{{short description|Association football club in Northern Ireland}} {{for|the club founded in 1884|Limavady F.C.}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}} {{EngvarB|date=March 2020}} {{Infobox football club | clubname = Limavady United | image = Limavady_United_FC_logo.png | fullname = Limavady United Football & Athletic Club | nickname = ''"The Roesiders", "The Lims"'' | founded = c. 1955 | ground = The Showgrounds, Limavady<br> County Londonderry | capacity = 1,500 (274 seated) | chairman = Geoff Ferris | manager = Paul Owens | league = NIFL Premiership | season = 2025–26 | position = NIFL Championship, 1st of 12 (champions; promoted) | pattern_la1 = _blue_hoops | pattern_b1 = | pattern_ra1 = _blue_hoops | pattern_so1 = | pattern_sh1 = | leftarm1 = FFFFFF | body1 = 003EE1 | rightarm1 = FFFFFF | shorts1 = 003EE1 | socks1 = 003EE1 | pattern_la2 = _yellowhoops | pattern_b2 = | pattern_ra2 = _yellowhoops | pattern_so2 = | pattern_sh2 = | leftarm2 = 000D5B | body2 = FFF000 | rightarm2 = 000D5B | shorts2 = FFF000 | socks2 = FFF000 | website = http://www.limavadyunitedfc.com/ }} '''Limavady United Football Club''' is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club playing in the NIFL Championship, the second tier of Irish football but will play in NIFL Premiership from 2026–27 season after promotion in 2025–26. The club comes from Limavady, County Londonderry, and plays home matches at the Showgrounds. Club colours are royal blue shirts with white trim, blue socks and royal blue shorts. Away colours are all yellow. The current manager is Paul Owens, with assistant manager and ex player Charlie Moore.
==History== There have been many football clubs in Limavady, dating back to 1880, when Alexander, a founding member of the Irish Football Association was formed by the Alexander Cricket Club. Alexander merged with another local club, Wanderers, in 1884 to form Limavady F.C.<ref>''Northern Whig'', 8 December 1884; ''Belfast Newsletter'', 12 October 1880</ref> Club historian David Brewster, however, dates the current Limavady club's formation to 1955.<ref>David Brewster (2017), ''Up the Lims'', Chapter Five and 'Limavady United F.C. Family Tree'.</ref>
After a long time as a junior team, the club joined the senior Irish Football League in 1997–98, and reached its first Irish Cup semi-final in over a century in 2003–04. In 2008, the club lost its senior status when it failed to gain admission to the new IFA Premiership.
In April 2013, three players received suspensions after being found guilty of breaching IFA betting rules on one of the club's league matches.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/22209302|title=Three Limavady United players banned over betting scandal|date=18 April 2013|work=BBC Sport|access-date=19 April 2013}}</ref>
The club won the NIFL Championship 2 in the 2015–2016 season but were denied promotion to NIFL Championship 1 as they were unsuccessful in applying for a licence. However they were promoted as winners of the Premier Intermediate League in 2016–2017. They would be relegated at the end of the 2018/19 season.
Following a stay in the PIL, the club would make their NIFL Championship return following a 3–0 win away to Lisburn Distillery, also securing the league trophy.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nifootballleague.com/premier-intermediate/2023-2024/fixtures/2024-04-23-lisburn-distillery-v-limavady-united/|title=Roesiders Sweep to Title Clinching Victory|date=23 April 2024|publisher=NIFL Website|access-date=23 April 2024}}</ref>
On 18 April 2026, Limavady United were crowned champions of NIFL Championship for the 2025–26 season, and were promoted to play in the NIFL Premiership for the first time since 2008, after defeating Annagh United 2-0.
===Carlos Tevez loan=== In September 2011, the club vice chairman David Brewster issued a fax to Manchester City, offering to take Argentinian International Carlos Tevez on loan after the player had refused to go on as a substitute in a UEFA Champions League fixture. The club offer suggested that they would ensure Tevez stayed match fit and would avoid being cup tied, but asked that City continued to pay his reported £200,000 per week wages, a figure higher than Limavady's entire turnover for a year.
