Sporting Fingal to be offered First Division place

[Snoop Drog]

You could ask an SF fan. If there were any....

I'm considering becoming one. I haven't had much of an outlet for my miserableness since The Drogs became successful.

[Réiteoir]

pretty mediocre crest imo

looks like fingal CC got one of their cleaners to design it

looks like a hummingbird ffs

[dcfcsteve]

I'm considering becoming one. I haven't had much of an outlet for my miserableness since The Drogs became successful.

Give it time Snoop, give it time...... :D

[onceahoop]

looks like a hummingbird ffs
Presumably it's supposed to be the Black Raven of Fingal.

Poor effort if it is.

http://www.luskunited.com/home/

Here's a better one.

[TheFingallian]

Just a couple of thoughts on the thread. I read somewhere that the Sporting Lisbon colours were the case. They were at least considered. Perhaps we will see it as an away strip. For love nor money i can't remember where i read that from now. Maybe it will be an away strip. Will shall see next Monday night in Corduff at the "launch". Interesting that they chose that location, over Swords for example.

www.sportingfingal.ie (http://www.sportingfingal.ie) links to Fingal County Council at the moment. As does a number of domain names of a similar ilk. I suspect the one i mentioned will eventually be the site although I can't be sure.

[onceahoop]

A report in this weeks Fingal Independent says that the well known developer Gerry Gannon has taken a 90% stake as the backer and major investor in Sporting Fingal and has agreed a 5 year finance deal. Fingal CC will retain a minority stake and will be represented on the board but will not contribute financially.

This weeks edition isn't on line yet so I can't give you a link.

[Spoons]

Yes in the Sunday Business Post last weekend , it stated not only is Gannon Homes behind Sporting Fingal but also huge investment being throen in by the fruit crowd Keelings and by Anglo Irish Bank.....sounds as if it won't be "another Dublin City" to me as most people have said....:ball:

[pineapple stu]

What's the difference between Keelings throwing huge money behind the venture and Ronan Seery throwing huge money behind it?

[Sheridan]

Ronan Seery never threw huge money behind anything because he never had any money apart from what he raised on a weekly basis. Fair dues to SF for pulling off a spectacular sponsorship coup and backing up their vision rather than wallowing in mediocrity.

[pineapple stu]

Apart from the E1m he was revealed to have personally lost when the club went into liquidation?

[Sheridan]

Two words: Property boom.

[pineapple stu]

But he still threw huge money behind them, which you just denied he did.

Unless E1m's small change for you?

[finnpark]

Yes in the Sunday Business Post last weekend , it stated not only is Gannon Homes behind Sporting Fingal but also huge investment being throen in by the fruit crowd Keelings and by Anglo Irish Bank.....sounds as if it won't be "another Dublin City" to me as most people have said....:ball:

That guy deals in Billions mostly and not millions. He would certainly be one of the richest men in this country in terms of assets. I think that they are rushing it a little. Stadium, training facilities and a youth structure should be in place 1st. Its only a matter of time before one of our clubs starts taking in European players and qualify for the CL. Its inevitable with such investors starting to back the Eircom League!

[DmanDmythDledge]

What's the difference between Keelings throwing huge money behind the venture and Ronan Seery throwing huge money behind it?
Seery had a mad vision of reaching the CL stages in five years and budgeted for crowds of 1,500 when they weren't even getting a third of that amount. I'd be very surprised if this guy was even half as crazy. Also he seems to be investing in an academy, stadium, training ground etc rather than flying in has beens from England.

[higgins]

What's the difference between Keelings throwing huge money behind the venture and Ronan Seery throwing huge money behind it?

Ronan Seery did not throw huge money behind anything...

[dcfcsteve]

Seery had a mad vision of reaching the CL stages in five years and budgeted for crowds of 1,500 when they weren't even getting a third of that amount. I'd be very surprised if this guy was even half as crazy. Also he seems to be investing in an academy, stadium, training ground etc rather than flying in has beens from England.

Is the Council not paying for the facilities/infrastructure...?

[dcfcsteve]

Ronan Seery did not throw huge money behind anything...

Semantics aside - he certainly put what any normal person would consider large sums of his own money into Continuity Home Farm.

[higgins]

The money he put in was never going to get him results in the Premier Division. Sporting Fingal have a backer who can. If the crowds turn up in Swords they will also be taking in a lot more money than rent a ground Dublin City were.

[Schumi]

Seery put in what was big money on a personal scale but only a little over a year's budget in total. These guys seem to be on a bigger scale altogether, I don't see where they see their return coming from though.

[dcfcsteve]

The money he put in was never going to get him results in the Premier Division.

He still put decent money in.....


Sporting Fingal have a backer who can. If the crowds turn up in Swords they will also be taking in a lot more money than rent a ground Dublin City were.

