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Dublin University Football Club (DUFC) is the rugby union club of Trinity College, in Dublin, Ireland, which plays in Division 1B of the All-Ireland League.
 | |||
| Full name | Dublin University Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Union |  IRFU | ||
| Branch | Leinster | ||
| Nickname(s) | Trinity Rugby | ||
| Founded | 1854 | ||
| Region | Dublin | ||
| Ground(s) | College Park, Dublin (Capacity: 500) | ||
| Chairman | John Boyd | ||
| President | Alan Rogan | ||
| Coach(es) | Tony Smeeth, Hugh Maguire | ||
| Captain(s) | James Hickey | ||
| League(s) | All-Ireland Div. 1B | ||
| 2023–24 | 10th (Div. 1A) - relegated[1] | ||
| |||
| Official website | |||
| www | |||
The first known record of the Club appears under the heading 'Trinity College' in the Daily Express of 1 December 1855 and is taken to show that it had then been in existence for at least a year:
FOOTBALL. - A match will be played in the College Park today (Saturday) between original and new members of the club. Play to commence at two o'clock College time.[2]
The club had thus been founded by about 1854, and it has a well-documented, continuous history since then, which gives it a strong claim to be considered the world's oldest extant football club of any code.[3] Although Guy's Hospital FC, had been founded in London in 1843, so had existed before DUFC, it later folded up for some years during the nineteenth century.[2] Football in Trinity pre-dates the foundation of the Club itself. A poem by Edward Lysaght shows that it was being played in the College Park in the 1780s.[2]
Being the oldest rugby club in Ireland, DUFC has won its fair share of trophies over the years. Its most notable achievement in recent years was the winning of the All-Ireland League Division 2 in the 2003–04 season, which also gained the club promotion to Division 1. This level of competition was short-lived, however, with the club returning to Division 2 after two seasons.[citation needed]
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The DUFC 1st XV currently plays in Division 1B of the All-Ireland League. The club also fields three Junior teams who compete in the Leinster J1, J3 and J4 Metro Leagues,[4] and two U20 teams who play in the JP Fanagan Premier and Pennant leagues respectively. They are the current Frazer McMullen All Ireland Champions, beating Clontarf U20 in the 2018 final.[4]
The 1stXV plays against University College Dublin in the annual Colours Match which has been ongoing since its inception in 1952. Trinity has won on 24 occasions, the latest being the 2017/18 match. The club also has a Women's XV, which has played in AIL division 3.[5]
In October 2020, the club had three players, Liam Turner, Michael Silvester and Jack Dunne, play in Leinster's Pro14 win over Zebre.[6][7][8]
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The club's main playing field is College Park,[9] which is within the grounds of Trinity in the Dublin city centre. It also has two other football fields used mainly by the Junior teams on Santry Avenue in the Dublin suburb of Santry.[5][10]
Ireland
Dublin University Football Club has a long tradition of its players gaining the highest international honours, with over 160 past players being capped for Ireland since 1875. Some of the most famous and presently memorable are listed below.
- Thomas St. George McCarthy
- Francis Browning
- Lawrence Bulger
- Andrew Clinch
- Thomas Arnold Harvey
- James Cecil Parke
- Noel Purcell
- Bethel Solomons
- Sir Thomas Ranken Lyle
- Mark Sugden
- Robert Barnes
- Robin Roe
- Philip Orr
- Dick Spring
- Linda Djougang
- Hugo MacNeill
- Des Fitzgerald
- Brendan Mullin
- Paddy Johns
- Niall Woods
- Malcolm O'Kelly
- Trevor Hogan
- Kieran Lewis
- Matt McCullough
- Roger Wilson
- Jamie Heaslip
- Niyi Adeolokun
- Eric O'Sullivan
- Ryan Baird
British & Irish Lions
DUFC also has a long history of providing British & Irish Lions tourists, with the most recent contribution being Jamie Heaslip in 2013.
- Cecil Boyd: 1896
- Lawrence Bulger: 1896
- Andrew Clinch: 1896
- Arthur Meares: 1896
- Jim Sealy: 1896
- Jas.E. Wallace: 1903
- Jos.E. Wallace: 1903
- Robertson Smyth: 1903
- Jammie Clinch: 1924
- C.V. Boyle: 1938
- Robin Roe: 1955
- M.G. Roberts: 1971
- Philip Orr: 1977, 1980
- John Robbie: 1980
- Hugo MacNeill: 1983
- Des Fitzgerald: 1986 (cancelled)
- Jamie Heaslip: 2009, 2013
Ireland coaches
Dublin University past players Roly Meates and Gerry Murphy both went on to coach Ireland at different times. Meates is also an honorary life member of DUFC, having coached the club for 28 years.
- Roly Meates: 1975-77
- Gerry Murphy: 1992-95
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- All-Ireland Cup (1): 1925-26
- Leinster Senior Cup (19): 1883, 1884, 1886, 1887, 1890, 1893, 1895, 1897, 1898, 1900, 1905, 1907, 1908, 1912, 1920, 1921, 1926, 1960, 1976
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