Waterford city · County Waterford
Villa FC is a Waterford club built from schoolboy football. Founded in 1953, it grew from local streets around Sexton Street, Leamy Street, Griffith Place and Morrison’s Road into a club with boys, girls, youth and adult teams. Its home is Connors Park in Poleberry.
Ten founders and two schoolboy teams
The club history names Shamie Martin, Frank O’Byrne, Frank Farrell, Eddie Wall, Nicky Power, Sid Rellis, Michael Kiely, Billy Howlett, Eddie Wymberry and Eddie Smith as the ten men who founded Villa in July 1953. The first football was a five a side tournament that summer. By September, Villa had entered under 14 and under 15 teams in the Waterford schoolboy leagues.
Villa won its first league match 3–1 against Bolton. Six years after the club began, the 1958/59 team became the first Waterford side to win the Munster Youth Cup, then called the Munster Minor Cup, by beating Glasheen of Cork. Villa entered the Munster Senior League in 1962 and reached the Munster Junior Cup final during the same early era.
Connors Park grew from reclaimed ground
In 1978 the club leased ground beside Ozier Park from the Waterford Junior League. The site had been used for dumping. Club members turned it into a football pitch with drainage and dressing rooms by 1980. It was later named Connors Park for Eugene Connors, a former Villa player, coach and secretary who died in 1983.
Connors Park remains Villa’s home in Poleberry. A published aerial view of the ground shows the maintained grass pitch and its city setting. A complete current list of spectator, parking, changing, toilet and accessibility facilities has not been found, so visitors should check arrangements with the club before travelling.
Club honours
A national cup breakthrough
Villa’s senior side won the FAI Junior Cup for the first time in 2022. Conor Kilgannon scored the only goal against Pike Rovers at Turner’s Cross, a result recorded by the Football Association of Ireland. The club then beat Coalisland Athletic 2–1 in the 2022/23 All Ireland President’s Junior Cup.
The senior team also won Waterford’s Premier League in 2021/22 and retained the title in 2022/23. Villa added the shortened 2024 season and the 2025 league, giving the club five consecutive Waterford top flight titles. Its wider record includes Munster Youth Cup wins in 1958/59 and 2019/20, plus Ardagh Cup successes in 1969/70, 1970/71 and 2007/08. This is a selected honours record rather than a complete list for every age group.
From Waterford football to the national pathway
Villa qualified for the FAI Cup in 2007, 2022 and 2024. The club took another step when it was named among the founding members of the FAI National League for 2026. The new competition sits between grassroots football and the League of Ireland structure, with Villa representing Waterford in the opening campaign.
The move adds a national senior route to a club long known for developing young footballers. Former Villa players include Republic of Ireland international Jayson Molumby, Lee O’Connor, Kenny McEvoy, Timi Sobowale and Owen Oseni. Their careers took different routes, but each came through Villa’s Waterford football environment before moving into academy or senior football elsewhere.
Boys, girls, youth and adult teams
The club’s current app carries boys, girls, youth and adult results. The official teamwear range also separates match, training, girls, national league, leisure and coaching kit. Together they show a pathway that reaches from underage football to adult competition.
Irish Youth Football does not yet hold confirmed team relationships for Villa, so the team cards, fixtures and results below may be empty or incomplete. That gap reflects the data currently linked to this record, not the number of squads run by the club. Families should use the club’s own app or social account for the latest age groups, registration windows and training details.
Club colours and badge
Green and white hoops
Villa’s traditional home identity is a green and white hooped shirt with white shorts and green socks. The badge uses green and white with the club name, Waterford identity and 1953 founding year. Current matchwear can vary by squad and competition, so the club shop is the best check before a game.
Visiting Connors Park
Connors Park is in Poleberry, Waterford city, close to Ozier Park. Confirm the match venue, entrance and kick off time before setting out because some Villa squads may use other grounds. No verified Eircode has been found for this profile.
Ask the club about parking, toilets, changing access, refreshments and the route from the entrance to the pitch. Anyone who needs step free access or match day assistance should agree the details in advance.
Joining and following Villa FC
Use the Villa FC app page for club notices, current teams and results. The club’s official Facebook page carries first team, underage and event updates. The former villafc.ie website is no longer a dependable contact route, and no current official Instagram or YouTube channel was verified during this review.
New players and parents should ask about the correct birth year, space in the squad, training venue, registration, fees, equipment and safeguarding contacts. Team availability changes through the season, so contact the club before attending a session.
History, honours, pathway, colours and ground facts are linked through the text. Full youth honours, every current squad, a verified Eircode and a complete facilities inventory remain unconfirmed.