St James's Gate F.C.

{{EngvarB|date=June 2018}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2018}} {{Short description|Association football club in Republic of Ireland}} {{Infobox football club | clubname = St James's Gate F.C. | image = St. James Gate F.C. crest.png | image_size = 250px | fullname = St James's Gate Football Club | founded = {{start date and age|1902}} | nickname = ''The Gate'' | ground = [[Iveagh Grounds]] Crumlin Road [[Dublin 12]] | capacity = | league = [[Leinster Senior League (association football)|Leinster Senior League]] [[League of Ireland]] | website = {{URL|https://stjamesgatefc.com/}} | pattern_la1 = | pattern_b1 = | pattern_ra1 = | pattern_so1 = | leftarm1 = 008000 | body1 = 008000 | rightarm1 = 008000 | shorts1 = EE0000 | socks1 = 008000| }} '''St James's Gate Football Club''' is an [[List of association football clubs in the Republic of Ireland|Irish association football club]] based in [[Drimnagh]]/[[Crumlin, Dublin]]. They played in the [[League of Ireland]] between [[1921–22 League of Ireland|1921–22]] and [[1943–44 League of Ireland|1943–44]] and again from [[1990–91 League of Ireland First Division|1990–91]] until [[1995–96 League of Ireland First Division|1995–96]]. Gate were the inaugural winners of both the League of Ireland and the [[FAI Cup]].

Like several fellow early League of Ireland clubs, such as [[Fordsons F.C.|Fordsons]], [[Jacobs F.C.|Jacobs]], [[Midland Athletic F.C.|Midland Athletic]] and [[Dundalk F.C.|Dundalk]], Gate had their origins as a factory or [[works team]]. They were initially the football team of the [[St James's Gate Brewery]], the home of [[Guinness]]. In total, the club competed in 23 seasons of the League of Ireland.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ireland - Final Placings and Chronological Development (1921/22 to 2013) |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesi/ierplall.html |access-date=2025-12-07 |website=www.rsssf.org}}</ref> In July 2022 they narrowly survived folding and survived due to a public appeal.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2022/0712/1309804-loi-founder-member-st-james-gate-folds-after-120-years/ | title=LOI founder member St James Gate folds after 120 years | website=[[RTÉ.ie]] | date=12 July 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.the42.ie/st-james-gate-5815072-Jul2022/|title= League of Ireland founding member St James Gate fold after 120 years in action|date=12 July 2022|work=The 42|accessdate=13 July 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2022/0720/1311232-st-james-gate-survive-but-issues-remain-in-amateur-game/|title= St James Gate survive but issues still in amateur game |date=20 July 2022|work=RTE Sport|accessdate=20 July 2022}}</ref>

==History== ===Early years=== The club was founded in 1902.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesi/ierfound.html|title=Ireland Foundation Dates |publisher=Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation|access-date=6 February 2016|date=6 February 2016}}</ref> The prime mover behind forming the club was [[John Lumsden]], then serving as a medical officer at [[St James's Gate Brewery]]. The club first gained national recognition in 1909–10 when they won both the [[Leinster Senior League Senior Division|Leinster Senior League]] title and the [[Irish Intermediate Cup]]. In 1919–20, with a team that included [[Charlie Dowdall]], [[Paddy Duncan]] and [[Ernie MacKay]], Gate won four trophies – the Leinster Senior League title, the Irish Intermediate Cup, the [[Leinster Senior Cup (association football)|Leinster Senior Cup]] and the [[LFA Metropolitan Cup]].

===First League of Ireland era=== In [[1921–22 League of Ireland|1921–22]], together with [[Shelbourne F.C.|Shelbourne]], [[Bohemian F.C.|Bohemians]], [[Jacobs F.C.|Jacobs]], [[Frankfort F.C.|Frankfort]], [[Olympia F.C. (Dublin)|Olympia]], [[YMCA F.C. (Dublin)|YMCA]] and [[Dublin United F.C.|Dublin United]], Gate became founder members of the [[League of Ireland]]. Like Gate, the other seven founding members had spent the 1920–21 season playing in the [[Leinster Senior League Senior Division|Leinster Senior League]]. Gate initially emerged as one of the strongest teams in the league and in their debut season won a treble. In addition to winning the inaugural league title, they also won the [[1921–22 FAI Cup]] and the 1921–22 [[Leinster Senior Cup (association football)|Leinster Senior Cup]]. This season proved to be the highlight of Gate's time in the League of Ireland. In [[League of Ireland 1939–40|1939–40]] they won a second league title, however after finishing in last place in [[1943–44 League of Ireland|1943–44]] they failed to gain re-election.<ref name="Graham">{{cite book|last=Graham|first=Alex|title=Football in the Republic of Ireland a Statistical Record 1921–2005|year=2005 |publisher=Soccer Books Limited|isbn=1-86223-135-4}}</ref> It had been suggested that the reason for this was the club announcing its intention to revert to amateur status. However, when the vote was being taken, the representative for [[Shamrock Rovers F.C.|Shamrock Rovers]] stated, "the St. James's Gate club has not full control over their own finances, as any profit made during the season goes to the Guinness Athletic Union and is therefore lost to football." The other clubs were also known to be unhappy that members of the Guinness Athletic Union did not have to pay into home matches, depriving those clubs of their share of gate receipts.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Socaro |title=Money Talks-And Shuts Out the Gate |url=https://archive.irishnewsarchive.com/Olive/APA/INA/SharedView.Article.aspx?href=IPR%2F1944%2F06%2F22&id=Ar00405&sk=5CF67E4C |access-date=4 February 2020 |work=Irish Press |date=22 June 1944}}</ref>

