Derryleigh Park football from academy to junior teams
Newport Town AFC links its 1970 roots with a large boys, girls, youth, women and junior football pathway.
Newport Town identity
Newport Town AFC is a County Tipperary football club founded in 1970. The badge carries Newport, Town, AFC, ESTD 1970, the bridge symbol, red and black bars and a central star.
The bridge and river idea connects the club to Newport itself, while the red and black bars carry the playing colours that became central to the club’s identity.
Five founders and a first team
The first meeting took place in May 1970 in the pool room of O’Sullivan’s Bar. Five people attended and formed the first Newport Town AFC committee.
The club entered one team in the Clare League and played its first competitive game in August 1970. That first side wore blue shirts and white shorts before the later red and black identity became established.
Early silverware and Limerick route
Newport won its first trophy in 1973 by beating Kilrush in the Clare Shield final. In 1975 the club moved into the Limerick District League, the adult league setting that still frames its junior football.
The first league title followed in 1979 when Newport won Division 2.
Derryleigh Park
After decades using an O’Sullivan family field, Newport moved to Derryleigh Park in 2007. The new home gave the club two sand based pitches and room to serve a growing number of teams.
An all weather astro pitch was added in 2009, and the ground was opened by the FAI chief executive in September 2010.
Derryleigh Park, Newport, County Tipperary. Confirm the exact pitch before travelling.
Clubhouse and facilities
The Derryleigh Park clubhouse opened in August 2017. It includes four dressing rooms, a large meeting and function room upstairs, a club shop, storage space and public toilets.
That building changed the club from a growing pitch base into a community football home that can host teams, meetings, training activity and match days.
Schoolboys and schoolgirls pathway
The schoolboy section began in 1985 through the work of Jimmy Ryan and Martin Lenihan. The under 12 team won both league and shield trophies in 1988.
In 1997 the schoolboy teams joined the Limerick District Schoolboy League and the under 12 side won the Premier title, while also earning team of the year recognition.
Small sided football
Newport entered small sided games in 2004, helping younger players start earlier and develop in a more age appropriate setting.
The following years brought major growth, with more than 140 additional members during the 2000s and a playing base that continued to expand after the move to Derryleigh Park.
Girls football growth
Girls football returned strongly after a period away from the club structure. Schoolgirl teams have since grown across age groups, with visible progress on and off the field.
In 2026, five Newport Town AFC girls were named in the Limerick District Schoolchildren’s League Gaynor Cup squad, with a Newport player captaining that group.
Junior women and junior men
The club now presents football for junior women and junior men, with recent activity across Junior A, Junior B and other adult team levels.
The adult pathway gives older youth players a route beyond schoolboy and schoolgirl football while keeping local players connected to Derryleigh Park.
Large playing community
Newport Town AFC has grown into one of the larger community football clubs in its area, with almost 500 players involved across teams and programmes.
That scale supports academy football, schoolboy teams, schoolgirl teams, youth football, junior football, camps and community events.
Crest story
The club had no regular shirt emblem for its first 28 years. A local school competition in the 1998 to 1999 season produced the ideas that shaped the first badge.
The bridge represents the bridge in Newport town, with the Castlewaller and Newport rivers joining beneath it. The red and black bars represent club colours, while the star later replaced the football as a symbol of football spreading through the locality.
Junior cup football
Newport reached the last 64 of the FAI Junior Cup in 2019 after a two to one win over Prospect Priory at Cals Park following extra time.
Junior cup ties add national context to the adult section and give supporters another route to follow beyond regular league fixtures.
Recent team activity
Recent Newport football has included Junior A Premier A league games, Junior B Division 1B games, under 17 boys fixtures and multiple girls and boys teams around Derryleigh Park.
The current club scene is broad rather than built around one team, so the standard team, fixture and result modules should be checked for the active age group.
Joining Newport Town AFC
A first enquiry should include player age, school year, playing experience, preferred route and whether the request is for academy, boys, girls, youth, junior women or junior men.
Families and visiting teams should confirm training time, registration steps, pitch allocation, arrival time and match venue before travelling to Derryleigh Park.
