Bohemian Football Club is delighted to confirm the signing of centre-back Kacper Radkowski.

The 21-year-old former Polish underage international joins from Śląsk Wrocław on loan until the end of the season.

Radkowski is the tenth new arrival ahead of the new season following the signings of Keith Buckley, Paddy Kirk, Adam McDonnell, James Akintunde, Dean Williams, Grant Horton, Luke Dennison, Dylan Connoly and Jay Benn, while academy graduate Cian Byrne has been promoted to the first team.

Manager Declan Devine said: “Kacper has been in training with us in pre-season and is a signing we were desperate to get over the line.

“It took a little bit longer to get the deal done than we had hoped so we are delighted to get it done now.

“Kacper has been an under-20 international for Poland and you don’t get to that level without having real quality.

“He fits the profile of player we want to bring to the club in terms of that quality and his youthfulness.

“He has been around the squad during pre-season, the players know all about him now and he is a really good fit for us. I’ve no doubt that he will be a fantastic side for us.”

Radkowski said: “I am delighted to be joining Bohemians. I have enjoyed meeting the squad and management in pre-season and I am really looking forward to us having a good season together.

“Everybody at the club has been really welcoming to me. The atmosphere in the squad is very, very good, and we cannot wait to get started now.”

Bohemian Football Club is delighted to announce the signing of right-back Jay Benn on loan from Lincoln City until the end of June.

The 21-year-old, who joined English League One side Lincoln from Halifax Town last summer, goes straight into the Bohs squad for this evening’s pre-season friendly away to Wexford at Ferrycarrig Park.

Benn is the ninth new arrival ahead of the new season following the signings of Keith Buckley, Paddy Kirk, Adam McDonnell, James Akintunde, Dean Williams, Grant Horton, Luke Dennison and Dylan Connoly, while academy graduate Cian Byrne has been promoted to the first team.

Welcoming Benn to Dalymount Park, manager Declan Devine said:

“We are delighted to bring Jay in. Defence is an area where we needed to strengthen and Jay is exactly the kind of player we have been looking for.

“He’s good going forward and solid defensively and we are really looking forward to working with him and welcoming him into the group.

“Jay is a player who Lincoln really rate, and has good first-team experience at right-back and centre-back from his time with Halifax, so I want to thank Mark Kennedy, Jez George and everyone at Lincoln for their assistance with bringing Jay to the club.”

Bohemian Football Club is delighted to confirm the appointments of Dave Henderson as Head of Recruitment and Development, and Trevor Croly as Lead Academy Coach.

Director of Football Pat Fenlon said: “We are extremely pleased to be able to build on and complement the structures that have been developed at the club in recent years with the expertise of Dave and Trevor.

“They are both excellent additions to what we are trying to build towards, and will both bring a wealth of knowledge and ability to the roles as we look to put in place a football strategy that attracts and retains the best young players in the country.”

Henderson returns to the club where he served with distinction as a goalkeeper in the 1990s, and subsequently as scout, goalkeeping coach and Head of Recruitment, having also worked in similar roles with Hibernian and Shelbourne.

As Head of Recruitment, Henderson will work alongside the first-team and academy set-ups and be responsible for identifying and recruiting players and coaches that fit the club’s playing and coaching philosophy, and developing the club’s scouting network.

Henderson said: “I’m delighted to be back. Bohs are my local team and I have great memories from my previous times at the club.

“We want to develop a strategy that brings in the best players we possibly can to push the club on in the here and now, but also to plan ahead and recruit and identify players and coaches for the future too.”

Croly served as assistant manager to Keith Long for the previous six seasons, having previously managed Shamrock Rovers and Bray Wanderers, and served as assistant manager at Shamrock Rovers and St Patrick’s Athletic.

As Lead Academy Coach, he will be responsible for developing a high performing environment for all coaches and players to support and work in conjunction with the Head of Academy Craig Sexton to ensure the smooth transition of players to senior football.

Croly said: “There are a lot of talented young footballers at the club, and we want to harness their potential.

“I am looking forward to helping Craig lead the coaches within the academy in creating a high performance environment for both coaches and players to maximise their potential.”

Dublin Bus and Bohemian FC extend partnership committing to increasing diversity and inclusion in Irish football

Two icons of the capital, Dublin Bus and Bohemian Football Club, today announce a new deal that sees Ireland’s largest public transport provider become the main shirt partner of Bohemian FC Women’s Premier Division team.

In addition, Dublin Bus will become the exclusive Diversity & Inclusion partner to Bohemian FC and main shirt partner for the girls U19s, U17s and Amputee team.

The deal, which runs for three years until 2025, builds on a longer term partnership that began in 2020 to support the club to grow and expand its positive impact on the city of Dublin.

To coincide with the announcement, they have released the joint ‘Together We’re In A Different League’ manifesto which commits to increasing diversity and inclusivity within Irish football.