====Placings==== [[File:Performance chart ire STJAM.svg|thumb|Chart of yearly table positions for St. James's Gate in League of Ireland]] {|-table style="text-align: reight;" border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" |valign="top"| |-bgcolor=#D0E7FF !'''Season''' !'''Pts''' !'''Place''' !'''Season''' !'''Pts''' !'''Place''' |- |[[1921–22 League of Ireland|1921–22]] |23 |'''1st''' |[[1933–34 League of Ireland|1933–34]] |13 |8th |- |[[1922–23 League of Ireland|1922–23]] |25 |5th |[[1934–35 League of Ireland|1934–35]] |27 |2nd |- |[[1923–24 League of Ireland|1923–24]] |20 |5th |[[1935–36 League of Ireland|1935–36]] |19 |10th |- |[[1924–25 League of Ireland|1924–25]] |17 |6th |[[1936–37 League of Ireland|1936–37]] |23 |5th |- |[[1925–26 League of Ireland|1925–26]] |11 |8th |[[1937–38 League of Ireland|1937–38]] |27 |5th |- |[[1926–27 League of Ireland|1926–27]] |12 |9th |[[1938–39 League of Ireland|1938–39]] |23 |4th |- |[[1927–28 League of Ireland|1927–28]] |14 |7th |[[1939–40 League of Ireland|1939–40]] |36 |'''1st''' |- |[[1928–29 League of Ireland|1928–29]] |14 |6th |[[1940–41 League of Ireland|1940–41]] |21 |5th |- |[[1929–30 League of Ireland|1929–30]] |11 |9th |[[1941–42 League of Ireland|1941–42]] |19 |5th |- |[[1930–31 League of Ireland|1930–31]] |18 |10th |[[1942–43 League of Ireland|1942–43]] |18 |6th |- |[[1932–33 League of Ireland|1932–33]] |10 |11th |[[1943–44 League of Ireland|1943–44]] |3 |8th |- |[[1932–33 League of Ireland|1932–33]] |17 |6th |-''''' |- |- |- |}

====Records==== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Stat ! Opponent ! Score ! Competition ! Date |- | '''Record Win''' | [[Jacobs F.C.|Jacobs]] | 8–0 | [[1929–30 League of Ireland|1929–30]] | 24 August 1929 |- | '''Record Defeat''' | [[Waterford United|Waterford]] [[Cork United F.C. (1940–1948)|Cork United]] [[Shamrock Rovers F.C.|Shamrock Rovers]] | 0–7 0–7 0–7 | [[1931–32 League of Ireland|1931–32]] [[1943–44 League of Ireland|1943–44]] [[1943–44 League of Ireland|1943–44]] | 22 November 1931 19 December 1943 27 December 1943 |} Source:<ref name="McSweeney">{{cite book|last=McSweeney|first=Niall|title=A Record of League of Ireland Football 1921–22 to 1984–85|publisher=Association of Football Statisticians}}</ref><ref name="Graham">{{cite book|last=Graham|first=Alex|title=Football in the Republic of Ireland a Statistical Record 1921–2005|year=2005 |publisher=Soccer Books Limited|isbn=1-86223-135-4}}</ref>

===Second League of Ireland era=== In [[1990–91 League of Ireland First Division|1990–91]] Gate joined the [[League of Ireland First Division]], replacing [[Newcastlewest F.C.|Newcastlewest]]. In 1995, the club was taken over by a consortium. Only one year later, however, just before the start of the [[1996–97 League of Ireland First Division|1996–97]] they pulled out of the league, unable to meet their financial responsibilities. They were replaced by [[St. Francis F.C.|St. Francis]].<ref name="Graham">{{cite book|last=Graham|first=Alex|title=Football in the Republic of Ireland a Statistical Record 1921–2005|year=2005 |publisher=Soccer Books Limited|isbn=1-86223-135-4}}</ref>

===110th Anniversary Tournament=== To celebrate their 110th anniversary, in July 2012 the club hosted a tournament.

