Members and visitors, players, supporters and referees, it is my great pleasure to welcome you all to Lansdowne FC. At the outset of my fourth season at the club, it is a huge honour to have been chosen to be Lansdowne Club Captain 2018-2019.

I have been fortunate enough to play in the All Ireland league for the past 7 years, with Lansdowne consistently the standard bearers. My Lansdowne journey began after arriving from Cork in 2015 and over the course of these last 3 seasons, I have begun to understand what makes this club great. Lansdowne’s facilities, coaching staff and support structures are second to none. These, combined with Lansdowne’s values and traditions, are the foundation on which the squad’s recent successes have been built. I’m sure this year will be no different!

We are fortunate to have retained the services of Mike Ruddock and Mark McHugh as first team coaches for the coming season, supported by Will Matthews. Dave Tighe, as Strength & Conditioning coach, and Damian O’Sullivan, as nutritionist, also continue in their respective positions. Andy McDonough, the squad’s physio for the last 5 years has taken a step back from LFC to focus on his continued work with the Ireland Women’s team. Best of Luck Andy, I hope we continue to see you in Lansdowne this season. Andy is succeeded in his position by Niamh Connolly.  The work that Dave, Damian and Niamh do preparing players for success on the pitch is hugely important and valued by all! Additionally, the back-room team of Steve Rooney (Director of Rugby), Colin Goode (Chairman of Rugby) and Paddy Gore (Manager) remain intact. We simply could not be successful on the pitch without their tireless input.

I would like to congratulate the many Lansdowne players who have been rewarded for their performances last season with representative honours. Congratulations to Ronan Kelleher, Peter O’Sullivan, Harry Byrne and Tom Roche for their involvement with the Ireland U20’s last season. I would like to congratulate Adam Leavy, Foster Horan and to Ian Fitzpatrick for their involvement in the Irish 7’s squad. Their performances in the recent world series events in London and Paris, and in the 7’s world cup in San Francisco were just rewards for the huge effort and dedication which they have shown over the last period. Best of luck in the upcoming season men!

Outside of the professional game, I would also like to congratulate Dan McEvoy, Harry Brennan and Jack Dwan who represented the Irish Amateurs last season alongside myself, and to Dan, Harry, Scott Deasy and Mike Ruddock for their recognition in last season’s UBL awards. It’s also great to see Lansdowne’s Amateur contingent recognised nationally for their excellent performances last year.

While there have been departures from the senior squad, we are excited to welcome several new players, including some familiar faces from previous successful campaigns. This, along with a number of promising graduates from last season’s U20’s squad has helped to develop some very healthy competition in the squad. To those players who have moved on from Lansdowne, thank you for your efforts and best of luck in the future.

Finally, on behalf of all the players I would like to thank all our sponsors, especially Zurich, whose continued support contributes to the success of Lansdowne FC.   To our President Kieran Mulligan and his committees, I wish you all the best for the upcoming season and thank you for your continued support. From our minis to our Senior squad, best of luck to all players who represent Lansdowne this season!