The offer, although meant as tongue in cheek became global headline news with some news agencies believing the offer to be a serious one. The story gained the club brief worldwide recognition although Manchester City themselves did not respond.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-15093522|title=Limavady United's loan offer to Manchester City's Carlos Tevez|date=28 September 2011|work=BBC News|access-date=19 April 2013}}</ref>
==Current squad== {{Updated|1 March 2026}} {{Fs start}} {{Fs player|no=3|pos=DF|nat=NIR|name=Matthew Walker}} {{Fs player|no=4|pos=DF|nat=IRL|name=Kieran Farren}} {{Fs player|no=5|pos=DF|nat=NIR|name=Tiarnan Boorman}} {{Fs player|no=7|pos=MF|nat=NIR|name=Philip Lowry}} {{Fs player|no=8|pos=MF|nat=NIR|name=Stephen Lowry}} {{Fs player|no=10|pos=FW|nat=NIR|name=Mikhail Kennedy}} {{Fs player|no=11|pos=DF|nat=NIR|name=Lewis Tosh}} {{Fs player|no=14|pos=MF|nat=NIR|name=Connor McCloskey}} {{Fs player|no=16|pos=MF|nat=NIR|name=Ruairi Boorman}} {{Fs player|no=17|pos=MF|nat=NIR|name=John Butcher}} {{Fs player|no=19|pos=DF|nat=NIR|name=Rodney Brown}} {{fs mid}} {{Fs player|no=23|pos=MF|nat=NIR|name=Jake Martin}} {{Fs player|no=24|pos=DF|nat=NIR|name=Adam Mullan}} {{Fs player|no=27|pos=GK|nat=IRL|name=Fintan Doherty}} {{Fs player|no=29|pos=FW|nat=NIR|name=Ian Parkhill}} {{Fs player|no=31|pos=GK|nat=NIR|name=Martin Gallagher}} {{Fs player|no=33|pos=FW|nat=IRL|name=Michael Harris}} {{Fs player| no=TBA| nat=Northern Ireland | pos=MF | name=Sean Carlin}} {{Fs player| no=TBA| nat=Northern Ireland | pos=MF | name=Aaron Jarvis}} {{Fs player|no=TBA|nat=NIR|name=Stephen O'Donnell|pos=DF}} {{Fs player|no=TBA|nat=NIR|name=Leon Boyd|pos=FW}} {{Fs end}}
==Honours== thumb|Former crest|120px
===Senior honours=== *'''County Londonderry Cup/North West Senior Cup: 6''' **1993–94, 1998–99, 2004–05, 2015–16, 2018–19, 2023–24
===Intermediate honours=== *'''Irish League B Division|NIFL Championship: 3''' **1983–84, 1992–93, 2025-26 *'''NIFL Championship 2: 1''' **2015–16 *'''NIFL Premier Intermediate League: 2''' **2016–17, 2023–24 *'''Irish Intermediate Cup: 3''' **1973–74, 1995–96, 2016–17 *'''George Wilson Cup: 1''' **1975–76 *'''Craig Memorial Cup: 10''' ** 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2023–24 *'''B Division Knock-out Cup: 2''' **1992–93, 1995–96
===Junior honours=== *'''Irish Junior Cup: 1''' **1963–64 *''' North West City Cup: 2''' **1960–61, 1966–67 *'''North West Junior League: 1''' **1968–69
== External links == * [http://www.limavadyunitedfc.co.uk/club/220433/Home Official Website]
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Football in Northern Ireland}} {{NIFL league}}
Category:Association football clubs established in 1955 Category:Association football clubs in Northern Ireland Category:Limavady Category:Association football clubs in County Londonderry Category:1955 establishments in Ireland Category:NIFL Championship clubs