Poor Student
21/07/2006, 12:57 AM
http://www.a2zsoccer.com/index.cfm/loc/2-1/articleId/8B35BC12-E2D3-EC25-3A725F74DBE2C601.htm
We need men who can dream of things that never were - John F. Kennedy, Dublin, 1963
Statement
The words JFK uttered in our great capital thirty-three years ago resonate through its streets even now.
History preserves the names and honours the ideals of those who dared to dream of things that never were, who forged their own destinies and in doing so affected indelibly the lives of their contemporaries and subsequent generations. Nowhere is this more evident than in the social, cultural, literary and political history of Dublin.
It is with this tradition that the Dublin Cosmos now align ourselves. We aim to reflect the modern realities of a vibrant, thriving, culturally diverse city whilst remaining faithful to the principles upon which it was founded.
Sport is the adhesive which binds together the disparate elements of society, football its purest manifestation. Our objective, in an age of crass commercialisation and increasing popular alienation, is to bring the peoples' game back to the people. An ambitious aim, a noble aim, even a grandiose aim, but one for which we make no apology.
In the wake of Dublin City FC's recent and tragic demise and the consequent vacancy created in the eircom League Premier Division, we have deemed it opportune to unveil our embryonic project to the nation's sporting public. Although we fully acknowledge that red tape (in addition to our own ongoing development) may bar our immediate entry into the league, we nonetheless wish to assure administrators and fans that Dublin Cosmos have the nous, the unquenchable conviction and the firm financial footing to compete in the eircom League at an as yet unknown but imminent juncture.
Six years ago, supporters of several defunct Dublin clubs met in a city bar to discuss the possibility of entering a team into the Athletic Union League. It is to this humble gathering and its humble objective that the Dublin Cosmos project owes its genesis. We, more than anyone, are fully cognisant of the pitfalls which await any club endeavouring to muscle in on the already crowded marketplace which is eircom League football in our nation's capital.
Accordingly, we have taken a somewhat lateral approach, focusing on attracting support from abroad. Our biggest financial backers hail respectively from Greece and Poland, and with their support we have already opened preliminary negotiations with a squad-strength contingent of players drawn primarily from the Central and Eastern European leagues, including three former Greek internationals, as well as a 1998 African Cup of Nations winner.
We also propose to pursue a revolutionary fixture policy, rotating league matches between a planned, compact, modern stadium in North Dublin (initial capacity 6,500) and an existing facility in South County Dublin. A small fleet of coaches (already purchased and resplendent in Cosmos livery) will ferry supporters between the two venues.
Incidentally, Cosmos match-nights will resemble nothing ever seen in the eircom League (or Leinster Senior League, if forced to pursue that path) - but that will become abundantly apparent in time!
News conferences will be convened in the coming weeks (at which press packs, including sample jersies and club logos, will be available) with an official launch party planned for late August. The Dublin Cosmos website is currently in development and should be online by the end of the month.
Dublin Cosmos, as a club and an organisation, will uphold the highest standards of professional probity. The vices which so often have sullied the eircom League and blighted its reputation will have no place at our club. Sensationalists will search in vain for the familiar comforts of internecine squabbling, legalistic nitpicking and institutionalised hooliganism.
Unfortunately, this is all that can be divulged at this hectic time for all those involved in the project. Watch for further details in the coming weeks and months.
Prepare yourselves - The stars are coming to Dublin!
Are you Seery in disguise?
We need men who can dream of things that never were - John F. Kennedy, Dublin, 1963
Statement
The words JFK uttered in our great capital thirty-three years ago resonate through its streets even now.
History preserves the names and honours the ideals of those who dared to dream of things that never were, who forged their own destinies and in doing so affected indelibly the lives of their contemporaries and subsequent generations. Nowhere is this more evident than in the social, cultural, literary and political history of Dublin.
It is with this tradition that the Dublin Cosmos now align ourselves. We aim to reflect the modern realities of a vibrant, thriving, culturally diverse city whilst remaining faithful to the principles upon which it was founded.
Sport is the adhesive which binds together the disparate elements of society, football its purest manifestation. Our objective, in an age of crass commercialisation and increasing popular alienation, is to bring the peoples' game back to the people. An ambitious aim, a noble aim, even a grandiose aim, but one for which we make no apology.
In the wake of Dublin City FC's recent and tragic demise and the consequent vacancy created in the eircom League Premier Division, we have deemed it opportune to unveil our embryonic project to the nation's sporting public. Although we fully acknowledge that red tape (in addition to our own ongoing development) may bar our immediate entry into the league, we nonetheless wish to assure administrators and fans that Dublin Cosmos have the nous, the unquenchable conviction and the firm financial footing to compete in the eircom League at an as yet unknown but imminent juncture.
Six years ago, supporters of several defunct Dublin clubs met in a city bar to discuss the possibility of entering a team into the Athletic Union League. It is to this humble gathering and its humble objective that the Dublin Cosmos project owes its genesis. We, more than anyone, are fully cognisant of the pitfalls which await any club endeavouring to muscle in on the already crowded marketplace which is eircom League football in our nation's capital.
Accordingly, we have taken a somewhat lateral approach, focusing on attracting support from abroad. Our biggest financial backers hail respectively from Greece and Poland, and with their support we have already opened preliminary negotiations with a squad-strength contingent of players drawn primarily from the Central and Eastern European leagues, including three former Greek internationals, as well as a 1998 African Cup of Nations winner.
We also propose to pursue a revolutionary fixture policy, rotating league matches between a planned, compact, modern stadium in North Dublin (initial capacity 6,500) and an existing facility in South County Dublin. A small fleet of coaches (already purchased and resplendent in Cosmos livery) will ferry supporters between the two venues.
Incidentally, Cosmos match-nights will resemble nothing ever seen in the eircom League (or Leinster Senior League, if forced to pursue that path) - but that will become abundantly apparent in time!
News conferences will be convened in the coming weeks (at which press packs, including sample jersies and club logos, will be available) with an official launch party planned for late August. The Dublin Cosmos website is currently in development and should be online by the end of the month.
Dublin Cosmos, as a club and an organisation, will uphold the highest standards of professional probity. The vices which so often have sullied the eircom League and blighted its reputation will have no place at our club. Sensationalists will search in vain for the familiar comforts of internecine squabbling, legalistic nitpicking and institutionalised hooliganism.
Unfortunately, this is all that can be divulged at this hectic time for all those involved in the project. Watch for further details in the coming weeks and months.
Prepare yourselves - The stars are coming to Dublin!
Are you Seery in disguise?