The Commentary Box: Ainscough to usher in new era at Oriel Park as ownership saga comes to an end

The uncertainty over the future of the ownership of Dundalk FC was cleared up when the Irish Examiner broke the news last Friday around 6pm that First Division Kerry FC investor Brian Ainscough had taken over Dundalk FC.

The takeover sees the Dublin born businessman move from the south to the north of the country in a 100 per cent takeover that is due to be approved by the FAI. The move means that there will be no minority shareholders in the club. In effect the new owner has bought out Andy Connolly and STATSports owners Sean O'Connor and Alan Clarke. The three locals took control in 2021 from outgoing owners Peak6. For Andy Connolly there was to be no repeat of the success Dundalk had under Stephen Kenny under the management of former club captain Stephen O'Donnell who arrived in December 2021.

The takeover of Dundalk from Peak6 at the time by local company StatSports and Andy Connolly was hailed by Dundalk supporters at the time as a massive boost. Dundalk's last two years with Peak6 were very bumpy and the sale to a local consortium followed a number of protests by supporters against Peak6. The club to be fair was a very different one for Andy Connolly to walk back into having sold it to Peak6 in late 2017. It was a master stroke by the Fast Fix owner to get STATSports on board. It was another master stroke to bring Stephen O'Donnell back to Dundalk as team manager after the Galwegian had just won the FAI Cup with Pats in his first season there. 

Dundalk had a good first season under O'Donnell, finishing joint second with Derry City and qualifying for Europe. But it was in season two that the problems began to mount up. O'Donnell rarely played a settled team. The team ran up a high number of injuries. Many of them were blamed on the artificial pitch which must be replaced for season 2026. Facilities in the ground came under even more closer scrutiny than ever. The state of the toilets were particularly criticised. The club hit back at some of the criticism of there even being no soap left in the toilets. To me, my sole criticism was that the gents urinals underneath the stand were not being cleaned and that dried urine could clearly be seen embedding itself on the steel walls of the facilities.

But outside toilet facilities were also severely criticised. Toilets for young girls and women were seen as not being up to standard. I met female parents who said they would not let their young children use the outside toilets in Oriel nor would they use them themselves. The outgoing owners may not be happy with my comments here. But they are true. I know Oriel is a facility that must be upgraded. This will cost a huge amount of money. But the basic provision of a hygienic toilet system throughout the ground is only a tiny budget cost compared to other infrastructural changes that must be made.

The outgoing owners admitted in March of this year that extra cash was needed to overcome their own limitations, especially upgrading Oriel Park. Hopes were high that Hull City and owner Acun Ilicali would invest. It came to nothing. The Turkish businessman instead moved fifty miles up the road and took over Shelbourne. That of course fell through at the end of the current season when it looked that they were not going to reappoint manager Damien Duff. To be fair to Hull they handed the club back to the original owners of Shelbourne and left them with the €3 million they had invested in the club.

2022 saw crowds amazingly decline at Oriel, whereas the side continued with an excellent home record with just four defeats in two seasons. But Dundalk's away record was once again dreadful. The worst result was the hammering they got from First Division Galway United by 4-0 in the quarter finals of the FAI Cup. To be fair Dundalk continued to push for Europe right to the last day of the season. Their 5-1 win at Belfield was nogood enough to get the fourth place in the league as Shelbourne beat Drogheda at Weavers Park.

Just before the second last game of the season came news that club record goal scorer Pat Hoban had been told by the club that he could leave. No explanation or even confirmation that such an event took place has been made by the club. The move infuriated supporters who clearly want to see Pat remaining. Whether the new owner agrees with the outgoing owners remains to be seen. Derry City want Hoban and will watch developments at Oriel with eager anticipation.

The outgoing owners also never made themselves available for interviews to the local media. They spoke to the national media on the odd occasion. But the local media were ignored. They also spoke in interviews for the club website. But they just never made themselves available to the local media. Dundalk's new owner Brian Ainscough went to America in 1983. 40 years later he returned to Ireland. He earned American Professional Soccer League status in 1990. He ventured into coaching and eventually moved to the business side of sport. For over half of his time in America, Ainscough has been associated with the Boston Bolts. They were the first ever club in Boston to be dominated by the Irish. Ainscough became Chief executive of the club. He oversaw operations for the team that operated in the United Soccer League two. The club's reach extended to 2,000 registered players across the state of Massachusetts. Ainscough moved to Boston in 1983. He was involved in the game at various levels. His club the Boston Bolts were an underage academy that developed players in the Collegiate system and the pro game before progressing to fielding a team in the USL League two.

Kerry FC in a statement confirmed on Friday night that Ainscough had stepped down as its CEO. The club says its remaining shareholders are committed to providing League of Ireland Football to the people of Kerry, including the club's US based investors. The club thanked Mr Ainscough for his participation and efforts in Kerry FC. The club wished him well for the future at Dundalk. Although the club has now been the subject of a full takeover there are reports that Andy Connolly will remain on in some capacity. It's not known if the club's CEO Martin Connolly will remain on. However given his many years in football administration, it would be a surprise were he to move on immediately.

There was further good news for Dundalk on Friday night when it became clear that Stephen O'Donnell will have the same playing budget as last year. What will have to be resolved is whether Pat Hoban can now remain on at the club or if the direction made to him by Stephen O'Donnell that he can move on and find a new club still stands. 

The night before the announcement that club had been taken over Martin Connolly told the player awards night of the supporters club that negotiations with and for new investment in a club does not happen very quickly. Martin did say that when Hull City did come in with an offer of investment last January that it was an opportunity. He said now that it can be seem what happened with Shelbourne maybe Dundalk were better off. He said that it was extremely difficult to work in a climate of negativity which has prevailed around the club and that it was unfair that people have had to. He said that it was unfair for people who give up their time such as volunteers and volunteer coaches. He mentioned people who volunteer on match nights and the following day give up their time to clean the place, brush the place, put soap in toilets and then be told there is no soap in toilets. Martin said that criticism such as this was unfair. He added that it was unfair when people come in to do a fair day's work for nothing . He says it was just unfair.

Well my answer to this is that the toilets in the gents underneath the stand have simply not been cleaned for sometime. I will stand by that. I can not speak about the cleanliness and hygiene in the other toilets in Oriel Park. That is except to say that the facilities for women and young women are not good to the extent that women say they will not allow their children or themselves to use them. Supporters in the ground also say the toilets are substandard.

Martin says there are 14 players signed for next season. He says the club are talking to other players as well. He says that there are positive signs for next season. He added that he was hopeful the club will be competitive next season. On the same night it emerged that Sam Durrant had signed an extension to his contract. This is good news as young Durrant showed great potential in his short spell at Oriel before the end of the season.

Martin was asked from the floor about the situation relating to Pat Hoban. The supporter asked if he would still be at Dundalk next season.`Martin told the supporter asking the question that he would not be commenting on that at that time. He said the club will be commenting on it at some stage. 

Obviously with a new owner in place 24 hours later the situation changes and a decision whether or not Pat Hoban stays or goes has been taken out of the old owners hands and lies with the new owner. I await with interest to see what happens. Martin Connolly rightly says to expect any owner to come in and finance first team, an academy set up and on top of that build a stadium is asking a lot. He says that a committee is being set up at the moment to look at fundraising ideas and also grant ideas. He says that this should be a priority for any new owner. Martin also says an upgrading of the flood lighting system will also be a priority. The system in place at present was installed way back in 1967.

Martin Connolly said that the club has only one playing facility  and that is the Oriel Park pitch. He says that until the club can obtain another facility somewhere or obtain another pitch, the club is really going to struggle. The club CEO was of course referring to the fact that the club has so many teams at the club both male and female. All are underage at present. Mr Connolly says that academy costs can vary between €100,000 and €500,000. He says that every club must now have 600 teams. Asked about fundraising within the club he felt it was a good idea. But he stressed that it is a very difficult thing to do when the club is a plc. He says he did not think it was a good idea for the club to fundraise which could give people the idea they were paying for players wages. But he says that if there is a plan or a project be it an academy pitch or whatever then a fundraising project for that is different.

Martin said he would be fully in support if it was for a plan or a project. He mentioned that this was how Dundalk swimming pool was built. It took a massive fundraising effort from the people of the town years ago, when money was collected each week or month for the project.

Martin said he can understand when people get frustrated at the sometimes lack of communication from the club. He says he has never said that Dundalk is the best run club. He says he absolutely gets the frustrations of the supporters over this at times. Martin says himself and his co-employees come into work every day, He says they work very hard to do what is right for the supporters. He says there is a magnificent group of volunteers including the coaches. He says he absolutely understands every supporters' frustrations.But he says it is very frustrating that when everything you say or do is met by negativity.

Manager Stephen O'Donnell said he has high hopes for Senan Mullen who came into the first team shortly after finishing his Leaving Certificate. He said there were other youngsters who they were also getting very positive reactions from. He says Mayowa Animasahun who had returned to the club from Dungannon in the summer is working very hard at his training. He says he is very hopeful of him being part of the first team squad next season. The Dundalk boss said that Mayowa was not registered when he came back from Dungannon. Thus he could not be played. Conor Kenny was also another player who did well at Wexford on loan. Dundalk were very hopeful of his prospects.

O'Donnell said that the attitude must be got back among the supporters that it is us against the rest. He says it is because Dundalk is a border town. O'Donnell says the club do not have a God given right they are entitled to win competitions as they did win under Stephen Kenny. Even then he stressed they never had that right. He says there are far more privileged clubs now from a financial point of view than there were in the Kenny era ahead of Dundalk. He says the club needs to feel they are the underdogs against these three or four clubs even though of course they have a chance against them.

O'Donnell continued saying the hunger and the rawness must return around the town and the club. He says the team must also have the right connection with the supporters and the whole town.

Archie Davies was named the Dundalk player of the year at the awards night. Ryan O' Kane won the Young Player of the Year award. The Mullen family were the worthy recipients of the Supporters of the Year award. John Mountney looks set to return to Dundalk having missed all of last season through injury. He had been linked to Sligo. With Sam Durrant signing an extension to his contract on Thursday, there is news that Robbie Benson looks set to resign. Hopes are also high that Nathan Sheppard will now be staying at Oriel. Nathan has spoken to clubs in the UK but it's hoped he will remain at Oriel. Dundalk supporters are hoping that the decision to let Pat Hoban go can now be reversed with a new owner. Should that not be the case then Derry City are waiting to bring him to the Brandywell.

The club was hit with two bereavements over the weekend. Former Club Secretary Elizabeth Duffy passed away on Saturday. Elizabeth was a magnificent servant to the club. She was secretary for three decades in the 80's, 90's and noughties. 
Former club director Niall Gallagher also passed away. He was one of the driving forces behind the emergence of women's football in Dundalk.

It was a week where Stephen Kenny was told he was being let go by the FAI as Republic Of Ireland manager. That is a topic for another day.

Finally it's been revealed that the recent fundraising night for Pat Hoban has raised €24,495 for his three chosen charities. Fair play to Pat, his committee and of course the club supporters. Have a good week. Please remember to look after each other.