Coming this spring: Irish-accented soccer club Emerald FC
Tryouts this Saturday, Jan. 31 at BC High’s McCoy Field at 12 noon

By Cassidy McNeeley 

Reporter Staff

When Drake Maye and the NE Patriots clinched a Super Bowl bid on Sunday by defeating the Denver Broncos on the road, the deep snow didn’t stop diehard fans from celebrating in the streets of Boston. 

Two Irish-born soccer fans say they want to bring that same energy to Boston’s neighborhoods for a new team focused on harnessing Ireland’s passion for the beautiful game.

Keegan Hegarty and Kevin Tarr have co-founded the Boston Emeralds Football Club, which will make its debut in the United Premier Soccer League’s (UPSL) Division 1 on April 4. Sponsored by McGonagle’s pub in Dorchester, the team is holding tryouts this month.

“I feel like there's no football here in Boston,” said 25-year-old Hegarty, a native of Ireland’s County Donegal. “I don’t walk down the street and see someone wearing a local club jersey or anything like that.” 

“For Irish kids back home, it’s like American football here with the Patriots,” added Tarr, who hails from Derry in Northern Ireland. “Soccer is all you live for, it's all you breathe, it's literally life.” 

“Our idea of the club initially was to represent our Irish heritage or roots from immigrating from Ireland to Boston, but also giving the working-class people within the community something to get behind and get excited about come the weekends,” said Tarr.

In Ireland, they say, match day is a community-wide event. The streets flood with fans, the pubs are packed, and the stadium sings in celebration. Thats exactly what Tarr , 37, wants to see in Dorchester. 

Tarr, who played the sport until he was 16, is now a UEFA B-qualified coach with over 15 years of experience in youth and senior football. He spent over five years in a senior management role with Derry City FC Women. Most recently, he was Hegarty’s assistant coach for the Jaguars United FC senior men’s team. 

“Keegan contacted me to get me involved in the Jaguars last year, and from that, we were sitting thinking, ‘Wouldn’t that be amazing if we could give something back to the Irish community,’” said Tarr. 

Head coach Hegarty, a 25 year-old Buncrana native, started playing “football” at age 3.

“My dad would take me down because he was the coach. I believe you weren’t allowed to start until you were six. Since my dad was a coach, he brought me anyway,” reflected Hegarty. “I was the youngest player at the club, and I’ve been playing ever since.” 

Around 12 years old, Hegarty left his home team, the Buncrana Hearts, for local rival Cockhill Celtic. By 14, he was being recognized by professional teams.  Hegarty spent much of his career in the Ulster Senior League and in the Inishowen Premier Division. He also represented Ireland at the U-18 level and represented Ulster at the interprovincial level.

In 2022, he moved to the US and played a season of collegiate soccer at Tennessee Wesleyan University. 

“College wasn’t my style, and that's when I got approached by the Apotheos and the USL2 team, and they wanted me to captain them in the Open Cup.” 

His most recent playing season was spent with Jaguars United, based in Everett. Having played just about every position throughout his career, the athlete describes himself as “a very versatile player.”

Unfortunately, Hegarty’s playing career was put on hold after tearing his ACL last season. But even with one bad leg, it was impossible to keep Hegarty from the pitch. He quickly rejoined the Jaguars, but this time as the Head Coach of the UPSL Premier team. 

After one season coaching there, Hegarty knew he wanted to create an environment that better reflected the Irish soccer culture he was a part of back home. 

“Me and my assistant Kevin decided we would make our own club and then put pen to paper, and now it's come to reality,” said Hegarty, who also works as the strength and conditioning coach at BC High. 

The past few months have been full of phone calls recruiting players and finding sponsors. The coaches have already confirmed 20 players for the 30-man roster and look to complete their lineup after tryouts this Saturday, Jan. 31 at BC High’s McCoy Field at noon. 

“There are only 10 spots available,” Hegarty said. “I’m still getting calls from players back home in Ireland that I know are looking to come to Boston and play. You’re looking at maybe an extra two slots taken up by them, so around 8-10 spots available for 25-30 tryout players.” 

He continued: “I say this to all the boys we have already selected. This is technically their tryout as well. If I see 12 unbelievable players, I’m kicking two boys off my selected squad right now. Business is business at the end of the day, and I’m trying to make the best 30-man squad as I can.”

The expectations for that squad are high.

Hegarty and Tarr don’t just want to get started in the league; they want to dominate it entirely. 

“From everything me and Kevin are doing for the club right now, the background stuff, everything we’re bringing in, there shouldn’t be a reason, especially with the players we’re bringing in, that we shouldn’t go off and win this whole league,” Hegarty said confidently. 

That includes competing with local rival Dorchester City FC, who got their own start in the league last year. The two teams will battle against each other in the very first game of the season. Both coaches think the healthy rivalry will only help grow the game in Dorchester. 

The end goal: gaining professional status and building a program as large as those back home. 

“In the next two years, hopefully, we will have a senior women’s team established. We are also going to aim for a youth academy,” said Tarr. “Our goal as a club, from youth academy upwards, is to become a well-known household team in Boston and Massachusetts.” 

Hegarty also hopes to pull the jersey over his own head, too. 

“My kind of goal is I would love to play for my own team,” said the head coach. “I’m doing a lot of rehab for my knee. It's a hard surgery to recover from; it's like a whole year process, and I’m taking my time, but I want to get back to playing. I want to get back to the high standard I was, and even further.” 

In addition to McGonagle’s and O’Reillys the team is currently sponsored by Debrief and Aligned Athlete out of Norwood; McElhinney Plastering in  Milton; KCD Contractor; Dorchester’s Aidan’s Barbershop and LC Tiles; Luckyco; and McDaid Irish Pub in New York. 

To keep up with Emerald FC, visit instagram.com/bostonemeraldsfc/.