St Pats boss Jon Daly has given an intriguing and disheartening insight into the impact the housing crisis is having on League of Ireland clubs.
It was a season to remember for Daly and Pats, who not only kept in touch with the title battle in finishing third in the Premier Division table, but also went on to taste FAI Cup glory for the second time in three years.
Last month's victory over Bohs in the cup final was the highlight of the season, and the aim over the winter will be to hold on to the heroes of that cup run and the impressive league campaign.
That may prove difficult, however, with manager Daly this week revealing the struggles his club have had in both attracting new players and holding on to their stars, given the immense difficulties posed by the housing market in Dublin recently.
His comments were backed up by Bohemians' COO Daniel Lambert, making clear the dire situation's impact on the league.
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St Pats boss and Bohs COO speak out on LOI housing crisis impact
The ever-increasing cost of housing on the Dublin market is no secret and, combined with the cost-of-living crisis, life in the capital city is becoming increasingly tough on the pockets of its residents.
Speaking ahead of the Soccer Writers Ireland awards, St Pats manager Jon Daly revealed that it had even had a significant impact on his club's ability to attract new players.
Daly said that the club largely could not justify looking for older players with families, as the housing market did not present viable options for them to live near the club's operations, meaning they have had to default to chasing younger players:
If you are going to go down the route of the experienced player, it's difficult so you're looking at the players are young, free and single and don't mind jumping in a house with five other lads.
They're the ones who are easier to recruit but it does then limit your pool of players you can go after.
The price of accommodation in Dublin at the moment is through the roof and it's not feasible for us to house individually every player that is coming from outside Ireland.
One of the first questions I ask the agent is 'would he be happy to go into shared accommodation with other players?' and if the answer is no there is no point wasting any more time on that player because it's extremely difficult.
I couldn't give you an exact number but there's been a few of those , that's just the way it is and you can't go after certain players.
The St Pats boss spoke after the cup final about the importance of using young players - and now it seems apparent that his hand may even have been forced in this regard.
Daly would also suggest that the strain of the housing market may ultimately lead to the departure of first-choice goalkeeper Dean Lyness.
12 November 2023; St Patrick's Athletic goalkeeper Dean Lyness before the Sports Direct FAI Cup Final between Bohemians and St Patrick's Athletic at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
The 32-year-old English shot stopper is currently living away from his family, who reside in Scotland, and Daly said that it is "down to Dean" whether he ultimately stays with the Inchicore club.
Bohemians' chief operating officer Daniel Lambert chimed in on social media, backing up Daly's comments and saying that his club had run into similar issues with providing housing for players.
This is a sad reality for Bohs too.
Providing own door accommodation isn’t feasible at all so for players with kids/married an impossibility. https://t.co/rYhPaQ22mk— Daniel Lambert (@dlLambo) December 6, 2023
With no end in sight to the housing crisis, it looks like these troubles are set to persist for League of Ireland clubs.
The problem reaches even further, with figures within other sports like the GAA speaking out in recent months on the issues presented by housing.
Earlier this year, a Killarney municipal district meeting was told that local GAA clubs in the region were dwindling due to the rising price of housing in Killarney pushing families to build houses further afield.
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