The Club History and the Development of Portland Park
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 1st at Shelbourne Park but due to lack of players and facilities only lasted the one season.
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 personalities lined out in the names of Mike Foley, Johnny Casey, Dom Riordan, Aidan Corr, Jim Mc Mahon, John Thompson Gerry Webb and Terry Carey. Summerville had now moved to Portland Park located in the Ballinacurra Gardens, which they shared with Priory United.
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 7 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 rooms and a store area, in a converted container. In the same year floodlights for training were also installed.
Summerville Rovers celebrated the official opening of our new Clubhouse Development and expanded sports facilities on 15th May 2010. This development was first instigated in the late Eighties when a fundraiser was organised for the purchase of a playing pitch and dressing rooms at Portland Park, by the committee lead by Chairman Terry Carey. This fundraiser created a sizable fund, which was separated from the Club accounts 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 Portland Park from Limerick City Council.
Our architect Dom O’Riordan drew up plans 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.
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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 1st at Shelbourne Park but due to lack of players and facilities only lasted the one season.
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 personalities lined out in the names of Mike Foley, Johnny Casey, Dom Riordan, Aidan Corr, Jim Mc Mahon, John Thompson Gerry Webb and Terry Carey. Summerville had now moved to Portland Park located in the Ballinacurra Gardens, which they shared with Priory United.
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 7 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 rooms and a store area, in a converted container. In the same year floodlights for training were also installed.
Summerville Rovers celebrated the official opening of our new Clubhouse Development and expanded sports facilities on 15th May 2010. This development was first instigated in the late Eighties when a fundraiser was organised for the purchase of a playing pitch and dressing rooms at Portland Park, by the committee lead by Chairman Terry Carey. This fundraiser created a sizable fund, which was separated from the Club accounts 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 Portland Park from Limerick City Council.
Our architect Dom O’Riordan drew up plans 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.
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