Galway United Football Club ( Irish : Cumann Peile Ghaillimh Aontaithe ) is an Irish professional football club based in Galway . They play in the League of Ireland Premier Division , following a promotion from the First Division in 2023. The team was founded as Galway Rovers F.C. during the 1930s. They made their League of Ireland debut in the 1977–78 season, and changed their name to Galway United in 1981–82 . After suffering financial difficulties, the club dropped out of the League of Ireland after the 2011 season, but in 2014 Galway United returned, initially playing as Galway F.C. for a season. Like other sports teams from the county, Galway United are nicknamed "The Tribesmen", after the 14 "tribes" of Galway, the merchant families that established the city.
