Hi everyone, it’s that time of year again.
A Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year to you all.
It has been a great season so far throughout all levels of the club. Halfway through the season and we are very much in contention at all levels in the senior club with our 1sts currently lying in 3rd place in the AIL (having already bagged the Leinster Senior Cup). Our J1 also lie in 2nd place in their Metro league whilst our J2 & J3 teams are both sitting top of their respective Metro leagues and the J4 lie in 6th place in their league. John Tobin is doing a great job getting our woman’s program up and running and we hope to see big developments from this in the future. The support for all our teams has been terrific and is hugely appreciated. My heartfelt thanks to all our coaches and parents for all your work and contributing so much to Lansdowne FC.
Our Minis and youths section so superbly led by Brian Moran continues to thrive and has received a massive boost with the addition of Claremont Road and it is really is such a fantastic resource for the club and the local community. There has been a huge amount of work involved in bedding in the purchase of the Claremont grounds and a massive thanks to everyone involved with a special mention to Stephen Tunney, Derry Shaw and Karl Cleere who have been so heavily involved. To our minis and youths players, parents and coaches your dedication and commitment to Lansdowne is quite extraordinary and so important to the club.
I would like to thank our principal sponsor, Zurich and all our other generous and very supportive sponsors; Sandyford Motors (Peugeot), Heineken, Sparks Wealth, Hopkins Ward and Yugo. As members I think it is important that where possible we recognise this support and when appropriate return the favour and support these businesses.
Any successful rugby club would simply not function without the support and hard work of our committee members, staff members and our outstanding band of volunteers. These members work tirelessly to provide the back up support that a successful and vibrant club requires. We thank our Club Manager Elayne Power, ably assisted by Stephanie Ojo and Dave Mangan, Niall Robinson and all the bar staff and of course Mr Fixit Louis Preston. The events that the team run are massively important to the club and please do consider Lansdowne as a venue for any corporate or private event that you might consider running in 2024.
Sadly 2023 saw some great Lansdowne legends pass away and we would like to remember all of these great people and the great contributions they have made to this club. The one thing they all had in common was their love for Lansdowne and the lifelong memories and friends Lansdowne has given them. Their memory and deeds will live long in the memories of everyone associated with Lansdowne.
Looking forward there are some really important dates for your diary in January :
Friday January 12th – Our senior team host UCD in Lansdowne in an evening game to kick off the 2nd half of the All-Ireland League. Please contact Stephanie if you would like to attend / take a table at the pre-match dinner.
Friday January 19th – A very important fundraiser for the club as we have our Annual Lansdowne FC Business Lunch. David McRedmond, Chief executive of An Post and ex Ireland & Ulster captain & British & Ireland Lion Rory Best are our headline guests for the lunch. We are indebted to Gavin Lee, Will Sparks, Mano Ryan, Stuart McCarron & Andy Tallon on securing two great guests and making this event happen.
Saturday January 20th – The senior team travel away to league leaders Clontarf – A tough away fixture and we really need your support for this one.
Saturday January 27th – Our senior team host DUFC (Trinity) in Lansdowne – Again please contact Stephanie or Elayne if you would like to attend / take a table at the pre-match lunch.
So, we very much look forward to your continued support for the rest of the season as we embrace the challenges of the New Year and on behalf of the club executive, staff and trustees I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and all your family, a most Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy & prosperous New Year for 2024.
Onward and Upwards!
Stephen Rooney
President
Lansdowne FC 2023/24
