Drogheda

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Originally Posted by Spudulika

Anybody from Dundalk who is glorying in the troubles of any club, let alone a neighbour, should be ashamed and betray their status as "fans" rather than supporters.

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Agreed - although to be fair I don't see any evidence of this on here! Perhaps some jibes and ridicule but hardly "glorying".

The facts are that Dundalk benefit from Drogheda providing some sort of rivalry - be it real or perceived - both in terms of stimulating additional interest and in gate receipts. For example, the annual Malone Cup tends to be the only pre-season friendly that is likely to draw a decent attendance.

Dundalk have even accommodated Drogheda in the recent past, by switching this fixture to provide their neighbours with a dig-out in previous times of need.

That the survival of Drogheda could be back in the balance so soon again after their folly of overspending nearly destroy the club is sad, but inevitably attracts negative comments from supporters of all clubs

Don't think any of the Dundalk fans posting on here have stated that they would like to see us go under, and I don't believe that they would want us to. Football rivalry being what it is you can't help but taunt your local rivals when their down. We'd be doing the same (and were) if the shoe was on the other foot.

Think with our current situation alot if fans feel that this is the 3rd or 4th time in the last few years that club needs a bail out. If we put or money in again how do we know were not going to be in the same situation in 6/12 months time? And besides a lot of people don't have it to give.

Its just a never-ending merry-go-round , Drogs are holding yet another Public Meeting this Thursday trying to shift the shares. Only a small number sold so far (less than 50) and Mondays deadline looming.
Think it would have made sense to let Hinge Trading go up the Swanee in 2008 and let the fans have the club in a FORAS style set-up , all the money raised during and post examinership is now gone and would have been far more wisely invested on setting up a proper co-op.

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Originally Posted by Dead_Star

Don't think any of the Dundalk fans posting on here have stated that they would like to see us go under, and I don't believe that they would want us to. Football rivalry being what it is you can't help but taunt your local rivals when their down. We'd be doing the same (and were) if the shoe was on the other foot.

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Drogheda Utd is good for football in Louth and a Dundalk FC fans would need to be very short-sighted to wish your club to do under.

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Originally Posted by Dead_Star

Think with our current situation alot if fans feel that this is the 3rd or 4th time in the last few years that club needs a bail out. If we put or money in again how do we know were not going to be in the same situation in 6/12 months time? And besides a lot of people don't have it to give.

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It is a big ask. Many fans argued at the time whether Drogheda would have been better off taking a step down to the 1st Division two years ago and rebuilding from a position of zero debt.

Do Dorgheda have players??

And if so is the match against Dundalk Friday still going ahead??

Tempted to go up for a nose.

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Originally Posted by Lim till i die

Do Dorgheda have players??

And if so is the match against Dundalk Friday still going ahead??

Tempted to go up for a nose.

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They have trialists training atm apparently.

Yes the match is going ahead.

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Originally Posted by Lim till i die

Tempted to go up for a nose.

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From Limerick???

Game off.

Malone Cup Postponed
The Malone Cup match between Drogheda United and Dundalk, scheduled to go ahead at United Park this Friday night (28 January) has been postponed. Following a meeting last night, Drogheda informed Dundalk that the match has come too soon for them to assemble a competitive team. A new date has yet to be agreed.

Dam it was looking forward to that game

Gutted. Was looking forward to some football. Am going crazy.:-(

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Originally Posted by Dunny

assemble a competitive team.

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As if they are going to have a competitive team in a few weeks....

Also they could have done with the money as there would have been at least a couple of hundred Dundalk fans up for this game and they need all the money they can get right now

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Originally Posted by Magicme

Gutted. Was looking forward to some football. Am going crazy.:-(

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When is the Mons first friendly? We are in the same boat here waiting on a game to happen.

Wait until February youl have plenty to go to.

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Originally Posted by Snoop Drog

From Limerick???

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Ya, shur tis only a short hop and we're down to play ye in the first game of the season.

Pity it's off, could Drogheda not have made up to twenty grand here? (I have no idea what kind of crowd these games attract.)

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Originally Posted by Dillonman

When is the Mons first friendly? We are in the same boat here waiting on a game to happen.

