Dundalk FC owner pushes for cashless transactions at Oriel Park

Dundalk FC prepare to take on Athlone Town on Friday night in their SSE Airtricity League Men’s First Division clash at Oriel Park.

Off the pitch, new club owner John Temple is making moves to improve financial transparency by encouraging more cashless transactions.

Temple has pledged to keep fans informed and operate the club with greater openness and is looking at ways to manage supporters' financial contributions more efficiently.

He said: “People are very much aware of the legacy issues and how the club had got itself into financial difficulty. 

“For us to bring more transparency to the fans and to the supporters, and for the FAI and everyone else moving forward including revenue to keep them onside.

“We have to make as much as we can cashless. That doesn’t mean we go cash-free, that just means that we bring less cash. 

“People were always complaining before that there was a cash-only bar and where was all the money going?” Temple explained.

“But this is now more accountability. The money goes directly in, and less money being held on site. Also, when you are lodging money into the bank, and you are withdrawing money out of the bank you pay money to the bank for those services.

“This now just goes directly in, and we don’t have to carry as much cash on site on the night.”

Temple stressed that fans will still have the option to pay with cash but encouraged them to take advantage of online ticketing and digital payment options.

“So that is what the idea is, it is a plan that we will go cashless – so less cash on site. It doesn’t necessarily mean that we are going cash-free.

“Everybody can still walk up with their money and buy a ticket. It just means that if you can buy it online that we advise that you can.”

He pointed out how digital payments have become the norm in other areas of life, from booking flights to grocery shopping.

“People buy clothes online, so it is more modern. We are moving with society; we are moving in kind of the way I suppose that the market has shaped around.

“Everybody has a tap on their phone. I mean nobody even takes out their card anymore. That is the idea we are moving towards. 

“If people can buy their tickets online or if at least they can do it on a cashless app, then just walk up and tap it.

“If you buy a pint, you tap it, so this is the idea that we’re trying to move towards. If you go and buy it on the night that you just walk up. It is cashless not cash-free, so the club will always welcome money in.”