Full name | Home Farm Football Club |
---|---|
Nickname(s) | The Farm Boys |
Founded | 1928 |
Ground |
Whitehall Stadium (1989–) Tolka Park (1970-1989) |
Capacity | 6,664 |
Owner | Renault Ireland |
Chairman | Denis O Sullivan |
League |
League of Ireland (1972-1999) Leinster Senior League (2000-) |
Home Farm Football Club is an Irish association football club based in Whitehall, Dublin. It was founded in 1928. The club joined the League of Ireland in 1972 after merging with Drumcondra. Following this merger they were briefly known as Home Farm Drumcondra. Between 1995 and 1999 they played as Home Farm Everton before a split within the club led to the formation of Home Farm Fingal. In 2001 that club was renamed Dublin City. Dublin City remained in the League of Ireland while the original Home Farm reverted to junior status.
Home Farm is perhaps best known for its youth system which has produced dozens of players who have gone on to play for clubs throughout Ireland and the United Kingdom. In addition many have also gone on to represent the Republic of Ireland at international level.
In the mid-1920s when Leo Fitzmaurice, the brother of Trans-Atlantic aviator James Fitzmaurice, organised a street football league in the Drumcondra / Whitehall area of Northside Dublin. This league originally featured five teams – Drumcondra Road, Ormonde Road, Hollybank Road, Richmond Road and Home Farm Road. In 1928 the latter two, led by Don Seery and Brendan Menton Sr. respectively merged to form Home Farm Football Club. Menton later became president of the Football Association of Ireland while Seery was the father of Ronan Seery, the founder of Dublin City. The new club began to play their home games at Griffith Avenue playing in black and gold stripes. However this was only because their first set of shirts were purchased at a jumble sale and these were the only colours available. By the next season, the colours were changed to blue and white hoops.