Tallaght - Sports

Sports

• Shamrock Rovers F.C. are based in Tallaght started playing in Tallaght Stadium in 2009. The club finished its first season in Tallaght runners-up in the league. The club won their first League title in 2010 ending a 16 year drought by narrowly beating Bohemians to the title on goal difference. Rovers followed this up by winning the 2011 League of Ireland. Rovers hosted their first game in European competition in Tallaght in the second qualifying round of the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League against Bnei Yehuda from Israel, the game in Tallaght finished 1-1 and Rovers advanced 2-1 on aggregate after winning the second leg in Israel 1-0. Rovers faced former Champions League and UEFA Cup winners Juventus, Rovers were beaten 2-0 in Tallaght and 3-0 on aggregate.

In 2011 the club played its first ever Champions League game and its first game in the highest level of European Cup Competition's since the 1987–88 European Cup, beating Estonian Champions Flora Tallinn in the 2011–12 Champions League Second qualifying round. They accomplished this feat by triumphing 1-0 in the first leg at Tallaght Stadium and drawing 0-0 in the second leg in Estonia to advance 1-0 on aggregate. Rovers were then beaten 3-0 on aggregate in the next round by Danish Champions Copenhagen but advanced to the 2011-12 Europa League Play-off round. There they were drawn against Serbian Champions FK Partizan, whom they defeated 3-2 on aggregate (2-1 on the night after extra time) to reach the group stages of the Europa League. This marked a famous victory for Irish football, as it is the first time an Irish club has reached the group stages of a major European competition. Rovers also won the All Ireland Setanta Sports Cup in 2011 by defeating Dundalk in the final at Tallaght Stadium.Rovers wrapped up a second league title in a row with a last-minute victory over UCD at Belfield on 25 October 2011.

• Saint Anne's GAA, Saint Marks GAA and Thomas Davis GAA Club are local Gaelic Athletic Association clubs.
• The National Basketball Arena lies east of the village.
• Tallaght Swim Team is located at the Tallaght Sports Complex, Balrothery, beside Tallaght Community School.
• Brookfield Celtic, one of Dublin's largest underage football clubs, were founded in Tallaght in 1999.
• Glenanne Sports Club, one of the most successful Irish field hockey teams of recent years, are based in Tallght, playing their home games on the astroturf pitch located in St. Marks Community School
• The trailhead of the Wicklow Mountains Way a long-distance walking route across the Wicklow Mountains between Tallaght and Shankill begins at Sean Walsh Park near Tallaght Stadium.
• South Dublin Taekwondo are the only WTF (Olympic Style) Taekwondo club in Tallaght. They were founded in 2008 by head coach Master Robert Taaffe and are residents in the Tallaght Leisure Centre. There are several I.T.F style Taekwon-do clubs in the area.
• Tallaght Rugby Football Club is located in Ballymana Lane but play out of Tymon park whilst development of the Ballymana grounds begins in 2012. They were founded as a youth team in 2002 with financial support from the IRFU before setting up a senior team in 2006.