clubs does not even contemplate turning a profit each year. Ever increasing losses are the accepted norm unless European football is secured throughout the winter months.
Luke Comer previously revealed they invest “the best part of €1 million” annually into Galway United. This has become standard practice across the league, with two exceptions being the fan-owned Sligo and Bohemians in Dublin. “Without European football we had to cut our budget but we continue to punch above our weight,” Higgins says.The league continues to experience a surge in popularity, with stadium attendances rising by 23 per cent in 2023. But the sustainability of clubs came into sharp focus last month when Dundalk, under former owner Brian Ainscough, came close to liquidation., a Boston-based businessman originally from Dublin, to avoid financial checks when he took control of the club in December 2023.
“It is an ongoing requirement that clubs may only spend 65 per cent of relevant income on players’ wages for the year,” the FAI said in a statement to The Irish Times.“I have tried to stave off the execution,” Temple says, “but the daggers are growing and hanging over every hour. Hopefully creditors will sit down and negotiate and talk to me.”
“It’s a bit like a religion, in that we have the support of the people. Nobody slams the door in your face but you have to be willing to have a chat before €10 is handed over.”“Costs have risen since Covid,” says Higgins. “It’s a small community so we have to bring players in from outside and that means providing accommodation, which keeps going up.
“League of Ireland revenue is at an all time high but so are club losses. The league is similar to the other European football leagues, in that they are all messed-up business models,” O’Connor says. Rovers returned to the European group stages this season, drawing Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, Larne in Windsor Park and Rapid Vienna away, along with three home ties in the 10,500 capacity Tallaght Stadium on top of a guaranteed €3.2 million in prize money.In contrast, Derry City’s billionaire owner Philip O’Doherty invested £1.1 million last year but failure to progress past the European qualifiers leaves the Candystripes with combined losses of €2.35 million from 2022 and 2023.
Sligo has 33 employees – 23 players and seven management – which is less than half Shamrock Rovers 70 employees; 54 players and eight on the coaching staff.Damien Duff: the appointment of the former Republic of Ireland star as manager helped spark a revival in Shelbourne's fortunes in recent years. Photograph: Tom Maher/Inpho
Drogheda United are the latest to embrace the multi-club-model with a takeover by Trivela, an Alabama-based family office that holds €11 billion in capital and owns Walsall FC in the English fourth tier.