About Summerville Rovers

Summerville Rovers AFC was founded in 1956 in the heart of Limerick, with one simple goal — to give local boys and girls a place to play football, make friends, and grow within their community.
Over the decades, we’ve evolved into one of the region’s longest-standing and most successful amateur clubs, proudly serving generations of families across Limerick city.

A Legacy of Football in the Community

From the early days on gravel pitches and local leagues to silverware-laden seasons in the 1980s and 1990s — including multiple Limerick District Schoolboy League titles — Summerville has always been more than just a football club. It’s a family.

The club has produced countless talented players, coaches, and volunteers who have represented Summerville with distinction on and off the field. Many of those who started in maroon and white have gone on to become coaches, committee members, and lifelong supporters — keeping the Rovers tradition alive.

Our Values & Community Impact

Summerville Rovers is dedicated to fostering youth development, promoting teamwork, and enriching the local community through football. Our club values guide every initiative, helping us create a positive and inclusive environment for all members, families, and supporters.

• Community: We’re built by the people of Limerick, for the people of Limerick.
• Respect: Every player, coach, and supporter plays their part.
• Development: From academy to senior level, we focus on growing confident, skilled players.
• Legacy: We honour our history and those who built this club, while looking firmly to the future.

Club History

Club Development history 1956 To 2010

Summerville Rovers started as a schoolboy club towards the end of the 1954 local cricket season with the arrival of the winter and the attention was diverted to soccer. Over the next 2 years friendly matches were arranged between teams form all parts of the City.

Charlie Elliott and Aidan Corr were responsible for making this happen. The club was based mainly in the South circular area before expanding into the wider catchments area of Ballinacurra gardens and Rosbrien area.

In 1956 Summerville Rovers gained entry into the Limerick Schoolboy league and their first competitive match was against Wolf Tone Rangers in Caledonian park, which ended in a scoreless draw. Charlie Elliott and Aidan Corr lined out in this first historical team.

In 1967 Summerville rovers joined the junior ranks and played their first ever game on Sept 1^st at Shelbourne Park but due to lack of players and facilities only lasted the one season. Portland Park located in the Ballinacurra gardens, which they shared with Priory soccer club.

It took until 1974 when Charlie Elliott and Aidan Corr once again tried to ignite the return of Summerville Rovers. The team lined out in the colour of maroon and white on Sunday August 1975 in the Pike Field with Glebe Rangers providing the opposition but were unlucky to loose 3-1. Well know Limerick personalises lined out in the names of Mike Foley, Johnny Casey, Dom Riordan, Aidan Corr, Jim Mc Mahon, John Thompson Gerry Webb and Terry Carey.

Success at last came for Summerville Rovers when the first ever junior cup came to the club in 1979 with a 3 – 0 victory over Geraldines in the Power Cup final. Goals from Ken Browne (2) and Denis Toomey (1) set the scene of wild celebrations in Priory Park.

In 1975 / 76 season Summerville Rovers introduced a minor team under the management of Gerry Webb. In 1981/ 82 Summerville Rovers were back in schoolboy soccer and under guidance of Aidan Corr captured the under 10 cup.

Over the coming years Summerville went from strength to strength on and off the playing fields with the introductions of additional schoolboy and junior teams.

Our schoolboy/girl sides won many honours for the Club throughout the Nineties including the following:

• Season 1989/90 – Under 12B League
• Season 1990/91 – Under 15B Cup
• Season 1991/92 – Under 10D League and Runners up in the 15B League and Cup
• Season 1992/93 – Under 10B League and Under 10 Indoor Cup
• Season 1993/94 – Under 10C League and Under 10 B Cup This side was LDSL Team of the year.
• Season 1994/95 – Under 11A League, Under 15B League and Under 12’ reached the quarter final of the Norton Cup
• Season 1995/96 – Under 12A and Under 15C League and Cup

To-day Summerville have seven Schoolboy teams and 3 junior teams with a total of 200 signed players for the club.

The club made a big step forward in 1993 with the installation of two dressing room and a store area, in a converted container. In the same year floodlights for training were also installed.

We celebrating the official opening of our new Clubhouse Development and expanded sports facilities in 10^th May 2010 This development was first mooted in the late Eighties when a fundraiser was organised for dressing rooms at Portland Park, by  the then committee lead by Chairman Terry Carey This fundraiser created a sizable fund, which was separated from the Club account under the care of the trustees. As we did not have a lease on Portland and were sharing the grounds with Priory United it was not possible to proceed with the development at the time.

Circumstances changed in the late Nineties when Priory amalgamated with Prospect United and moved out of Portland Park. This allowed us to successfully apply for a Ninety-Nine Year Lease on the Grounds.

Our architect Dom O’Riordan produced a design for a Clubhouse and car park and the Club through Billy Doran, made a successful application for a Lotto Grant under the 2002 Capital Programme for a Clubhouse and Car Park. Our accountant Mike Foley acquired a bank loan and with this loan coupled with the original fundraiser and the lotto grant plans were on the way to full fill the dream of our committees from the 80’s through to the new centaury.

A team of professionals, all giving their services free to the Club, set about putting our plans into a reality. They were Dom O’Riordan Architect, Ger Reidy Solicitor, Mike Foley accountant and Billy Doran Development Coordinator.

In consultation with the Trustees, the Club Committee, the club adapted the following Five-Year Plans.

Work commenced on the clubhouse in 2004 and the dressing rooms on the ground floor was completed in 2005. In line with our five-year plan, the function room up stairs was completed in 2006 with the aid of a second Lotto Grant.

While the club house development was progressing our accountant Mike Foley was keeping a watchful eye on the CPO for the Southern Ring Road, which was to cut across our pitch in the Baggott Estate. As a result of Mike’s efforts, we were compensated for the loss of this pitch and given additional land adjacent to Portland Park for a second pitch. The second pitch and fencing were completed in 2008 with the entrance and fenced wall in front of the clubhouse being completed in 2009.

We went back to the Department of sport again in 2007 and 2008 with applications for grants for an All-Weather Pitch, at the rear of the Club House. This part of the project was also completed on target and was completed in the summer of 2009. The finishing touches were completed in April 2010 with the upgrading of the entrance and car park surface. The remainder of the Five-year Plan will be on hold awaiting the reintroduction of the Lotto Grants, But an amazing amount of work has being carried out over the five years, thanks to the above named people, the committees, managers and our supporters.

The club will be indebted to the team of volunteers who worked on the development. The wiring of the clubhouse and plumbing was carried out by volunteers along with painting and carpentry. Club members also wired the All-Weather Pitch floodlights.

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