Growing up as a teenager/young adult during the Celtic Tiger years I couldn’t escape it, even as I discussed Ryanair flights and binge drinking with my peers.
The grown-ups could talk about little else; location, location, location.
How long was your commute? How large was your house? How much space did the kids have to play in? How much did you spend on renovating the place?
The national obsession with property was to prove our economic and (some argue, moral) downfall with the ghost estates and empty DIY stores now standing as monuments to this obsession. Within the League of Ireland there is another legacy, one which threatens institutions with a far greater longevity than the local Woodies.
Going into the end of the season with a Premier Division club on the brink of collapse is a depressingly regular occurrence. If the precarious financial situation of Bohemians leads to relegation to the First Division through a removal of their license or even a windup and reformation, they will join the ranks of clubs to have been both champions in the 21st century and then been wound up or relegated at some point after winning. It is a fate only Shamrock Rovers have managed to avoid.
Things could have been very different of course. If Shels, Drogheda and Bohs had had their planned stadium relocations come off, they might have been in a position to challenge Shamrock Rovers financially. The booming hinterlands of north and west county Dublin, where Shels and Bohs were looking to relocate to, would have provided an opportunity to tap into a growing fan base, as Shamrock Rovers are now doing.
A look at a map of latest census figures tells the tale perfectly well, with the population continuing to decline in the inner city, where the big four Dublin clubs were founded and traditionally drew their fan base from. I have excluded UCD and St Patrick’s Athletic from the map just because both clubs haven’t had any consistent relocation plans over the past decade, or at least not ones pursued as vigorously as those by Rovers, Shels and Bohs.
The new locations (marked in by the red and black striped dots. Rovers’ location in Tallaght is the green and white dot) would have given Bohs and Shels access to the growing hinterlands of north and west Dublin.
Furthermore modern stadia and a family atmosphere have been the bedrock of rugby and GAA’s success and Dalymount and Tolka are unable to provide this without serious redevelopment.
It is perhaps fitting that Rovers are now the ones reaping the benefits of a fit-for-purpose home surrounded by a supportive community, given their nomadic struggles for so long.
For Shelbourne and Bohemians, both clubs whose dreams of profiting from the boomtime value of their homes came back to haunt them, similar spells in the wilderness may yet be in the pipeline.
Lee Daly is editor of Cardboardshinguards. For the purpose of transparency, you should also know he is a Shelbourne FC fan.
Guys the article is not attempting to be a comprehensive treatise on the finances of any one club. It is merely a look at the importance of location given the changing demographics of Dublin. I should also add I’m a blogger not a journalist and as a result the time I can give to fact checking is limited and I am happy to accept corrections through comments. Mea culpa on the Harristown issue.
Facts Lee!….. Evening Herald quality…a fate only avoided by Shamrock Rovers!!!first league win in 21st Century only 2 seasons ago….omitted massive tax write off…the role of SDCC!
Lee please get your facts straight before stating things,journalism like this is the reason people don’t know real facts. Rovers rent a ground in tallaght, Rovers had a 96% write off of all there debt when relegated, Bohs proposed move was to Harristown just beside the airport. The only reason Bohs haven’t moved is due to Liam Carroll being in Nama and having no funds to finish the deal.
Ah the memories! These were exciting times. Now we are extremely lucky to be still housed in Tolka. Word is both clubs will ground share Tolka next year. But where both clubs will be in 0-5 years? Lord knows.
The LOI and And FAI is inundated by a shower of grubby opportunist shady businessmen, (usually with thatch or comb overs) . Success on the field is normally followed by bankruptcy,Milltown, Flower lodge etc etc… markets field, kilcohan etc.. Sligo seem to be on the right track..
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Guys the article is not attempting to be a comprehensive treatise on the finances of any one club. It is merely a look at the importance of location given the changing demographics of Dublin. I should also add I’m a blogger not a journalist and as a result the time I can give to fact checking is limited and I am happy to accept corrections through comments. Mea culpa on the Harristown issue.
Facts Lee!….. Evening Herald quality…a fate only avoided by Shamrock Rovers!!!first league win in 21st Century only 2 seasons ago….omitted massive tax write off…the role of SDCC!
Lee please get your facts straight before stating things,journalism like this is the reason people don’t know real facts. Rovers rent a ground in tallaght, Rovers had a 96% write off of all there debt when relegated, Bohs proposed move was to Harristown just beside the airport. The only reason Bohs haven’t moved is due to Liam Carroll being in Nama and having no funds to finish the deal.
Ah the memories! These were exciting times. Now we are extremely lucky to be still housed in Tolka. Word is both clubs will ground share Tolka next year. But where both clubs will be in 0-5 years? Lord knows.
The LOI and And FAI is inundated by a shower of grubby opportunist shady businessmen, (usually with thatch or comb overs) . Success on the field is normally followed by bankruptcy,Milltown, Flower lodge etc etc… markets field, kilcohan etc.. Sligo seem to be on the right track..