The Shamrocks will return to life in the top division of the Cosmopolitan Soccer League with two home games in a row this month, kicking off the new campaign against NY Greek Americans at St Michaels on Sunday September 13 at 1pm.

(Click here for full schedule)

Kevin Grogan’s men will then face United FC at the end of the month after an early bye week in the initial ten-game schedule.

“As expected, it’s an extremely tough schedule,” Grogan told NYShamrockSC.com. “But we will take it one game at a time and treat every game like a cup final.”

After the late withdrawal of Croatia, the 11 Division 1 teams will play each other once. The league will then be split into the top six and bottom five and a six game schedule will be worked out according to the rankings after the first ten games.

Shamrocks will face last season’s title rivals Polonia at the start of October before two big home games against Westchester Eagles and CPR Whites.

The Shamrocks must wait until late November before facing into the hotly anticipated Irish derbies against Manhattan Celtic and two-time league champions Lansdowne Bhoys, both games away from home on Saturday evenings, November 21 and December 12 respectively.

The annual NY Shamrocks Sunnyside Gardens Six-Aside was held at the famous old venue this past Sunday – a perfect way to tee up the exciting new season ahead.

Going back all the way to the first event in 1987, this get together has always proved a hit with Shamrocks new and old. Players and families started to gather from 10am at the beautiful venue as a perfectly sunny day began to take shape.

Eight teams assembled, ready for a tough series games and all with ambitions of lifting the King McCormack Memorial Cup.

The 2015 champions – the Shamrocks Over 30s sponsored by the Courtyard Ale House. Picture: Eoin Sweeney

The first game of the day was a sign of things to come with Paddy Mc Carry and Keith Buckley’s Courtyard Ale House backed Over 30s rattling off a 3-0 win over their eventual opponents in the final, the Eltin Colman managed Alumni Grey, sponsored by GTI and Steve Doran (pictured below).

With new first team coach Kevin Grogan in attendance, he would have been pleased to see the performance of two very young Shamrocks who were lining out for Alumni Grey – goalkeeper Eoin Motherway and Eamonn Doran, both teenagers and both potential Rocks of the future.

The newly formed Shamrocks 1960 team came roaring out of the blocks with a thrilling come-from-behind 2-1 win over Stevie Doyle’s reserves and the next game saw another debut with the Shamrocks Legends (our new Over 36s team) drawing 0-0 with Eoin Sweeney’s Alumni Greyer.

Shamrocks 1960

Shamrocks Reserves

Shamrocks Legends

Alumni Greyer

The final game of the first round of group games was a pub derby with Robbie O’Neill’s Bar 43 besting Paddy Teehan’s Station team.

Bar 43

Station

The Over 30s would go onto dominate Group 1 and advanced to the semi-final alongside Alumni Grey, whose talented team showed their true grit in wins over the Legends and Alumni Greyer.

Meanwhile in Group 2, Rocks 1960 marched through to the semis while Station turned things around and benefited from the final group game of the day, a reserves 2-0 win over Bar 43 which denied the latter side.

In amongst it all was the highlight of the day – the traditional kiddies race which proved to be a stunning display of athleticism and fun. Every kid a winner!

The first semi-final of the day ended in a dramatic penalty shoot out after Rocks 1960 and Alumni Grey were inseparable after extra-time. Alumni Grey advanced to set up a final showdown with the Over 30s who were clinical in their victory over Station.

The final was a worthy ending to a great day of football. Once again the Over 30s took the lead over their opponents, opening out a 2-0 gap before the Alumni rallied back to 2-1, setting up a thrilling finale. The Over 30s held on for the win and club president Sean Mc Mullan handed the King McCormack Memorial Trophy over to player-manager Keith Buckley (see below).

• Former Newcastle United and Derry City player ready for Rocks challenge
• Galasso Trucking returns as Shamrocks sponsor

NY Shamrocks Technical Director Kevin Grogan welcomed his first new signing to the club this week, securing Lee-Ryan Toland in what will be seen as a huge boost five weeks out from the new season.

