ON May 5 2000, Pat Fenlon scored the only goal in the FAI Cup Final as Shelbourne won the League and Cup double.
It was the first time that the club had achieved that elusive goal but they weren’t the first Irish club ever to do it. In fact, it had been done eight times previously. St James’ Gate were the first to do it, in 1922, and Shamrock Rovers did it three times in the late ‘80s.
However, Shelbourne Ladies have now ensured that the club’s name will have a special place in Irish football history as the first to have achieved the double with both their men’s and women’s senior teams.
The women did it in style too. They won their FAI Cup Final 5-0 and went unbeaten through their League campaign. They now hold three national trophies, having won the League Cup last May and several players have been recognised with call-ups to Republic of Ireland squads throughout the year.
Shelbourne Ladies will now represent Ireland in the 2017 UEFA Women’s Champions League, the first round of which will be a round-robin tournament that will take place in a single location in Europe next summer. Progress in that qualifying round would see them in the last 32 with some of the biggest names in world football – the likes of Barcelona, Chelsea and Manchester City.
The volunteers that run the club are now faced with the challenge of raising the necessary funding for that campaign and are asking Dublin’s business community to support the club financially.
Any businesses that would like to get involved by sponsoring players or the team should contact club chaiman, Robbie Hennessy, on 087-2888218. If you’re a footballer who would like to follow in the footsteps of these great players, the club is looking for players from U8 to U18 and anyone interested should contact Casey McQuillan on 087-6187195.