Drogs confirm Premier return
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Drogheda United have confirmed that they will make a return to the Premier Division for 2011.
Just a month after claiming they would need to raise €200,000 to stay in existence after being relegated in 2010, Drogs have now been granted a Premier Division licence and will fill the void left by Sporting Fingal.
A statement from the club this afternoon said: “The club had made a strong case for its inclusion in the top-flight after last week receiving official notification that it was next in line to fill the vacancy left by Sporting Fingal.
“With the potential for increased sponsorship, commercial interest and gate income that life in the premier division affords, and following a strong start to its share issue scheme which in under a month has yielded over €80K, those now running the club look forward to building a stable and successful future.”
This is the second year where the same situation has occurred, with Bray Wanderers replacing Cork City in similar circumstances last season.
United director Jim Agnew added: “Taking our place in this season’s Premier Division gives us a terrific opportunity to move on from the turbulent times of the past, assuming our share scheme maintains momentum up to the start of the season.
“We’ve worked hard over the last few months on plans to make the club self-sustaining and to place ownership in the hands of the supporters and our community. We may not be winning the league or anything like that for a while but by the beginning of the season we believe we can have a club that is structured, vibrant and, most importantly, financially stable.
“Hopefully the award of this licence will encourage more people to become involved in our project and will boost membership of our Claret & Blue Club.”
Just a month after claiming they would need to raise €200,000 to stay in existence after being relegated in 2010, Drogs have now been granted a Premier Division licence and will fill the void left by Sporting Fingal.
A statement from the club this afternoon said: “The club had made a strong case for its inclusion in the top-flight after last week receiving official notification that it was next in line to fill the vacancy left by Sporting Fingal.
“With the potential for increased sponsorship, commercial interest and gate income that life in the premier division affords, and following a strong start to its share issue scheme which in under a month has yielded over €80K, those now running the club look forward to building a stable and successful future.”
This is the second year where the same situation has occurred, with Bray Wanderers replacing Cork City in similar circumstances last season.
United director Jim Agnew added: “Taking our place in this season’s Premier Division gives us a terrific opportunity to move on from the turbulent times of the past, assuming our share scheme maintains momentum up to the start of the season.
“We’ve worked hard over the last few months on plans to make the club self-sustaining and to place ownership in the hands of the supporters and our community. We may not be winning the league or anything like that for a while but by the beginning of the season we believe we can have a club that is structured, vibrant and, most importantly, financially stable.
“Hopefully the award of this licence will encourage more people to become involved in our project and will boost membership of our Claret & Blue Club.”
About Alan Smith
Alan Smith works as a sub-editor for the Guardian newspaper in London. Originally from Cork, he freelances for several other newspapers and websites. Follow him on twitter @alansmith90. View Full Profile