Temple urges Dundalk to learn from past mistakes as ownership row deepens

Dundalk FC owner John Temple has issued a stark caution against renewed American investment, following mounting pressure for him to relinquish his position as majority shareholder of the Oriel Park club.

The warning came less than 24 hours before a statement from The 1903 Supporters Club, which urged Mr Temple to step aside, asserting that the complexities of securing a licence for next season lie beyond the capabilities of the current ownership.

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Their call was swiftly followed by reports that the club’s minority shareholders—US-based investors Chris Clinton, John Keenan, and Kevin Brayton, originally onboarded by former owner Brian Ainscough—have threatened to withdraw financial support unless Mr Temple cedes majority control to them with immediate effect.

Addressing supporters at the Town End Podcast’s live show, Mr Temple invoked the club’s troubled financial past, reminding attendees how Dundalk came within hours of liquidation before he intervened to assume majority ownership from Boston-based Ainscough in September of last year.

He also referenced the club’s prior American stewardship under Chicago-based PEAK6 between 2018 and 2021, a turbulent period that preceded ownership by Andy Connolly and STATSports from 2022 to 2023.

Across those six years, the club endured combined operating losses of €2,852,634, culminating with Ainscough threatening to liquidate the club just over 12 months ago, a history Mr Temple suggested should serve as a warning against repeating past mistakes.

“I’ve met with a lot of people over the last year,” he said. “We met with a company in America who buy football clubs and go into it and stuff, but their estimation value of Dundalk Football Club was not reflective of what we think it’s worth.

“There’s been other people that have come in—basically, they’re headers. To relate locally to Dundalk, they’re headers. They’ve come in, and one fellow wanted to take it over and pay us over a period of time.

“The Americans work on this thing called sweat equity, so basically, they will pay so much, but they get their shareholding because they introduce you to all their big American billionaire friends.

“They’ve no money themselves, but they introduce you to all their billionaire friends, and it’s up to you to work out how you can get a sponsorship out of them.

“They’ll introduce you to Bill, to Tom, to Mickey, or whatever—these are my good friends from Colorado, from Massachusetts, wherever. They’re multimillionaires, and they invest in the clubs, but in order for us to get to them, they want 10%, and for me, that’s not viable.

“We need someone to invest in the club. Investment in the club isn’t just about buying a percentage in the club. Some people are willing to invest into the club elsewhere and not through sweat equity, and it’s the legalities and what’s best for the club in the long run.

“We’ve had PEAK6, we’ve had Brian Ainscough, and the feedback I’ve got from the fans throughout the seasons is that they’ve had enough of America.”

The Dundalk owner later confirmed that, despite the team’s success on the pitch this season, the club’s debts remain in the millions, and that securing fresh investment has proven a significant challenge.

“I am willing to let anyone who wants to come forward, but I’ve canvassed people who I know—local business people and people who are very well-known millionaires.

“They’ve been burned in the past by Dundalk Football Club, successive owners throughout the years. Some of them just slammed the door in my face and said, no, absolutely do not come and ask me.

“I have one particular client who’s a billionaire, a very well-known individual, and I spoke to him, and he said, no, I’m into horses only. I do not want anything to do with Dundalk Football Club or football at all, because League of Ireland, it’s an absolute disgrace, it’s a joke.

“That perception is there, and we’ve got to build on that. I can put a ‘for sale’ sign outside Oriel Park, but who’s going to properly come in and put money and put their heart into where we are with the club?”