Parkvilla FC

Claret and sky blue football in Navan

Parkvilla FC is a Navan football club with roots going back to 1966. The club is tied to Claremont Stadium on Commons Road and to the claret and sky blue colours that run through its kit and match day identity.

The badge places Navan at the centre of the story, with 1966 dates, a crown, harp, red heart and flower inside a circular Parkvilla Football Club crest.

A name from Navan neighbourhoods

The Parkvilla name links Parnell Park and St Brigid’s Villas, two Navan neighbourhoods connected with the club’s founders. The founding meeting took place in the CYWS Hall on 18 September 1966.

That origin gives the name local meaning. Parkvilla is not a borrowed football label, it is a Navan name built from the streets and homes around the people who started the club.

From early fields to league football

Parkvilla entered the Cavan and District AUL before moving into the Leinster Senior League in 1967. The club’s early home was a Commons Road field connected with the Keappock family.

Those early moves gave Parkvilla a route from a newly formed local club into a higher level of organised football, while still keeping its base in Navan.

Claremont Stadium partnership

Navan Athletic Club and Parkvilla Football Club bought a six acre site in 1979 that became Claremont Stadium. The stadium later developed around an eight lane athletics track, a soccer pitch and an indoor sports hall.

Claremont is now more than a football ground. It is a community and education centre with indoor spaces, events and sporting facilities, while still holding Parkvilla’s football story at its centre.

Claremont Stadium visitor guide

Claremont Stadium sits on Commons Road in Navan. Its facilities include free parking, toilets, changing rooms, floodlights, wheelchair accessibility, an athletics track and an indoor sports hall.

Families and away teams should still confirm the active pitch with the team contact, because youth activity can also use the Ditch Pitch or Watters Lane. Claremont facilities should not be assumed for every Parkvilla session.

Travel anchor: Claremont Stadium, Commons Road, Navan.

Ditch Pitch and Watters Lane

Parkvilla’s youth football is also connected with the Ditch Pitch on Commons Road and Watters Lane. That matters for parents because not every age group or match day will necessarily use the main stadium surface.

A 2023 Watters Lane development note included car parking, vehicle access, footpath and grass verge work. The practical travel rule is simple: confirm the exact pitch and entrance before leaving.

Current youth pathway

Parkvilla has one of the broader youth footprints in the 2026 to 2027 North Eastern Regional League setting. The connected pathway includes boys groups at U12, U13, U14 and U15, girls groups at U12, U13 and U14, plus youths football.

That age spread gives families a clear first step. Ask by player year of birth, then confirm the correct squad, coach, training time, registration position and venue.

Girls football in the pathway

Girls football is a visible part of Parkvilla’s current pathway, with U12, U13 and U14 girls groups connected to the club. The pathway sits beside a long standing boys and youth structure rather than outside it.

For a new girl joining the game, the key details are age group, venue, training night, coach contact and whether the team is taking new players in that season.

Kit and colour guidance

Parkvilla’s home kit is claret with sky blue shorts and sky blue socks. The second kit guidance has used either navy or sky blue for the jersey, with sky blue shorts and socks.

The claret and sky blue combination is also visible around Claremont through seats, railings and the club’s broader colour identity. Away teams should agree colours before match day.

Current contact routes

Derek Niven is the club secretary contact on 086 880 0646. Mike Hanley is the fixture secretary contact on 087 757 7218. The adult football contact email used for Parkvilla is parkvillaschsec@gmail.com.

A first message should include the player’s year of birth, the team or fixture involved, whether the question is about joining, training, match arrangements or venue confirmation, and the best return number.

Additional adult football contacts

Parkvilla’s adult contact picture includes Paul O’Flaherty, Ken Ratty and Robert Buckle alongside Derek Niven. Paul O’Flaherty has been connected with the email poflaherty@askasykes.ie.

Because roles change between seasons, families and away teams should use the current secretary or fixture secretary first, then follow the contact named for the relevant team or match.

Club officer structure in 2021

The 2021 club officer picture gives a useful view of how Parkvilla organised its football work. Derek Niven was chair and underage secretary, Paul O’Flaherty was vice chair, Gerry Kennedy was senior liaison officer and Samantha Geraghty was senior secretary.

Robert Buckle was treasurer, Billy Bonner was academy director, Dwayne Hill handled child welfare and Ultan Coogan was PRO. The named committee included Kevin Mulvey, Alan Kavanagh, Tony St Leger, Dave Russell and Richie Burke.

