Dear members and supporters,
Tonight we host our first game at Dalymount Park of 2026 for what will be our final season in our home of 125 years before its redevelopment.
As Alan Reynolds said in his match preview, it will be the first of many lasts this season, and we all want to make the most of it and savour those final memories.
That means every one of us pulling in the same direction, getting behind our teams in the correct way and ensuring that match days pass off safely: For everyone in the stands but also players on the pitch, own teams and opposition teams also.
There has been incredible growth in the following and wider interest in the League of Ireland in recent years, and we can be proud of the contribution that our club has made to that, particularly in our work in the community and the support our community has given back to us.
Unfortunately, however, our league has been in the headlines for the wrong reasons for the past week, with a young Drogheda United fan suffering burn injuries from flares and Dundalk’s new pitch deliberately vandalised and significantly damaged by opposition supporters.
We want our supporters to be passionate in support of our players – Alan Reynolds and his squad have commented on the positive impact the vocal encouragement of our fans have had on their performances at our recent away games in Sligo and Derry.
The weeks of preparation put in by the Notorious Boo-Boys for their magnificent display at our season opener at the Aviva Stadium was also a credit to the effort they have put in for many years in supporting the club they love.
But the incidents at Oriel Park need to serve as a stark and final warning to all of us that when supporters cross the line, there is a real risk of endangering people in stadiums, harming the reputation of clubs and our league, and that there will be serious repercussions.
Drogheda United yesterday received a fine of €15,000, while their supporters have been banned from attending their next four away games, and all future games at Oriel Park this season.
Our club in the past has received a ban on supporters attending an away game after flares were thrown onto the pitch and injured players in our away game against St Pat’s at the beginning of the 2024 season.
Supporters can have their own views on flares, but the fact is that they are illegal under law and banned in our league. We therefore remind supporters that anyone endangering the safety of anyone in attendance at our game faces being banned from our games, and prosecution.
We cannot tolerate a scenario where our supporters are collectively punished because of the potential actions of a small minority, so please heed these warnings, respect the rules of the league and the guidance of our matchnight staff and volunteers, and appreciate the greater level of scrutiny our league is under.
Continue to get right behind our teams in the right way, and let’s all pull together and give our all to try to make this a season to remember.
Matt Devaney
President, Bohemian FC
