Drogheda aim to target supporters from Meath

Niall Quinn is unique in Irish sport. For a start he is one of the very few who has played in an All-Ireland hurling final just before becoming a professional footballer in England. He turned out for Dublin against Galway in the 1983 All-Ireland MHC showdown at Croke Park. A few weeks later he was an employee of Arsenal FC. And for a finish he took a different route than most once he up the boots. Instead of opting to open up a pub or become a media pundit Quinny became chairman of Sunderland FC. Throughout his career he says he had one big plus in his favour - luck. He was lucky to leave Arsenal when he did to join Manchester City. He was lucky to hook up with Peter Reid at Sunderland. He was lucky in many ways. Quinn, who won 92 Irish caps and scored 21 international goals, recounted chapters from his career at an event hosted by Drogheda Utd and the recently formed Claret and Blue Club at the Bru Bar Bistro on the banks of the Boyne on Tuesday night of last week. The aim was to add momentum to the Claret & Blue Club initiative to turn Drogheda Utd FC into an integral part of the local community. A club for the community, owned by the community. Quinn was in town to explain how it had been done in Sunderland. How the Black Cats has become "a beacon for the town and the people." Like Drogheda Utd Sunderland also flirted with financial ruin. Like Drogheda Utd they pulled back from the edge and are now looking at a way of providing a solid foundation for the future. They went about doing that by working closely with schools in the area and developing initiatives such as "learning through football." It's all done through the Sunderland FC Foundation and the concept has become a roaring success. The aim is to attract the youth and keep them involved or as Quinn put it instill "a passion for the club in people's hearts." They have also looked to get the business community into the loop and they have done that by first ensuring the club is seen to be helping the community and not just spending vast sums of money on players who soon disappear never to be seen again. Business people will respond, said Quinn, once they see the local soccer club doing something for the community. "We have something in Sunderland that works," added Quinn who said that despite winning just one trophy since Second World War - the 1973 FA Cup - Sunderland had 30,000 season ticket holders. He insisted this was a time of great opportunity for Drogheda Utd despite all the economic gloom and doom. So far 250 people has signed up for the Claret and Blue Club. They pay €5 a week and in return get various discounts from 40 local businesses who have bought into the idea. The problem is that for ownership of Drogheda Utd FC to be eventually handed over to the Claret & Blue Club at least 500 people will need to sign up. From there new directors will need to be appointed and sufficient enterprise shown to generate funds. Sensing a certain "seriousness" among his audience, Quinn - who is a fine mimic and storyteller - at one stage ordered a pint before quickly moving on to regale his listeners with funny incidents from his days as a pro. There was the immediate aftermath of Ireland's defeat to Italy in the quarter-finals of the 1990 World Cup. The Irish players had waved their farewell to the Irish fans after losing 1-0 in the Olympic Stadium and trooped back to their dressing room. It was a desolate scene. Even the normally bubbly Mick Byrne, recalled Quinn, was subdued. In came the then Taoiseach Charlie Haughey who started a speech about great Irish heroes through the ages. Quinn, who came from a Fianna Fail family, was fascinated until Tony Cascarino piped up. "Who the f*** is that?" Shhhhh, said Quinn, "That's the Taoiseach." Another player asked who the visitor was. "Dunno," said Cascarino. "Quinny says he's some geezer who owns a tea shop." The talk inevitably turned to Roy Keane who Quinn said undoubtedly had "something special" but who at times drove him "barmy". There was a sense that Quinn was relieved when Keane moved on. Quinn says that he preferred the old days when soccer was simpler and more humane. He alluded to how Sunderland FC had to make 72 people redundant after the players refused to take a pay deferral. Sometimes the selfishness of modern, highly-paid pros left him cold. As well as humour there was plenty of emotion displayed. Vincent Hoey stepped up to say that in his 50 years involvement with soccer in Drogheda he had sought ways of getting the community more involved in the club. The Claret & Blue initiative was, he felt, a brilliant way of doing just that. He urged people to go for it. "That's the challenge for everybody in Drogheda, to take the club to their hearts," he said. "I've always regarded myself as a trustee of Drogheda Utd. I'm deeply committed to unity in the community." Drogheda Utd chief executive Sean Connolly said that one of the club's next targets would be to tap into the support base that exists in Meath. That will be all part of the new drive into the future. Others to speak included director Jim Agnew and manager Alan Matthews who has signed a new two-year contract. They see the Claret & Blue Club as the way forward for Drogheda Utd FC. The way to avoid the turbulence of recent times. Now it's up to the people of the town and surrounding area to pick up the ball and run with it. They now know Niall Quinn will be right behind them all the way.