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Only confirmed date I have is 18th Feb v Derry. Rumours of Bray a few days before that but just gutted have another few weeks to wait.

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Originally Posted by Lim till i die

Pity it's off, could Drogheda not have made up to twenty grand here? (I have no idea what kind of crowd these games attract.)

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Game was sponsored as well , something that they cant do for league games - presume that is gone now as well. Club is great at shooting themselves in the foot. I and many others warned when it was announced that it would be a disaster , they pushed ahead with it , look at how it ended up.

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Originally Posted by iceman

Game was sponsored as well , something that they cant do for league games - presume that is gone now as well. Club is great at shooting themselves in the foot. I and many others warned when it was announced that it would be a disaster , they pushed ahead with it , look at how it ended up.

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I really dont understand it from Drogheda's perspective. The unable to field a 'competitive team' bit is strange - surely the gate income and sponsorship was far more important then the result.

Because it was scheduled to be the first pre-season game, it would have obviously attracted many more people then being arranged later in the pre-season. It is even in doubt if a date will be found at all,considering that Dundalk have a fairly full pre-season list planned with two games almost every week from next week on, leading up to the opening league game

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Originally Posted by Ezeikial

I really dont understand it from Drogheda's perspective. The unable to field a 'competitive team' bit is strange - surely the gate income and sponsorship was far more important then the result.

Because it was scheduled to be the first pre-season game, it would have obviously attracted many more people then being arranged later in the pre-season. It is even in doubt if a date will be found at all,considering that Dundalk have a fairly full pre-season list planned with two games almost every week from next week on, leading up to the opening league game

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It was never a goer, should never have been annoucned for that date, but a date closer towards the start of teh season considering we dont have 1 player signed up.

All we have is triralists training together for a week or two - from what i could tell, f*ck all people were interested in going to watch this (especially with all attention now trying to persuade people to contribute towards shares by friday).

With the additional security costs for playing dundalk, despite been a friendly, (and other costs associated with playing a match), and with an expected poor crowd, i cant really see it wad gona make much of a profit, if any at all.

All attention from the club this week I would guess, is try and get as many people signed up for shares by the weekend!

And with all the best intentions thay have only shifted 34 shares so far , thats in over two weeks. The deadline is next Monday , I really cant see them even getting any way near half their target by then. I really hope Im wrong but just dont see it happening.
Personally I think they should have let Hinge fold instead of going into examinership in 2008. They money that the fans raised then , and since would have been far better invested ina FORAS style co-op instead of pouring it into Hinge to disappear through the cracks. The same directors should never have been allowed to continue with a wreckless managment policy and now they are looking for an easy way out again.

Getting beyond the past.

In the recent memory of DUFC, there have been some extraordinary highs but unfortunately these have been somewhat eclipsed by repetitive and demoralising lows. Amongst a certain sector of our community there is a negative perception of our football club. Is that negativity warranted? People are divided on this issue. However, it is our belief, and it always has been, that there is one reason why the club, and indeed the League of Ireland as a whole has attracted negativity. Even though the League of Ireland has been around for years, it is still only an infant in terms of size and support when you compare it with our neighbouring national leagues, the English Premier League and, to a lesser extent, the Scottish Premier League. This will never change unless there is a complete change of focus by Irish football clubs, a change in focus from being a club striving to become successful as the result of funding from individual benefactors to a club which is deeply rooted within its local community. Sometimes success is only measured by winning games, but there is more to it than that and so there should be.

What is a community club and what does it do?
Today, in 2011, the only way for our club to survive is to have the complete backing of the local community. However, Drogheda United FC is not entitled to that support. It has to earn it. The club must integrate itself into the wider community by providing a service to that community. When the community recognises the benefits that the club can offer, then and only then will the football club become a source of positivity within the town. Once that solid community foundation has been set, the club will be able to build for success on the pitch.

