David Sneyd

THERE WAS A meeting of minds – possibly even kindred spirits – at the first of Damien Dempsey’s six sold-out Vicar Street gigs this Christmas.

Bohemians chief operating officer Daniel Lambert was there and so, too, was Cork City owner Dermot Usher.

There was a brief chat between the pair, but this was not the time or place to get too deep in conversation.

And definitely not a chance for Usher to follow Bohs’ lead with a Damo-inspired special edition kit for the Rebel Army. That’s a corner of the market that remains fenced off.

Usher’s reverence for Damo is almost as effusive as his praise for the work of Lambert and Bohs in marrying a commercial savviness with genuine community outreach.

Kit manufacturers O’Neill’s have also been central to that work and are becoming more and more influential across the League of Ireland.

“What Bohemians have done over the last few years has been unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable,” Usher says.

In September 2022, it was reported that the Dublin club grew their merchandising revenue by more than 3,000% over an eight-year period.

For the 2021 financial year, Bohs earned more than €1 million in jersey sales.

Earlier this year, it was noted that the club also accounted for one quarter of the League of Ireland’s commercial revenue.

Usher has designs on making similar progress over the next five years.

“I know what the numbers will be. I knew the level of merchandise we were doing. We’re looking to grow this business to seven-figures, that’s the plan and the expectation in the club is to do a seven-figure turnover in clothing in the next five years.”

After Cork confirmed their promotion back to the Premier Division for 2025, Usher began to enact the next stage of that plan.

A deal with a third-party supplier for Adidas was running out this year and the decision had already been made to go it alone.

“I like to swim against the tide, if you see people all going one way then you’ll see me go in the opposite direction,” Usher says, confirming that he decided against the pitch from O’Neill’s to make them the seventh League of Ireland club on their books.

It’s why Usher was able to help grow the family business – Sonas Bathrooms – from a firm with €300,000 annual turnover to just shy of €50 million.

The Rebel Army clothing brand was established for the club to be able to take more control of their designs and product, he says. With a merchandise advisor based in Denmark and a factory in Pakistan, Usher insists the benefits will become clear. In a nod to Bohs and some of their music-inspired shirts, a Frank and Walters strip has already been produced and there will be another for the collection ahead of the start of the FAI Cup.

We are incredibly honoured and humbled to be featured on @corkcityfc’s beautiful new away jersey 🙌
We’ve been fans of Cork City FC for years and delighted to hear fans singing ‘After All’ in the stands. So to be featured on their journey is a huge honour ❤️ pic.twitter.com/JGRJMy4QK4

— FrankandWalters (@frankandws) November 18, 2024

While Usher recognises that the League of Ireland’s growth over the last few years has stemmed from that increased sense of community – and his Rebel Army venture is a way of strengthening that – he has warned about changes that he feels are necessary.

An adult Cork fan renewing their season ticket for 2025 will pay €270 with €315 the price for a new one. Only Derry’s is more expensive.

“I’ve addressed it for next season and wouldn’t be surprised if others follow in time. We’re trying to have a professional league and the ticket pricing, in my eyes, is just too cheap. For what we’re trying to get, the amount of wage inflation and inflation in the league has just been astronomical in the two years since I’ve come in,” Usher says.

The landscape within the League of Ireland has also made it more appealing to some of the most recognisable sports brand in the country.

O’Neill’s, for example, continue to strengthen their presence with clubs. “We’re focused more on soccer than ever before,” business marketing manager Cormac Farrell says.

Their links to the schoolboy and junior leagues have been traditionally strong but O’Neill’s now also have a dedicated team adding clubs in the League of Ireland, the UK and throughout Europe. With more than 1,000 staff in Ireland alone and a growing base in Australia, expansion is a necessity.

“We were not seen as a soccer brand but that is changing now,” Farrell says.

Shamrock Rovers were also targeted before they signed a deal direct with Macron, and as it stands O’Neill’s will have six clubs across the Premier and First Divisions next season.

Bristol City is their most high-profile club in the English Championship, a deal that was struck when their previous supplier went bust during the season in 2023. Talks with several others in England, France and Spain are ongoing, and while many in Ireland will always associate O’Neill’s with the GAA, that perception may soon change.

“I’d like to think we will have a club in the Premier League in the not-too-distant future,” Farrell says, while Usher insists his Rebel Army venture cannot simply be a gimmick.

“We want to be able to create products that people can have an emotional connection to, and also for our club partners to understand and really get on board with the community ethos.”