====Semi-finals==== {{footballbox |date = 14 July 2012 |team1 = {{flagicon|NIR}} [[Ballymena United F.C.|Ballymena United]] |score = 1–1 Ballymena won 5–3 after penalties |report = (Report) |team2 = {{flagicon|WAL}} [[Port Talbot Town F.C.|Port Talbot Town]] |goals1 = White, 90 |goals2 = ???, 6 |stadium = |attendance = |referee = }} {{footballbox | date = 14 July 2012 | team1 = {{flagicon|IRL}} '''St James's Gate''' | score = 2–0 | report = (Report) | team2 = {{flagicon|IRL}} [[Bohemian F.C.|Bohemians]] | goals1 = | goals2 = | stadium = | attendance = | referee = }}

====Third place play-off==== {{footballbox | date = 16 July 2012 | team1 = {{flagicon|IRL}} [[Bohemian F.C.|Bohemians]] | score = 0–6 | report = (Report) | team2 = {{flagicon|WAL}} [[Port Talbot Town F.C.|Port Talbot Town]] | goals1 = | goals2 = | stadium = | attendance = | referee = }}

====Final==== {{footballbox | date = 16 July 2012 | team1 = {{flagicon|IRL}} '''St James's Gate''' | score = 0–2 | report = (Report) | team2 = {{flagicon|NIR}} [[Ballymena United F.C.|Ballymena United]] | goals1 = | goals2 = Baker [[Neil Teggart|Teggart]] (pen) | stadium = | attendance = | referee = }} <ref>[https://www.rsssf.org/tablesj/jamesgate110-12.html 110th Anniversary Tournament], [[Rsssf]]</ref>

==Grounds== Gate originally played their home games at Bellevue Lodge by the [[Grand Canal (Ireland)|Grand Canal]] near [[Inchicore]]. The same venue was also used by [[Olympia F.C. (Dublin)|Olympia]]. Between 1921 and 1928 they played at St. James's Park in [[Dolphin's Barn]] on a pitch hired by the [[Guinness]] board. In 1928 they moved to the [[Iveagh Grounds]] which, as of Oct 2025, remains their home ground.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Alan |date=24 October 2025 |title=About Us |url=https://stjamesgatefc.com/about-us/ |access-date=2025-12-23 |website=St. James' Gate FC |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Notable former players== ;[[Republic of Ireland national football team|Republic of Ireland]] internationals On 28 May 1924 when [[Republic of Ireland national football team|Ireland]] made their international debut at the [[Football at the 1924 Summer Olympics|1924 Olympics]] against [[Bulgaria national football team|Bulgaria]], the Ireland team included three Gate players – [[Paddy Duncan]], [[Michael Farrell (footballer)|Michael Farrell]] and [[Ernie MacKay]]. A fourth member of the team, Paddy O'Reilly, would also later play for the club. Duncan also scored the Republic of Ireland's first international goal. [[Joe O'Reilly (footballer)|Joe O'Reilly]], with 20, was also the most capped player for Ireland in the pre–[[Second World War]] era.<ref name="Needham">{{cite book|last=Needham|first=David|title=Ireland's First Real World Cup -The Story of the 1924 Ireland Olympic Football Team|year=2012 |publisher=The Manuscript Publisher|isbn=978-0-9571157-2-9}}</ref><ref name="freestaters">{{cite book|last=Cullen|first=Donal|title=Freestaters: The Republic of Ireland Soccer Team 1921–1939|publisher=Dessert Islands Books|year=2007}}</ref> {| |- style="vertical-align:top" || * {{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Paddy Bermingham (footballer)|Paddy Bermingham]] * {{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Paddy Bradshaw]] * {{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Pat Byrne (footballer)|Pat Byrne]] * {{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Johnny Carey]] * {{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Martin Colfer]] * {{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Charlie Dowdall]] * {{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Bobby Duffy]] || * {{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Paddy Duncan]] * {{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Michael Farrell (footballer)|Michael Farrell]] * {{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Dominic Foley]] * {{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Peadar Gaskins]] * {{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Matty Geoghegan]] * {{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Willie Kennedy|Billy Kennedy]] * {{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Owen Kinsella]] || * {{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Charlie Lennon]] * {{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Ernie MacKay]] * {{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Emmet McLoughlin]] * {{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Tom Murphy (Irish footballer)|Tom Murphy]] * {{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Joe O'Reilly (footballer)|Joe O'Reilly]] * {{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Paddy O'Reilly (footballer)|Paddy O'Reilly]] * {{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Alf Rigby]] |}