The most imoportant word in your scentence above is the "if". "If" the crowds turn up in Swords. But why the hell would they ? The crowds don't exactly flock to clubs like Bohs and Shels that have existed for over a hundred years, with generations of supporters, tradition, habit, support bases etc. So where and how is Sporting Fingal suddenly gooing to magic up crowds in an area with no clear identity for the team to taop into, and amongst a population that is apathetic towards Irish football ?

This is fantasy football stuff of the highest order. Only this time it's wasting public as well as private money.

[drummerboy]

People forget that Swords is huge area which as regards Eircom League is virgin territory. It has a huge young population. Gannon has the capability to buy an English premiership club if he wanted. With his backing I expect SF to be in the top division next year and be playing in Europe within a couple more seasons. However I still can't figure out what in it for Gannon.

[duffbeer]

[QUOTE=TheFingallian;871006] Will shall see next Monday night in Corduff at the "launch". Interesting that they chose that location, over Swords for example.QUOTE]

Id imagine that D15 being another massive part of Fingal, it would only be wise not to alienate Blanchardstown. Not building the stadium in Abbotstown is one decision, but also to host the opening away from D15 would be bad PR.

[TheFingallian]

People forget that Swords is huge area which as regards Eircom League is virgin territory. It has a huge young population. Gannon has the capability to buy an English premiership club if he wanted. With his backing I expect SF to be in the top division next year and be playing in Europe within a couple more seasons. However I still can't figure out what in it for Gannon.

I'm one of those non-existent fans people speak of and even I wouldn't go that far. The first year will be to get a foot in to build on going into the second year. Maybe then we can make a promotion push presuming the seams don't start to fall off.

It could be that Gannon's a local man wanting to make something good happen for the community. Probably not though!

[dcfcsteve]

People forget that Swords is huge area which as regards Eircom League is virgin territory. It has a huge young population.

So what ? Dublin - nay the whole of Ireland - is effectively virgin territory for Eircom League clubs, giving that less than half a percent of the entire population of the country go to Eircom League games.

What is this ridiculous notion that an area with a big population and no existing EL club will therefore lead to success ?? You'd think there were thousands of frustrated Irish football supporters stranded around the country - just waiting for an EL club to appear on their doorstep to save them. It's just plain absurd !

If clubs that have existed for decades with generations of supporters struggle to secure big crowds, a team that lands from outers-apce with no tradition of support and which has no core area/name for people to identify with isn't going to magically be onto a good thing.

Individual clubs acting alone will not reverse the neglect of Irish football. The cloest we came to this in the last 25 years was Derry City - who bucked the trend of atrocious support in the late 80's and early 90's. But that was a unique situation and didn't last. Only through an nimage transformation for the league as a whole will we see substantial and sustainable increases in support levels.

This fanciful notion that virgin EL territory plus new club plus rich investor will lead to big support is just ridiculous in its simplcity and doesn't reflect the harsh reality of domestic football's current status in Ireland.

[pineapple stu]

Ronan Seery did not throw huge money behind anything...
What planet are people on when they think a million quid isn't big money to throw away on a club?!

[higgins]

A one million loss over how many years ???

and again I'd like to point out that with the amount of fans they had and the fact they were renting they had feck all income! From my comments you can see that I expect Swords to work for Sporting Fingal when they do eventually move.

One million for one man is a lot of money. One million for the club to lose over that many years ? no, it's nothing really, expecially when you think about the income they would have had. Sure it would have been costing Dublin City to hold home fixtures!! you can be sure a move to swords in a FCC backed stadium wont cost Sporting Fingal.

[Poor Student]

It'll be at least the entire lifespan of Dublin City before Fingal move to Swords.

[dcfcsteve]

A one million loss over how many years ???

Firstly - that is irrelevant. You said Seery didn't put a lot of money into the club. Everyone else has highlighted the fact that €1m would be accepted by most people to be a lot of money. You're now trying to back-track by claiming a million isn't a lot if it's spread over time. A million is a million, is a million. Stop trying to wangle out of it.

Secondly - Dublin City only lasted less than 6yrs. To play your game - he therefore put in over €166,000 on average for every year of their existence. Again - showe me the ordinary person who wouldn't think that is a lot of money ? He could've bought himself a one-bed flat mortgage-free in cash in large parts of the country every single year for that money.


and again I'd like to point out that with the amount of fans they had and the fact they were renting they had feck all income! From my comments you can see that I expect Swords to work for Sporting Fingal when they do eventually move.

Please justify - or at least sensibly explain - this conviction you have that Sporting Fingal will succeed ? What magic wand do they have that will make them a magnet for football fans, when 2 clubs within a few miles of them that have existed for over 100 years are struggling to do likewise ? Or is this conviction completed divorced from reality ?

[higgins]

I'm not back tracking over anything!
Dublin City was a joke, they lost money playing out of rented grounds with nobody turning up to watch them. One million over six years on a team that were going nowhere. Dublin City paid nearly everyone who worked on match nights, they never had a chance. That one million will go a lot further if Sporting Fingal can get to Swords while still having a few fans. Dublin City wasn't making any money! the one million added to the income was what exactly ?? When you talk about having money you have to add in the income as well as the loss from owners/investors.