Metropolitan Cup and early senior milestones

The 1973 Metropolitan Cup is a key Parkvilla senior milestone. Jimmy “Hank” Newman scored with a header at Richmond Park, Ray Keogh managed the side, and the winners received a civic reception in Navan.

Parkvilla also built a Leinster Senior League story across later decades, including high level senior football and national cup appearances that gave the Navan club a wider football profile.

National cup markers

Parkvilla has several national cup markers in the senior story. The club reached the fourth round of the FAI Cup in the 1985 to 1986 season, the last sixteen in the 1988 to 1989 season and returned to the competition again in later eras.

The 1999 to 2000 cup run included a 2 to 1 win away to Whitehall Rangers at Paddy Mahoney Park. Parkvilla trailed late, then captain Ken Ratty equalised before Mark Brady scored the winner eight minutes from time.

Under 15 league champions in 2017

Parkvilla’s U15s won the Premier Division title in 2017 with a 2 to 0 win over Navan Cosmos at Claremont. The group had many players who had been together since they were five.

That detail fits a larger Parkvilla theme: players starting young, staying together and moving through the club pathway with familiar coaches and teammates.

Under 17 national cup final in 2020

Parkvilla reached the FAI U17 Cup final in 2020 under Kenny Ratty. The team beat Killorglin 3 to 1 in the semi final, then faced Mervue United at the Oscar Traynor Centre in Coolock.

The group had been coached over many years, with several players involved since they were five or six. Gavin O’Neill and Murt Doyle worked alongside Ratty, and the run became a major youth milestone for the Navan club.

The route to the U17 final

The U17 cup route showed the strength of that Parkvilla group. The journey included Maynooth Town, Killegland Athletic, Everton, a bye against Midleton, Crumlin United and Killorglin.

Finn Murray and Tommy Buchanan scored in the quarter final against Crumlin United. Tommy Buchanan scored twice in the semi final against Killorglin and Kian Ratty added another goal.

Sam Curtis pathway marker

Navan player Sam Curtis is one of the clearest examples of a Parkvilla player moving from local football into elite pathways. He played with Parkvilla before St Kevin’s Boys, Shamrock Rovers and St Patrick’s Athletic.

His later milestones included becoming St Patrick’s Athletic’s youngest senior player at the time, helping St Pat’s win the FAI Cup in 2023, earning PFAI Young Player of the Year recognition and signing for Sheffield United in 2024.

Claremont Cup community event

The Claremont Cup is a Parkvilla hosted youth tournament that began as a fundraiser and grew into a major community football weekend. In 2024, around 1,000 young players took part over three days at Claremont Stadium.

Teams travelled from Meath and other counties including Kildare, Wicklow, Longford, Westmeath, Kilkenny, Louth and Dublin. The main pitch was divided into four small pitches so several games could run at the same time.

Volunteer base around the tournament

The Claremont Cup also shows the volunteer base around Parkvilla. The tournament needs months of scheduling, referees for each game, car park organisation, pitch setup and goody bags for players.

Paddy Smyth was tournament director in 2024, following earlier work by Tony St Leger. Gerry Kennedy prepared the playing arena so four games could take place at once.

First visit checklist

A first visit to Parkvilla should start by confirming the venue. Ask whether the session is at Claremont Stadium, the Ditch Pitch or Watters Lane, then confirm the meeting point and coach.

Players should bring boots, shin guards, water and weather gear. Parents should bring the player year of birth, any medical detail the coach should know and a contact number for registration steps.

Away team guide

Away teams should confirm the active ground, entrance and warm up area before leaving for Navan. Claremont Stadium is the main travel anchor, but Watters Lane and the Ditch Pitch can also matter for youth football.

Kit colours should be agreed before match day because Parkvilla use claret, sky blue and second kit options. Keep the secretary or fixture secretary number available in case weather or venue details change.

What defines Parkvilla FC

Parkvilla is defined by its 1966 Navan foundation, Parnell Park and St Brigid’s Villas name origin, Claremont Stadium, claret and sky blue colours, large youth pathway, senior cup history and community tournament work.

The full picture is a Navan club with deep local roots and a wide football reach: children starting in the pathway, young players chasing national cup finals, senior teams carrying the badge and volunteers keeping Claremont busy.