The downfall of Omagh’s senior football

Before succumbing to financial woes, Omagh’s legacy of senior football once saw Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool kick-off on a pitch in the heart of the county town.

Back in 1962, the Omagh Town Football and Athletic Club was set up, with the sole team ‘Omagh Celtic FC’, originally kitted-out in their maroon tops and blue shorts.

This team established their training grounds in a place called Quarry Field for the young aspiring players of the Derry Road area.

The site was not used for long, and today, only the outline remains of the original pitch.

In 1969, the team, then moved to the ‘Military Holm’, which, essentially, was a place that featured pitches built within the confines of the St Lucia Barracks.

While players and fans alike enjoyed the high-grade pitches offered by the British Army, the beginning of the ‘Troubles’ saw a tightening of security for visitors entering the base.

Anyone who wished to attend and watch the matches had to submit their name and details to the army on the Thursday before the matches took place.

Thankfully, this practice only occurred for three years as the team moved to the Sedan Avenue Showgrounds in 1972, which was owned and used by the Tyrone Farming Society.

In their early days, they quickly earned a fierce reputation, and, by 1968, the Omagh team had reached the Irish Junior finals, and took the decision the year after to pull up their socks and move to the North West League, prompting a team name change to Omagh Town FC.

It was during this time in the ‘80s that, alongside the supporters club, a junior club comprising of some now well-known names established themselves as heartfelt fans of the local club.

Peter Hunt, Paddy Hunter, Kieran Hunt, Adrian O’Kane, Richard Shannon and Michael Boyle would form the Omagh Town Junior Supporters Club in 1982, and their devotion to supporting their team got them tickets as cheap as 25p.

The club went from strength-to-strength over 30 years of moving their way through the leagues, and the ‘90s saw the golden era for the club, with one tragic event bringing three worldwide recognised teams to the small rural town of Omagh.

A decision had been brewing within the club years prior to develop a purpose-built pitch for the well-established team within the town, and, in 1987, it was announced that a pitch was to be built over the former council dump site.

This new site at St Julian’s Road was finished by 1990, with stands that allowed for a maximum capacity of 5,000 fans.

Of that, there were 30 seats for VIP visitors, 250 sheltered seats, 3,220 covered stands and space for 1,500 unsheltered standing spectators.

The new pitch came at an opportune time, as Omagh Town FC, had, for the first time, been accepted into the Irish League.

The club stood strong, and remained in the top flight until the 1994/95 season, when a change in the structure of the league only allowed eight teams to stay in the top flight.

However, Omagh finished as the ninth team, forcing the town club into relegation.

Though the pitch was praised for it’s natural greenery, the environment of the grounds would prove prone to flooding.

In January 1995, an unorthodox method of clearing the pitch was used before Omagh Town FC played Ballymena United.

After sending out an SOS request to clear the pitch, a Wessex helicopter from Lisanelly arrived and preformed a low hover.

This manoeuvre saw the high-powered rotor blades sweep away the rain water that covered the pitch.

The match went ahead, with the two teams drawing 0-0.

The devastation caused by the Omagh bomb in August 1998 prompted Town to organise three charity games against high-profile Premier League opposition.

Brimming with international talent, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool all agreed to come to Omagh for those aptly named ‘Glamour Games’ at the St Julian’s Road pitch to help raise money for the Omagh Bomb fund.

Despite enjoying success in the early 2000s, the club abruptly announced its closure in June 2005 due to ongoing financial struggles.

Their relegation and closure of the affiliated social club was given as the many reasons for the decision to call it a day.

The site laid dormant for over a decade, with various objectives from councillors and developers to rejuvenate the site to various uses but no plans came to fruition.

However, in 2017, the pitch was tossed, and plans for a public park geared into action, and was completed by 2020.

Today, the park is open to the public, with a plaque dedicated to the final home of Omagh’s last senior football team.