Chairman outlines Derry City ambition at Fans' Forum

Chairman Philip O’Doherty is hoping for a productive, progressive and bright future for Derry City Football Club, as he outlined a plan for the completion of the Mark Farren Stand, a brand-new pitch and plans for improved facilities for the first team and Youth teams heading into the next decade.

In an at times heated Fans’ Forum, held at Brunswick Moviebowl, on Saturday morning, the Chairman, alongside Chief Executive Sean Barrett, manager Tiernan Lynch and players Mark Connolly and Michael Duffy took questions from supporters on all aspects of the club on and off the pitch.

Lynch defended his tactics in the wake of the 1-1 draw with some upset supporters, while O’Doherty and Barrett explained the challenges facing the club’s ambitious plans for development in the next few years.

Chairman Philip O’Doherty on stadium development, a new pitch, and the Youth Academy

“This is the first time we’ve worked in partnership with the Council. We did our best and we both learned a lot about the Football Club and the Council members and the Council staff so it worked well, and the most important thing was that the fans seemed happy with it. We did a good job on it. It was the same architect who was on the Mark Farren Stand and they did a good job on the North Stand as well.

“With regards the next step – the Council and ourselves have put together an application for some of the funding from this sub-regional stadium fund that was set up back in 2012 or 2013. There was £36 million allocated; this £36 million has been talked about now for 12 years, so the Football Club and the Council have put together the details for the application and we submitted that and it’s for £11.8 million, which is what we put in as the proposed costs we’ve put in.

"A contribution would have to come because it’s not 100% grand aid so it could be anywhere from 50%-90% grant aid. The decision on who’s going to get that is going to come out in July, but it may be delayed into August given that it is the holiday period.

“It’s gone to the Department of Communities and Minister Gordon Lyons; he hasn’t been to the Brandywell so we might have to invite him down soon.”

IN PICTURES: Derry fans attend forum at Brunswick Moviebowl

“We really think that would finish of the Stadium and it would be additional facilities as well, and, I think you’ll all be delighted to know that one of the big-ticket items in it is replacing the current playing surface.

"The players in particular, and Tiernan, will be delighted with that, but we’re very much involved with it, and hopefully we’re going to be one of the clubs selected. It is a bit of a competition, but we think we’ve done a really good proposal, and I think the fact that we’ve worked so well with the Council won’t go unnoticed. We said we were going to do something, and we did it, and hopefully they take that into account when they’re judging the competition.”

“The potential project of a Youth Academy is still being talked about. It’s in their hands now to say yes or no. We’re looking at Templemore, everybody knows that. That’s three projects that I’ve mentioned; we’ve done one and the other ones are hopefully going to come to fruition in terms of actually getting started on site, hopefully early next year. It just shows you the ambitions we have to get better facilities for our youth team and our players.

"Luckily this year, the GAA have allowed us – just to let everyone know – they approached us, and the facilities are excellent and Tiernan and the players appreciate it.

"It probably means that less bit to drive from Belfast, but they are great facilities, and those are the sort of facilities we as a football club need to be aiming towards, our own facilities owned by ourselves, not owned by the Council, so we can be proud of them, and when Tiernan is attracting new players, we can show them facilities we be proud of.”

CEO Sean Barrett on possible funding from the FAI

‘The FAI’s solidarity payments have increased dramatically this year to help with Youth Development and we’ll be getting a good slice of that. Also, the Fund for Ireland money is also keen to get involved, but that’s hopefully for the Academy side of things and that’s hopefully geographically it works better for us, because the Complex is near the border and t makes it more accessible for people from the south and down in Inishowen who play for Derry on the younger side. We’re working on that in the background.

"Myself and Philip went to a meeting in Ballybofey with ministers about six months ago, so to answer the question, yes, we are getting funding from them as well.”

Tiernan Lynch on the half-way point of the season

“Coming in here we knew this wasn’t going to be an easy job. It’s been 28 years since we’ve brought a league title back to the Brandywell, and it’s always been our intentions, that’s why we took the job, to deliver on that. There are no guarantees in it as I’ve said all along. There’s lots of really, really hard work going on behind the scenes. It’s not an overnight fix.

"I think we’ve a brilliant bunch of players and I can’t ask any more of Philip and Sean and the board, who have got behind us in everything that we’re doing. We’ve just done a half-season review from a football perspective. A lot of it has been very positive, but there’s a lot where there’s rom for improvement and areas where we know we have to get better, and that’s something that we’re working on, on a daily basis.

"I have to commend the players for their work and their effort and their commitment to what they want to do and where they want to go. It hasn’t been easy for them, a new management team, who probably work very differently from what they worked before, longer hours and harder work that all goes with it, but great credit to them that they’re working very hard.

“With regards the transfer window, there’s a huge amount pf work going on in the background. There’s lots and lots of players in the pipeline, and our job now is to try and get the players over the line.”