Sacred Heart Killinarden joins forces with Firhouse
SACRED Heart Killinarden have joined forces with neighbours Firhouse Clover in an exciting senior football merger.
While this does not affect Sacred Heart’s schoolboy section, the amalgamation has resulted in a withdrawal of their two senior teams from the Leinster Senior League.
Sacred Heart Killinarden FC has seen its senior section merge with Firhouse Clover
Many of these players have moved across to Firhouse who continue to field two outfits in the Senior Sunday and Major One Saturday ranks of the Leinster Senior League under their current name until the close of the season.
“We had been talking about this for some time and we had a series of meetings about it over the Christmas period,” Sacred Heart Killinarden Chairman Alan Gibbons told The Echo.
“We felt that it was better to do this sooner rather than later so we got in contact the Leinster Senior League for some advice.
“Because we were doing this mid-season we [Sacred Heart] had to pull our two senior teams, but we’ll have a rebranding of the senior section and we’ll also be bringing in an Under 19 team next season.
“It’s something we felt had to be done. There are too many teams in Tallaght and even the Leinster Senior League is encour-aging clubs to amalgamate.
“We have League of Ireland standard facilities in Killinarden and work is progressing on securing our new clubhouse up there.
“We hope to have planning permission lodged within the next two weeks, turning the sod in March and hopefully construction work will begin in August,” he added.
The club is poised to be re-branded, but Gibbons stressed “we’re not getting to hung up about the official name of the club. That can be confirmed later. We were just concerned with getting the football going.
It’s already playing off. We have 40 to 50 players up there training and there’s a real competitive edge about it now.”
The new club is hoping to be competing in the top ranks of the Leinster Senior league come next season.
Yet, Firhouse’s first team, having reached the final of the FAI Intermediate Cup last year, is struggling this term and currently prop up the Senior Sunday table as does their Major One Saturday team.
“Hopefully we’ll still be competing in the Senior Division,” said Gibbons. “That will strengthen the club, but even if we’re not there, this is still an excellent move for the two clubs,” he insisted.