In what has proven to be a busy week for the club with pre-season training getting underway, the Shamrocks were further boosted by Galasso Trucking’s decision to once again support the club as a primary sponsor.

Toland (pictured above with Grogan during the week) said he was looking forward to the challenge ahead.

“It will be tough in Division 1 but Kevin is building a nice team here and I am delighted to be a part of it,” Toland told NYShamrockSC.com.

21-year-old Toland began his soccer career in Derry with his local club Don Boscos before English side Portsmouth brought him across the Irish Sea.

He impressed enough that Premier League side Newcastle United signed him July 2010, making his debut with the Newcastle Reserves two weeks later in a 2-1 win against Bristol City.

After three years at Newcastle, he failed to make the break into the first team and made the return home to play for Finn Harps in the Airtricity First Division before becoming one of a few former Harps players to follow ex-boss Peter Hutton to Derry City in 2014.

Lee, a former Northern Ireland youth international, is a left-sided full-back who loves getting forward but also enjoys defending and is comfortable at centre back as well.

“Lee’s decision to join the Rocks is an important first step,” said Grogan.

“He has settled in brilliantly and he has a great presence. It bodes well for the weeks ahead as we look to build a team for Division 1 soccer.”

The New York Shamrocks are proud to announce the addition of former Manchester United and Ireland youth player Kevin Grogan as technical director.

NY Shamrocks President Sean Mc Mullan (pictured left) welcoming new Technical Director Kevin Grogan to the club this week. Picture: John Riordan

Newly promoted to the Cosmopolitan Soccer League Division 1, the Queens based soccer club will return to the top tier of the amateur game in New York for the first time in a decade.

And the Dubliner says he is looking forward to the challenge ahead.

“I am honored to take on the role of technical director at the New York Shamrocks,” Grogan said this week.

“This is a club with a very proud tradition stretching back to the 1960s and ever since I moved to this country to coach full time, I have been observing the Rocks closely in the hope that they would return to the level where they belong.

“I have to pay tribute to Glen Wrafter for achieving promotion to the first division which is no easy feat and he has provided a very solid foundation to build on. He assembled a talented squad which ran Polonia to the wire.

“I want to thank the committee for making this a reality and I look forward to working with the players as we begin the hard work ahead.”

Grogan added that how the Shamrocks players approach life in the first division will be important.

“I will place demands on the players but that is what’s required if they want to maintain there status in the top division and build for the future. It’s not just about what happens on the pitch but also how these players live off the pitch. It’s a lifestyle. It’s a full-time job for them now with diet, rest, training and games. They all need to find the intrinsic motivation.

“I am very much aware of the magnitude of being associated with this great club and i take the responsibility extremely seriously. The relationship with the club and players will grow naturally but they will see my enthusiasm and intensity as we move forward.”

The Shamrocks reserves coach Stevie Doyle will return to the role for a third season and will also assist Grogan with first team duties. Doyle guided the reserves to victory in the Saunders Cup and also had his team challenging for league honors, falling just short against NYPD.

“Stevie has a lot of quality attributes to be a successful manager at multiple levels. I really look forward to working closely with him to build the on-field brand and culture.”

Club president Sean Mc Mullan said the appointment of the Queens based coaching pro was a sign of the ambition of the club.

“We’re delighted that Kevin believes in what we are doing at the Shamrocks,” said Mc Mullan.

“It is a huge step up for the first team as well as the reserves and Kevin gives us a chance to put in place a solid set up. No one is in any doubt about the challenge he faces but we all appreciate a challenge and we will give him as much support as possible to carry that out.”

Mc Mullan thanked Glen Wrafter for his service as first team coach.

“Glen has been outstanding since he took over the role five years ago. Not only did he bring us back to the first division, he has brought this club on leaps and bounds across the board and he is a true Rock.

“His work commitments take priority now but we will always be able to call on him as we continue to grow as a club.”

Kevin Grogan has spent the past four years developing young footballers in the US after injury forced him to retire from a promising professional career in England.

