Congratulations to Bohs-SKB U15s who won the Treaty United U15s tournament involving Treaty United, Cork City and Galway United at the weekend.

Congratulations to Bohs-SKB duo James McManus and Danny McGrath, who are both in Spain with the Ireland U17s, who play against Belgium today and Thursday.

We are delighted to be collaborating with Dr. Aine Mac Namara, Liam Sweeney and Dan Horan from DCU.

The research will be examining our players’ exposure time within our academy.

“I have developed so much here. There are no better coaches in the country, so staying at Bohs was the right decision for me. I’m really looking forward to the new season.”

Bohs midfielder Dawson Devoy took a break from pre-season training to speak to Colm McDonnell.

Bohemian Football Club, in collaboration with the Bob Marley family and Bravado, Universal Music Group’s leading global merchandise division, today announced the release of our 2022 away jersey. 100% fan-owned, Ireland’s oldest football club, Bohemian FC, pay tribute to Bob’s last ever outdoor concert, which took place in the club’s stadium, Dalymount Park, on July 6th, 1980.

Bringing together two of people’s greatest loves, music and sport, the one-off jersey pays homage to ‘An Afternoon in the Park’, the famed Marley Dalymount concert, in its design. Featuring red, yellow and green details on the front, as well as the rear neck and sleeve trims, and an embroidered hem tag of the original concert ticket on the lower front – the exclusive shirt is available for pre-order now at marley-bohemianfc.com

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Bohemian FC is delighted to confirm the appointment of Craig Sexton as the club’s new Head of Academy.

Sexton vacates his role as Bohemians U19 manager to take up the newly-created full-time post, and leaves the FAI after seven years working in coach development, most recently at IT Carlow.

The 29-year-old will oversee the club’s League of Ireland academy teams, boys and girls, including the partnership teams with St Kevin’s Boys, and all underage Bohemians teams.

Sexton brings to the role a wealth of coaching and player development experience. As well as his roles with the FAI, he has won a league and cup double as manager of the Bohs U19s, where he also managed in the UEFA Youth League in successive seasons, and spent a season as first season assistant manager at Shelbourne.

He returned to Bohemians earlier this year to take the reins of the U19s once more, and is now looking forward to playing his part in driving the club further forward in his new role.

He said: “There has been brilliant work done over the last number of years. There are a lot of good people who have been driving it forward as much as they can. Their work has put us in a position where we have the potential and ability to grow in all areas.

“I have been involved in youth development for a long time. I have always wanted to progress everything that I am involved in.

“Ultimately I am here to develop everyone at the football club wherever I can; structures, coach development and player development.

“I am here to help the whole process and to help everyone reach their potential. I believe we can bring it to another level. That is the plan; to support all areas of youth football at the club, boys and girls, as well as with League of Ireland partners at St Kevin’s.

“We have a great working relationship with St Kevin’s. For the last number of years it has certainly been fruitful for everybody. We have benefited and they have benefited, so I am excited about continuing working with the guys and working directly with Stephen Costello.

“But I will be working with all sides; below the League of Ireland teams also at our own club, boys and girls. There are a lot of good people there to work with, and I am looking forward to assisting the support layers that are there across all the teams across the club.”

There has been a welcome and necessary evolution in the attention paid to youth development by League of Ireland clubs and by the FAI in recent years.

It has come a long way since Sexton himself transitioned from schoolboy football with Belvedere to the Bohemians first team a decade ago.

He said: “For young players developing at the moment, the resources and supports they have now at academy level are unbelievable compared to what went before. We are lucky to have that, we are lucky to be able to support the development of young players.

“We are in a much better place in terms of facilities available to us. We have the use of St Kevin’s resources at Shanowen and St Aidan’s, and Bohemians have a first-class training facility at DCU.

“Everything is on site now, everything is catered for. It is night and day compared to what I played in at that age. Don’t get me wrong, I had a really good upbringing and schooling in football as a young player. But what the lads have now is on another level.”

The steady realignment of home-grown player development as a key priority for Irish football has been accelerated by Brexit, one of the results of which means Irish players can no longer leave for British clubs until they reach the age of 18.

That has put the ball back in the court of the FAI and League of Ireland clubs to forge an environment that will allow young players reach their potential.

This provides a huge opportunity to retain the best Irish players in the country for longer, but it also provides a challenge to raise standards so that those players have the resources, support and coaching they deserve.

Sexton said: “There is a real focus now from a governing body point of view, from a government point of view, from clubs themselves; all see the benefits of bringing players through and having academy football structures thriving. There is also a welcome focus now on developing women’s football in the country too, and Bohemians want to be a big part of that.