This will be achieved by elevating the women’s game through increased visibility and accessibility to the game for players, better and equal access to facilities for the women’s teams, more female representation in the club’s management and development roles, and new and continued work to engage stakeholders and the community in the women’s game.

To kick it off, Bohemians today revealed that both its men’s and women’s Premier Division teams will now train at Dublin City University’s High-Performance Centre, providing entirely equal access to the world-class, elite training facilities.

Speaking about the announcement, Dublin Bus CEO, Billy Hann, said:

“This is a landmark day for the whole team at Dublin Bus and one that we are exceptionally excited about. We have been looking forward to announcing this partnership and we are delighted to be the main partner of Bohemian FC’s Women’s Premier Division team.

“This is a really talented squad made up of incredible people who have broken through barriers, both on and off the pitch. They are, and will continue to be, an inspiration to people of all ages right across the capital.

“We’ve long been an admirer and supporter of Bohemian FC and the values it displays on and off the pitch. Dublin Bus has a long standing commitment to diversity and inclusion, whether it’s inspiring our daughters to grow up and achieve all their goals, connecting communities or helping all people to fully participate in society.

“These are values which also lie at the heart of Bohemian FC so extending our partnership through to 2025 aligns with the ethos of Dublin Bus.”

The partnership honours the shared values of the two organisations. Where Dublin Bus is at the heart of communities across the Greater Dublin Area, Bohemians is a club that cares deeply about the wellbeing of its fans and wider Dublin population.

Where Dublin Bus is committed to increasing its number of female drivers, first announced at the 2019 Give It A Spin female recruitment drive; in its inaugural season in the senior WNL 2020, Bohemians was one of the first clubs in the league not to charge annual fees for its players and in the 2021 season was reimbursing female players for all expenses they incurred.

Daniel Lambert, Chief Operating Officer at Bohemian Football Club, added:

“This is a massive day for Bohemian FC and our continuous strides in women’s football. To have a long term partnership with Dublin Bus as main shirt partner for our Women’s Premier Division team, as well as our U17s and U19s League of Ireland girls teams is something we are so excited about.

“We have made significant steps in the female game in recent seasons, in 2020 by being the first club to pay all players expenses, in 2022 moving all games to Dalymount Park and now in 2023 by having full equality across training facilities in DCU alongside our men’s team. Bohemian FC now offers the best environment in Ireland for female players to reach their full potential.

“For Dublin Bus to also now also become our Diversity and Inclusion partner is a testament to the importance both organisations place upon improving and serving our shared communities across Dublin. In this area of the partnership we will be collaborating on numerous activities to assist groups often excluded in our society.”

Earlier this year, both organisations joined forces to launch a new jersey with a twist, and taking inspiration from Dublin Bus’ iconic seat fabric design, Bohemian F.C. created a unique 2022 FAI Cup Kit. It features the multi-coloured retro-style pattern of Dublin Bus seats, which were introduced in August 1998.

The partnership also promises to increase visibility and support of the club’s work with its amputee team, LGBTQ+ supporters group, Disability Supporters Association and community partnerships. Support of the LGBTQ+ community is equally important to both organisations.

In June 2021, Bohemians became the first professional football team from the League of Ireland to march in Dublin Pride and has worked hard to make the club and Dalymount Park a more inclusive space for all through partnerships with ShoutOut and GayBohs LGBTQ+ supporters group.

Dublin Bus is considered one of the most progressive organisations in Ireland in terms of inclusivity and diversity introducing pioneering LGBTQ+ policies, which included extending its paternity policy to all employees same-sex parents in 2014 and introducing Workplace Gender Transition Policy and Guidelines in 2017.

For people with disabilities, Dublin Bus’ Lord Mayor Award winning Travel Assistance Scheme, established in 2008, helps people with disabilities to gain the confidence and skills necessary to use Dublin Bus and/or other public transport services in their daily lives.

To date it has helped over 1,500 people to negotiate the public transport networks of the capital, giving them freedom to travel. Bohemian FC launched the first official Disabled Supporters Association in Ireland in 2021, which works closely with the club’s Disability Access Officer and the club’s Amputee team started in 2018 as one of the first teams in the inaugural Amputee National League.

The team were League winners in 2020 & 2022, five of its members played at the Amputee World Cup 2022 in Turkey, and the team will be playing in this year’s (2023) Amputee Champions League.

The ‘Together We’re In A Different League’ manifesto can be downloaded here.

Bohemian Football Club is delighted to confirm that our former player and manager Pat Fenlon will return to Dalymount Park as Director of Football.

It will be the Finglas man’s third spell at the club having served as a player between 1991 and 1994, winning the FAI Cup, and as first-team manager from 2008 and 2011, winning back-to-back league titles, the FAI Cup, the EA Sports Cup and Setanta Cup.

