Roscommon L.G.F.C. History
Roscommon Ladies Football Club was founded in Brighton MA
in 1997 by Marie Naughton from county Roscommon in the West of Ireland. As a
county player, football was second nature to her
and she got much help from Marguerite Flaherty and Sheila O'Connell forming the
club. Marie took on a big job scouting for players that year, to which she
got a great response. The club had two trainers - Seamus Gallagher and
Damien Fallon who did a great job with the new team. Training was twice a
week in St. Johns in Brighton and the Castlebar pub in Oak Square took on
the sponsership. One of the teams outings that year was a 7 a side tournament in
Washington D.C. which was a great success. Roscommons first year may not have
merited many trophies but it was plain to see this was a team that was going
places.
The second year(1998) saw Roscommon
getting stronger and more players joining this young team. On their third year
two new trainers came to join - Benny Howley and Fergal Harney, as Seamus and
Damien had returned to Ireland. Benny is still with the club to this day but
Fergal followed the two boys back to the old sod. Roscommon played very well in
this third year and the reward was around the corner on a very wet Saturday
evening in August in Dil Boy field in Somerville. They beat Tir Na nOig in
the championship semi final and made it to their first ever Boston final. Marie
was a very happy woman as were the whole team. In the final Roscommon put up a
very gallant fight but were beaten by a very strong Boston Shamrocks team. It
was in this year the Fergal Harney put Roscommon on a three year plan.
On Roscommons fourth year Benny and new
trainer Ray Moore took over the training and brought the team to their
second final. Yet again they were beaten by our old rivals Boston
Shamrocks. Last year, the fifth year, the team was getting stronger with a
healthier line up of home based players which proved to be a great asset. Aiden
Sweeney joined as trainer with Benny. The first meeting in the championship
with the Shamrocks saw Roscommon go down again and back to St. Johns for more
running around the diamond! In the second meeting Roscommon beat the
Shamrocks for the first time, they had been undefeated in Boston until
then. Our last championship game ended with a loss for Roscommon, a
week before the two rivals would meet again. It was all to play for.
The final seen some exciting stuff with the Shamrocks giving it all they
had leaving Roscommon 10 points behind at the end of the first half.
A heartfelt speech from Caroline Kelly (Tyrone) shook the
team and it took blood, sweat and tears all through the second half to give
Roscommon the well deserved win. It was a long, tense battle but Roscommon came
through to win by 2 points, the teams first ever Boston Ladies Senior Football
Final title(Orla Benson Cup).