Football club bounces back after arson attack

A DECISION to provide a temporary container for Pearse Rovers Football Club, which suffered an arson attack recently, has been welcomed on the Southside.

People Before Profit councillor, Melisa Halpin, said last week’s Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council area committee meeting had agreed to provide the shelter for the popular outfit after their clubhouse was broken into and thousands of euro worth of equipment was destroyed.

“Pearse Rovers is a very successful club based in Sallynoggin,” Cllr Halpin said. “It has been running out of a temporary shed for years while it has been campaigning for a permanent clubhouse.

“Last year the council agreed to provide a temporary container to replace the shed while the plans for the permanent clubhouse are finalised between the council and the club.

“Unfortunately, the container was not put in place and the club believe that the vandalism would not have happened if the new container had been in place.”

At the area committee meeting of the council, Cllr Halpin proposed that the container be delivered as a matter of urgency. She said council management had agreed to this and promised that it would be in place in the next week.

 “I am delighted that the council has agreed to this and that they say they will have it in place in a week,” Cllr Halpin added. “However, it is vitally important that the plans for the permanent clubhouse are finalised as soon as possible. I have been working with Richard Boyd Barrett TD and the club members to arrange a meeting with council officials.

“The council has now also agreed to this meeting which we hope will take place in the next few weeks.

In a Facebook post the club revealed that on the night of September 21, the clubhouse was broken into.

“They kicked a big hole through the side of the clubhouse and they have burned all our equipment… footballs, cones, bibs, ladders, hurdles, you name it,” the club stated.

“Along with team kits including one we had only just worn yesterday for the very first time.

“We as a football club don’t have much and we have to work hard for everything we get. And in one night a couple of grand’s worth of stuff has been destroyed.

“This behaviour needs to stop…there is no place for it in football or in our community. We are the senior football club of Sallynoggin and we are appalled at being treated this way. Everyone at the club is absolutely devastated.”

However, the club subsequently added that it had been “completely overwhelmed and blown away” by the support they had received since the attack.

“Big thanks to everyone who has personally messaged the club’s page with messages of support,” they said on their Facebook page.

“The football club went from being in the worst possible position it could be to back on our feet in a matter of days, thanks to all the wonderful people who have got involved,” they wrote. “We felt alone but we are blessed to be a part of such an amazing community and we wish to represent you all for many years to come.

“Thank you ever so much from the bottom of our hearts.”