According to Noel O'Donoghue in his book, Proud and Upright Men', Ballinrobe fielded an association football team as far back as the 11th March 1888. To put this into context, 1888 was the same year as the Football League was founded in England and indeed many of the top English sides we are so familiar with nowadays were not even in existence at the time. Likewise, the League of Ireland's oldest club, Bohemians F.C. were not founded until 1890. Ballinrobe's opponents that day were from Tuam and the match was played in a field in Tuam lent by a Mr. Edward Concannon.

Unfortunately, Ballinrobe were defeated 1-0 on this occasion. The "Old Footballer" wrote that "through a long experience in field games, I have never known a better spirit of fair play than that exhibited in Tuam". However, another local reporter violently disagreed; "The Ballinrobe men as "tough, rough customers". Indeed, it was stated that at football training during the following week only eight of the twelve players on the Tuam team were not able to turn out because of injuries.

L.P. Gibbons of Tuam refereed the match and as Ballinrobe had not brought an umpire with them, Michael C. Shine acted as umpire for Ballinrobe while J.B. Joyner was the regular Tuam umpire. The Ballinrobe men were feted in the local hotel but the Tuam team declined an invitation to replay in Ballinrobe and no return match was ever played.

The next mention of association football involving a Ballinrobe team is contained in The Ballinrobe Chronicle, a local newspaper which was in existence from 1866-1903. It states that on the 21st December 1895 a match took place between Castlebar and Ballinrobe, no score line is recorded. The match programme from Ballinrobe Town's meeting with St. Michael's of Ennis in the 5th round of the 1970/71 F.A.I.

Monaghan elected as Treasurer and P. Morris elected as Secretary. Committee members were P.J. Donnellan, J.J. Donnellan, James O'Shaughnessy, Francis Kelly, P. Feerick and Francis Connolly.

 

This photograph features Ballinrobe Major McBride FC, 1901
Front row, left to right: John Fallon, George McLeon, John B. Staunton, Thomas Fitzpatrick, James Donnellan. second row, left to right: Patrick gannon, Tom Monaghan, Tommie Tierney. Third row, left to right: Henry Caulfield, Frank Kelly, James Shaughnessy. Also included are Peter Lydon, Paddy Donnellan, Frank Connolly, Paddy Moran, Paddy Feerick, Herman Valkenburg, John Moran and Peter Morris.

 

On the 21st March 1901 a match was played between the Ballinrobe "Major McBrides" and Ballaghaderreen "Faugh a Ballaghs". The Ballinrobe team was Caulfield in goal, Kelly and Shaughnessy were selected as full backs, Tierney, Gannon and Monaghan as half backs, and Fallon, Maglone, Fitzpatrick, Staunton (Captain) and Moffat as forwards. The result was a scoreless draw. The following month on the 25th April 1901, there was an association football tournament played in Ballinrobe at which Ballyhaunis played Castlerea. Ballaghaderreen were again supposed to play Ballinrobe but they failed to turn up. As a result, after the Ballyhaunis v Castlerea match Ballinrobe played a selection of players picked from both of those teams and ran out winners on a scoreline of 4-0. The Ballinrobe team on this occasion was Caulfield in goal, Kelly and Shaughnessy were again selected as full backs, Tierney, Gannon and Monaghan as half backs, and Fallon, Maglone, Fitzpatrick, Staunton (Captain) and Moffat as forwards.

On the 2nd of January 1902, a game was played between the Ballinrobe “Major McBrides” and Westport. The team selected was Caulfield in goal, Kelly and Shaughnessy as full backs, Tierney, Gannon and Moffat as half backs, and Fallon, Maglone, Daly, Staunton (Captain) and Donnellan as forwards. Fallon scored the first goal for Ballinrobe and Staunton the second. Maglone, Moffat and Daly scored one each in the second half with the result that Ballinrobe triumphed 5-1.