A football club enables supporters to attend matches every week and gives a person that indescribable release from the stress of everyday life for 90 minutes. It allows friends to get together to unite around a single cause and to have healthy debate. But what happens after the final whistle and when everyone has left the stadium? Normally, that is all until we gladly get to do the same thing again next week. It is a simple pleasure to look forward to the smell and sounds of Hunky Dorys Park on a Friday night. It is difficult to describe adequately the sense of anticipation that one feels as one enters Hunky Dorys Park, greeting fellow-supporters, taking one’s place on the terraces, exchanging pleasantries and catching one’s breath as the teams come out onto the pitch. However, it has become apparent that this simple cycle of coming and going and paying at the turnstile each week is not enough. It is not enough for the club because it does not reach out into the community and affect enough people in a positive manner. This is where a community club is different.

When the gates are closed and the lights are turned off on match night a community club really comes to life. There are already signs where DUFC has shown its willingness to change and to adapt itself into a community club. The Claret and Blue Club is such an example. This members club was set up in order to provide DUFC with a steady income stream whilst also benefitting local businesses. The CAB club is really a fantastic concept, especially in these straitened economic times. In essence, customers can receive discounts on their purchases in local shops, local businesses potentially benefit from increased trade and all the while the football club is strengthened financially. Now more than ever, we should all be supporting local business in Drogheda. Indeed as a nation that spirit of community and solidarity was never more vital. As a football club and via the CAB initiative, we are presented with a chance to actually contribute to society, which is by definition the most fundamental characteristic of a community club. Such a goal should always be held in high priority by a club which is owned and run by its supporters. Those supporters are the community.

The football club’s ability to provide an outlet for the youth of our town is also a worthy feature of a community club. Many young players have come through the ranks of the enviable youth system developed by local managers. The achievements of our youth teams, winning such competitions as the FAI cup in recent years, is something of which the whole town can be intensely proud. Our club has managed to dispel the myth that if a young player wants to develop he must go to Dublin. Indeed, players from Dublin now come to Drogheda. Having a local club that develops young, local players and gives them an opportunity to compete at a national level should be a source of immense pride to the people of Drogheda.

The club has in the past perhaps underestimated the power of its main tool - the players. All children look up to sportspeople and our players should be ambassadors for the club throughout the community, integrating the local schools and school boy clubs in the area. From talking to the teachers of the boys and girls who have had school visits from players in the past, the impression these visits can have on children in our community is immense. Simply discussing the benefits of eating healthy, exercising well and working hard in school carries much more weight with the children when it is being articulated by a football player- a real ‘grown-up’ football player than by teachers, parents or others. A player might not be playing well or be in the team at the top of the league, but that player is always a positive role model when standing in front of a child. Halftime in Hunky Dorys Park is another highlight where local children football teams can compete and aspire to play. Likewise local children’s dance groups can showcase their talents. It is not possible to give an exhaustive list, but in the past few years over 70 different clubs and groups have played and performed in Hunky Dorys Park.

These are just a few glimpses which prove that Drogheda United is well on its way to being that important community club. However, a true community club needs to do so much more. The CAB club discount card initiative needs to be properly developed on a larger scale into a scheme that spans the wider community and is synonymous with extra value. It needs to become something which the townspeople use on a daily basis and that strengthens local businesses. Our youth system must continue to grow and the club must reach out to local schools in the town and its environs on a much more frequent basis. The club must eventually be able to contribute to local charities and do more to help disadvantaged groups within our society. But this will not happen overnight or without the will, interest and dedication of the community as a whole. In the beginning it will require an enormous group effort by the loyal supporters and business people of the town but in time the positivity will filter out into all strands of the community. As strange as it may seem, right now the future of Drogheda United Football Club has never looked more promising. For the first time there is a large group of supporters with relevant professional skills and the correct attitude to move the club forward. These are supporters who share a deep sense of community spirit. It is our profound hope that with the initial backing from the town, the vision of a community club owned by supporters, run by supporters, for supporters can flourish in Drogheda.

The Future Starts Here.
Help us to shape it.


Join us, Mr. John Delaney (FAI CEO), business leaders, politicians, supporters and friends in the Boyne Valley Hotel on Thursday 27th January at 7:30pm for the official launch of our share scheme (www.droghedaunited.ie)

Jim Agnew, Noel Heeney, Brian Markey, Ronan Foley, Roisin Phillips, John Matthews, Thomas McConnon, Frank Pentony, Ged Nash, Philip Monaghan, Fred McCreery, Shane Griffin, Colin McGillick, Owen Campbell