“There are a number of factors that have led to the focus on player development shifting; Brexit means players cannot go over to Britain now until they are 18, people are realising the need to have home-grown players coming through who are good enough to go on and player for our national sides, and people are also realising the beneficial role clubs can play in their communities.

“All of that stuff is beginning to hit home. I think Bohemians have been a bit ahead of the game in that. We have done a good job in our community on our own but certainly now the FAI are really putting a big focus on that, which is fantastic.

“Academy football is a huge part of that. We need a thriving underage system to prop up our first-team systems in the country, and we need to have those pathways. We are getting there; there have been massive improvements.

“There are pathways now, but that brings its own challenges and expectations too in terms of resources we need to meet. Young players expect to be coached well, they expect resources, they expect to have a tangible future pathway in football.

“It is up to meet those demands. We want as many players as possible to progress to our first team, and to meet their potential, whatever that is.”

That pathway from underage football to first-team football is now an easier sell to young players.

Seeing is believing, and any young player or parent paying attention to Bohemians in the last number of seasons will have seen some of the best raw talent afforded an opportunity to prove themselves at first-team level.

That pathway, in conjunction with St Kevin’s, is now a well-trodden one, with the likes of Warren O’Hora, Andy Lyons, Danny Grant, Ross Tierney, Dawson Devoy, Promise Omochere, Evan Ferguson and Jamie Mullins among others some of the most notable success stories.

Sexton added: “It is tangible now because the success stories are out there in plain sight.

“Young players can now look at players who have come in and made a real impact on the first team and think to themselves ‘I can do that’, and that is especially true at our club.

“There are so many examples at our club now, and they are what young players should be looking to emulate, and it is our job to assist them with that.”

Welcoming the appointment, Stephen Costello, Head Coach at Bohemians’ League of Ireland partners, St Kevin’s Boys, said: “This is a great appointment for the clubs. Craig has a great experience of player development and of bringing players through, which is invaluable.

“We are really looking forward to working closely with him in his new role, and working together to develop the best young players in the country.”

Bohemians are delighted to confirm the return of winger Kris Twardek to Dalymount Park on a multi-year deal.

The 24-year-old rejoins from Slovak side FK Senica, having initially left Bohemians in October 2020 for Polish side Jagiellonia Białystok.

The Canadian first joined Bohs ahead of the 2020 season from Sligo Rovers, and that year he helped Keith Long’s side to a second-placed finish.

Kris is Long’s fifth new signing for 2022 following the arrivals of central midfielder Jordan Doherty, forward Junior Ogedi-Uzokwe, full-back Max Murphy and goalkeeper Tadhg Ryan.

Eleven of this year’s squad are also signed up for 2022. They are: Liam Burt, Ali Coote, Dawson Devoy, Rory Feely, James Finnerty, Ciarán Kelly, Conor Levingston, Stephen Mallon, Jamie Mullins, James Talbot and Tyreke Wilson.

Everyone at Bohemians wishes to extend our deepest condolences to the family of Eddie Wallace, who has sadly passed away.

Wallace coached the Bohemians U20s alongside Larry Corbally a decade ago and was key to helping young players transition from underage football to first-team football at the club, including the likes of Keith Buckley, Chris Forrester and Roberto Lopes, and several other contemporaries.

He is, however, a name more synonymous with Bray Wanderers and Cabinteely where he worked alongside Pat Devlin for many years.

Bohemians manager Keith Long also played under and worked with him at Bray and later Athlone Town.

Wallace was his assistant manager when Long took the manager’s job at Athlone, and he succeeded him in the hotseat when Long left to join Bohemians at the end of the 2014 season.

Long described Wallace as his “mentor, a great football man and a gentleman.”

May he rest in peace.

