Waterford FC
Founded in 1930, Waterford’s glory days came between 1966 and 1973 when they captured six League of Ireland titles and lost two FAI Cup finals.
After changing their name to Waterford United in 1982, the club subsequently underwent a corporate restructuring in 2016, when former owner Lee Power established a new company, Power Grade Ltd, to operate it.
Waterford FC entered the First Division in 2017, but Uefa treated the club as a separate legal entity, denying them a place in the 2019/20 Europa League as they had not existed long enough under the governing body’s three-year rule.
FAI Cup history: Two-time winners. In 1937, they beat St James’ Gate 2-1 in the final and in 1980, Brian Gardiner’s bullet header at Dalymount Park was enough to see off St Patrick’s Athletic. They have lost seven finals, most recently to Longford Town in 2004 in front of a crowd of just 9,676 at Lansdowne Road.
Current ownership structure: Andy Pilley and his Fleetwood Town multi-club model took control of Waterford in August 2022. However, in July 2023, Pilley was sentenced to 13 years in prison for a multi-million-pound energy-sales fraud.
By May 2024, Pilley’s son Jamie had taken control at...