This does indeed seem to be the strategy.
Best to test the idea/demand now than wait and sign up to a rental for a year+ when they have to in the near future, and find that it just doesn't work.
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I'm going to try to head over to this game out of curiousity, and I'm sure there'll be others too. The price they put on the tickets will be key I suspect.
Would I go to Bohs games regularly at the Aviva? No. But the novelty of this will draw my interest. If nothing else it will be a rather surreal experience to be at a 'regular' LOI league match in a big stadium with tens of thousands of other people. I'm keen to see what that feels like :D
Get Bob Marley and the Wailers* to do the pre-match/half-time entertainment. Fill the North Stand with refugees. Free public transport from club sponsor Dublin Bus included with your matchday ticket to get fans over from dee Naarthsoide. Make it the most perfect Bohs 'Carlsberg ad' day out :D
On a slightly more serious note - this would be a good game to try to tap into the not-inconsiderable amount of ground-hoppers and random football watchers there are kicking around in Britain. The fact it's on a Sunday means that people could watch 2 or 3 LOI/IL games in just the one weekend.
*(without the Bob Marley bit, obvs)
Do any LoI clubs take on local district league XIs in preseason? Limerick have 4 district leagues on their doorstep. It would seem one way of maintaining good links with local leagues.
Not exactly local leagues but Dundalk regularly play Warrenpoint during the season in friendlies. They did let fans into watch them years ago but last few years they have never been advertised but if you know when they due to be on, you can walk into Oriel to watch them
Cant see this being a runner at all.
Bohs Rovers as a one off might get a good crowd 20-25K+ but if it was an every week occurance against random teams i just cant see the crowds paying for the Stadium costs.
Also the FAI dont own the stadium so they cant do a cut price deal to make it a Bohs home venue, at the least theyed have to pay what Leinster are paying to use it and given Leinster crowds are a multiple fo any LOIm team i just cant see it as a realistic option.
Tolka is where Bohs will end up i reckon and maybe witha bit of rent coming it might help Shels open up the currently closed stand behind the goal
Afaik tolka is a non runner, have heard shels refused a deal to share.
Can’t really blame them the pitch would really suffer.
Don’t think pats response was favourable either, but that’s just what I’ve heard and it is silly rumour season after all!!
Jaysus bohs supporters deep in south Dublin, would they need ESTA'S
I wonder about Morton Stadium and if it could get some investment for some improvements to host Bohs for those two years, with a team from the new 3rd tier (Like a St. Kevins Boys) taking it over permanently after.
Morton is owned by DCU now and getting significant investment already (3 million improvement of facilities in 2023 and another 7 million allocated by government last year). Still I don't think it would be in anyway decent facility for LOI. The stands just aren't designed for it.
Less than 2 weeks to go now until Kerry FC host Cobh Ramblers on Friday January 17th in MH Park, in the MSC Last 16. As pre season openers go, that's a good one. Should be a good early indication of where both are at ahead of the new season.
Oh I didnt know that.
For sure, it does not suit Bohs long-term. But if Tolka is ruled out, then it is the closest okayish stadium.
I still see how it could be coupled together with Irish Athletics, Bohs Short term and a suitable 3rd Tier/ 1st Division team for some development (But I guess it is already getting that).
Arent Bohs meant to be leaving Dayler at the end of this year? Leaving it a bit late.
Honestly I only know because I lived down the road from Morton most of my life and went to DCU so it's something I had a passing interest in. As it stands I don't think the capacity of Morton would be able to fit all current members + season ticket holders of Bohs as well as away fans. I'm open to correction on that but I just don't see it being suitable at all and I'd imagine it would be a policing nightmare so may be hard to get sign off from the gardai for Dublin derby games.
If given the option the club would leave Dalymount mid season if it meant getting new Dalymount sooner. All talk of venues being ruled in or out is speculation at the minute. The last update I remember from the club was that they are working on a few different avenues to find a suitable venue for when they leave. They haven't been idle by any stretch but unless something is signed and confirmed there's very little updates that can be given.
Morton would work for a year or two surely? There's a lack of seated capacity, and it's far from ideal in a few aspects, but there's not exactly a shortage of terracing either.
Morton could work but there would need to be a lot of compromises to do so. Some sort of interorganisation politics useless background first. Like all old stadia it was costing the old Athletics Association (under a long term lease bit like Oriel Park) a major chunk of money to keep ticking over and why they were happy to rent the facility to so many football clubs over the years and give priority over athletics which bugged people especially the head of Sports Ireland. It was a bit odd when Sporting Fingal were there as Fingal CoCo were paying rent on a stadium that they issued the lease on in a round about messy way. The multi club/sport stakes from Clonliffe, Council, Athletics Ireland, DCU made it really complicated to fund any significant work bar say floodlights, new seats in stand, cosmetic stuff. When DCU got ownership and got hold of the lease with a small stake still with FingalCoCo it has smoothed the way to planning for a proper national athletics standard arena, appropriately sized but another potential 10k arena in the North Dublin area. It was a smart move by DCU who had explored their own track and field facility but it would have been a significant distance from the main campus which was being developed at pace already. DCU were the ones that could afford it too.
