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Newbridge Town FC to join FAI National League in new Irish third tier

Newbridge Town FC's application to join the new FAI National League has been successful with the club becoming Kildare's first since 2009

19 Dec 2025, 12:10 by Daragh Nolan · Leinster Leader

Newbridge Town FC's application to join the new FAI National League in 2026 has been successful with the club becoming Kildare's first since Kildare County FC's disbandment in 2009. Klub Kildare also submitted an application for National League status but were unsuccessful.

This new division of men’s senior football will be the top tier of grassroots football and creates a direct pathway between the grassroots game and the League of Ireland for the first time.

The league will commence with a truncated introductory season in the Autumn of 2026. From the 2027 season, a clear pathway for promotion to the League of Ireland Men’s First Division will be established. The winners of the North and South divisions will compete in a Play-Off Final to be crowned FAI National League champions. If the Champions have been approved for a First Division licence, they will play against the team that finishes bottom of the First Division in a Promotion / Relegation Play-Off for a place in the second tier.

The 15 confirmed clubs are:
• Bonagee United (Donegal)
• CK United (Carlow/Kilkenny)
• Cockhill Celtic (Donegal)
• Home Farm (Dublin)
• Killarney Celtic (Kerry)
• Letterkenny Rovers (Donegal)
• Lucan United (Dublin)
• Mayo Football Club (Mayo)
• Mervue United (Galway)
• Newbridge Town (Kildare)
• Salthill Devon (Galway)
• St. Francis (Dublin)
• TU Dublin (Dublin)
• UCC Soccer (Cork)
• Villa FC (Waterford)

Newbridge Town FC stated alongside the news, "On behalf of the committee and members of Newbridge Town FC we are pleased to announce that our application to be part of the new Football Association of Ireland (FAI) National League has been successful. As a founding member of the National League, we look forward to working collaboratively with the FAI and all other clubs in what is a significant step for football pathways and player development.

"Lots of thought and effort has gone into our application to join the national league and our decision to accept our place in it. We feel that our facilities, location and history on and off the field put us among the best positioned clubs to be part of this exciting new venture. It is our aim to bring the highest standard of football in Ireland to Newbridge in the coming years and will be reaching out to all football fans and clubs in the county to get involved and support the club in its aspirations. We also recognise that in order to grow and fulfil the immense potential of the club, town and county we will need people from the business community to support us and look forward to building off the field structures and relationships that will grow over time.

"Thanks to everyone in the FAI Tier 3 panel who were very helpful to us with our application and we look forward to working closely with them over the coming months and years.

"To all members, past and present, who have helped put Newbridge Town FC in a position to avail of this opportunity we extend our sincerest gratitude. The club has continued to grow over the past 56 years and we hope this is just another milestone in that journey. We will be making further communications in the coming weeks and again encourage all football people in the area to join us in this exciting journey."

In February of this year, Newbridge Town FC submitted their application to join the new Tier 3 South ahead of its launch in 2026.The county of Kildare is undoubtedly a fine choice for Irish football with an ever-growing population and huge interest in the sport.

The Leinster Leader caught up with some of the people involved in Newbridge Town FC back in June, who were at that time preparing their presentation to the FAI about why Newbridge Town FC was best suited to bring national football back to Kildare.

Speaking at the time, Vice Chairperson Christian McAuley said, “We have two of the biggest GAA clubs in the county with Sarsfields and Moorefield, the newly renovated St Conleth’s Park, Newbridge RFC, so the town is a sporting town with big clubs in it and Newbridge Town FC want to be there alongside them.”

While they are now looking to make the next steps on the club’s journey, Newbridge Town FC has a rich history since its founding in 1969 which carries with it an extensive line of memories for locals and beyond.

Club secretary Gary Carroll added, “Newbridge Town has been in existence for 56 years so it has a fair bit of history behind it as well. There are lots of people that have connections with the club going back through that time and that is something that a National League team would be able to tap into.

“They tried it before with Kildare County and I think one of the mistakes they made was that they invented a team rather than going in as Newbridge Town. There were reasons for it, but I do think that was a mistake to not go in as Newbridge Town and we have always been playing at a high level.”

The desire for Kildare to have League of Ireland football was evident when the Leinster Leader shared the news of Newbridge Town and Klub Kildare’s respective applications earlier this year to huge public interest.

Newbridge Town also clarified that first team funding will not be sourced from their thriving underage setup at any point and that their schoolboy is completely independent from this venture financially.

First team coach Martin Russell added, “Newbridge has 33 underage teams and that is all safeguarded and developed. When you talk about that elite element, that needs its own funding. How you go about it using the facilities, using sponsorship, partnerships can be fulfilled with the end result being a national league club and vibrant club. It helps the community and does work in the community through football.

“We’ve got a very young team at the moment, and every team that is successful in their application will have to change their outlook, but I think Newbridge are positioned as well as anyone to have a club that is business on the field and business off the field.”

After the announcement of the exciting news, Newbridge Town is still looking for people who believe they can help the project, whether that is businesses or individuals to help with either time or money.

Carroll said, “Project managers, graphic designers, commercial sales, we are open to all sorts of people getting involved. We have a dedicated email address if people are interested tier3@newbridgetownfc.com.