The Chronicle reported on the 6th of February 1902 that there was to be an association football tournament in Castlerea on the 16th. The Boyle “Freebooters”, the Ballyhaunis “Young Irelands” and the Ballinrobe “Major McBrides” were also to take part. Two weeks later on the 20th of February, the leading article stated that the Ballinrobe footballers journeyed to the tournament by special train accompanied by the brass band and returned home with a sweeping victory. The team ran out 5-0 winners over their Castlerea counterparts. It seems the Ballinrobe team of this era were quite successful by all accounts, in fact just a few weeks later on the 13th of March they again overcame Westport, this time by a scoreline of 4-1. They even had the distinction of playing English side, Everton F.C. in 1904. As noted earlier, the Ballinrobe Captain during this period was J.B. Staunton and indeed he was in attendance at the St Michael’s match played in The Green in 1970. Interestingly, Everton F.C. went on to finish runners-up in the English Football League Division 1 for the 1904/05 season.

 

Ballinrobe had been in and out of the game ever since in various guises until the club was revived as Ballinrobe Town in 1968. In the 1969/70 season, Ballinrobe came within a whisker of winning the highest accolade in Mayo Soccer by finishing runners-up to Westport United in the Mayo Association Football League Championship, the precursor to the present day Mayo Super League.

The following season as mentioned earlier, Ballinrobe Town earned a home tie with St. Michael’s of Ennis in the 5th round of the 1970/71 F.A.I. Junior Cup, a game which drew a large crowd to The Green and which they won 1-0 courtesy of a close range 52nd minute Pat Fleming strike. The team in full on that day was Art O’Neill, Peter Griffin, Roddy Moran, Paddy Hans, Peter McGuinness, Noel Maloney (Captain), Peter Mowatt, John Keane, Johnny Parkes, Val Beaumont and Pat Fleming, with Owen Keane appearing as a substitute for Pat Fleming. This victory ensured that they progressed to a tough 6th round away tie with Sligo side, Gilooley Rangers in late January 1971. Unfortunately, Ballinrobe conceded two goals in the final eight minutes of a very evenly matched contest to lose out on a scoreline of 2-0. It was a brave performance from a dogged Ballinrobe side against a Gilooley side containing several ex-Sligo Rovers players. The team selected on this occasion was Art O’Neill, Peter Griffin, Roddy Moran (Captain), Paddy Hans, Peter McGuinness, Tom Sullivan, Val Beaumont, Noel Maloney, Johnny Parkes, John Keane and Jackie O’Brien. Several members of the Ballinrobe team of this era also represented Mayo at Oscar Traynor Cup level. In the 1974/75 season, Ballinrobe Town again narrowly missed out on silverware by finishing runners-up to Balla in the Mayo Association Football League Division 1 Championship, the precursor to the present day Premier Division.

It was not until the early 1990s that soccer again came to prominence in Ballinrobe, in the form of L.F.J. (League Football Juniors) and then Robe Celtic, before the re-formation of the present club, Ballinrobe Town A.F.C., in 1994. From the outset, an emphasis was placed on the establishment of a stable underage structure in tandem with the development of the club’s junior team. As such, the club has built on the initial entry into the league of an U-12 team in 1994 to currently field teams at the following levels: U-8 Boys/Girls, U-10 Boys/Girls, U-11 Boys, U-12 Boys, U-12 Girls, U-14 Boys, U-14 Girls, U-16 Boys, U-16 Girls, U-18 Boys, U-18 Girls, Junior Men’s Team, and a Ladies Team.