;[[Republic of Ireland women's national football team|Republic of Ireland]] women's internationals * {{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Katie Taylor]] * {{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Mary Waldron]] ;[[Republic of Ireland national under-21 football team|Republic of Ireland U21]] internationals * {{flagicon|Ireland}} [[John Bacon (footballer)|John Bacon]] * {{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Martin Bayly]] * {{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Ritchie Bayly]] ;[[League of Ireland XI]] representatives * {{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Mick Byrne (Irish footballer)|Mick Byrne]] * {{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Pat Byrne (footballer)|Pat Byrne]] * {{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Paul Byrne (footballer, born 1972)|Paul Byrne]] * {{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Martin Colfer]] ;[[Ireland national football team (1882–1950)|Ireland (IFA)]] internationals In addition to playing for Ireland teams selected by the [[Football Association of Ireland|FAI]], at least five Gate players also played for Ireland teams selected by the [[Irish Football Association]]. * {{flagicon|Ireland|1783}} [[Johnny Carey]] – Senior * {{flagicon|Ireland|1783}} [[Ernie MacKay]] – Junior * {{flagicon|Ireland|1783}} [[Emmet McLoughlin]] – Amateur * {{flagicon|Ireland|1783}} [[Frank Heaney]] – Amateur<ref>[https://nifootball.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/frank-heaney.html NIFG]</ref> * {{flagicon|Ireland|1783}} Harry Litton – Amateur<ref>[https://nifootball.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/northern-ireland-amateur-international.html ''Northern Ireland Amateur Internationals'']</ref>

;Goalscorers On seven occasions St James's Gate players finished as the [[League of Ireland]]'s top goalscorer. On 30 March 1930, Willie Byrne scored six goals in a 7–1 win against [[Sligo Rovers F.C.|Sligo Rovers]]. [[Paddy Bradshaw]], with 68, remains Gate's top goalscorer in the League of Ireland. <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesi/iertops.html|title=Ireland – List of Topscorers|publisher=Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation|access-date=5 February 2016|date=5 February 2016}}</ref><ref name="Graham">{{cite book|last=Graham|first=Alex|title=Football in the Republic of Ireland a Statistical Record 1921–2005|year=2005 |publisher=Soccer Books Limited|isbn=1-86223-135-4}}</ref> {| class="wikitable" |- ! Season ! Player ! Goals |- |[[1921–22 League of Ireland|1921–22]] || Jack Kelly || 11 |- |[[1932–33 League of Ireland|1932–33]]|| George Ebbs || 20 |- |[[1933–34 League of Ireland|1933–34]]|| [[Alf Rigby]] || 13 |- |[[1934–35 League of Ireland|1934–35]] || [[Alf Rigby]] || 17 |- |[[1937–38 League of Ireland|1937–38]] || Willie Byrne || 25 |- |[[1938–39 League of Ireland|1938–39]] || [[Paddy Bradshaw]] || 22 |- |[[1939–40 League of Ireland|1939–40]]|| [[Paddy Bradshaw]] || 29 |- |} ;Boxer * {{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Katie Taylor]] – [[Irish Amateur Boxing Association|Irish]], [[European Boxing Union|European]], [[International Boxing Association (amateur)|World]] and [[Boxing at the Summer Olympics|Olympic]] boxing champion

==Honours== * '''[[League of Ireland]] : 2''' **[[League of Ireland 1921–22|1921–22]], [[League of Ireland 1939–40|1939–40]] *'''[[Leinster Senior League Senior Division|Leinster Senior League]]: 6''' **1909–10, 1911–12, 1914–15, 1919–20, 1987–88, 1988–89 * '''[[FAI Cup]] : 2''' **[[FAI Cup 1921–22|1921–22]], 1937–38 * '''[[League of Ireland Shield]] : 2''' **1935–36, 1940–41 *'''[[Dublin City Cup]] : 1''' **1938–39 *'''[[Leinster Senior Cup (association football)|Leinster Senior Cup]]: 5''' **1919–20, 1921–22, 1934–35, 1936–37, 1940–41 *'''[[LFA Metropolitan Cup]]''' **1919–20 * '''[[Irish Intermediate Cup]] : 2''' **1909–10, 1919–20 * '''[[FAI Intermediate Cup]] : 1''' **1950–51

==References== {{Reflist|2}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Jamess Gate F.C.}} [[Category:1902 establishments in Ireland]] [[Category:Association football clubs established in 1902]] [[Category:Association football clubs in Dublin (city)]] [[Category:Defunct League of Ireland clubs]] [[Category:Leinster Senior League (association football) clubs]] [[Category:St James's Gate F.C.| ]] [[Category:Works association football clubs in Ireland]]