San Francisco Glens - History

History

The Glens were founded in 1961 by Dr. Michael McFadden, the club was one of a number of Irish sides that had emerged in the SFSFL during the 1960s. The emergence of the Irish-American Glens during this period was based on the coaching of Irishman Neil Hagan coupled with a talented crop of young players. They began to prosper after Neil Hagen took over the coaching of the team. With an emphasis on youth, Hagan developed a side that featured the talents of Tom and Steve Ryan, Jim Boyle, and Tom and Tim Harvey among others. The result was promotion to the top division by the end of the decade. The Glens went on to national prominence by going to the National Amateur Cup final in 1979 where they lost 1-0 to Atlanta Datagraphic. The Irish side returned to the Amateur Cup final in 1990, but was on the wrong side of another 1-0 result. In the 1980s, the Glens overcame a major setback to capture their first SFSFL championship in 1984. The untimely death of Hagan in 1981 left a void that might have been the end of other clubs. Sean Shannon stepped into the spotlight and quietly remolded the team into a championship-winning outfit by bringing in players such as Paul Mitchell and Mal Roche. Their 1984 title was the first ever by an Irish side, and they returned again for a second in 1990.