The Louth Mavericks are an American football club located in Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland. Founded in 2012 and originally known as the Dundalk Mavericks, the team is a part of American Football Ireland (AFI) and play their home matches at Mill Road, the home ground of Dundalk R.F.C. As of 2026, the club compete in the AFI Premier Division.
History The Louth Mavericks American football team was established in 2012 as the Dundalk Mavericks by a group of students at Dundalk Institute of Technology (DKIT). Initially formed as a college club, they soon transitioned into an independent team associated with DKIT.
After spending 2013 training, the Mavericks joined the Irish American Football League (IAFA) Division 2 in 2014, achieving a 4–2 record in their debut season and reaching the Bowl game, where they were narrowly defeated by the Tyrone Titans. In 2015, following the disbandment of the nearby Drogheda Lightning team, the club rebranded as the Louth Mavericks in order to expand their recruitment to the entire county. The team subsequently competed in the IAFA's Division 1.
In 2017, they secured promotion to the Premier Division after winning the Division 1 Bowl against the Craigavon Cowboys, ultimately to be relegated back to Division 1 the following year. After two cancelled seasons in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mavericks were voluntarily demoted to Division 2 in 2022, and were promoted to Division 1 for the 2023 season.
2025 proved to be a successful year in Division 1 play for the Mavericks, marked by a perfect season and a Harp Bowl win. In the preseason, they announced the arrival of quarterback/head coach Ty Henry, who previously won the Shamrock Bowl with the Dublin Rebels. The team registered a perfect 8–0 season followed by a 64–0 home win in the Harp Bowl semifinal against the Cill Dara Crusaders and a 44–0 win in Harp Bowl X against the Westmeath Minotaurs at Dubarry Park in Athlone, securing promotion to the Premier Division for the 2026 season. In the 2026 Premier Division, they qualified for the playoffs as the 3-seed with a 6-2 regular season record, defeated the Dublin Rebels 56-12 in the Shamrock Bowl semi-final, and won their first Shamrock Bowl by defeating the Belfast Trojans 40-16 in the final in Athlone. In doing so, they became the first team in AFI history to win the Harp Bowl and Shamrock Bowl in successive seasons.
Beginning in 2025, the Mavericks launched a youth development team for players ages 15–18 as well as a women's flag football team that competes in AFI's Claddagh League.
Honours AFI Shamrock Bowl Champions - XXXVIII (2026) AFI Harp Bowl Champions - IV (2017), X (2025) AFI Harp Bowl Finalists - 2023 AFI Division 2 Bowl Finalists - 2014, 2022
Season-by-season records Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties
Year W L T Finish Playoff Results 2014 4 2 0 2nd IAFL Division 2 Lost Division 2 Bowl 20-7 (Tyrone Titans) 2015 2 6 0 5th IAFL Division 1 Did not qualify 2016 5 3 0 2nd IAFL Division 1 North Did not qualify 2017 5 3 0 3rd IAFL Division 1 North Won Division 1 Bowl 23-18 (Craigavon Cowboys)Promoted to IAFL Premier Division20180808th IAFL Premier Division Did not qualify - Relegated to IAFL Division 120194405th IAFL Division 1 Did not qualify 2020 Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic 2021 Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic20227101st AFI Division 2 Lost AFI Division 2 Bowl 22-0 (Antrim Jets)Promoted to Division 120237102nd AFI Division 1 Lost AFI Division 1 Bowl 6-2 (UL Vikings)20246112nd AFI Division 1 Lost Harp Bowl Semi-Final 16-14 (West Dublin Rhinos)20258001st AFI Division 1 Won Harp Bowl Semi-Final 64-0 (Cill Dara Crusaders)Won Harp Bowl X 44-0 (Westmeath Minotaurs)Promoted to AFI Premier Division20266203rd AFI Premier Division Won Shamrock Bowl Semi-Final 56-12 (Dublin Rebels)Won Shamrock Bowl XXXVIII 40-16 (Belfast Trojans)
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