In our final year at Dalymount Park before its redevelopment, Bohemian FC is delighted to invite members, supporters and the general public to the launch of two historical booklets this Saturday afternoon.
The first, The Enduring legacy of an idle youth – the founding of Bohemian Football Club, is the new and expanded edition of Ciarán Priestley’s early history of the club.
The second, Hints to Players, by By Dr. William F. Hooper, was originally published in 1925 and distributed to the players of Bohemian FC, it is one of the first football coaching manuals ever written, and published in Ireland.
They will be launched in the Jackie Jameson Park, Dalymount Park, this Saturday March 7th, at 1pm
Both are now also available to order from the club’s online store:
The Enduring legacy of an idle youth – the founding of Bohemian Football Club
By Ciarán Priestley
The Bohemian Football Club was founded on 6th September 1890 in the gate lodge of the Phoenix Park by a group of young men in their late teens and early twenties.
Dublin of the 1890’s can be a difficult place for its modern inhabitants to understand because, to paraphrase a famous lyric, Dublin kept on changing and nothing seems the same. To reimagine the Irish capital as a Victorian city of Union Jacks, empire and radical politics is to remove the events of the twentieth century from its landscape.
It was not inevitable that the Bohemian Football Club would survive the social transformation that was brought about by the First World War or the Irish Revolution, given that it boasted participants from different sides of these conflicts amongst its membership.
Important decisions were made early in the life of the new club that helped it to adapt to a rapidly changing world. The role of democracy and ambition forged a sense of purpose amongst its members that overcame the great political questions of the era. Securing a permanent home in Dalymount Park reflected these values and created a position of strength that ensured the club has remained at the forefront of Irish football to this day.
This book examines the community of young footballers that inadvertently created a Dublin institution during their formative years, placing these efforts in a social context that inspired the literary works of James Joyce and caused a national revolution. This is a revised and updated third edition with new imagery and content including guest contributions.
By Dr. William F. Hooper
Originally published in 1925 and distributed to the players of Bohemian FC, Hints to players is one of the first football coaching manuals written and published in Ireland.
Complete with hand-drawn tactical diagrams “Hints to players” covered everything from tactics, to fitness and match preparation while also correctly predicting tactical changes that would soon come to dominate football.
William Hooper was a star player for Bohemians at the turn of the century, before playing important roles as an administrator and club doctor for Bohemians as well as being the long serving president of the FAI.
Republished for the first time in over a century, this new edition features an introduction and short biography of Hooper, written by Bohemian FC historian Brian Trench.