Bohemian FC will use its first season in the top flight of the Women’s National League to help raise awareness for Dublin’s homeless.

The Bohs home and away jerseys will display the logo of Inner City Helping Homeless (ICHH), a volunteer-run outreach charity who champion the cause and highlight the plight of those left behind by society in Dublin City.

ICHH volunteers run daily and nightly outreach services for those forced to sleep rough on Dublin’s streets, providing food, water, hot drinks, hygiene products and clothing, as well as advice for those seeking shelter.

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Preview: Cork City v Bohemians
Sunday August 2 2020, Turner’s Cross, 5pm
Live on WatchLOI

Bohemians may be playing in front of virtually empty stadiums for the foreseeable future but the backing they have received from supporters is driving them on now more than ever.

149 days have passed since the Gypsies last took to the field in the SSE Airtricity League – a 2-0 victory over Shelbourne at Dalymount Park back in March with second-half goals from Andre Wright and Danny Mandroiu.

The intervening period has presented great challenges right across the globe but in a time of extraordinary adversity, Bohemians will mark our 130th year with renewed resolve.

The strength of the bond between players and supporters, which has blossomed under Keith Long since he took charge ahead of the 2015 season, was there for all to see as members, season ticket holders, sponsors and the wider Bohemian community dug deep over the course of the lockdown since March.

Those endeavours ensured that staff and players wages were paid in full and averted the potentially catastrophic financial impact of Covid-19 that could have seen the great strides made in recent seasons unravel.

Had the challenges posed by the pandemic hit in any number of seasons gone by, it is doubtful that the club would have been in a position to honour contracts. Now Long and his team are keen to repay the backing they have received from supporters between now and the end of the truncated 2020 season.

Long said: “Even without them being in the ground, our fans continue to motivate this team. Without their backing over the past four months or so, we might not be here.

“They’ve been right behind us when we’ve been on the pitch for the years I’ve been here and they’ve been right behind us during this difficult period too.

“That’s in the back of everyone’s mind – the players don’t need any reminding that without the support of the members, season ticket holders, sponsors and everyone else at the club, things could have been so much different.

“It has been a challenging time for everyone so for us to receive the level of backing we have in that context hasn’t gone unnoticed by anyone.

“We will collectively be doing our utmost between now and the end of the season to repay that faith.”

Playing in empty stadiums will get some getting used to.

From the roar of the Jodi Stand when the team enters the pitch at Dalymount Park to the boisterous vocal away support received the length and breadth of the country, this Bohs team is used to strong backing wherever they play.

Long said: “There’s certainly an element of unknown going into this and it is up to us to adapt quickly.

“It’s obviously going to be very different to what we are used to. There is normally a large home support at Turner’s Cross and we normally bring a good travelling support down too.

“But we are determined that wherever our fans are watching the stream of the game that we can go out and give them a good performance and result. We are really looking forward to it.”

Bohs have had four friendly games in recent weeks to get the team back up to speed with wins at home to Derry City and Longford Town, and defeats away to Dundalk and Linfield.

Long added: “We’ve played a good level of opposition in warm-up games but this is the real deal and we have to be ready.

“This is about getting off to a positive start. But it won’t be easy. We’ve never had it easy down in Turner’s Cross.

“There are only 12 games remaining after this one so we know we are going to have to be up to speed from the very start.”

TEAM NEWS

Bohemians will be without Cristian Magerusan (knee), Glen McAuley (concussion) and Paddy Kirk (ankle).[/toggle]

Bohemian Football Club is pleased to confirm that should we be drawn at home in our Europa League qualifier next month, the tie will take place at the Aviva Stadium.

The club wishes to express its thanks to the FAI for facilitating this.

Hosting a potential home tie at a modern and spacious world class facility would allow the club to maintain the absolute maximum levels of health and safety measures in line with Uefa Covid-19 European football protocols.

Due to upheaval in the football calendar as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, qualifiers for both the Champions and Europa League this season will be a single game each rather than played over two legs.

Bohemians will find out on Monday August 10 who we will face – and whether we will have home advantage – in the first qualifying round, which is scheduled to take place on Thursday August 27.

The game will be played behind closed doors in line with Uefa’s current protocols.

Bohemians are delighted to unveil our Dalymount Gin, which is now available on limited release to pre-order from gin.bohemians.ie.

This is a unique first for the club in our 130-year history, and is another important fundraising initiative as we navigate through these difficult times.

Dalymount Gin, which costs €50 per bottle, contains botanicals picked from Dalymount and around Dublin 7, including nettles, dandelion and elderflower.

