Bohemian FC and DCU agree 18-year collaborative partnership

We are delighted to announce the coming together of two great north Dublin institutions, Bohemian Football Club and Dublin City University.

Bohs and DCU have agreed an 18-year multifaceted partnership, which both parties believe will leave deep and lasting connections in football, social inclusion, social outreach and academic programme collaboration.

The arrangement will see the DCU Sports Campus on the Ballymun Road become Bohemians’ training base, and the club will work closely with the university to further develop what is already a world class facility.

In doing so, Bohemians will be committing our biggest capital investment since the 1999 construction of the Jodi Stand in Dalymount Park, which will represent a significant seven-figure investment over 18 years.

The facility is already used by Dublin GAA and we are delighted to share such a high performance environment in which we believe our League of Ireland teams can develop and prosper.

Bohemians continue to strengthen the foundations of our club as we look to build for the future and believe we are demonstrating that members-owned football clubs can be successful while being sustainable.

In addition to the DCU partnership, we continue to work closely with Dublin City Council and Shelbourne to deliver the redevelopment of Dalymount Park, our membership numbers have reached over 1000 for the first time in our 131-year history, great strides have been made to build upon the success of our girls section with the addition of three WNL teams in three years, while the success of our community outreach programmes have been recognised with government integration funding.

Our partnership and relocation to the DCU Sport Campus comes in three phases:

• Phase 1 (Completed): Dressing room fit-outs with thanks to the Gypsies Supporters Trust for a five-figure contribution, and our own area branding.
• Phase 2 (In progress): Development of player meeting rooms, offices for academy and team staff, physio room, kit room.
• Phase 3 (In progress): Development of another sole football all-weather pitch with co-useage for DCU soccer, Bohemian FC, and Bohs-SKB. Access and usage will also be provided to increase participation across multiple groups, including disadvantaged groups. Sports Capital Application for this has been submitted, with thanks to Gerard McEvoy (DCU) and Walter Holleran (FAI) for their expert advice.

In welcoming the partnership, DCU President, Professor Daire Keogh, said:

“DCU and Bohs share a deep commitment to our communities and a passionate belief in the positive impact of sport on people’s lives.

“This exciting partnership with Bohemians builds on DCU’s success in supporting high performance sporting achievement, as well as promoting sport for all. This innovative venture promises to be hugely beneficial for football, and sport in general, in DCU and across the North Dublin region.”

James Galvin, DCU Director of Sports and Wellbeing, added:

“I am delighted to welcome Bohemian Football Club as a new partner to DCU. Together we have ambitious plans to reach out to the community where we both live, work and play, fostering new relationships and further developing existing ones. We both believe that education and sport are key enablers to develop talent, skills, success and an overall sense of belonging and achievement.”

Bohemian FC Chief Operating Officer Daniel Lambert said:

“This is a landmark moment for our club. The key driver in delivering this partnership, for such a long period, was our shared core values and our common goal to use sport as a force for good in society.

“Bohemian FC is a fan-owned football club that now operates sustainably with respect and care for the communities we work within – this partnership embodies those aims.

“I wish to particularly thank Ken Robinson, Declan Raftery and James Galvin from DCU for their contribution and input in delivering this partnership.”

Bohemian FC first-team manager Keith Long said:

“DCU is a university that is immersed in sport – as is evident by their world class facilities and their School of Health and Human Performance, which is renowned for its research and development in areas such as sport science and athletic therapy, in addition to their success in a variety of sports and health-related programmes.

“It is without doubt that Bohemians will benefit from being in such a high performance environment as the club looks to progress sustainably into the future.

“We are looking forward with excitement at the potential of this partnership and the scope for growth it offers our club, which has committed to significant capital investment to advance the facility further.

“We want to create a facilitative environment where our players are highly challenged and highly supported. This partnership and our plans for the future can help us achieve this.

“There are so many people to thank, including the Gypsies Supporters’ Trust for the support for the first phase of this project. They have financially got behind every initiative we have brought to them to help improve conditions for the players over the years and what they have done with this move to DCU is absolutely fantastic. The players and staff thank them sincerely.”