Beecher Networks - Web Development, Hosting & Domains
Results 1 to 14 of 14

Thread: Athlone Town FC

  1. #1
    Youth Team Strongbow10's Avatar
    Joined
    Jul 2009
    Posts
    147
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    1
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    69
    Thanked in
    25 Posts

    Athlone Town FC

    Has there ever been a stranger outfit in Irish football. Athlone are the oldest Senior league club in the country.

    The disconnect between the club and the community is quite stark, we are not a GAA town whatsoever, with some great "soccer people" here but they have been alienated by the club (or vice versa) for a very long time.

    The current set up is tied to some Valeo Sports crowd with links in the US and Portugal, I'm from Athlone and that's pretty much the extent I know about this crowd.

    Nobody seems to care enough to look into what it's all about, I've heard murmurs that the club have no ambitions or wishes to be promoted due to cost involved at Premier Division level, and given the disconnect between the local community and current management/board there's little appetite to develop this.

    Last year club stalwart Micky O'Connor described Valeo Sports as the greatest thing to happen to Athlone, does anyone know who the hell they are?

  2. #2
    Seasoned Pro ger121's Avatar
    Joined
    Sep 2003
    Location
    Dublin
    Posts
    3,429
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    263
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    602
    Thanked in
    366 Posts
    Truly an enigma of a club at the moment. Their worst fears may come to pass, because of all the teams in the POs, I think Athlone can cause the 9th place PD side the most problems.

  3. #3
    Seasoned Pro legendz's Avatar
    Joined
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Kerry
    Posts
    3,815
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    239
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    269
    Thanked in
    221 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by Strongbow10 View Post
    I've heard murmurs that the club have no ambitions or wishes to be promoted due to cost involved at Premier Division level, and given the disconnect between the local community and current management/board there's little appetite to develop this.
    What extra costs are there at Premier level?
    In a worst case scenario, can they just bobble along in the Premier on a First Division budget? Are they looking at bringing through players? If they somehow won the FAI Cup against all the odds, surely the owners would want the financial windfall?
    The top clubs in Gibraltar of all places can recruit sensibly for a financial windfall. Cypriot clubs have gone reasonably well in European competitions as well.

  4. #4
    Youth Team Strongbow10's Avatar
    Joined
    Jul 2009
    Posts
    147
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    1
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    69
    Thanked in
    25 Posts
    Ongoings at the club remain an absolute mystery, even to locals. I couldn't even tell you who the coach is. You get the impression it's not a profit making venture. We don't develop our own players, we have the most beautiful kit this season, yet we are the only club in Ireland that have no interest in selling the thing to supporters, it's just not available.

    It's a very strange mysterious setup. I know there was some kind of power struggle over ownership of the ground too previously and allegations of dodgy dealings (I emphasise the word allegations), the current executive have a knack of suing anyone who asks questions.

    Who are Valeo? They are supposedly a non profit crowd from US, but who funds the whole enterprise? Genuinely curious.
    Last edited by Strongbow10; 18/08/2024 at 1:24 PM.

  5. #5
    Seasoned Pro joey B's Avatar
    Joined
    Nov 2004
    Location
    Donegal
    Posts
    4,121
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    319
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    521
    Thanked in
    392 Posts
    So they don’t want promotion,not in it for profit and have no local interest or don’t want any! So of course they’re alot better than the majority of the league,real GLITW stuff!
    Irish by birth ,Harps by the grace of god.

  6. Thanks From:


  7. #6
    International Prospect Nesta99's Avatar
    Joined
    Jul 2007
    Posts
    7,641
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    1,389
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    1,286
    Thanked in
    916 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by joey B View Post
    So they don’t want promotion,not in it for profit and have no local interest or don’t want any! So of course they’re alot better than the majority of the league,real GLITW stuff!
    Its great, a new way of LoI madness - accidenatly competative, unintended promotion push, dont want to develop income streams or sign best local talent for buttons....I wish Dundalk could accidentaly get 8th place!!

  8. #7
    Youth Team
    Joined
    Feb 2023
    Posts
    156
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    37
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    20
    Thanked in
    19 Posts
    Is Athlone still a member's club (in theory at least)?

  9. #8
    First Team
    Joined
    Nov 2009
    Posts
    1,164
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    299
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    245
    Thanked in
    152 Posts
    Athlone have been a basket case for about a decade now hitting the ridiculousness of that infamous 2017 team with the 'dodgy' duo of Igors Labuts and Dragos Sfrijan and a collection of random Portuguese and Uruguayan players and other murmurings of skulduggery

    Now in 2024 while being a better team in a bad First Division they have dumped the club's blue and black colours with a collection of a half-dozen yanks in men's and a number in their women's teams plus another couple of Europeans, do they emigrate from the US over to Athlone to play for expenses or if paid €200-€300 per week or is there some education link up?