A big thanks to DrinkStore, Stoneybatter, who are our partners for sales and delivery, and who have allowed us to use their licence and online system to sell Dalymount Gin, with all profits going to Bohemians.

Click and collect orders will be available from Saturday July 4, while deliveries commence Monday July 6.

Happy Pride!

Five years on from marriage equality, Dublin Pride today celebrates the progress made for LGBTQ+ rights, while recognising that there is unfinished business both at home and abroad.

At Bohemians, we are committed to ensuring that Dalymount Park is an inclusive a place for all players and supporters.

Collectively, our members and fanbase have created a positive match-night environment; the regular appearance of the ‘GayBohs’ flag at our games in recent years is testament to that.

But there is still work to be done to make football accessible to all.

Team sports and terraces have often been inhospitable environments for LGBTQ+ people. It is telling that there are so few openly LGBTQ+ footballers anywhere in the world.

Across society, more can be done to encourage our LGBTQ+ people feel more comfortable about themselves, and to educate others of the negative impact that homophobia can have on people’s self-confidence and mental health.

Football is no different in that regard. With that in mind, we are delighted that the Bohemian Foundation, the charitable and social outreach arm of the club, have joined forces with ShoutOut to launch a Bohemian FC Pride t-shirt and badge to highlight this issue.

All profits will be split evenly between the Bohemian Foundation and ShoutOut, supporting two outreach organisations who have found traditional methods of raising funds difficult during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The t-shirts, available in white or black, cost €25, while the badges cost €5. Both are available now from store.bohemians.ie.

ShoutOut spokesperson Aifric Ní Chríodáin said: “Bohemian FC and their supporters are known for their unwavering solidarity with marginalised communities.

“In a world where LGBTQ+ people still face homophobia and transphobia on the pitch and in the stands, Bohs’ steadfast commitment to inclusion and equality has made Dalymount a uniquely welcoming space for LGBTQ+ people in football.

“Football is for everyone, and we’re so proud to stand with them to fight prejudice and make the game fairer for all. Their support will have a profound impact on our work protecting LGBTQ+ young people on the island of Ireland.”

Who are ShoutOut?
ShoutOut is a registered charity committed to improving life for LGBTQ+ people by sharing personal stories and educating school students, parents & guardians, teachers, youth workers and workplaces on LGBTQ+ issues. Since 2012 we’ve been delivering workshops in secondary schools across the Island of Ireland which tackle LGBTQ+ bullying, and we’ve completed over 1,500 student workshops over the past 8 school years. That means we’ve spoken directly to over 45,000 students! We use our on-the-ground experience of speaking with young people to inform all of our training modules. We deliver educational workshops for teachers, parents & guardians, social workers, youth workers, as well as workplaces. For more information, visit ShoutOut.ie.

What is the Bohemian Foundation?
The Bohemian Foundation is the volunteer-run charitable arm of the Bohemian Football Club that carries out social outreach programmes and initiatives on behalf of the club. These include school outreach numeracy programmes, rehabilitative prison programmes, and walking football programmes for both the elderly and people with mental difficulties.

There has been uncertainty in recent months with regard to football in Ireland and as you will have read, we are currently in the process of working with the FAI and other clubs towards an agreement with the aim of the league recommencing on July 31.

At Bohemian FC, we had been working away in the background making long-term plans with regard to the day-to-day running of the club before Covid-19 reached our shores.

With some certainty around the return of League of Ireland football and European football on the horizon, it is time for us to get back to progressing the long-term running of the club.

We are delighted to announce that we will be recruiting a full-time Chief Operating Officer to help with the running of the club.

In the space of four years, we have trebled the revenue of the club, we have sold record season tickets and we have the highest membership figures in our 130 years of existence.

We now have seven FAI national league teams – five men’s and two women’s – and this will grow again in the coming years.

As well as the day-to-day operations, we also have some big projects to help deliver, including the Dalymount Park Redevelopment Project as well as the transition to and from Tolka Park in the interim years.

We feel that the ideal candidate will be someone from within football who understands our ethos as members-owned club.

We are built on the volunteer ethos and you can see what has been delivered in the last four to five seasons with people working together.

Even with this appointment, we will still look to grow the volunteer element in the coming years through our expanded membership structure.

We have given a lot of thought to this role. Almost every other premier club has a full-time General Manager, Chief Executive Officer or Chief Operating Officer.

We have put this off as long as we could. But with the extra workload involved in running an ever-expanding operation now, we feel that full-time support on and off the pitched required.

• Please email your application and CV to pro@bohemians.ie.
• Deadline for applications: Friday July 3rd.
• Roles and responsibilities

Chris Brien
President
The Bohemian Football Club

The Bohs Lotto returned last weekend after a Covid-19 hiatus.