Risk was miniminal, it was cheaper than a greenfield development and 'cause the council wanted it improved but the Sporting Fingal fail lingered and they dont have to front development additionally for DCU planning permission will be a formality in the most part. It will be another large scale grant ala Dalymont in the near future. To digress further all the Dublin councils are eyeing up Tallaght like options these days. St Pats could do with a move to DLRdCoCo area:eek: or hope that DCC is split and squeeze in to the South Dublin Area, Inchicore was pretty borderline last proposed map I saw, the Liffey no longer the bounday these days and will be based on population+density. A bunch of these plans are 20 years in the works so how id have any idea and most planners in the likes of LouthCoCo/DundalkTown Council cut their teeth in Dublin before moving to affordable urban areas to work and live and ye chat about such things through a LoI interest.
Sooo to Bohs using Morton well it could be done but will take some serious compromises for the Dalymount rebuild period. 'Home' fans would have very limited tickets even with a refurbished terrace, temp seating effort, so would need to stick around as members and ST holder that might not get to go to games - a rotation or lottery system possibly? Away fans cant be allowed so how do you deal with that? Ignore it temporarily or have no Bohs away fans for a time, Entry and exit for larger numbers needed iirc were an issue in the past but I think some basic remedial work could solve that. Likewise policing just with proper scheduling and traffic management. Licencing exemptions would be needed in nearly all areas but as long as its not on serious safety issues then precedences are there. Nobody likes playing inside a 400m track but if it makes pitch dimensions so be it, if it doesnt then other clubs would have to suck it up. Usage by athletic club, DCU, ladies teams and amateur sides would have to be worked out, som booted out. Bohs already work with DCU dont they so a agreement can be worked through? If Bohs have training pitches of their own then quid pro quo stuff with others. More derby games in the Avive. Alternatives if Tolka is out, Tallaght, Aviva, United Park, Richmond, RDS, there are more but would be strange calls - Aviva is probably most likely - single tier one side open wouldnt be alien to Bohs, or a rotation of a number of ground to be designated 'home' in each round? Yup all speculation but it'll be interesting to see how things pan out.
I had actually forgotten that S Fingal had played there in Santry as I originally thought when I went to matches up there was when Shamrock Rovers were tenants there in 00/01 season. I havent bein in Santry since Fingal wound up so interestin to see if its feasible if Bohs temporarily want to move there.
Molde have announced they’re playing Pats in a friendly on 1 February in Marbella in preparation for the games against Rovers in the conference league a couple of weeks later
Harps v Derry at 2pm on Saturday in Finn Park
The annual friendly between Kerry and Killarney Celtic has been arranged for January 14th in Killarney at 19:30.
Would you get a week's training camp down there less than 60K?
Pat's must a more than a few quid
60k and some I'd say. If you have squad 20 players plus 5 staff (that's a minimum too on staff if say)
Dundalk went there for years under Kenny and after it, played some excellent sides.
All the top teams use it as a training base when needed. Went to one Dundalk games in it as was on holidays at the time and the facilities are top notch
Also playing Vancouver Whitecaps while over there
Was it Brian Gartland’s book that recalled a funny story about both Dundalk and Cork being there at the same time and there being uproar after one set of players ratted out the other to their manager for being out on the beer past their set curfew? Can’t remember if it was that book or a podcast the story came out from
Bohs0-0Waterford today.
Treaty playing Galway in Frank Healy Park in Ennis tonight
Shelbourne 1-0 Dundalk in the AUL today.
It was half a chapter or so in Brian G's book, one of the younger DFC squad members one of the O'Connor brothers wasn't allowed go out or didn't go out, anyway Cork lads home first and started banter with him, he was on the sofa at reception, Dundalk lads arrived in next and BG and few other seniors 'were not having it', was all handbags and heard they were all grand at breakfast next day, but both clubs def out in Murcia spot same week, one trained am, other pm.
Kerry FC are doomed. :( Two former players came back to haunt Kerry last night. 2-0 win for Killarney Celtic. A tough task awaits at home to Cobh on Friday night, in the Last 16 of the MSC.
Anyone know the Bohs trialist today? I also see Flores wasn't named in the squad?? We've scored 4 so far .