Since departing to take charge of Scottish side Hibernian in 2011, Fenlon has since served as first-team manager of Shamrock Rovers and Director of Football at Waterford, and joins from Linfield where has been General Manager since 2018.

The 53-year-old said: “I am absolutely delighted to be returning to the club and I am really looking forward to the challenge ahead. I have some really special memories from my previous spells at the club and I want to help make new ones.

“It is a really exciting time to be getting back involved with Bohs. There has been a lot of good work done rebuilding the club over the last decade and you can see how much the club has grown in several areas in recent years.

“I feel the foundations are strong, there is a great atmosphere and affiliation around the club, and I believe that we have an opportunity to build on all of that, be stronger again, and bring further success to the club.

“It will be my job to oversee the football operations of the club alongside the board of directors to help get Bohs where we all want to be.

“I am looking forward to working closely with the board, Declan Devine and the men’s team, Seán Byrne and all involved with the women’s set-up, with Craig Sexton and the academy and youth sections.

“Everyone is pulling together to try to push the club on as much as we can and as sustainably as we can, and I can’t wait to be a part of that.”

Welcoming Fenlon back to Dalymount Park, Bohemian Football Club president Matt Devaney said: “The Director of Football role is something the board has given careful consideration to in recent months.

“With the move to full-time training for the men’s first team, the growth of the academy and continued investment in our women’s team, it makes sense to have a football person overseeing those operations.

“In Pat, we believe we have the ideal candidate with a wealth of experience for the role and we are delighted he has agreed to come on board.

“We look forward to working closely with Pat as we all try to push the club on.”

It is with regret that we have faced minor delays in the construction of our new away stand on the Connaught Street side of Dalymount Park.

This was due to the discovery of asbestos in the area during the demolition process, which delayed the removal of existing structures and materials.

This in turn led to a delay in the commencement of the installation of the new stand meaning it is unlikely to be ready for our first home game of the season against Dundalk.

The knock-on effect is that the Des Kelly Stand may have to revert to an away section for the Dundalk game.

In such an eventuality, those who have already purchased Des Kelly Stand season tickets will receive Jodi Stand tickets for the Dundalk game.

Des Kelly Stand season tickets are now back on sale online at a reduced rate to take into account that anyone who purchases one from now on will not be entitled to attend our opening home game: https://bohemians-tickets.com/newst2023/index.html

We would also like to take this opportunity to remind existing members to please renew your membership by January 31 after which point the club reserves the right to reassign your place to those currently on our waiting list to sign up as new members.

Bohemian Football Club is delighted to confirm the signing of Dylan Connolly on a multi-year contract.

The winger joins from English League One side Morecambe and returns to Dalymount Park 11 years after making his first senior appearance in football with Bohs, and has made just shy of 300 appearances in senior football since with clubs in Ireland, England and Scotland.

The 27-year-old is the eighth new arrival ahead of the new season following the signings of Keith Buckley, Paddy Kirk, Adam McDonnell, James Akintunde, Dean Williams, Grant Horton and Luke Dennison, while academy graduate Cian Byrne has been promoted to the first team.

Welcoming Connolly back to Dalymount Park, manager Declan Devine said:

“Dylan has a wealth of experience and has played for some top clubs in England and Scotland as well as knowing what this league is all about.

“He has a brilliant pedigree and will bring great pace and attacking power to the team. I believe he will be a major threat in attack and that he is a player who will really excite our supporters.

“He was really keen to come home and sign for Bohs, has signed a long-term deal and really buys into what we are trying to build here.

“I am delighted to get him on board and we are looking forward to strengthening defensively in the next week or two also.”

Connolly said: “I am really excited back where it all started for me. Bohs is where I made my debut and I have a great affinity for the club.

“I have had good experiences in football over in England and I hope that I can use that to help some of the younger players coming through at the club too.

“A lot has changed at the club since my last time here but it’s great to see the likes of Keith Buckley and Derek Pender again today who were here when I was only coming through as a kid.

“I am really looking forward to working with them and the whole group. It’s a really good group – an exciting one.

“I was buzzing to see the set-up in DCU today – it’s a brilliant facility and I can’t wait to get cracking now.”

Bohemian FC is delighted to confirm the signing of goalkeeper Luke Dennison from Longford Town.

The American joins after spending three years with Longford where he was managed last season by Gary Cronin, now assistant manager to Declan Devine at Bohemians.

The 26-year-old Californian is is the seventh new arrival to Dalymount ahead of next season following the signings of Keith Buckley, Paddy Kirk, Adam McDonnell, James Akintunde, Dean Williams and Grant Horton, while academy graduate Cian Byrne has been promoted to the first team having captained the U19s to the Enda McGuill Cup.

Welcoming Dennison to Dalymount Park, Devine said: “I feel we now have two top quality goalkeepers at the club. We knew we needed good competition for James Talbot and we have got that with Luke.