I don't think one million over the six years is a lot of money in the context of making a football team successful in the Eircom League, which is what we are talking about.

Why I think Sporting Fingal will work ?
Swords
Can they get there in time is the only question I'd have.

[Mr A]

Weren't Shels planning to move out to that neck of the woods? Where does the arrival of Fingal on the scene leave them?

[higgins]

Shels had plans/dreams to move to Lissenhall, an area halfway between Swrods and Donabate off the M1 motorway and not in walking distance of 99% of the local population.

Sporting fingal are talking of including a ground in the Swords LAP.
Big difference...

[Mr A]

So what are Shels current plans?

Tallaght if Pats don't beat them to it?

[higgins]

Current plan is to win the first division and get out of this first division hole!

[dcfcsteve]

Why I think Sporting Fingal will work ?
Swords
Can they get there in time is the only question I'd have.

That doesn't answer the question though !! WHY will Swords make Sporting Fingal work ?

Is Swords some sort of magical El Dorado / Shangri-La for Irish football - a land beyond time where the local population are rendered completely powerless to resist the tractor-beam-esque draw of Irish domestic football, just so long as the magical ingredient of a club with the word 'Sporting' in its title is unleashed within a 2 square mile radius of them ?

Why will Swords be any different for Sporting than Drumcondra has been for Shels, Phibsboro for Bohs, Inchicore/Terenure for Pats, D4 for UCD, Bray for Bray, Drogheda for Drogheda, Kildare for Kildare.... you get the picture. Why is Swords the magic bullet that for Irish club football ?? *

*If you come back with the response 'Beacuise it's got a big population and a lot of young people' then I'll cyber-punch you in the nose for being stupid.... :o )

[Macy]

People forget that Swords is huge area which as regards Eircom League is virgin territory. It has a huge young population.
Would've thought much of the population of Swords was made up of people priced out of their home areas like Drumcondra forced to move out further. Whilst the area is clearly without an eL team before now, I'd be questioning whether the people really are...

[passerrby]

if theres a cyber fight my moneys on the derry guy them northies are dangerousbuggers .question for higgs how long to do think it would /should take to get that fan base to a substancle figure

[higgins]

I didn't say Swords offers anything different to Drumcondra for Shels, Inchicore for Pats etc. I just said that I think Swords will work for Sporting Fingal. No magic bullet, just a good location in one factor is keeping a football team in business and of all the areas I'd say Swords is the better location.

I'm not saying the people of Swords will turn up in the thousands regardless of everything else going on. I think that the stadium in swords coupled with the financial backing of this guy Gannon (assuming he is serious about success) will make Sporting Fingal successful.

I wasn't predicting Champions League glory within 10 years or anything. I was stating my belief that I don't think Sporting Fingal will go the way of Dublin City if what is being planned comes to pass. What they want to happen may never happen but if it does I think they will have success. Whats so wrong with that? You disagree with me, big deal... lets see who is right in 5 years time.

[Block G Raptor]

lets see who is right in 5 years time.

I give it 3 years tops

[John83]

Why will Swords be any different for Sporting than Drumcondra has been for Shels, Phibsboro for Bohs, Inchicore/Terenure for Pats, D4 for UCD, Bray for Bray, Drogheda for Drogheda, Kildare for Kildare.... you get the picture. Why is Swords the magic bullet that for Irish club football ?? *

*If you come back with the response 'Beacuise it's got a big population and a lot of young people' then I'll cyber-punch you in the nose for being stupid.... :o )
That function is not currently supported by http.

[passerrby]

That function is not currently supported by http.

well can he use this magic bullet then

[GavinZac]

That function is not currently supported by http.

Theres a firefox extension that fakes it over tcp/ip though.

[cornerflag]

http://community.fingal.ie/SportingFingal/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1


Not a great deal up on it yet. Few images of the squad training

[Raheny Red]

Very nice lay out on the site.

[TheFingallian]

http://community.fingal.ie/SportingFingal/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1


Not a great deal up on it yet. Few images of the squad training

Typing in www.sportingfingal.ie (http://www.sportingfingal.ie) redirects to this page. Why they couldn't just use that domain name is beyond me.

[Pablo Escobar]

Wow.....quality site. Great to use.

[holidaysong]

04 Apr 08 Sporting Fingal v Dundalk Oriel Park Dundalk

I assume this is a mistake and that they will actually play their home game against us at home? :D

[passerrby]

there so rich they can do what they like

[TheFingallian]

I assume this is a mistake and that they will actually play their home game against us at home? :D

We are going to rename the stadium after yours for that one day. It's all a ploy to confuse people, especially our promotion rivals ;)

[Sniffer]

More players arrive from outer space to populate SF squad.
http://community.fingal.ie/SportingFingal/index.php?option=com_expose&Itemid=26

See 'Squad training' photo.

[jebus]

I like the club's crest to be honest, not as good as our own mind you, but miles better than the Corkie's new one :)