The Wilderness Years (Derry City F.C.)
Encyclopedia
The "wilderness years" was a period of time between 1972 and 1985 when the city of Derry
, Northern Ireland
was without a senior footballing side participating in a senior national league.
Derry City F.C.
, the city's primary club since it was founded in 1928 and accepted into the Irish League
in 1929, became victim to the 'Troubles'
in the early 1970s when the police and the Irish Football League banned the use of their ground, the Brandywell near the notoriously volatile Bogside
area, for security reasons. The club, forced into travelling an unsustainable journey to Coleraine
to play their home games each week and in the face a continuance of the ground-ban despite police forces eventually ruling the area safe enough to visit for opposing team's fans, were eventually voted out of the Irish League by what it perceived to have been a sectarian vandetta against a club based in a staunchly republican
area in a mainly nationalist-Catholic
city by a body which was traditionally seen as the footballing branch of unionism. Football supporters in the city often referred (and still do refer) to the period as the "wilderness years".
The club survived as a junior team contesting in the local leagues on a weekend morning basis until 1985 when it applied for entry into the newly formed First Division of the Republic of Ireland's
League of Ireland
. The application was accepted and the club, despite being from Northern Ireland
, continued to play in the Republic's league structure until it folded in late 2009, shortly after being expelled from the League of Ireland for financial irregularities. A new club bearing the Derry City name was founded in January 2010 and admitted to the League of Ireland First Division.
Derry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
was without a senior footballing side participating in a senior national league.
Derry City F.C.
Derry City F.C.
Derry City Football Club is a professional football club based in Derry, Northern Ireland. It plays in the League of Ireland Premier Division...
, the city's primary club since it was founded in 1928 and accepted into the Irish League
IFA Premiership
The IFA Premiership – formerly the Irish Premier League, and before that the Irish Football League–and still known in popular parlance simply as the Irish League, is the national football league in Northern Ireland, and was historically the league for the whole of Ireland. Clubs in the league are...
in 1929, became victim to the 'Troubles'
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
in the early 1970s when the police and the Irish Football League banned the use of their ground, the Brandywell near the notoriously volatile Bogside
Bogside
The Bogside is a neighbourhood outside the city walls of Derry, Northern Ireland. The area has been a focus point for many of the events of The Troubles, from the Battle of the Bogside and Bloody Sunday in the 1960s and 1970s...
area, for security reasons. The club, forced into travelling an unsustainable journey to Coleraine
Coleraine
Coleraine is a large town near the mouth of the River Bann in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is northwest of Belfast and east of Derry, both of which are linked by major roads and railway connections...
to play their home games each week and in the face a continuance of the ground-ban despite police forces eventually ruling the area safe enough to visit for opposing team's fans, were eventually voted out of the Irish League by what it perceived to have been a sectarian vandetta against a club based in a staunchly republican
Irish Republicanism
Irish republicanism is an ideology based on the belief that all of Ireland should be an independent republic.In 1801, under the Act of Union, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
area in a mainly nationalist-Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
city by a body which was traditionally seen as the footballing branch of unionism. Football supporters in the city often referred (and still do refer) to the period as the "wilderness years".
The club survived as a junior team contesting in the local leagues on a weekend morning basis until 1985 when it applied for entry into the newly formed First Division of the Republic of Ireland's
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
League of Ireland
League of Ireland
The League of Ireland is the national association football league of the Republic of Ireland. Founded in 1921, as a league of eight clubs, it has expanded over time into a two-tiered league of 22 clubs. It is currently split into the League of Ireland Premier Division and the League of Ireland...
. The application was accepted and the club, despite being from Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, continued to play in the Republic's league structure until it folded in late 2009, shortly after being expelled from the League of Ireland for financial irregularities. A new club bearing the Derry City name was founded in January 2010 and admitted to the League of Ireland First Division.