Varsity Blues

“There’s a perception out there that there’s no real expectation at a club like UCD. Well the people who say that don’t know us – we’re every bit as fanatical and passionate about football as Shels or Drogheda or Man United.”

UCD A.F.C. manager Pete Mahon is fiercely proud of his team. And so he should be – the UCD squad are the only university team in Europe to play in a professional league. Having existed as one of many UCD sports clubs since 1895, the current unique situation dates back to 1979, when the then-manager Dr. Tony O’Neill led the club into League of Ireland competition for the first time. The team went from strength to strength over the following years, winning the FAI Cup in 1984 and regularly finishing mid-table.
But speaking to team personnel, it becomes clear that silverware is not what the club is most proud of. “Our biggest asset is our young players, who are mainly students here in the college,” says the club’s promotions officer Colin Ford. “We have three players in the current Irish U21 international squad, which is probably the biggest number for an Eircom League of Ireland club, certainly in the last five or six years anyway. And every club in the country has at least one or two ex-UCD players in their ranks.”
Most of the club’s younger players study at UCD on scholarships. The balance of the squad is made up of graduates and a handful of ‘guest’ players. “We’re in the process of recruiting three or four new players at the moment that will come in on scholarships for the new academic year,” says Ford. “Obviously that’s based on their CAO results and their desire to learn as well – it’s not just about the football.”
Pete Mahon has been UCD’s manager for five years. “Like any job, there are pluses and minuses,” he admits. “But at UCD, I’m allowed manage, which is what I’m employed to do, and there’s no interference from anybody. I stand and fall by my decisions; I’m given a free hand in matters relating to football. That’s what a manager always looks for in a club.” The downside of managing a club that relies on signing young up-and-coming players is that Mahon must spend a lot of time watching schoolboy football – something he says is very time-consuming when added to his other managerial duties.
Mahon believes that other Eircom League of Ireland clubs could learn a lot from UCD: “UCD is a model of how a club should be run in terms of infrastructure and finance. We own our own ground and you’ll never see any bad publicity in relation to late payment of wages or problems with the revenue commissioner. We’re dedicated to developing young players and making sure they get a good education at the same time. Derry beat us in the cup semi-final and they had two ex-UCD scholars playing against us. We played Shamrock Rovers last Friday and they had five.”
So what’s it like to combine full-time academic study with playing in a professional football league? Evan McMillan is in the final year of his commerce degree. “If I need time off college or anything, the manager will talk to whoever’s concerned, there’s no problem,” he says. “Training is always on after lectures, so it’s not difficult to balance the two,” For midfielder Ronan Finn, the academic opportunity afforded by UCD was a big factor in his decision to come the club. “I spent some time in England when I was younger but I came back because of school,” he says. “Some clubs wanted me to leave school after third year, but my mum wanted me to finish school and go to college, so I was happy to be able to do that.” All of the club’s players have the use of the state-of-the-art High Performance Centre in the UCD sports hall, where many of Ireland’s top athletes come to train.
Ford believes that other Irish universities could successfully adopt the UCD model. He sees the new Irish ‘A-league’, which will feature reserve teams but will also include non-League sides, as the perfect platform for college sides from the likes of UCC, NUIG or Trinity to make the step up to national league competition. “I’m surprised there aren’t more university sides playing in national leagues, particularly on the continent,” he says. “It’s obviously up to the universities – it takes a lot of time and dedication and whether the will is there or not, well, you’d have to ask them.” Summing up UCD’s place in Irish football, he says: “There will always be begrudgers who will ask what a university team are doing in a national league, but UCD are here on merit. We’ve a very good side and we have a very good setup off the pitch. If you’re looking for a reason why we’re here, just look at the Irish U21 squad.”

UCD play their next home game against Waterford on September 28, at the Belfield Park ground on campus.