MAIN DRAW

Prize; Winner; No.; Seller

€2021; Anita Fitzgerald ; 0889; Jimmy Fitzgerald
€1000; Peter &Ann ; 0767; J. O’Connor
€750; Brendan Duffy ; 0781; Self
€500; Ray Moran; 0039; Mono
€250; Dave Stapleton; 0912; Gerry Sexton
€200; James Christie; 1638; Carmine
€200; Linda Smith; 1299; Ted Smith
€200; Sean Byrne; 1973; Online
€200; Louise Moore; 0703; Barry
€200; Michael Meehan ; 1226; Terry Meehan
€200; Martha Maxwell; 0004 ; Mono
€200; Ken and Pat; 1425; Pat Flynn
€200; Craig Jenkinson ; 0119; Jimmy Kelly
€200; Gerard Coughlan; 0487; Declan Coughlan
€200; Sue Byrne; 1518; Declan Coughlan
€100; Mary Cassin; 1006; Michael Cassin
€100; Chris Brien; 1041; Self
€100; Andy Manning; 0361 —
€100; Paul Dunne; 0756; Paul O’Rourke
€100; Ursula and Andy; 0559; Ursula
€100; Shay Fagan; 1268; Self
€100; Frank White; 2073; Online
€100; Noeleen Monaghan; 0014; Mono
€100; John Ennis; 1376; Stephen Lambert
€100; Kevin McParland; 2032; Online
€50; Linda McLoughlin; 0305; Des Parsons
€50; Paul Kirwan;1628; Colly O’Connor
€50; Sarah Fitzmaurice; 0744; Shay Fagan
€50; Brian Burke; 0194; D. Cooke
€50; Elaine Byrne; 0972; John Byrne
€50; Deirdre Duignan; 0832; Self
€50; Daniel O’Connor; 1193; The Nut
€50; Jackie Kelly; 0017; Mono
€50; Linda Broderick; 1027; The Brod
€50; Jamie O’Halleron; 1969; Online

Early Bird Draw

€200; Fran Duggan; Tom; 0442; Dave McManus
€200; Luke Greene; 0614; Arthur Sheridan
€200; Emiya Hughes; 2040; Online
€200; Tom Moran; 0430; L. Howley
€200; Audrey Fitzgerald; 0895; Jimmy Fitzgerald
€200; Natasha + Ian; 1143; Ann Delaney
€200; Peter Boyle; 0425; Kevin McCormac
€200; John Dunne; 1575; Stephen Lambert
€200; Ronan Quinn; 0536; Liam McDonagh
€200; Brian Burke; 0194; D. Cooke

Halloween Draw

€100; Kieran Byrne; 1190; Self
€100; Derek & Elaine; 0003; Mono
€100; Declan Coughlan; 348; Self
€100; John Watson; 1058; Self
€100; Gerry McGrath; 0661; Self
€100; Noel Donohoe; 1487; Self
€100; Gerry Cuffe; 1102; Kathleen Cuffe
€100; Phil Slaterry; 1765; Online
€100; Stephen Collins; 1802; Online
€100; Daniel O’Connor; 1433; Colly

Bohemian FC wishes to express our gratitude to three of our most long-serving players in recent years – Keith Buckley, Rob Cornwall and Keith Ward – as their current spells with the club come to an end.

Between them, the trio amassed 636 first-team appearances for Bohemians in all competitions.

Outgoing club captain Buckley, who is emigrating to Australia, initially joined Bohs in 2010 from Belvedere. His breakthrough came in 2011 in a time of great uncertainty for the club when, despite being on amateur terms, he quickly established himself as a key player in the team, memorably scoring in his first-ever derby against Shamrock Rovers as an 18-year-old.

Aside from one season with Bray Wanderers, Bucko was a mainstay in several Bohs teams thereafter, amassing 273 starts, 45 substitute appearances and 19 goals for the club in all competitions.

Never one for the limelight but always leading by example, he succeeded Derek Pender as club captain ahead of the 2020 season as Bohs competed in European competition for the first time in eight years.

But perhaps his best performances in red and black came when he led the team’s memorable European run this season where his displays at both the Aviva Stadium and abroad saw him finally get some of the plaudits and recognition he deserved.

Bucko said: “Thanks to everyone at the club from the bottom to the top who have helped the club over the past 10 years grow and regenerate itself. Without those people, it doesn’t happen.

“It was always an honour wearing the badge with pride, and I hope that I helped leave the club in a better place than when I first walked into it.

“Goodbye, for now.”

After five seasons at Dalymount Park, where he made 125 starts, seven substitute appearances and scored five goals, outgoing vice-captain Cornwall has emigrated to the United States, where he has signed for Northern Colorado Hailstorm.

Cornwall said: “Thanks to everyone involved with the club; fans, staff and players.

“I enjoyed every minute of it, and I hope I’ve left the jersey in a better place.”

Another fans’ favourite, Ward is also moving on after five years’ service in his current spell, having originally played for the club in 2012. In total, Wardy made 128 starts, 58 substitute appearances and scored 17 goals.

Ward said: “I’ll really miss playing under the lights at Dalymount. I want to give a big thanks to all the players, staff, volunteers behind the scenes and, most importantly, the fans who have supported me and the team during an amazing six seasons.

“Thanks for having my back – Dublin will always be red and black.”

From Keith Long and his backroom team, the board of management, membership and everyone at Bohemians, we thank Bucko, Rob and Wardy for their many years’ dedicated service and the positive contribution they have all made to our club, both on and off the pitch.

You will always be welcome back at Dalymount Park.