Derry Celtic F.C.

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Derry Celtic Football Club was a football club from Derry, Ireland (now a part of Northern Ireland). The club, formed in 1900, was once the primary team in the city, replacing the previously-folded, Derry Olympic, but was voted out of the Irish League in 1913 and is now defunct, just like its predecessor.

The club competed in the Belfast and District League for the first year of its existence, finishing bottom in the 1900-01 season without a single win. Fortunately, there was no relegation in this transition season with the restructuring of the football system in 1901 to allow teams on the whole island of Ireland to compete, so Celtic remained in the top tier. Things began to improve in the next few seasons for Derry Celtic, now competing in the Irish League Division A. The club picked up its first win in the 1901-02 season and achieved 6th place. They followed this up by finishing 5th in the 1902-03 season, however, this would prove to be Celtic's most successful season, only ever climbing to 5th once again in the 1909-10 season. Although they had finished bottom of the table twice in this period, in 1906-07 and 1908-09, the lack of promotion or relegation ensured they stayed in Division A. However, with the introduction in 1912 of relegation for the teams occupying the bottom two positions in the division and Celtic's subequent ninth place finish in 1912-13, the club was relegated for the first time in its short history. Following this, the club was voted out of the Irish League and never again played senior football. Derry City F.C. took over from the club as the city's main side after their formation in 1928 and their subsequent acceptance into the Irish League in 1929.