Came across this....
FAI Soccer by Shel Shocked
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Can't Buy Me Love
Shel Shocked on the rise and fall of 'Athletico Mullingar'
I remember when Mullingar Athletic started playing soccer. I remember asking my Dad why they'd set up a second team in Mullingar. Not that I knew much or there was ever much news of the other Mullingar club, Mullingar Town. Truth be told, the only thing I knew about Mullingar Town was that it was in neither the premier nor the first division of the National League. I remember my Dad telling me about how Mullingar Town had been a local club, where lads from the town played football. I remember him talking about how the powers that be had tried to bring some glory to the club by importing players from far off, exotic places like Athlone. This had annoyed some of the Mullingar people, who felt it was unfair that the club should look outside the accepted catchment area to find players instead of training up the local lads. As a result of this feeling, Mullingar Athletic - or Athletico Mullingar as it is known in the family - was born and in a few short years had been promoted to the same division as Mullingar Town for a single season that ended with Atheltico being promoted and Town relegated. A valuable lesson, we thought.
Apparently not. The national media were throwing around stories about a wealthy London-based Irish businessman and his plans for Mullingar Town. See, it breaks down like this: this London-based Irish businessman is a brother of the chairman of Mullingar Town. In his youth he played for Town and "Mullingar Town is [his] passion". With the amalgamation of St Pats and St Francis to form Dublin City FC there is a vacant slot in the National League first division. The brothers have decided that Mullingar Town is just the club to fill that slot and have hatched a simple plan. The London-based brother has rented three houses in Mullingar and hired a chef to cater for the residents of the houses. The residents are 16 players, including four Nigerians and one Brazilian, from the Football Academy in England brought over specifically to play for Mullingar Town and get the team into the National League. Super stuff. Fair play to him. What team wouldn't want to be in the National League? That's very true, but it brings us right back to the formation of Mullingar Athletic.
National League teams are not like English teams. They don't get beamed into our homes every weekend. It's very hard for someone in Tipperary, for example, to cheer for Home Farm. It's certainly very costly to go from Tipperary every week to see them. For this reason National League teams rely on local support to keep them going. How hard was it for fans when Shelbourne moved to Tolka Park? How hard will it be on Shamrock Rovers fans when the Tallaght stadium is finished and all home games move out there? Indeed, why are Rovers moving to Tallaght if not to cash in on the local support and talent? Mullingar Town, by turning its back on Mullingar town, is in danger of shooting itself in the foot - again.
Would it have been that difficult for the board of Town to meet the board of Athletic and talk about combining the clubs into a sort of Mullingar United - with the aim of having United take the National League spot? Could nobody see the advantage in combining the youth structures of both teams to try and build an Ajax-like youth structure that our London friend dreams of? The outcome could well have been a solid local club, with a solid local support base.
The National League undoubtedly needs support. Until they have a package that will be seen as feasible for television, this support has to come from the local area. As Mullingar Town may well learn, this support is something the clubs have to earn - not something they can demand.
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