The Torro Utd team that reached 1999-2000 Challenge Cup semi-final (from left) back - Sean Mooney (manager), Jimmy Murray, David Nolan, Robbie Meehan, James Gillick, Derek Meehan, Gordon Weldon, Colm Doggett, Kevin McKeever, Richie Timmons; front - Colin Leonard, Stephen Burke, Derek McKeever, Johnny Coffey, Alan Fox, Trevor McKeever.

Plenty of reasons for Torro Utd to celebrate on big anniversary

Jimmy Geoghegan

Published: Wed 10 Aug 2022, 9:45 AM

Last updated: Wed 10 Aug 2022, 10:21 AM

Torro United are about to mark a major milestone in their history - their 50th anniversary.

The club will begin a year of 50th anniversary celebrations this Saturday 13th August, with a skills demonstration by schoolboy and schoolgirl teams (1.30pm), a ‘Legends’ game for retired seniors (3pm), and a barbecue and get together in the Kilberry public house in Kilberry, Navan (6pm). All are welcome.

Here club PRO Robbie Meehan outlines the history of the club.

Torro United AFC is one of county Meath’s best known soccer clubs, and begins it’s 50 year celebrations this weekend,

The club was established in 1972 and when it competed in the Louth League and various local tournaments. Following a hiatus of a few years in the late 1970s, the club started up again for the season 1985/1986 when PJ Geraghty and Paul Duffy approached Gerry Gorman, Secretary of the Meath & District League, with a view to affiliating a team. Pascal Duffy was the first chairperson and manager. Their first game was in the Gerry Bradley Shield, which they lost 8-1 away to Dunderry (!), Noel Meehan (RIP) scoring Torro’s first goal from the penalty spot.

The 1986/1987 season brought the first underage team of the club (u-17), that season also brought the first trophy to the club, when the Torro A team won Division 4B under the management of Pascal Duffy. The next eight years were largely unsuccessful honours wise, but were the foundations for a successful future.

The 1994/1995 season saw Torro A team winning the Div 4 title under the management of Sean Mooney. This marked a very successful period in the clubs history. In the 1995/1996 season Torro won the Fitzsimons Cup, beating arch-rivals Rathkenny Rover 1-0, with an ex-Rathkenny player as Manager (Sean Mooney) and also an ex-Rathkenny player scoring the winning goal (Paul Weldon). Success quickly followed in the 1996 / 1997 season which was the most successful season ever for Torro, when the ‘A’ team took the Div 3 title and Torro ‘B’, managed by Seamus Blaney, won the Fiachra O Neill Memorial Shield, They also won the Premier B Reserve League that year and finished runners up in the Reserve Cup final.

Silverware has been scarce since the start of the new millennium, but none the less Torro had progressed to the top ranks of the Meath and District League by that stage.

In 1998 Torro secured a bank loan and purchased fve acres of land. Presently this is where Torro are based with two full size pitches, a training pitch and clubhouse, with substantial parking which was recently named ‘Powderly Park’ after perhaps one of the clubs most dedicated servants, Hubert Powderly. Powderly Park has developed steadily over the years the club recently acquired four acres of land adjoining Powderly Park.

This was huge news for the club and a game-changer for all, and the additional ground will allow us to develop Powderly Park further and turn it into one of the best soccer grounds in the northeast, to cater for the growing numbers of teams and players that we currently cater for.

Torro has become one of Meath's largest clubs since it small time start in the early 70s, and with the constant work being done at underage level, the future seems bright.

The club has a total membership, as of August 2022, of 550. In this 2022 season, Torro United AFC fields the following teams.

Early Maestros Mini-Stars - u-5, boys and girls combined

NECSL Coaching Leagues which are non-competitive

U-7 boys and girls combined, u-8 boys and girls combined, u-9 - (yellow) boys and girls combined, u- 9 - (green) boys and girls combined, u-10 girls u- 11 boys (for grading in subsequent years).

NECSL Competitive Leagues

U-12 Premier League girls, u-12 Div 1 girls, u-12 Premier League boys, u-12 Premier League boys, u-13 Premier League boys, u-13 Div 3 boys, u-14 Premier League girls yellow squad, u- 14 Premier League girls, green squad, u-14 Premier League boys, u- 14 Div 3 boys, u- 15 Premier League boys, u-16 Premier League girls, u-16 Premier League boys, Youths Premier League boys.

NEFL Competitive Leagues

Torro United women's team NEFL - South Division; Torro United men's firsts - NEFL Division 1; Torro United men's seconds - NEFL Division 4A.

That's 24 teams, with over 480 players participating. All at Torro United are very proud of both our teams and players, and wish them every success in our Golden year.