Clubs' financial situation

[Dunny]

We had a 'Supporters Action' meeting on Oct. 7th

We now have a Communications Manager, Colm Crossan.

Sponsorship has been secured for next season, Fastfix who have been on the back of this seasons jersey, will now be main sponsors. ShopDundalk has been taken on somewhat by the local council AFAIK, but will still feature on the jersey(Sleeves or back) and in Oriel.

By Gavin McLaughlin

A LARGE turnout arrived to the Crowne Plaza on Wednesday last for the Dundalk FC Supporter Action night.

The meeting, held to address ways in which supporters could play a more active role in helping the club to reduce the estimated shortfall of 200k, saw Dundalk FC Chairman Padraig McGowan, Club Promotions Officer Paul Johnston, CEO Gerry Matthews, Communications Manager Colm Crosson and Dundalk FC Trust Chairman Simon Blackmore address the assembled crowd.

After a brief introduction by McGowan, Paul Johnston spoke about the club's role in the community, stating that “success for the club raises the national profile of the town and area” before outlining the club's stance on promoting intercultural events and youth development.

A very impressive 3D virtual tour of the new Youth Development Centre at Oriel Park was also shown to the room. Johnston expressed his hope that Dundalk could follow the lead of English club Charlton Athletic in helping to combat local health and social problems with the opening of the new building.

Club CEO Gerry Matthews then took to the stage, echoing most of the comments made in his recent interview with The Dundalk Democrat about the club's financial position. Mr Matthews also said that a repeat of this year's financial problems would pose a serious threat to the existence of the club.

Colm Crosson outlined ways for supporters to get involved with eight different areas on 'the menu' ranging from selling lotto books to sponsoring players for the season. The club promised to contact each person present at the meeting within the next two weeks to see what help they could provide to the club.

Simon Blackmore detailed the Trust's role in supporting the day to day running of the club and urged people to sign up for the patron scheme which had 105 members at the time of the meeting.

The FAI’s National Coordinator of the Club Promotion Officers Programme, Noel Mooney spoke in glowing terms about the board's plans for the future while Frank Nwaubani also praised Dundalk FC for their involvement with the local African community.

[dcfcsteve]

I don't think Sligo is special in that.
I have never seen kids, grown-ups or in-betweens playing GAA football on or in a housing estate, a green, a park or a yard anytime, anywhere.

It's pretty hard to play Gaelic football with only 2 people, though, and not much craic.

At least hitting a ball between two persons with hurley bats is a bit more entertaining.

I once stumbled on a couple knocking a sliothar about in East London once randomly.

[dcfcsteve]

The FAI’s National Coordinator of the Club Promotion Officers Programme, Noel Mooney spoke in glowing terms about the board's plans for the future while Frank Nwaubani also praised Dundalk FC for their involvement with the local African community.

What has Dundalk been doing with the local African community ?

I'm loving the idea of their being a single African community by the way. It would be a bit like talking about all Europeans as being one homogenous group....

[EalingGreen]

Sligo is one of a small cluster of former garrison towns were football is strong in the south and GAA is relatively weak. Other examples being Athlone and Dundalk, and to a lesser extent Waterford.

Of course, there are a few towns in NI which reflect the same situation. Enniskillen, a town with a Nationalist majority in a population of nearly 15k is one of those: afaik it only has one GAC, but has something like 7 football clubs.
In Tyrone, Dungannon is strong on football (and rugby, to an extent), whereas Omagh was always more of a GAA stronghold.
Elsewhere, Newry is another with a surprisingly strong football tradition, compared with GAA and of course, there is Derry itself, which I would classify as the pre-eminent "proper football town" in Ireland (Yes, I know it's technically a city, but it doesn't really compare size-wise with Belfast/Dublin/Cork)

Dundalk also arose out of a railway connection coincidentally. I guess when few other areas in your locality were involved in playing football at a senior level, it helped to have access to competitors via the rail network.

Tbh, there was always a surprising amount of football played in Fermanagh, with all but a few strongly Nationalist villages on the border having their own football team(s).
In fact, it was the myriad local rivalries and the consequent dispersal of talent which imo chiefly account for Fermanagh not having a senior club until Ballinamallard broke through. (As it happens, there are a number of Junior clubs in Fermanagh who are hoping to make the step-up to Intermediate level in the next few years)
Anyhow, whilst Fermanagh was the centre of the region, the Fermanagh and Western traditionally had a very wide catchment area, especially pre-Partition. And even today, this is reflected in the fact that it is still one of four regional Divisional Associations of the IFA, (along with the North East, North West and Mid-Ulster FA's). Presently it includes clubs from far afield in Tyrone.

There are also garrison towns where football should be much stronger - e.g. Cobh, where the club developed out of its hockey roots due to the presence of soldiers and sailors to play against.

I thought Cobh was pretty strong at football, albeit at Junior level for most of the time?

[peadar1987]

What has Dundalk been doing with the local African community ?

I'm loving the idea of their being a single African community by the way. It would be a bit like talking about all Europeans as being one homogenous group....

You've clearly never talked with an American!

[dcfcsteve]

You've clearly never talked with an American!

Yes - but they're stupid and ignorant and know nothing of life outside their area.

Wait - it was a comparison with Dundalk. Point taken....

[Ezeikial]

What has Dundalk been doing with the local African community ?

I'm loving the idea of their being a single African community by the way. It would be a bit like talking about all Europeans as being one homogenous group....

Dundalk have undertaken a lot of very solid work in the wider community in recent years, primarily through the Club Promotions Officer, Paul Johnston (who is a former player) - these efforts were acknowledged through the current FAI Inter-cultural club of the year award. The (various) African communities are merely one (highly visable) part of that. This aspect of it -which incidently includes an FAI themed "Africa Day" - is merely one part of an ethos that the club have embraced to position itself as a vibrant resource embedded in the local community.

The €5.5m Youth Development Centre which is currently being built at Oriel Park (due to be operational in July) is another part of this strategy to be more then just a premier football team, but as a community-centred club in the truest sense.

If Dundalk can overcome the current operational financial challenges on the playing side, the overall outlook, drive and ambition is very evidently positive.