TU Dublin Set for First Game in the New FAI National League
TU Dublin is one of 15 founding members of the newly established FAI National League, which officially launched its inaugural 2026 season at the National Sports Campus ahead of the opening fixtures on Saturday, 29 August.
The new competition marks a significant expansion of Ireland's football pyramid, creating a highly competitive national platform for players and clubs across the country. The 15 founding members gathered at the National Indoor Arena for the official launch, all with their sights set on lifting the first-ever FAI National League title.
The inaugural season gets underway this weekend, with five fixtures taking place across the three groups. TU Dublin will begin its campaign at home against Salthill Devon on Saturday, 5 September, with kick-off at 5pm at the University’s Grangegorman Campus.
Christy O’Shea, Senior Manager – Sport, Societies & Student Life at TU Dublin, said:
“We are delighted that TU Dublin is one of the founding members of the new FAI National League. This is an exciting development for football and provides a fantastic opportunity for our players to compete at a new national level. We look forward to welcoming Salthill Devon to our Grangegorman Campus and to supporting our team throughout this historic inaugural season.”
Speaking at the launch, Interim FAI National Competitions Lead, Garret Higgins, said:
“The expansion of the football pyramid is huge for the game here in Ireland. It offers a new, highly competitive competition that will give a new standard for footballers to compete in.
“There’s a lot of excitement and a lot of intrigue about the upcoming season, but having Carlow, Kilkenny, Kildare, Mayo represented, in addition to more clubs in Kerry, Galway, Donegal, Waterford, Cork and Dublin, only serves to emphasise the passion for football throughout the country.
"This will be a season of learning, but with that comes a great opportunity for these clubs to grow and establish themselves even more. These are the first 15 clubs to step into the National League, but we have every hope to expand that in the coming years.”