A potted history of the Amateur Football League and the Oscar Traynor Coaching & Development Centre

The Amateur Football League was founded in Dublin on the 23rd May 1954 with 12 Clubs playing Saturday football and was formerly known as the Dublin Amateur Football League.

The League was founded to provide football for people who were amateurs, playing in a competitive spirit.

The League provides soccer as a sport, administered on behalf of the members by voluntary officials, who endeavour to be impartial at all times in the way they administer the League.

Our Representative Team won the Oscar Traynor National Inter League Trophy on four occasions 1969/70; 1990/91; 1991/92 and 2006-7 season. Runners up in 1966/67; 1975/76; 1984/85; 1987/1988. Our Youth Representative Team won the National Inter League Trophy in 1988/89 and was runners up in 1975/76.

In 1979 at a meeting held in Clontarf Rugby Club, Castle Avenue the Amateur Football League embarked on a project to acquire a site for the AFL Coaching and Development Centre. It was opened by the then Lord Mayor of Dublin in September 1985. The Amateur Football League was the first League within the Football Association of Ireland to have its own Sports and Administration Centre. That year the league had 121 Clubs with 222 teams. With the help of a grant of £105,000 from the then Department of Education the balance of the finance of £437.000 was raised by the League clubs.

In 2001 the Trustees of the League entered into discussion with North Dublin Schoolboy/girls League with the aspiration of the amalgamation of both Leagues to further develop the site as a Coaching and Development Centre for Football

The North Dublin League founded in 1973 now provides football for over 680 teams, together with an excellent Coaching Academy for a wide range of age groups.

Dublin City Council agreed to the merger, with four Trustees from each league forming the Board of Control. The Department of Tourism, Sport and Recreation agreed to the new project and provisionally allocated substantial grants to the new development. The lease on the property provides for the facility to be used only for the development of Association Football.

The two leagues agreed and so the Oscar Traynor Coaching & Development Centre was born. Seven highly respected football committed gentlemen accepted the invitation to become Directors of the new Company to develop a modern facility for the football on behalf of both Leagues. The Centre has a first class grass pitch, together with its own sprinkler and drainage system installed to allow matches to be played all year round. The Centre has received planning permission to install floodlights. The pitch was used to host one of the UEFA under 16 Championship games. The Centre has an all-weather pitch similar to that installed by Real Madrid and Manchester Utd and is FIFA recommended. It is 118m x 76m and is floodlit and is available for Schoolboy and Junior Internationals.

The Football Association of Ireland and The Department of Tourism, Sport and Recreation through the Irish Sports Council have been very generous in allocating finance to continue the development of the Centre.

As we move onwards to continue the updating of Administration and Coaching Facilities and dressing rooms we compliment all the voluntary officials, who ensured that the spirit of amateurism would be the key factor in their commitment to the development of the Centre of Excellence.