Dundalk owner John Temple proclaims 'circus is finished' after club handed LOI license

Dundalk FC chairman John Temple during a press conference at Oriel Park.

Dundalk were belatedly handed a League of Ireland license on Thursday - and owner John Temple proclaimed that the "circus was finished" at Oriel Park.

The other 21 clubs across the three League of Ireland divisons were awarded licenses last week but Dundalk were handed an extension to allow them to prove the finances were in place to run the club and that their debt was being managed.

Accounts for 2023 published last week show the club 14-time League of Ireland champions are €1.5million in the red - while they also owe €200,000 to the Revenue Commissioners.

The Louth club were ultimately successful in satisfying the FAI and the Independent Club Licensing Committee that their affairs were in order to the point where they met the most stringent criteria to compete in the First Division in 2025.

In doing so, Dundalk were able to avoid entering SCARP, the Small Company Administrative Rescue Process. Had that fate befallen them, they would have been hit with a points deduction to begin life in the second tier next year.

In a press conference at Oriel Park, Temple described the licensing process for 2025 as "the seven rings of hell" but struck an optimistic tone for the future, all the while laying the blame for the club's financial plight at the door of its former owners.

"Dundalk FC this year have been put through hell, the seven rings of hell, the inferno, to get us to a license," Temple said. "Our budget was scrutinised, overhauled; we were hauled over the coals to make sure we got our license."

"The circus has finished. This is now a properly run, professional outlet. There will be none of this monkeying around anymore. There will be full transparency."

The club almost went into liquidation back in September, prior to Temple mounting an 11th hour rescue bid when Brian Ainscough walked away, citing an inability to fund the club on an ongoing basis.

In attendance, from left, managing director at UHY and Dundalk FC financial officier Alan Farrelly, Temple and Dundalk FC chief executive officer Peter Halpin

The Boston-based former Kerry FC owner had been seeking additional investment at the club since his takeover in December last year. That change of ownership, coming just eight days after Dundalk were granted a license for the season just ended, has been the subject of ire within the FAI.

"The reason it became so difficult for Dundalk was not because of recent turmoil, but because of legacy issues left outstanding. Bills, outstanding payments, monies owed and monies due became a huge issue," Temple said.

"The club is paying for the sins of others in the past. We were left with a mess and it was not a mess created by Brian Ainscough. He inherited it. He did his best to try and control it."

"The difficulty was the FAI had awarded the license to the previous ownership and then very soon thereafter, they left and Brian Ainscough came in.

"The FAI felt it happened under their nose, they feel that there was a bit of sharp practice in terms of the approach of how the license was awarded. The FAI were extremely upset and annoyed at the sharp practice which had gone on last year."

He continued: "The FAI looked at it and were somewhat embarrassed by what they were proposed and what had transpired some months later. When we applied this year, we were put through hell."

Temple also thanked former government minister Dermot Ahern for his help with the process. Ahern, a Fianna Fail TD for 24 years, is a lifelong Dundalk supporter and sits on the National League Committee.

Dundalk have settled outstanding debts to Gibraltar international Louie Annesley and former manager Stephen O'Donnell, while they have made an offer to clear money owed to ex-player Wilfried Zahibo.

A phased payment plan is in place to pay off their tax debts over a number of years.