Billy Dennehy: Fully amateur Kerry FC not fearful of competititon with GAA
NEW ERA: A general view of Mounthawk Park. Inset: The Kerry FC crest.
Kerry FC Sporting Director Billy Dennehy spoke of his delight that his dream of bringing League of Ireland football to Kerry has finally been given the green light.
The Mounthawk Park-based outfit’s application for a license to participate was granted by the FAI on Wednesday after a six-month process.
The move represents the dawning of a new era for soccer in the Kingdom with clubs such as Waterford United, Galway United and Langford Town due to visit the county from next season, which is due to get underway in February.
The new venture is being led by Brian Ainscough (CEO), Billy Dennehy (Sporting Director), Steven Conway (COO), Sean O’Keeffe (General Manager), who is also chairman of the Kerry District League, and Geradine Nagle (Operations Manager).
Dennehy, a Kerry native who began his soccer career with Tralee Dynamos and Kingdom Boys, before moving on to Shelbourne and consequently onto Sunderland, before returning to the League of Ireland and playing with Shamrock Rovers, Derry City, Cork City and Limerick FC.
The Sporting Director explained why League of Ireland football had to be the next step for Kerry soccer.
“I am delighted that we have got it over the line because it was a long journey to get it to this point. It was a venture that for many years was unattainable or too far out of a reach for this area or this county.
"But now we have shown through the work rate of the players and their performances over the past number of years and the ability that they have shown at National level at U-17 and U-19 level that the next platform that was required was to allow them play at senior level and thankfully now League of Ireland football is there for the players."
While a lot of work has been done, there is a lot more required before Kerry FC plays its first game in February 2023.
“Well, the license was only formally granted on Wednesday but obviously we have been working away in the background believing that this was going to happen. So we are not starting totally cold, but at the same time, there were certain things that we could not complete until we formally got the license. One of those is the appointment of a manager.
"The club structure will be formulated from the bottom right through to the top and that will not change. The academies have been in operation for the last five years anyway. Last year was the 14’s, 15’s, 17’s and 19’s under the Kerry District League banner and they will all transfer to Kerry FC and they are all up and running for the past number of weeks and there has been players coming to training in big numbers."
The elephant in the room was whether Kerry FC will opt for homegrown amateur players or bring a number of outside semi-pros that might cost money but might well see the club be more competitive in the First Division.
Dennehy was unequivocal in his reply when asked on the topic.
“We will be totally amateur. I said it before when you are planning a model for going down the road of the League of Ireland you have to choose one of two options.
"You either go with the option that needs a big budget, with heavy investment in the senior team with maybe having to sacrifice the underage structures or else you take your time and you build slowly and try and produce from within and develop from within and progress from within and that is the model we have chosen.
"We know it’s going to be more difficult, we know it’s going to be a longer road and we might not get instant results. Brian and David are not coming in with bars of gold on white horses. No, this will be a long road and at times a difficult road but believe it’s the only way. We will produce our own players from this area and from the region and give them an opportunity to progress and excel and hopefully not just with Kerry FC but eventually to go further afield."
He continued: "We are going to play against teams in the League of Ireland with huge budgets and resources and it's going to be hard to compete with fully professional outfits but we are not going down that route for now, we are starting to take small steps and develop as the years go by.
"We will also be looking after the education of these young players through our association with MTU and offering scholarships to the US program that we have. As David will tell you we are also hoping to get some young players from Boston Bohs once we sort out visas so we could have a few boys coming in where we can have a look at them and see if they could they strengthen our squad. So we might have an Irish/Boston connection.”
Dennehy does not subscribe to the view that Kerry is a GAA county and that soccer will struggle to attract fans to come and watch League of Ireland football.
“It is a question often asked but genuinely I never see it as any sport competing against each other in the county. The GAA has a fantastic history and culture and that will never change.
"It should not change because we are all very proud of the GAA and we support Kerry when they are in an All-Ireland Final. We go to the games and we are part of that community too. What were trying to do here is provide a pathway for lads who want to make a career in soccer."
