You could be the new signing for the extratime.ie team

We are always on the look out for new talent to sign up to the extratime.ie team and ahead of the start of the new season maybe it is time for you to step forward. 

A selection of our contributors having given us their thoughts below on their time volunteering with extratime.ie.

If you are interested in getting some journalism experience or simply want to write, photograph or podcast about the #greatestleagueintheworld, WNL or the Boys and Girls in Green, then please get in touch with gareth.penrose@extratime.ie.

Paul Corcoran

Looking back on a highlight from my time in the pressbox last year it seems strange to pick what was essentially a nothing game as one of my favourite moments with extratime.ie but the match in question exemplifies what I love about reporting.

Galway United were on their way to a seventh place finish while Cobh Ramblers were set to finish one place above United in the First Division. They met last September but nothing could quite prepare the small gathering of 456 souls in Eamonn Deacy Park for what would unfold on the pitch.

Rarely does it happen that a player scores four goals in one night, rarer still for a left back to do it, but Marc Ludden netted four times that night as Galway United romped home 7-1 winners. He even did the funky chicken as one of his celebrations!

This is an extraordinary example of what can happen on the pitch while reporting, but week in and week out, there are always important and fascinating moments to write about from games all around the country and extratime.ie provides umpteen opportunities for passionate writers to go out and witness them.

Declan Marron



The 2019 season was my first full year of weekly podcasts with the extratime.ie Sportscast, wrapping up with 25 shows in 25 days in December for our ET Advent Calendar. The Advent pods were particularly fun to record as we got to break from our usual format and dive into nostalgia ridden debates, pay tribute to the careers of some of the league’s best and discuss a few historical and abstract games. 

I’m not sure whether it counts as a highlight or a lowlight for me personally but it felt fitting to do weekly shows this year with the John Delaney/FAI stories breaking. The conversations with the Irish Daily Mirror’s Paul O’Hehir who was in such close proximity to JD on the away trip to Gibraltar as the 100k loan was coming to light or to John O’Brien TD after he grilled the FAI at the Oireachtas hearing were very memorable.

One of our most enjoyable interviews this season was with former UCD goalkeeper Conor Kearns. Rather than just take a phone call, Conor travelled out to our studio to talk about everything from ‘the incident’ with Bohs to the experience of the Toulon Tournament with Ireland’s u21 and playing under Stephen Kenny. 

Working on this show every week with the fantastic extratime.ie reporters makes you feel like you’re on the pulse of everything that’s happening in Irish football.

Andrew Dempsey

2019 was another memorable year for myself with extratime.ie – from mad playoff games in Longford to reporting on a number of Irish internationals – it was a year to remember from the press box. 



It was also a season where I saw a couple of amazing matches along the way, and some not so amazing that went to penalties and beyond (curse last second equalisers…) – and, of course the Leinster Senior Cup final, for what year, I still don’t know!  

Growing up there was always one thing that was important to me, and that was football. Football, and nothing else really – that was my mantra for my childhood, and to be honest, it probably hasn’t veered away too much from that even now. 

Anyway, asides from a strong affiliation to Longford Town, I’m also a huge Chelsea fan. So I was delighted when it was confirmed in the summer that the Blues were on their way to Dublin to play a couple of games (against Bohemians and St Patrick’s Athletic) – matches that would see Frank Lampard take charge of Chelsea for the very first time.

I went to his second game as a reporter – against St Pat’s at Richmond – and I got to hear from my childhood hero Lamps after the action ended. It was a bit surreal given the fact that only four or five years ago he was still in his playing pomp. 

Dave Donnelly 

When I made the decision to move from music journalism four years ago, it was daunting. I had a lifelong love of football and the League of Ireland but little practical experience.

Working with extratime.ie gave me the opportunity to learn my trade reporting on live games and making endless contacts in the sport.

I have since written for every national paper and work full-time in sports, which I could never have managed without the opportunity and support given by extratime.ie team.

Plus they also allow me to follow my football crush with the world’s greatest cup competition… #magicoftheLeinsterSeniorCup

We are on the look out for new talent, people who are interested in writing about all aspects of Irish football. If this sounds like something that might interest you, now is the time to get in touch with us.

Email gareth.penrose@extratime.ie explaining why you want to be part of our volunteer team, details of any journalism experience to date and, where possible, a one page CV.

    About Macdara Ferris

    Macdara Ferris is a contributor since 2007 to Hoops Scene (Shamrock Rovers' match day programme) and is the co-author of two books on Shamrock Rovers - 'Tallaght Time: Shamrock Rovers 2009 to 2012' (with Karl … View Full Profile