meeting rooms, classroom spaces, kitchen access and seated food arrangements by advance booking.

Those facilities allow the club to host training, matches, meetings, local events, visiting groups and football development activity from one base.

More than 200 playing members

Nenagh AFC has grown into a club with more than 200 playing members across age groups. Its activity stretches from young players through youth football and adult football.

The club has also worked to field teams across age levels from under 6 to under 18, alongside adult teams and a developing girls and ladies pathway.

Underage structure and team spread

Nenagh AFC has fielded underage teams from under 8 through under 16 and has worked to fill age groups from under 6 upwards. The club has also run two summer camps for younger players.

Earlier development plans included two junior sides and nine underage teams, showing that the club has long treated youth football as central to its identity.

Adult football in the Limerick District League

Nenagh AFC’s adult A team competes in the Limerick District League Premier Division. The adult setup gives local players a senior route while keeping Brickfields connected to regular Sunday league football.

Moving into the Limerick District League also changed the local Nenagh derby picture, with Nenagh Celtic remaining part of the older North Tipperary rivalry.

Early Brickfields development

The Old Birr Road development began with a first phase astroturf pitch in the early 2000s. The first completed football phase included a floodlit seven a side surface.

The longer plan for the site included three full size pitches, clubhouse facilities, dressing rooms, toilets, showers, meeting rooms, parking and a stronger base for football in North Tipperary.

Land, shareholders and local backing

The Brickfields project was built through strong local backing. Nearly 100 shareholders helped buy 12 acres on Old Birr Road, creating the base that later became the club’s home.

Frank Maher played a central part in the site’s development. His football service included playing, committee work and helping drive the Old Birr Road project forward.

Frank Maher Memorial Golf Classic

The Frank Maher Memorial Golf Classic became one of the club’s important fundraising routes. It supported development work around Brickfields and helped keep major club projects moving.

Fundraising activity also included Christmas With The Stars concerts, which helped fund driveway tarmac and a pedestrian footpath to improve safety at the complex.

2023 astroturf upgrade

The club began a major astroturf refurbishment and extension in September 2023. The earlier astroturf was about 45 metres by 35 metres, while the upgraded surface was planned at about 70 metres by 45 metres.

The larger 4G surface was expected to support multiple training groups at once, with a dividing net allowing simultaneous use by different teams.

Funding the upgraded surface

The 2023 astroturf project cost more than 200,000 euro. Funding came through club resources, Clan Credo support, an FAI loan and Community Recognition Fund help through Tipperary County Council for LED floodlighting.

The upgrade added to earlier work on the clubhouse upper floor, driveways and pedestrian access, all part of making Brickfields more usable and safer.

Plans for a full size all weather pitch

The club has also outlined a goal to develop a full size all weather pitch at Brickfields. That aim fits the scale of the site and the number of teams using it.

A larger all weather surface would improve winter training, reduce grass pitch pressure and give more reliable access to teams across the club.

National youth cup milestone

Nenagh AFC’s youth pathway reached a national stage through the FAI Youth Cup final in 2014. The achievement showed the level that a strong local youth setup can reach.

The milestone remains a useful marker for young players in Nenagh who want to progress through club football and test themselves outside the county.

Derby and district football context

Nenagh AFC and Nenagh Celtic formed an important Nenagh rivalry in North Tipperary football. The fixture helped raise local standards and gave the town a strong football edge.

The club’s move into Limerick District League football gave Nenagh AFC a different competitive route while retaining its Tipperary identity at Brickfields.

Community use beyond football

Brickfields is used by sporting and community groups from the town and wider North Tipperary area. The hall, rooms, kitchen, car parking and pitch areas make it suitable for more than match activity.

That wider use is part of why the complex has become one of the busiest local facilities in the region.

Girls and ladies development

Nenagh AFC has worked to grow girls and ladies football alongside boys, youth and adult football. The club’s membership scale and facility base give that pathway room to develop.

Families should ask about current girls teams, ladies plans, age groups, training nights and the correct coach contact before attending.

Joining, bookings and contact

A first enquiry should include the player’s age, school year, football background and whether the request is for boys, girls, youth or adult football. Facility enquiries should include date, group size, pitch or room requirement and timing.

Public contact routes include info@nenaghafc.ie and 083 119 0724.