Finglas · County Dublin · Leinster
Rivermount Boys FC
A Finglas club with roots in 1975, a home around Tolka Valley Park and a pathway shaped by local families and volunteers.
Finglas roots
A local club with a long memory
Rivermount Boys FC was formed in Finglas in 1975. Its story began with children from the neighbourhood needing a team of their own, and it has continued through generations of players, parents and volunteers.
The club’s public identity now includes boys and girls, but the central idea is unchanged: give local children a welcoming place to learn football and belong to a team close to home.
Founders
Joe Bennett, Jackie Kenny and John Ennis
Joe Bennett, Jackie Kenny and John Ennis established the club and created the first football home for families in Finglas South. Their work started a community tradition that has now passed its half-century mark.
That history is felt in ordinary details: familiar faces at training, parents helping with a team and children wearing the colours of the area where they live.
Boys and girls
A broader welcome on the pitch
Rivermount’s current name reflects opportunities for girls as well as boys. The club’s youth football sits within the Dublin and District Schoolboys’ and Girls’ League network, with age-group arrangements changing as players move through the season.
Families can use the DDSL club list as a starting point, then ask Rivermount which group, training time and registration step is right for a new player.
A first football home
Where a player’s journey can begin
For a young child, the first club experience is often more important than the level of the match. A good beginning means learning basic skills, meeting teammates, listening to a coach and feeling comfortable enough to keep coming back.
Rivermount’s neighbourhood setting makes that first step practical for local families. Players can grow through the age groups with friends from school and nearby estates, while coaches help them find an appropriate challenge.
A standout pathway
Jess Ziu started here
Republic of Ireland international Jess Ziu began playing with Rivermount as a young child. Her later career in Ireland and England shows what can follow a first local session, while her early years at the club remain part of Rivermount’s own story.
One player’s route cannot be promised to everyone. What a grassroots club can provide is the first safe, enjoyable environment in which a child discovers whether football might become a lasting part of life.
Youth development
Progress at the player’s pace
Rivermount’s youth pathway is about more than moving from one age group to the next. Players learn how to train, share the ball, handle a match day and respond when the game becomes difficult.
Coaches and families can support that progress by keeping expectations age-appropriate. The best next step may be a new position, a different format or simply another season enjoying football with friends.
Home setting
Tolka Valley Park and Tolka Valley Road
Rivermount is associated with Tolka Valley Park and the Tolka Valley Road pitches in Finglas South. The park sits beside the Tolka River and provides a broad green setting for soccer, community recreation and weekend football.
The club’s address is listed as Tolka Valley Park, Tolka Valley Road, Finglas, Dublin 11. A fixture notice remains important because pitch allocations can vary between age groups and weekends.
Local pitches
Check the named ground before travelling
Rivermount home activity can include Tolka Valley Park and nearby Finglas venues such as Farnham Crescent. The council’s pitch allocations place the club on the Tolka Valley pitches at different times across the week, alongside other local teams.
Use the latest team message for the exact pitch, kick-off and arrival point. Tolka Valley Road, St Helena’s Road and a nearby park entrance are not interchangeable directions.
Clubhouse
A modest base with a wider purpose
The clubhouse supports the practical work of running teams: storing equipment, meeting volunteers and giving families a place to organise the week. It is part of what makes a local club more than a pitch booking.
Rivermount has also looked at how its meeting room could serve more of Finglas. Sharing a small facility with community groups fits the club’s original purpose of giving local people somewhere positive to gather.
Community football
Working towards better winter space
Rivermount and Erin’s Isle came together through the Finglas Sporting Alliance to pursue a shared all-weather facility for clubs, schools and local groups. The idea grew from a simple need: when grass pitches are difficult to use, children still need somewhere safe to play.
Facility plans can take time and may change. For players and families, the useful habit is to follow the club’s latest arrangements rather than assume that a proposed pitch is already available.
Volunteers
The people behind the weekend
Coaches, team managers, parents and committee members keep a youth club moving. They arrange fixtures, prepare equipment, welcome new families, manage changing details and help children enjoy a positive football environment.
Volunteering does not have to mean taking on a whole team. A hand with transport, messages, match-day setup or fundraising can make a real difference to a small local club.
Joining
Ask about the right age group
When a player wants to join, start with their date of birth, previous football experience and preferred position. Rivermount can then explain which age group is suitable, whether a place is available and where the next session will be held.
The Rivermount Boys FC Facebook page is the club’s clearest public noticeboard for contact details, team messages and changes. Confirm the arrangement before travelling to a first training session.
Match day
Make the first visit easy
Tolka Valley is an open park setting rather than a stadium. Allow time to find the correct pitch, arrive ready for exposed weather and keep access clear for residents and other park users.
Players should bring the requested kit and water, while visiting families should check parking, changing arrangements and the named pitch with the team contact. A calm arrival helps children settle into the game.
Fifty years
A Finglas story carried forward
Rivermount reached its fiftieth year in 2025. Results and age groups will change, but the thread connecting the club’s chapters is easy to recognise: local children, familiar pitches and adults giving their time so football can continue.
That continuity gives a new player something valuable. They are not only joining a team for the next fixture; they are stepping into a community tradition that began in Finglas and keeps making room for the next generation.
Next step
Keep football close to home
Rivermount Boys FC’s future will be shaped by the same things that built its past: welcoming players, supporting coaches, caring for the clubhouse and making the best use of Tolka Valley’s pitches.
For a family considering the club, the best first move is straightforward: ask which group fits, confirm the current venue and arrive ready to meet the people who make football happen in Finglas.