“Luke has played a lot of games, has built up good experience, is looking forward to testing himself in a full-time set-up, and I expect him to push James all the way.

“He is well known to Gary from their time together at Longford and I know that Gary rates Luke extremely highly.

“Luke actually lives a stone’s throw from Dalymount, so he already has a feel for the place, and knows what the club is about and what it means to its community.”

Dennison said: “I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to be a part of such a massive club. After meeting with Declan, it seemed like a great fit for me to bring my game to another level.

“I can’t wait to start working with James Talbot and Chris Bennion. It was a good year last year for me under Gary Cronin, and he and Declan really want to push on and play a good brand of football, which I’m hoping will give the fans what they deserve, which is success.

“I have lived in the Phibsborough area for two years and know how much Bohs mean to the community here. It’s been a long journey to get to this point, but it’s a dream come true to play for Bohs.

“I know Declan and the rest of the staff will push each and every one of us every day to bring the club back to where it deserves to be. I can’t wait to get going and meet everyone associated with the club and really dive into the Bohemian community.”

Bohemian FC is delighted to confirm that Grant Horton will rejoin the club on loan from Cheltenham Town ahead of the 2023 season.

The centre-back joined Bohs on loan ahead of the 2022 season, impressing in 11 league appearances, before his first spell at Dalymount Park was cut short in the summer following a knee injury.

The 21-year-old is the sixth new arrival to Dalymount ahead of next season following the signings of Keith Buckley, Paddy Kirk, Adam McDonnell, James Akintunde and Dean Williams, while academy graduate Cian Byrne has been promoted to the first team having captained the U19s to the Enda McGuill Cup.

Welcoming Horton back to Dalymount Park, manager Declan Devine said: “Defence is obviously an area of the pitch where we have to strengthen, so I am delighted to bring Grant back to the club.

“It has been in the pipeline weeks and I have been really impressed in that time by his attitude, which is first class.

“I was very impressed by him when he came to the league – he did really well for the club in what was a challenging season. Unfortunately his time at the club was cut short due to injury in the summer, so I feel he is coming back with something to prove.

“He is coming back to Bohs with greater knowledge than when he first came here. He knows what the league is about now, he knows what the club is about now, and I know both fans and staff here really respect him.

“I’m really looking forward to welcoming him back to the club and getting him hitting the ground running in pre-season.”

Horton said: “As soon as I heard the club were interested in bringing me back, it was a no-brainer.

“I was gutted that my time with Bohs was cut short in the summer, so I am really looking forward to getting back over and getting back playing.

“There seems to be a great buzz and vibe around the team and around the club, and everyone I have spoken to can’t wait to get started with pre-season. I am really looking forward to working with the new manager and meeting all the new players and staff.

“Going properly full-time with morning training I think will help me as a player and I think will help the group push on too.

“There have been a lot of changes at the club over the past few months but that shows the spirit of the place – everyone wants to pull together to push on as a club and get it back to where it belongs.”

Bohemian FC is delighted to confirm that Swords Celtic as the latest club to partner with our academy’s new affiliate club model.

The arrangement will see Swords Celtic join with four clubs previously announced as affiliate clubs – Belvedere FC, Castleknock Celtic FC, Phoenix AFC and St Kevin’s Boys FC – under the new model from next year.

Bohemian FC Head of Academy Craig Sexton said:

“There are already so many Bohemians members and supporters in Swords and further afield in north county Dublin. It is extremely important for us as a club and as an academy to strengthen our links with those areas and to provide a pathway for aspiring young footballers who live there.

“The growth of our model is a significant step in an exciting time for player development in this country. We want to work together on club, coach and player developments with every affiliate we partner with.

“We want to have a visible and proactive presence with all affiliate clubs and we cannot wait to get working closely with Swords Celtic, and all the clubs who have joined us as in our new academy structure, in the new year.”

Swords Celtic Director of Coaching Valentin Laszlo said:

“We are delighted to be partnering with Bohemians for the future development of our players and coaches.

“Bohs felt like the perfect match as they echo a lot of the values we share at Swords Celtic. Both clubs believe in developing young people to be footballers, but also raising them to be functional people within society, which both clubs have shown by investing heavily in their boys, girls and football-for-all sections.

“The standard of the Bohs underage League Of Ireland set-up was also a key aspect of our partnership, as we believe our most talented players need to continue their footballing education at a club with a proven track record of developing young players once upon leaving us.

“Former Swords players such as Nickson Okosun have shone throughout the ages at Bohs, earning opportunities at first-team level and call-ups for the Irish underage setup. This is a huge motivation for our young players to see a visible pathway that matches their own ambitions.

“Everyone at the club received the news with great impressions, and we look forward to working with Craig and everyone at Bohemian FC.”