He signed full-time for Manchester United in 1997 having impressed at schoolboy level for Belvedere.

The following summer, he joined the likes of John O’Shea, Andy Reid and Liam Miller as part of Brian Kerr’s famous Ireland U16s squad which claimed an unprecedented victory at the European Championships in Scotland — beating Italy 2-1 in the final.

Before his career in England could even get off the ground, however, Grogan was plagued by chronic pelvic injuries. He departed United in 2000 and returned to Ireland for a spell with UCD.

Injury once again cut short an opportunity at Millwall and his remaining playing days were spent at Bray Wanderers, St Patrick’s Athletic and Glentoran.

With the help of Alex Ferguson and others, he has developed a successful career in soccer coaching and development.

He focuses on elite performance seminars, club consultations and team camps, among other aspects.

“I learned a lot from (Alex Ferguson’s) values, not just in soccer but in life in terms of workrate and discipline. When you’re young, you don’t realize you have learned those things but now that I’m older and can look back, it has been instilled in all the young Manchester United players. That has definitely helped me in my career.”

• For further information, please contact John Riordan
  NYShamrockSC@gmail.com
  (917) 767-2362

The New York Shamrocks Soccer Club AGM was held in the Courtyard Ale House in Sunnyside on Sunday.

With trophies on display and four players of the year being honored for their performances this season, the mood was celebratory but there was also a determination to expand on this season’s success.

Members of the NY Shamrocks Soccer Club pictured with the trophies won this season outside their sponsor pub in Sunnyside, the Courtyard Ale House. From left to right are Sean Mc Mullan (Club President), Paddy Mc Carry (Over 30s coach holding the Over 30s league trophy), Stevie Doyle (reserves coach holding the Saunders Cup), John Riordan (treasurer), Glen Wrafter (first team coach) and Pat Burke (owner Courtyard Ale House and NY Shamrocks Vice President). Picture by Keith Buckley.

Promotion to the first division of the Cosmopolitan Soccer League will be a major challenge for the club but one that must be embraced after a ten-year absence, pointed out club president Sean Mc Mullan who was unanimously re-elected for a third successive season.

Outgoing first team coach Glen Wrafter paid tribute to the hard work done all season beginning with a highly successful Sunnyside Gardens six-aside tournament back in August which was won by the Shamrocks Alumni.

Fundraising was a success thanks to the hard work of committee members and the energy of the Shamrocks membership and the club will be looking to build on that with its third annual golf outing in September.

Sponsorship was also increased thanks to the continued support of GTI Trucking, the Courtyard Ale House and Radeberger as well as the addtion of Crana Electric, New Wave and Andrew James Interiors. Special thanks was given to long time Shamrock Johner Guildea who personally contributed to expenses associated with referee payments.

The highlights of the year were of course the first team securing promotion to CSL Division I while the reserves were joint top of their division, missing out on head-to-head but garnering some measure of consolation via their Saunders Cup victory.

The Over 30s won the CSL Division I – Paddy McCarry’s second league title in three seasons.

“Paddy set the blueprint for the club in 2012 with the other teams drawing from his success,” said Wrafter. “To repeat that success three seasons later is a fantastic achievement.”

One of the amazing achievements of the year, however, was the addition of a women’s team whose Inaugural season was completed with good results coming towards the end of the season which should bode well for next season.

Players of the year awards were also handed out to Mo Fofana (first team), Nick Meola (reserves), Alex Berne (Over 30s) and Megan Hare (women’s team).

Pictured from left to right, the NY Shamrocks Players of the Year, Megan Hare, Nick Meola, Alex Berne and Mo Fofana (Courtesy Keith Buckley).

The Shamrocks committee was unanimously re-elected with numbers bolstered by new additions.

President: Sean Mc Mullan. Vice-president: Pat Burke. Secretary: Andy Connolly. Treasurer: John Riordan. Committee members: Kevin McPartland; Sean Keogh; Johner Guildea; Brian Wolohan; Braden Ruddy; Neil Mannion; Collie Madden; Keith Buckley.