{{EngvarB|date=September 2018}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2018}} {{more references|date=November 2025}} {{Infobox football club | clubname = Newbridge Town | image = NTFC-Logo-new.png | fullname = Newbridge Town Football Club | nickname = | founded = {{Start date and age|df=yes|1969}} | ground = [[Station Road, Newbridge]], [[County Kildare]] | capacity = 2,180 (250 seats)<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.fussballtempel.net/uefa/IRL.html | website = fussballtempel.net | title = Football stadiums of the world - Ireland | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20220406231724/http://www.fussballtempel.net/uefa/IRL.html | archivedate = 6 April 2022 }}</ref> | chairman = | manager = | league = [[Leinster Senior League (association football)|Leinster Senior League]] <br> [[FAI National League]] (from Autumn 2026) | season = 2025/2026 | website = {{URL|https://newbridgetownfc.com/}} | pattern_la1 = _whiteborder | pattern_b1 = _thinwhitesides | pattern_ra1 = _whiteborder | pattern_sh1 = _adidaswhite | pattern_so1 = _3_stripes_white | leftarm1 = 0000FF | body1 = 0000FF | rightarm1 = 0000FF | shorts1 = 0000FF | socks1 = 0000FF }}
'''Newbridge Town Football Club''' is an Irish association football club based in [[Newbridge, County Kildare]]. The club was founded in 1969 following a meeting at [[Newbridge Town Hall]]. As of the 2025–26 season, Newbridge Town's senior men's team was competing in the [[Leinster Senior League (association football)|Leinster Senior League]]'s Senior 1A competition.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.finalwhistle.ie/soccer/lsl-senior-1a-sunday/ | website = finalwhistle.ie | title = Leinster Senior League Senior 1A Sunday 2025/26 | accessdate = 15 November 2025 }}</ref> The club is one of the 15 clubs expected to enter the newly established [[FAI National League]] in Autumn 2026.
== History == Founded in 1969 by members of the town's [[youth club]], Newbridge Town Football Club entered the Counties League at Division 2. In their first ever season, Newbridge Town finished fourth and won the Counties Cup.<ref name="club_Story" /> In the subsequent seasons, the club won Division 2 and gained promotion to Division 1. After winning Division 1, they moved into the Leinster Junior League which contained [[Cherry Orchard F.C.|Cherry Orchard]], [[Home Farm F.C.|Home Farm]] and [[Wayside Celtic]].<ref name="club_Story" />
Off the pitch, Newbridge Town formed two additional teams to cater for the increased demand as well as introducing youth teams to the club.<ref name="club_Story" /> In 1973, the club committee invited German side [[Wacker München]] to play against Newbridge Boys. Two matches were organised and, while both games ended in draws, each game drew crowds in excess of 2,000 to Ryan's Field.<ref name="club_Story">{{cite web|url=http://www.newbridgetownfc.com/contentPage/133347/club_history|title=Club History – The Story of Newbridge Town F.C.|website=newbridgetownfc.com|access-date=6 December 2016|archive-date=20 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220145227/http://www.newbridgetownfc.com/contentPage/133347/club_history|url-status=dead}}</ref>
During these initial years, Tom Shaw became Newbridge Town's first international player when he was selected for the Irish Youth team.<ref name="officialHist"/> In 1975, Newbridge Town joined the [[Athletic Union League (Dublin)|Athletic Union League]] in Dublin, with some success over the following seven years.<ref name="officialHist" /> The club had to move out of Ryan's Field and were given the use of a pitch beside the railway station in Newbridge. In 1980, they purchased this land from Newbridge College and began construction on a clubhouse, while they developed the pitch into [[Station Road, Newbridge|Station Road]].<ref name="officialHist" />
Newbridge Town returned to the Leinster Junior League in 1982 and, in 1985, opened their new ground. In 1989, they joined the [[Leinster Senior League (association football)|Leinster Senior League]] and won the Moore Cup in their first season.<ref name="officialHist" /> The club made their way through the divisions over the subsequent years before winning the [[Leinster Senior League Senior Division|Leinster Senior Division]] in the 1998–99 season.<ref name="officialHist">{{cite web|url = https://newbridgetownfc.com/about-us/ | website = newbridgetownfc.com | title = About Us - The History | accessdate = 15 November 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230126212053/https://newbridgetownfc.com/about-us/|archive-date=2023-01-26|url-status=live}}</ref>
In the 1980s, goalkeeper [[Alan Gough]] followed in Tom Shaw's footsteps when he also represented Newbridge Town on the international scene.<ref name="officialHist"/> He was followed by [[Ade Solanke (footballer)|Ade Solanke]].<ref name="indo Solanke_moon">{{Cite web |date=2026-01-15 |title=‘I am over the moon’ – Ireland U-17’s Ade Solanke joins Bournemouth |url=https://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/premier-league/i-am-over-the-moon-ireland-u-17s-ade-solanke-joins-bournemouth/a1186214779.html |access-date=2026-01-16 |website=Irish Independent |language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260412193854/https://m.independent.ie/sport/soccer/premier-league/i-am-over-the-moon-ireland-u-17s-ade-solanke-joins-bournemouth/a1186214779.html|archive-date=2026-04-12|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref>
In 2002, Newbridge Town were invited to join the [[Eircom League]].<ref name="officialHist" /> However, after a formation meeting with other interested football bodies, the club decided to enter a separate entity to better garner support from the surrounding areas. The new club, called [[Kildare County F.C.|Kildare County]], was run in parallel to Newbridge Town and entered the [[2002–03 League of Ireland First Division|2002–03 First Division]], playing their home games at Station Road.<ref name="officialHist" /><ref name="club_Story" />
Newbridge Town has developed its facilities at Station Road and it now has a sports hall, a clubhouse, a 250-seat stand, training facilities, all-weather and grass pitches, showers and dressing rooms. A new 550-seat stand was later installed in the Station Road ground.{{fact|date=November 2025}}
The club has also increased in the number of teams and it now{{when?|date=November 2025}} fields two men's senior teams, one ladies senior team, an over 35s masters team and 34 schoolboy and schoolgirl teams ranging from the Under-9 to Under-18 age groups.{{fact|date=November 2025}} The latter play in the Dublin and District Schoolboys League.<ref>{{cite web|url =https://ddsl.ie/clubprofile/84866/ | website = ddsl.ie | title = Club Profile - DDSL - Newbridge Town FC | accessdate = 15 November 2025 }}</ref> The club also runs a boys and girls academy, starting at under-5s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Academy |url=https://newbridgetownfc.com/the-academy/ |access-date=2026-01-06 |website=Newbridge Town FC |language=en-US}}</ref>
It was reported, in early 2025, that the club was one of the applicants for the newly announced [[FAI National League]], a 3rd tier competition in the Irish professional football ladder. In December 2025, Newbridge Town was included in the list of clubs accepted into the league by the FAI.<ref>{{cite press release|url = https://www.fai.ie/latest/15-clubs-confirmed-new-fai-national-league/ | website = fai.ie | title = 15 clubs confirmed for new FAI National League | date = 19 December 2025 | accessdate = 21 December 2025 }}</ref> The competition is due to begin in Autumn 2026.
