We had a 'Supporters Action' meeting on Oct. 7th
We now have a Communications Manager, Colm Crossan.
Sponsorship has been secured for next season, Fastfix who have been on the back of this seasons jersey, will now be main sponsors. ShopDundalk has been taken on somewhat by the local council AFAIK, but will still feature on the jersey(Sleeves or back) and in Oriel.
Originally Posted by Dundalk Democrat
Cumann Peile Dún Dealgan - Champions 2015 (too many accolades to be typing)
Termonbarry Athletic TID!
Of course, there are a few towns in NI which reflect the same situation. Enniskillen, a town with a Nationalist majority in a population of nearly 15k is one of those: afaik it only has one GAC, but has something like 7 football clubs.
In Tyrone, Dungannon is strong on football (and rugby, to an extent), whereas Omagh was always more of a GAA stronghold.
Elsewhere, Newry is another with a surprisingly strong football tradition, compared with GAA and of course, there is Derry itself, which I would classify as the pre-eminent "proper football town" in Ireland (Yes, I know it's technically a city, but it doesn't really compare size-wise with Belfast/Dublin/Cork)
Tbh, there was always a surprising amount of football played in Fermanagh, with all but a few strongly Nationalist villages on the border having their own football team(s).
In fact, it was the myriad local rivalries and the consequent dispersal of talent which imo chiefly account for Fermanagh not having a senior club until Ballinamallard broke through. (As it happens, there are a number of Junior clubs in Fermanagh who are hoping to make the step-up to Intermediate level in the next few years)
Anyhow, whilst Fermanagh was the centre of the region, the Fermanagh and Western traditionally had a very wide catchment area, especially pre-Partition. And even today, this is reflected in the fact that it is still one of four regional Divisional Associations of the IFA, (along with the North East, North West and Mid-Ulster FA's). Presently it includes clubs from far afield in Tyrone.
I thought Cobh was pretty strong at football, albeit at Junior level for most of the time?
Last edited by peadar1987; 16/10/2009 at 1:06 AM. Reason: I am aware of the irony of this post!
Dundalk have undertaken a lot of very solid work in the wider community in recent years, primarily through the Club Promotions Officer, Paul Johnston (who is a former player) - these efforts were acknowledged through the current FAI Inter-cultural club of the year award. The (various) African communities are merely one (highly visable) part of that. This aspect of it -which incidently includes an FAI themed "Africa Day" - is merely one part of an ethos that the club have embraced to position itself as a vibrant resource embedded in the local community.
The €5.5m Youth Development Centre which is currently being built at Oriel Park (due to be operational in July) is another part of this strategy to be more then just a premier football team, but as a community-centred club in the truest sense.
If Dundalk can overcome the current operational financial challenges on the playing side, the overall outlook, drive and ambition is very evidently positive.
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