The Villa Football Club was founded in 1953. The idea for a club was the brainchild of Shamie 'The Postman' Martin, who along with Frank O'Byrne, Frankie Farrell, Eddie Wall, Michael Kiely, Nicky Power, Eddie Wymberry, Sid Rellis, Billy Howlett and Eddie Smith formed the first committee of the club. The club was formed to cater for the growing young lads of the Griffith Place, Sexton Street, Leamy Street and Morrisson's Road area of Waterrford and was unique in that there was no adult membership connected with its foundation. The first Villa teams participated in the 1953/54 season in the Under 14 and Under 15 leagues and performed creditably, with the Under 15 side losing in the area final of the prestigious Evans Cup to Hibs. Success came early for the Villa with their first trophy being secured by winning the Under 14 league in their second season in 1954/55. The Villa really emerged as a force in the Under 14, 15, 16 and Youth Leagues in the mid 1950's and they swept all before them in season 1956/57 winning the Under 14, 15 and 16 leagues, plus the Hartery Cup and also reached the semi-final of the Evans Cup before being beaten in Flower Lodge after extra time. These schoolboy teams provided the basis for the Villa to mature into a Junior club in the late 1950's and also for the outstanding Munster Minor Cup triumph of the 1959/60 season. An interesting development in the early 1960's was the clubs entry into the Munster Senior League, which was a true sign of how far things had come in such a short space of time. A number of players of this era progressed on to get a chance at League of Ireland level, including the likes of Gene Roche, Ian Nolan, Billy Howlett, Ben Stokes, Sid Rellis, Al Casey, Pat Flynn, Frankie Mountain and Johnny Toms. The Villa reached the Munster Junior Cup Final in 1963, when a Buddy Purcell hat-trick was enough to see off the challenge of Geraldines of Limerick in Ozier Park. Unfortunately due to an internal dispute within the Munster FA, the final of this competition didn't take place until 1964 where we lost out narrowly to Blackrock of Cork in Flower Lodge. This side also reached the quarter finals of the FAI Junior Cup in 1964 where we were edged out by Pike Rovers of Limerick. Another significant achievement at that time was the presence of several Villa players - Gene Roche, Buddy Purcell, Teddy Madigan, Frankie Mountain - in the first Waterford panel to win the Inter-league Oscar Traynor Cup in 1964. The rest of the 60's continued along in a relatively successful vein for the club, with people like Sammy Robinson, John Sheehan, Michael Kiely, Nicky Power and Johnny Toms to the fore on the playing and administrative side of the club. The 1970's began auspiciously for the Villa with the capture of the Ardagh Cup for the leading sides in Waterford in 1970. The final was against Bohs and Villa turned in a super display to easily win 4-0, the goals coming from Teddy Robinson, Oxo Connors, and Noel O'Neill 2. This side also won the Fuller Cup in the same year, while a good under 16 side including the likes of Jim Flanagan, Pat Lee and Nicky Denn won the cup. Periodic success continued through the 1970's and there were many talented players and real characters that donned the green and white in these years. The 1970's also saw the start of what has become a Villa tradition of an annual overseas social weekend away. The initial group of pioneers!! that hit London town included a youthful Ben Harte, Shem Cooper, Muckel Ryan, David English and Austin Curtin. In the late 1970's the club finally acquired a permanent home for itself, developing the wasteland next to Ozier Park into a first class facility. |