A big thank-you to all who had only just recently signed up online for your patience when we were forced to suspend the lotto at the end of March due to the impact Covid-19 restrictions had on our cash sales.

There was no winner of last weekend’s €5000 jackpot, which runs into this Saturday’s draw.

You can play online at lotto.bohemians.ie.

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A message to our members, season ticket holders, supporters, volunteers, staff and players:

Following on from the update circulated on Sunday, we can confirm that League of Ireland clubs have had further discussions and meetings with the FAI this week.

While there are issues to be ironed out, significant progress has been made towards the aim of resuming a truncated 2020 SSE Airtricity League season in the not-too-distant future.

The club’s board met last night to consider the updated and improved proposals.

All clubs have agreed to respect the confidentiality of the process, so we are not in a position to give any further information until negotiations have concluded.

As the consultation process between clubs and the Association continues, clouds are lifting elsewhere too.

Our women’s team returned to training this week, while there were further steps in the right direction yesterday as Uefa outlined a proposed timeline for the 2020/2021 European competition qualifying rounds.

Due to the disruption to the global football calendar, the qualifying rounds will now be one-legged affairs at the end of August.

Under the proposals, Bohemians’ first qualifier would take place on Thursday August 27. We will find out our opponents and who has home advantage a week earlier.

This is not what we envisaged back in October when a defensive masterclass saw Bohs claim a 0-0 draw away to St Patrick’s Athletic and with it, qualification for Europe for the first time in eight years.

Those celebrations, which lasted long into the night, and outpouring of emotion at the final whistle will live long in the memory for anyone who has stuck with the club during the dark days.

It is not so long ago that no return to football was envisaged this year, but now we are nearing a position where the season can be salvaged, albeit behind closed doors, with so much to play for.

Uefa’s proposed calendar provides the club with something tangible to aim for after those months of uncertainty.

It is also a welcome boost for our players, who are all desperate to pull the jersey on again having returned to collective training at Dalymount Park on Monday June 8 after an absence of three months.

There were various stages over the past decade where we feared we might never be in a position to compete in European football again.

Qualifying for the 2020/21 Europa League is a testament to how far the club has come together on and off the field.

It is a just reward for the members and supporters who have played their part over the last number of years to get us to that point, and also for first-team manager Keith Long, whose drive and dedication has consistently pushed the team and club forward since taking charge ahead of the 2015 season.

So while we are all disappointed by the impact Covid-19 restrictions will have on the European trip every Bohs fan has been pining for, we should look at the positives too and acknowledge the collective achievement of the club qualifying in the first place.

That same collective effort from first team, members, volunteers, supporters and local community has stood to us during this current crisis.

The support, patience and understanding shown to the club since the lockdown began in March has enabled us to honour our player and backroom staff’s contracts, and has softened what could have been a catastrophic financial impact.

The board of directors, first-team management and first-team squad wish to once again put on record our gratitude for that support.

While uncertainty remains, now there is some light at the end of the tunnel.

We have reason for tentative optimism.

We look forward to the return of football in the not-too-distant future and the significant step forward of our club representing the country on the European stage after an eight-year absence.

And, thanks to your continued support, we believe we will come through these uncertain times a stronger and more united club than ever before.

Keep the faith.

The Board of Bohemian Football Club

Dear member,

As you are probably aware, Bohemians, along with all other SSE Airtricity League clubs, met with representatives from the FAI on Thursday and Friday to discuss a potential pathway for the resumption of this year’s season.

The club has kept up a constant dialogue with other clubs, the FAI and Uefa over the course of the Covid-19 lockdown.

The club’s board has considered the proposals on offer over the weekend and further discussions between the clubs and the Association will take place before any final decisions are made.

All clubs agreed to respect the confidentiality of the negotiations while they are ongoing, so we are not yet in a position to give any further information.

However, some of the figures quoted in recent media reports, which may have caused supporters some concern, are somewhat misleading.

We are hopeful that we will have a clearer picture in the near future and we will provide further updates when we are in a position to do so.

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A video of Bohemians players exercising in a public park that has been circulated on social media has been brought to the attention of the club and we wish to clarify the circumstances.

On Thursday March 12, the FAI announced the cessation of all football activities across the state in accordance with government Covid-19 transmission containment measures.

Like all clubs, Bohemians adhered to these measures and put in place personal training programmes for our players in lieu of collective training.

Strict adherence to stay-at-home measures put in place at the onset of this crisis was absolutely necessary to contain transmission of the virus through society.

But over those two months, they also placed enormous strain on the well-being of the nation and sportspeople, so used to the camaraderie of a team setting, are no different in that regard.

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