Kilkenny Floodlit Soccer league begins its 25th season this year and the launch of this season was held recently in Kilkenny City.
The league began in 2001 when Eamon Cleere and Gerry O’Keefe who both had been involved in the Nightowls league, Eamon as a team manager and Gerry as a player felt that the time was right to form a Kilkenny league similar to the Nightowls league.
The Nightowls had been run as a commercial venture from a Cork based Company with leagues being held all over Ireland and parts of UK. It subsequently went in to Liquidation.
The Kilkenny lads weren’t happy with the way Nightowls was going and decided to form a league that would be in Kilkenny by Kilkenny and for Kilkenny.
In , meaning all games would be played in Kilkenny, by, meaning that it would be organised locally and for, meaning that the league would be non-profit and that all profits would be donated to a local Charity.
The Charity chosen to benefit from the new Soccer League was Enable Ireland at the O’Neill Centre and to date over €300’000 has been donated to this Charity.
For the first 4 seasons games were played in Kilkenny College thanks to College Administrator Peter Dukelow. The league then moved to Scanlon Park and Loreto where games were played on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights from September to May.
Over the years teams have come from all corners of Kilkenny City and County and also from Carlow and Tipperary to play floodlit winter soccer.
The league is thankful for the great sponsorship over the years. JD Computers, C & C Security and Morrissey Motors have all given generous sponsorship over the years. Kevin Morrissey had his own team in the league for many seasons and was a great supporter.
Current sponsors Daltons Chancellors Mills have been sponsoring the league since 2018. John Dalton previously played in the league for many seasons with Threecastles side Rock Utd.
Many of Kilkenny’s greatest sports men have played in the Floodlit league over the years and league coordinator Eamon Cleere remembers a season when 12 of the Kilkenny senior hurling panel all played with different teams. Team manager Brian Cody has presented the Trophies at the Annual Awards night.
Of course, some of Kilkenny Soccer legends have also lined out. The Walsh brothers Michael, Billy and Ollie, Dave Mulcahy and more have all lined out at different stages.
Eamon also remembers a season when 3 top Kilkenny hurlers lined out with their team in a Floodlit league game 5 days before playing in the Senior Hurling County final with their club. They went on to win the County Final and repeated this 5 days before they won the All Ireland club Final with their club in March of that season.
The club never knew about it he says and never will but the lads enjoyed playing Floodlit soccer so much that they just went with it.
Initially the Floodlit League mainly catered for players who had finished playing Sunday soccer but over the years many young players have come along to play as playing a competitive game midweek enables them to enjoy family time at weekends.
Preparations are underway for the new season which will start in early October with games being played on Monday and Wednesday evenings from then until April.
The Floodlit league primarily caters for players who do not play Sunday league Soccer and a transfer system for players who want to move from one league to the other is in operation.
Details for new teams wishing to enter this season are on the league website www.kffl.ie. Players looking to join a team can get contact details for this on website also.
The league management would like to thank all players, managers and officials who have been involved over the years as their contribution is very much acknowledged and appreciated.
Here’s looking forward to another successful season of Floodlit Soccer.
