DUNDALK’S NEW OWNERS have spoken about their takeover for the first time since they acquired the club from American firm, PEAK6.

The consortium, consisting of former Lilywhites co-owner – Andy Connolly and STATSports co-founders Sean O’Connor and Alan Clarke, took control of the club last Wednesday.

“Myself and Sean always had conversations around this being something we would like to do in the future but the reality is you can never choose when you get to take up this kind of opportunity and if we didn’t step up now, it might not be there in the future,” said Clarke.

Connolly added: “I obviously have an emotional attachment to the club and I was very uncomfortable with some of the things that happened over the past 18 months in particular. We want players and staff to feel they are wanted and that they are part of something and part of the town.

“Dundalk is like a magnet. When you get in there and you get the feeling of the closeness of the town, it’s like a family thing, it’s hard to get away from. That’s why it was sad to see players like Chris Shields, Dane Massey, John Mountney, Sean Gannon and Sean Hoare leave in the way they did because they were part of the spirit that the club built up over the years.

Connolly was sad to see Shields depart. Ciaran Culligan / INPHO Ciaran Culligan / INPHO / INPHO

“There has been a lot of goodwill since the takeover was announced, which is brilliant,” he added. “If we can channel all of that and funnel it into revenue and backing for Dundalk FC, we can be the leading club in this country again.”

Sean O’Connor said: “We know, and everybody knows, what Dundalk FC means to the area. “When the club does well, the town does well and we want to make sure that the relationship with the local community, local businesses and with individuals are tangible and alive and well and that the connection between the club, players and supporters is real. I think that’s something that only community ownership can bring.”

Dundalk won three league titles and made history by becoming the first Irish side to win a game in the group stages of the UEFA Europa League in 2016.

And O’Connor believes that the Connolly brothers’ ‘know-how’, pooled with STATSports’ experience of working with some of the biggest clubs and organisations in world sport, makes for an exciting combination. “Part of the appeal for myself and Alan in all of this is that Andy and Martin come with the experience of knowing what works and what doesn’t work at Dundalk FC. That was fundamental. We have a business that consumes all of our time, and we won’t be able to commit all of our time to Dundalk. That’s why the blend of ourselves and Andy works really well.

“From our end of things at STATSports, we are lucky that we get to see inside and behind the scenes at the world’s best clubs and organisations, not just in football but across various sports. We can bring the experience of what works and what doesn’t work. There’s no rocket science involved in it. The places that perform well; the common thread is that they get the basics right. We don’t have any magic secrets or a bag of magic tricks but we’re able to come into this with a new perspective.

“Our links with other clubs have already been mentioned,” he continued. “We’ve already spoken to some teams and over the years we’ve always said that Dundalk and the League of Ireland is the perfect platform for English clubs, or clubs beyond that, to send their players to play in an adult league, at a competitive level, as opposed to U23 or reserve team football.

“We are hoping to build on some of the relationships that we have to avail of that level of experience that would be able to bring a different dynamic to the team and the club and excitement to the fans.”

The first game under the new regime will take place against Derry tomorrow and O’Connor said that discussions had started and were ongoing with the current staff and playing squad.

“We’re not sitting on our hands,” he said. “This has happened later in the season than any of us would have wanted. A couple of weeks could have made a huge difference but we are trying to move things forward and move them quickly.”