Dundalk FC Supporters Trust to hold public meeting

Representatives from the newly-formed Dundalk FC Supporters Trust have urged The 1903 Supporters Club to merge and strengthen their combined influence at Oriel Park.

On Friday evening, via a statement through the Town End Podcast, the Trust announced plans to hold a first public meeting in the Town Hall on Friday, October 25th at 7.30pm.

It read: “The purpose of this meeting will be to allow the new Trust to outline their objectives and to give the public a chance to engage as well as to pledge to join the trust.”

Discussions took place on Saturday, October 5th, where it was decided that the Dundalk FC Supporters Trust would be established as a Company Limited by Guarantee (CLG).

Speaking at The 1903’s EGM last week, their former committee member, Gerry Lennon, offered those in attendance a brief overview of what the proposed Trust would look like.

He said: “A number of people have come together with a plan to set up a trust. It’ll be a very independent trust. It will be based on a limited company under guarantee model, so there will be total transparency, accounts kept.

“Of the people who have so far got involved and expressed an interest in supporting this, I think at this stage we have four accountants on board, we have a solicitor and a lot of other well-respected businessmen and people who are deeply concerned about the future of the club.

“We’re about to launch in the next couple of weeks. We’re just waiting to get the company fully approved and set up, but that’s coming in the next few days. It will be called Dundalk FC Supporters Trust.”

He continued: “We knew that there had been a meeting where (The 1903) said the owner seemed reluctant to get on board. They also said he didn’t want any kind of fan representation and his reasoning doesn’t make any sense whatsoever.

“We would be open to raise substantial funds reasonably quickly to put towards any owner, whether it’s the current one or new ones. We would be expecting and asking for some sort of representation at club level, at management level to see where everything was going.

“We don’t want an involvement in first-team affairs and basic stuff like that. We want to be there to support projects that are required around the whole ground and particularly the academy.”

One of the driving forces behind the new Trust is Brendan Ogle, who founded The 1903 in 2021 and believes a unified effort between both parties would yield the best results.

He said: “The 1903 agreed with John Temple that they would respect his position and give him a chance for three months. I respect that by the way, he’s in a difficult position in whatever he’s trying to do.

“We did advise The 1903 to be part of the meeting. The decision was made by 21 people to form the trust. There was a key role written into that for The 1903 because The 1903 is the supporters club and without the supporters we’re nothing. The 1903 was written into it to be the driver of the thing.

“Now it has to be set up as a legal entity in order to be able to do the things it’s going to need to do to sustain and be guardians of this club for decades to come, but The 1903 was always envisaged to be the driver.

“The only reason why The 1903 weren’t there (as part of the discussions) formally was because they had at that time entered into an agreement at John Temple’s request not to raise money for three months, and the rest of us didn’t think we had three months. It’s clear we don’t have three months.”

He then rallied: “The trust is happening and now we have a very similar proposal in terms of the same amounts from The 1903. Listen, we don’t have to see eye to eye to stand shoulder to shoulder. We’re all from Dundalk here and this club has never been closer to dying.

“We need one plan that, as people from this town, we can come together and get behind. And enough of this fractious divisions, it’s the same plan. We can run two nags, or we get a thoroughbred. Let’s run a thoroughbred and make sure we’re never back in this situation again.”

Pledges, including amounts, are already being sent to the Trust from individuals and businesses wishing to express their interest (via text message only) on 085 812 4545.