== Grounds == {{Main|Station Road, Newbridge}} Newbridge Town played in Ryan's Field before moving to [[Station Road, Newbridge|Station Road]], a pitch beside the [[Newbridge railway station (Ireland)|Newbridge railway station]]. Station Road was purchased from Newbridge College in 1980 and the club began construction on a clubhouse.<ref name="officialHist" /> As of 2022, the clubhouse includes a sports hall, a bar and a gym.<ref name="club info">{{Cite news |title=Club info - Newbridge Town FC |url=https://newbridgetownfc.com/club-info/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260513172252/https://newbridgetownfc.com/club-info/ |archive-date=2026-05-13 |access-date=2026-05-14 |work=Newbridge Town FC |language=en-US}}</ref> The ground's main stand seats 250 people with a corporate area for 70 guests.<ref name="Kildare stadium">{{Cite web |title=Stadium - Kildare County FC |url=https://kildarecountyfc.com/stadium.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250905180601/https://kildarecountyfc.com/stadium.asp |archive-date=2025-09-05 |access-date=2025-12-17 |website=kildarecountyfc.com |language=en|url-status=live}}</ref> The club's senior men's team play their home games at the ground.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date= |title=Newbridge Town FC – Soccer |url=https://www.finalwhistle.ie/soccer/team/newbridge-town-fc/ |access-date=2026-03-30 |website=www.finalwhistle.ie |language=en-IE}}</ref>
== People of note == ;Alan Gough [[Alan Gough]], a goalkeeper, was capped with the Republic of Ireland Under-21 international team on several occasions in the early 1990s.<ref name="officialHist"/><ref>{{citation |url = https://parkutdafc.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/ParkUnitedAFC_MatchDayProgramme1996web.pdf | via = parkutdafc.com | title = Park United AFC - Official Souvenir Matchday Programme - July 1996 | chapter = Introducing the Shelbourne players | page = 16 }}</ref> He moved from Newbridge to [[Portsmouth F.C.|Portsmouth]] as an apprentice and subsequently signed for [[Fulham F.C.|Fulham]]. After moving back to Ireland and signing with [[Galway United]] in 1993, he later joined [[Shelbourne F.C.|Shelbourne]].<ref name="Gough"/> Following periods at [[Glentoran F.C.|Glentoran]] and [[Derry City F.C.|Derry City]], Gough returned to Galway United in 2004 and was the club's first team captain for the 2006 season. He retired from football at the end of the 2006 season and later became manager of [[Longford Town FC]].<ref name="Gough">{{cite web|url = https://www.extratime.com/player/404/alan_gough/ | website = extratime.com | title = Alan Gough | accessdate = 15 November 2025 }}</ref>
;Joe Barry, Joe Carey, Jimmy Dowling and Tony Hannigan Joe Barry, Joe Carey, Jimmy Dowling and Tony Hannigan were involved in setting up the meeting which resulted in the formation of Newbridge Town in 1969.<ref name="officialHist"/> Dowling was also later involved in the formation of Kildare County FC.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://kildarecountyfc.com/aboutus/index.asp | website = kildarecountyfc.com | title = About Us - Kildare County FC | accessdate = 15 November 2025 | quote = Jimmy Dowling [..] Former player, secretary and chairman of Newbridge Town [..] Was the original brainchild behind Kildare County }}</ref>
==Honours== * '''[[Leinster Senior League Senior Division]]''': 1998–99<ref>{{cite web|url =https://www.rsssf.org/tablesi/ierleinsterchamp.html | website = rsssf.org | title = Ireland - List of Leinster Senior League Champions | accessdate = 15 November 2025}}</ref> * '''[[Leinster Senior League (association football)#Cup competitions|Leinster Senior League Metropolitan Cup]]''': 2017–2018<ref name="officialHist" /> * Dalton Cup (1): 1986-1987{{fact|date=November 2025}} * Sheeran Cup (1): 1986-1987{{fact|date=November 2025}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
== External links == * {{official website|https://newbridgetownfc.com}}
[[Category:Association football clubs established in 1969]] [[Category:Leinster Senior League (association football) clubs]] [[Category:Association football clubs in County Kildare]] [[Category:1969 establishments in Ireland]] [[Category:Kildare County F.C.]]