*Tulla Utd’s Daragh Corry. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
TULLA UTD contested a first-ever Clare Cup final last season and were among the final teams in the hunt for honours in the Premier Division, as the new campaign kicks off they are anxious to build on the progress shown.
Founded in 1970, Tulla United has made huge strides over the years to their current position which sees them with teams at every level in Clare soccer, with a thriving ladies section and with excellent facilities which includes two pitches, an astro turf facility and a clubhouse.
Current first team manager Mike Moloney has been involved in a variety of capacities with the club for over forty years. He has been the driving force behind the club’s schoolboys section for some twenty years and many of the players he has coached in that time, are now key members of the club’s adult sides.
The club policy is to build from within. “We take in young lads from the age of five or six with a view to building up loyalty to the club and to making sure that they will have an adult team to play for”, Mike explained.
Currently the club has two junior men’s teams, an adult ladies team a youths team and an under 17 team as well as a host of underage sides. Tulla United players come from East Clare parishes including Tulla, Feakle, Crusheen, Kilkishen, Clooney and Quin
“We have a total of twenty six underage teams in the club which plays a huge part in the life of the area. Just last week we hosted a family fun day which was attended by over 300 kids. We are very much a family orientated club. We would love to be winning trophies but we put a huge emphasis on the bigger picture in relation to what the club means to the overall picture in the life of the area”, explained the junior team manager.
A lot of new houses have been built in the area which is continuously expanding. This has brought a lot of new members to the club which now has players of twelve different nationalities representing the club.
Looking to the new season manager Mike says “we hope to continue the progress of recent seasons which has seen us contest a cup semi-final, a cup final last year and being in the top half of the league on a regular basis. Right now all teams are at the bottom of the hill again as we face into a new campaign”.
Last year the club’s youths team won the league and contested the cup final and some of those players now move on to adult football.
No mention of Tulla United would be complete without a reference to the club’s very successful female section. The adult ladies team won the league last season while underage teams from the section contested the latter stages of a number of national competitions. The under 17 girls team contested he Munster final, losing out to Midleton
It’s all systems go now for the new season when Tulla United are again expected to be challenging strongly for titles at all levels.
Tulla Utd Factfile:
Management: Mike Moloney (manager), Seamus Bane (coach), Keith Hassett (physio)
Captain: Dara Ryan
Key Player: Adam Kilker
One to watch: Callum Casey
Fresh blood; Adam Killker, Calllum Casey, Glen McNamara, Gearoid Austin, Dara Baker, Frankie O’Sullivan, Conor McFadden
Departure Gate: Eoin Hassett, James Wallace
Treatment table; Darragh Baker, Calum Casey,
Last year’s run: Clare Cup finalists; Joint third in the Premier Division.
