Former Kildare underage star signs with new League of Ireland club

Former Kildare underage footballer Rory Feely has signed up with Waterford FC ahead of the new SSE Airtricity Premier Division season.

The Athy clubman has become the 16th player registered to the Blues ahead of the 2018 season after signing from Inchicore-based club St Patrick's Athletic, which was confirmed today. Feely, whose older brother Kevin is the vice-captain of the Kildare senior footballers, is also a highly regarded GAA player, and he was Athy's leading light on their progression to the U21 county final where they lost out to Sarsfields.

Indeed, 21-year-old Feely's continued commitment to soccer will be seen as a blow in his home club, but the talented soccer player has chosen to link up with what is essentially his home club, as Feely was born in Tramore.

“I am very happy to link up with Waterford FC ahead of the new season," said Feely in a statement on the Waterford FC website.

"I’m originally from Tramore so I have grown up with the Blues as my local League of Ireland club. I kept a keen eye last season during the promotion push and I now hope to be a part of something big for the club going forward.

“I worked with Alan (Reynolds) at St. Pat’s and enjoyed the way he works so when there was interest shown I was very happy to join. I am looking forward to competing for a starting place and being part of a competitive team at the top end of the table.”

Feely also indicated that he would like to play further up the pitch after largely being utilised in central defence while playing for St Pat's, and he's looking to make a mark straight away.

“As a player, I’ve been tried in a few positions over the last couple of seasons, primarily due to my aerial ability but hopefully Blues’ fans will see me deployed in a more attacking role where I feel most comfortable. Ultimately, I just want to work hard and break into the team early on.”

Speaking on the signing of Rory Feely, Waterford FC’s Alan Reynolds added: “We’re delighted to have Rory on board. He is another young player with plenty of scope for development and one that I worked with when coaching at St. Pat’s Athletic. He has an excellent attitude and hopefully as a club we can push him on to achieve his full potential.”