    From my research of Valeo FC they are certainly nowhere near any remote major players in US football, they are mysteriously local and are more of a private academy, strange that they would spend significant finances on effectively a transatlantic franchise in Athlone, they are not going to get US players sold by Athlone in the First Division to the European markets for 100k let alone 1m+ to make it viable
    The Leinster Senior League needs a strong Bohemians

  10. #9
    Youth Team Strongbow10's Avatar
    Joined
    Jul 2009
    Posts
    147
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    1
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    69
    Thanked in
    25 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by total hoofball View Post
    Athlone have been a basket case for about a decade now hitting the ridiculousness of that infamous 2017 team with the 'dodgy' duo of Igors Labuts and Dragos Sfrijan and a collection of random Portuguese and Uruguayan players and other murmurings of skulduggery

    Now in 2024 while being a better team in a bad First Division they have dumped the club's blue and black colours with a collection of a half-dozen yanks in men's and a number in their women's teams plus another couple of Europeans, do they emigrate from the US over to Athlone to play for expenses or if paid €200-€300 per week or is there some education link up?

    From my research of Valeo FC they are certainly nowhere near any remote major players in US football, they are mysteriously local and are more of a private academy, strange that they would spend significant finances on effectively a transatlantic franchise in Athlone, they are not going to get US players sold by Athlone in the First Division to the European markets for 100k let alone 1m+ to make it viable
    Id imagine they are studying in the college but it's a pure mystery to be honest. I know they charge underage players to train etc... In their under 14s upwards.

    This Valeo crowd are very local in the US, it's an odd set up to be honest. Again, want to be very careful what's said.

  11. #10
    International Prospect Martinho II's Avatar
    Joined
    Nov 2003
    Location
    Killashee Longford
    Posts
    9,512
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    5,755
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    639
    Thanked in
    544 Posts
    I would gladly exchange wot Athlone have going on this season for our woes this season! Both clubs have a huge disconnect with the local community going back years now!
    Gary Cronin is he the right man to manage Longford Town?

  12. #11
    International Prospect outspoken's Avatar
    Joined
    Apr 2010
    Location
    Longford, Ireland
    Posts
    5,748
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    1,699
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    984
    Thanked in
    838 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by Martinho II View Post
    I would gladly exchange wot Athlone have going on this season for our woes this season! Both clubs have a huge disconnect with the local community going back years now!
    Athlone Town have been a nothing club for the best part of 20 years bad one good season under Roddy in 2013.

    They've been involved in numerous scandals on and off the pitch and now nobody has a clue who or how they are run.

    Longford Town have built a modern stadium that they own and owe nothing on, have won 3 national cups, played in Europe and have enjoyed numerous spells in the top flight out of a town with a far smaller population than Athlone. If you'd seriously swap all of that for one bad season I'd be absolutely amazed.

  13. Thanks From:


  14. #12
    International Prospect Martinho II's Avatar
    Joined
    Nov 2003
    Location
    Killashee Longford
    Posts
    9,512
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    5,755
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    639
    Thanked in
    544 Posts
    Well with the way things are going on and off the pitch I would be confident that this blip would be for more than one season imo.
    Gary Cronin is he the right man to manage Longford Town?

  15. #13
    Youth Team
    Joined
    Nov 2023
    Posts
    137
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    12
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    18
    Thanked in
    11 Posts
    I would imagine an extra 500k on top of first div costs. And likely relegation as your've still the smallest budget in the premier.

    Income does go up, but not nearly enough. Would need about 300k of additional match day income and a further 200k of additional sponsorship.

    At the other end of the scale, a very large investment over a longer period of time could pay for itself, with UEFA prizemoney and player sales.

  16. #14
    International Prospect outspoken's Avatar
    Joined
    Apr 2010
    Location
    Longford, Ireland
    Posts
    5,748
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    1,699
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    984
    Thanked in
    838 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by LTFC View Post
    I would imagine an extra 500k on top of first div costs. And likely relegation as your've still the smallest budget in the premier.

    Income does go up, but not nearly enough. Would need about 300k of additional match day income and a further 200k of additional sponsorship.

    At the other end of the scale, a very large investment over a longer period of time could pay for itself, with UEFA prizemoney and player sales.
    I think this is a huge problem now for clubs like Longford and Athlone, if they go up they are on a hiding to nothing. Things were further exacerbated for Longford given they went up during Covid so they didn't get the financial boost of big away gates. Longford were sensible and didn't spend beyond their means so were ok when they came down and able to complete again (things gone a bit haywire since) but if a club go up and try to spend like mad to compete they could end up in serious bother

Similar Threads

  1. Replies: 0
    Last Post: 14/07/2024, 12:10 AM
  2. Replies: 0
    Last Post: 12/07/2024, 2:10 AM
  3. Replies: 0
    Last Post: 26/02/2023, 9:10 AM
  4. Replies: 1
    Last Post: 11/10/2014, 2:50 PM
  5. Replies: 0
    Last Post: 02/01/2013, 2:48 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •