As has been reported previously, the Dalymount deal is proceeding between DCC and Bohemians, with the board of Shelbourne Football Club having made a statement on the matter (available here).
The Trust have undertaken the following initiatives in relation to the move in the past few weeks:
Met with Lord Mayor and Assistant City Manager Brendan Kenny:
After our initial meeting with Lord Mayor Burke, he kindly arranged a follow up meeting with Brendan Kenny, the Assistant City Manager who has worked on the deal. We raised the results of the fans’ ballot on the matter and concerns over Dalymount within our membership.
Statement from Brendan Kenny:
As part of that meeting, Trust representatives advised Mr Kenny that in order to ensure no miscommunication on the deal, he should provide a written statement through us to Shelbourne fans. That statement can be read here.
Lobbying:
At the meeting of the City Council which heard Mr Kenny’s report on the acquisition of Dalymount, a number of councilors raised concerns about the future of Shelbourne and proposed potential solutions. We would like to thank all of those who did so and the debate can be viewed in full here.
We now want to keep the momentum going and are calling on members and fans to contact their local representatives to express their concerns. You can view a full list of Dublin City Council representatives here and a suggested message from the Trust at the end of this update.
Membership update:
Having achieved our goal of over 100 members by the end of May, the Committee of Management has set some new goals to achieve for the remainder of the season. They are as follows:
-120 members before the end of July
-Over 100 members paying by monthly subscription.
-Over 150 member by the end of the season.
Again, please do what you can to help us achieve these goals. A large membership helps internal debate, makes us more legitimate when dealing with the club and other bodies and helps contribute human and financial resources to our aims. As always, you can sign up at www.the1895trust.com/join or at our stand on match days.
Appendix: Suggested message to councilors.
Dear Councillor,
I am a voter in your electoral ward and also a fan of Shelbourne Football Club. I am very concerned that the future of my club, which is 120 years old this year, is currently in jeopardy.As you are no doubt aware, a deal has been agreed to purchase Dalymount Park, bringing it into public ownership. The deal currently excludes Shelbourne FC from its terms, meaning we are left in a perilous financial state and remain in a ground owned by a third party.I would ask you to support the calls of the 1895 Trust – a co-operative of Shelbourne supporters set up to one day run the club in the democratic interests of the fans – to pledge to;
1. Keep scrutinising the deal in the chamber, through committees and written questions.
2. Pledge not to vote for any deal on Tolka Park, including rezoning, until Shelbourne Fans have had their own vote on any such deal.
3. Contact the 1895 Trust as the largest fan representative group of Shelbourne FC to discuss the issues further. They can be contacted on shelstrust@gmail.com.
Thank you for your time and I look forward to your response.
Regards,
I am a voter in your electoral ward and also a fan of Shelbourne Football Club. I am very concerned that the future of my club, which is 120 years old this year, is currently in jeopardy.As you are no doubt aware, a deal has been agreed to purchase Dalymount Park, bringing it into public ownership. The deal currently excludes Shelbourne FC from its terms, meaning we are left in a perilous financial state and remain in a ground owned by a third party.I would ask you to support the calls of the 1895 Trust – a co-operative of Shelbourne supporters set up to one day run the club in the democratic interests of the fans – to pledge to;
1. Keep scrutinising the deal in the chamber, through committees and written questions.
2. Pledge not to vote for any deal on Tolka Park, including rezoning, until Shelbourne Fans have had their own vote on any such deal.
3. Contact the 1895 Trust as the largest fan representative group of Shelbourne FC to discuss the issues further. They can be contacted on shelstrust@gmail.com.
Thank you for your time and I look forward to your response.
Regards,