The award is a proud and momentous achievement for the club, not least for being the first Waterford city club to achieve the required criteria.
Formed in May 1975 following the proposal for a football club being brought to the Executive Committee of the P.P.U, by June of that year the club had been accepted by the Waterford Junior League Committee to participate in the local league.
Over the next number of seasons, the club progressed participating in the Premier and Division 1 leagues and with youth and schoolboy teams also competing in their respective leagues. The players that stood out were Alan Barry who went on to have a very successful League of Ireland career and captained Waterford United and Philip O'Regan who also went on to play with Waterford United and who was capped at Junior International level.
One of the many highlights for their teams in these early years came in the 1986/87 season when De La Salle secured their first schoolboy trophy under the management of Pat Kelly and the late Marty Grant when they won the Under 16 B League.
Following the sale of their home ground of St. Patrick's Park they eventually, after a lot of hard graft and toil on the playing surface under the watchful eye of friend and overseer Mossy Power, moved to La Salle Park with a game against a Waterford United team captained by De La Salle’s own Alan Barry to mark the official opening.
One of the great achievements in the club's history has been the creation and flourishing of their Academy. Its ongoing success can be attributed to the many FAI trained coaches who have and continue to guide these players from the age of 5 years old through their initial steps of what will hopefully be many years of enjoyment (and maybe even success) in their football journeys.
Along with the many schoolboy team successes who have passed through the Academy, De La Salle have also been immensely proud of another 'graduate' Conor 'Speedy' Whittle who gained underage international recognition while wearing the club colours. Conor along with numerous other Academy 'old boys' has also gone on to play League of Ireland football.
The start of the 2008/09 season saw De La Salle move permanently into the new Williamstown Complex where they now base all their football activities on the astro training area and pitch which following intensive treatment, care and maintenance over last few years is among the best in the local leagues.
Probably the most significant period in the club’s history came in the 2016/17 season which saw them lose one of the club’s most influential and inspirational figures, Eoin Burke. Eoin was the driving force behind the club’s aforementioned Academy and having coached and mentored pretty much every schoolboy player to have passed through the club’s structures in the previous 10 years, was coach to that season’s Youth team. Following Eoin’s untimely passing in late 2016, this youth team, which included Eoin’s sons Shane as goalkeeper and Craig as coach, overcame their grief and shock, felt by all in the club, of losing their leader and feeding from the motivation to provide a fitting tribute to Eoin’s memory, completed a magnificent season which saw them reach the semi-final of the Munster Youth Cup and complete the Waterford Junior League Youth A League & Cup double. A season which served as a proper and fitting monument to a man who had done so much for De La Salle.
It is with all these aforementioned players, coaches, committee members and supporters in mind that De La Salle take most pleasure and pride in being part of the FAI’s Club Mark scheme and feel that being part of the program will allow them continue to develop & progress with the ethos of the club being that football should be enjoyed by all irrespective of background or ability and where possible talent and skills should be given attention and care to allow it develop & flourish to its full potential.
The FAI Club Mark is free and optional for clubs and aims to:
• Improve the management of clubs ‘off the field’
• Establish and promote best practice
• Empower and support clubs
• Recognise and reward clubs for achieving high standards
• Increase a club’s capacity to operate effectively and grow football in communities throughout Ireland.
If your club is interested in learning more about the FAI Club Mark please complete this short Registration Form