Dundalk FC Supporters Trust respond to owner’s comments

The Dundalk FC Supporters Trust congratulated John Temple on successfully securing a League of Ireland licence for the 2025 season – but have firmly refuted allegations made by the Dundalk FC owner during a recent press conference that was held in Oriel Park.

At the end of the media briefing, at which it was confirmed the club had not only been awarded a licence, but also avoided the dreaded SCARP process, Temple outlined that:

“Maybe perhaps when (the Trust) stop peddling lies and want to talk properly about the facts about the club, then I’ll sit down and talk with them.

“But until such time, until they apologise publicly for what they’ve been going out and saying about me personally, maybe perhaps then I’ll sit down and talk to the Trust. We put together a package for supporters, called the Club 500, and it’s been constantly criticised.”

A follow-up statement, signed by the Board of Dundalk FC Supporters Trust CLG, read:

“The Board of Dundalk FC Supporters Trust would like to congratulate our club owner and support team on obtaining a licence for the 2025 season.

“This achievement together with the appointment of Ciaran Kilduff, the launch of the new jersey, and recent signings have given everyone a much-needed and welcome boost.

“We have watched and carefully considered remarks made regarding the Trust by the club owner, Mr John Temple, at a press conference held in Oriel Park on December 5th, 2024.

“We wish to strongly refute the comments and allegations made, in that the Trust has not been peddling lies about John Temple and personally criticising him or the 500 Club package. We shall not be issuing an apology as we do not believe one is warranted.

“We welcome the comments made by Mr Temple that under his stewardship the club will have full transparency, respect for fans and work ‘hand in glove’ with those fans.

“Our Trust represents a substantial number of those very same fans, spanning generations of loyal support for Dundalk Football Club.

“We have no desire or appetite to be in conflict with the club owners at this challenging time in the club’s history and we would welcome a meeting with Mr Temple at the earliest opportunity so we may work together for the benefit of the club, and assist him in ensuring that we do not return to the dark days of September 2024.”

Since its launch in October, the Trust has made significant strides, appointing Gerry Lennon as chairperson and attracting a membership base of approximately 200 individuals, pledging an impressive annual fundraising commitment of around €90,000.