page_title: Sport in Galway
section_title: Soccer
hierarchical_section_title: Sport in Galway / Soccer
caption_attribution_description: Heineken Cup 2011-2012&#160;—&#160;14 January 2012, Stade Ernest-Wallon. Match between: Stade toulousain&#160;—&#160;Connacht Rugby
context_page_description: Sport in Galway includes a diverse heritage, with a history in sports ranging from horse racing, Gaelic games, soccer and rugby to rowing, motorsport, greyhound racing and others. The Galway Races are known worldwide and are the highlight of the Irish horse racing calendar. Over the years it has grown into an annual festival lasting seven days.
context_section_description: Galway United F.C. is based in the city and currently plays in the League of Ireland First Division. The team plays its home games at Eamonn Deacy Park. The club was formed in 2013 as a phoenix club under the name Galway F.C and first competed in the 2014 season.
  The original incarnation of the club, Galway United (1937-2011), first competed in the League of Ireland since 1977, then known as Galway Rovers. Michael D. Higgins, later elected President of Ireland in 2011, served as a president of the club in a ceremonial capacity. Following struggles with debts, the club became defunct at the end of the 2011 season. The Galway United Supporters Trust (GUST) had been servicing many debts of the company and were able to keep the club afloat for the 2011 season, with it having been effectively abandoned by its directors. GUST withdrew their support for the team and applied to join the 2012 League of Ireland as a community enterprise, rather than as a private company, which the old club had been. This application was not successful, however.
  Galway F.C. was formed the following year from a merger of GUST with representatives of the GFA, and Mervue United and Salthill Devon, two other clubs in the city, who had competed in the First Division since 2009 and 2010 respectively.
  Galway United have won the FAI Cup once in 1991 and the League of Ireland Cup twice in 1986 and 1997, making them the regions most successful club at pro/semi pro level.
caption: Connacht playing a 2011–12 Heineken Cup match at Toulouse.
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