The club also enters teams to compete in the various S.F.A.I./ F.A.I. National Cup Competitions at U-12, U-13, U-14, U-15, U-16, U-17 and U-18 levels. Indeed, Ballinrobe Town has had some limited success in these national cup competitions, beginning with the club reaching the last 16 of the 1996/97 F.A.I. Under 17 Challenge Cup, before unfortunately bowing out on a scoreline of 3-1 away to Kilcullen of Kildare. The following season, the same team reached the last 32 of the F.A.I. U-18 Youth Challenge Cup away to Fanad United of Donegal, before again bowing out, this time to the only score in a tightly contested affair. In 2002, Ballinrobe Town reached the final of the W.F.A.I. U-14 Challenge Cup, and again it was a case of what might have been as they lost 2-1 to Dublin outfit Raheny United in a thrilling match played in Terryland Park in Galway. The strength of the club’s underage girls set up in particular was again to the fore as for two consecutive seasons in 2005 and 2006, Ballinrobe reached the semi-finals of the W.F.A.I. U-18 Challenge Cup. In 2007, the club also reached the last 32 of the S.F.A.I. U-12 Norton Cup away to Wicklow Rovers, before suffering the heartbreak of a 5-4 defeat after extra time. At provincial level, the U-14 Girls Team won the Connaught Cup in 1999 and again in 2002. Last season, the U-16 Boys Team reached the semi-finals of the Connaught Shield Competition before narrowly exiting 2-1 to fellow Mayo side and eventual winners Knock/Kiltimagh United. As well as creditable performances in the national and provincial cup competitions, Ballinrobe Town’s underage set up has gone from strength to strength since the club’s rebirth in 1994, as is evidenced by the fact that numerous trophies have been won at almost every age level in which a team has been entered.

The junior men’s team are currently competing for the second time in the top tier of Mayo League Football, namely the Elverys Sports Mayo Super League, having been promoted on the back of some excellent performances in the Premier Division last season. As can be expected at this level, there are no easy games and the Super League is a big test for manager Martin McDonald’s side this season, but one in which everyone involved with the club relishes. Again, since its re-formation, Ballinrobe Town A.F.C. has achieved some notable successes at this level and has progressed from finishing runners-up in the old Mayo League Division 3 Championship in 1998 to winning the Division 1 Championship in 2000. In doing so, the club secured promotion to the Premier Division and up until the present season have played their football there ever since, except for a previous single season spent in the Super League in 2003. The junior team have also been successful in the various divisional cup competitions and have won both the McDonnell and Touhy Cups, the latter of these being in 2001.

The ladies team are also currently competing in the top tier of Mayo League Football, namely the Texoil Women’s Super League. At present, they are leading this division and after having finished runners-up in each of the past three seasons, manager Jeremy Dee’s charges must feel that they have an excellent opportunity to take the title this time around.

In 2008 they added the Costa Blanca Cup which was held in Benidorm in Spain to their ever growing list of honours. The achievements of the LadiesTeam and the foundations on which this success has been built can be attributed in no small way to the sterling efforts of the late Mary Walsh.

As well as having the honour of seeing numerous players representing Mayo and underage level most notably in the Kennedy Cup and at Junior Level in the Oscar Traynor Cup, Ballinrobe Town have had the distinction of having no less than eight players from their successful underage sides capped at internation level for Ireland. The eight players that have represented The Republic of Ireland are Ashling Concannon, Louise Fahy, Anne Moran, Emma Mullin, Alan Murphy, Kenneth O'Malley, Maeve Ann O'Reilly and Niall Walsh. Several underage players in the past have also earned trials with various English and Scottish clubs, including Liverpool F.C. and Millwall F.C.

The club have also had the honour of seeing several former players playing League of Ireland football. Alan Murphy has featured for Galway United, Derry City and Shamrock Rovers in the Eircom League. Ciaran Kelly, was with Athlone Town has also played for Sligo Rovers, Derry City, and Galway United. Goalkeeper, Kenneth O'Malley has also donned the famous Sligo Rovers jersey and made his senior league debut at the age of only 16. Harry Murphy has appeared in the colours of both Galway United and Sligo Rovers, while Gerry Burke and Joey Maloney have both featured for Sligo Rovers, with the latter also appearing for Limerick 37 last season.

In 2002, the club embarked on the start of a major upgrade of the playing and dressing room facilities in The Green. Through generous funding from the Department of Sport & Tourism in conjunction with The National Lottery, along with local fundraising efforts and the Club Lotto which is the lifeblood of the club, the funds were raised to enable the main pitch to be completely re-laid and re-seeded and a drainage system to be installed underneath. Fortunately, local workers and contractors were very supportive, as were engineers, many of whom gave their services freely to assist in the project and to ensure the money stretched as far as possible. The club is grateful to them all. A new clubhouse and dressing rooms were also constructed in tandem with the pitch improvements which will benefit the current and future generations of players who don the famous red and white jersey for many years to come.