Kerry FC took a big step towards bringing senior League of Ireland football to the Kingdom with the announcement on Thursday that its application to enter the club licensing process has been accepted by the FAI.
The application is led by League of Ireland veteran Billy Dennehy, a native of Tralee, along with American based directors Steven Conway and Brian Ainscough. The club aims to play League of Ireland football at Mounthawk Park in Tralee next season.
Kerry FC statement
"Kerry Football Club is delighted to announce that our application to enter the Club Licensing process with the Football Association of Ireland has been accepted," the club said in a statement.
"It has been a dream for many years to provide the highest level of senior football in the Kingdom and Kerry FC hope to be successful in our bid to bring League of Ireland football to Mounthawk Park in February 2023.
"Led by League of Ireland stalwart Billy Dennehy and American based directors Steven Conway and Brian Ainscough, we have been working with the Kerry District League for many months now to realise this dream and complete the player pathway for the players of Kerry after six years competing in the underage National Leagues.
"The people of Kerry have always been proud of their appetite to compete at the highest level in all sports and we hope to provide this full pathway for all those players representing Kerry Football Club. Kerry FC believe that a successful application will offer real opportunity to promote our game in the Kerry region as we look forward to bringing the biggest clubs in Irish football to our county.
"Now that the licensing process is underway, we welcome all offers of support as we share this exciting journey with the people of Kerry. More information will be released in due course."
Tralee Dynamos played in the LOI ‘A’ championship in 2009 - 2011. They applied for membership of the LOI First Division ahead of the 2012 season when the A championship morphed into the under 19 league but were unsuccessful. Looks like Kerry will finally have a full LOI member 👍🏻
— Dodge (@seidodge) June 2, 2022
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