Kerry FC looks set to bring League of Ireland soccer to the Kingdom

NEW DAWN: Kerry FC set to join League of Ireland.

A delegation from the FAI visited the headquarters of Kerry soccer at Mounthawk Park, Tralee, on Wednesday afternoon and also met with the members of the board of Kerry FC who are in an advanced state with their application for a license to play in Division 1 of the League of Ireland in 2023. 

The CEO of Kerry FC is Irish-born, Boston-based soccer coach Brian Ainscough, spoke about the project that is Kerry FC and what they hope to achieve if their application for a license to play the League of Ireland is successful.

“I am a Dub who played soccer at a decent level up along similar to Billy (Dennehy) and played with Home Farm. 

"I got a chance to move to America on scholarship in 1983 and I have been involved at professional level, became a university coach for 26 years and got deeply involved in youth soccer in the US. 

"I am here by invitation of young Kerry lad Stephen Conway who works and coaches for me in Boston along with Billy Dennehy who were trying to put a plan together that would ensure that the best underage talent in the county would have a pathway to play at a higher level without having to move outside the county. We just want the Kerry players to be able to play in their own back yard.” 

The Director of Football Billy Dennehy, who played at Sunderland, Derry City, Cork City and Shamrock Rovers where he was their leading goal scorer in 2011 with 16 goals in all competitions explained that the players initially will all be homegrown. 

“Kerry FC main objective is to provide an elite pathway for the young players of this county and this region. The grassroots in Kerry are very strong and clubs do a phenomenal job on the platform they provide each week for recreational level sport. 

"But there has never been a pathway for elite level sport in this county. Not many people realise what it is to come from Kerry and how difficult it is to become a professional footballer. There are obstacles to face, hurdles you have to overcome and not many understand that desire to progress in this game is very difficult. 

"I suppose since I have retired my sole focus is how I can knock down some of those barriers I had to overcome back in 2005. Then there are those lads who do go away, clubs celebrate them, they have been part of their development and they are delighted they go away. But how many of them who don’t make it cross channel and have to return, play anymore. 

"It is important for me to have a back plan for those players, it’s important for me that we provide a springboard back into the game for them. The groundwork has been done in Kerry with U15, U17 and U19 National league teams and we now have players with the hunger, desire and a belief that they belong at this level. So Kerry FC will provide the pathway. 

"We could approach it two ways, take from outside and try for instant success or use our own homegrown talent with less emphasis on results and more on building for the future, we have chosen the latter.” 

Another Board member Sean O’Keeffe and the Chairman of the Kerry District Soccer League stated that they will need to do work on the pitch and stand to bring the grounds up to standards that the license requires but from interactions with the FAI, they are confident that Kerry FC will be granted a license in November that Kerry FC will be playing League Ireland soccer on Friday nights in February 2023.