Dundalk FC owners issue open letter to supporters outlining club's future

With speculation over the future of Dundalk FC mounting, the club has this afternoon issued a letter directly to its fans signed by the club owners, which they hope will clear up any questions they have.

This week has seen the future ownership of the Lilywhites come under question, with reports coming from the UK that Turkish businessman and owner of Hull City FC, Acun Ilicali, was keen to grab hold of a large stake in the club.

In a letter signed by Sean O’Connor, Andy Connolly and Alan Clarke, who together headed up the locally based consortium bid which bought Dundalk FC from American firm Peak6 in November 2021, the trio gave an update on their long-term goals for the club.

They stressed that they indeed want to stay in charge and the club was not for sale. However, they have admitted that outside investment was necessary if they are to continue to compete at the top end of the Premier Division and finally secure the much-needed developments at Oriel Park.

"The truth is that not only are we not desperate to sell the club, but we are not trying to sell the club at all” the letter read.

“The club is financially stable, we are progressing, we have qualified for Europe, and this is only the start of our second season.

“However, we need to be honest about our limitations. We will need partners if we wish to achieve our goal of maintaining a strong team on the pitch while simultaneously modernising Oriel Park.”

The current owners outlined that they have been approached by 10 different groups or individuals over the past 15 months, who wanted to explore the possibility of investing in the club.

Contrary to media speculation, the trio also confirmed that at this stage they are talking to three different groups, not just the Hull City owners as many people thought.

These discussions include all scenarios of investment, shareholding, and ownership. Absolutely nothing has been agreed or finalised.

“An agreement may be reached within days, it may take several more weeks or months, or may not happen at all” stressed the owners.

“While we are keen to make an agreement that will benefit the club, it will need to be something that genuinely makes us excited in order for us to complete any deal.

“Community development, helping us compete on the pitch, and facility improvements are at the cornerstone of all of our discussions.

“We are mindful of the turbulent period that the club went through in recent years and we want to assure everyone that if any of these options reaches a successful conclusion, it will leave Dundalk Football Club in a much stronger position to meet all of our community, football, and development ambitions.”

Of course, only so much information about these investment opportunities could be revealed by the club, given the talks involve Non-Disclosure Agreements.

But Dundalk have promised that a further update will be provided on Tuesday, when co-owner Sean O’Connor sits down for an interview with club Press Officer Gavin McLaughlin.