Almost 20 years after they had, as leading members of the Bohemians supporters club, been at the forefront of a campaign to prevent Dalymount Park from being sold for redevelopment for just €1 million, Gerry Cuffe and Gerry Conway were being widely feted yesterday after persuading more than 300 members to back its sale now for almost 50 times as much.
Whether the club ever ends up at Diswellstown near Castleknock remains to be seen but the club does look likely to collect €2 million from property developers Andorey once contracts between the two parties are completed, probably next month.
After that the real work will begin for there will be not one but two planning processes to successfully negotiate if Bohemians are to get their new home and huge cash windfall, and the rest of Irish football will be keeping a close eye on how they fare.
"Things are only really starting to get going now," conceded Conway, the club's honorary secretary, yesterday.
"We have 30 days to tie up the contract with the developer and then it's a three-year process to get the whole thing through planning.
"But what's important to remember at this point is that all of the risk in this has been assumed by the developers. Once the contracts are signed we get the non-refundable payment of €2 million and we don't leave Dalymount until we receive the keys to the new ground.
"If it does fall through then we simply start looking for a new partner and another €2 million, that's certainly not a figure that scared anyone off last time around."
That's true if the planning for the new ground at Diswellstown fails to materialise, but Bohemians' dream future could be scuppered far more extensively if the club fails to obtain the desired rezoning for Dalymount.
Without it the construction of apartments or offices will be impossible and the land rather less attractive to developers.
Those familiar with both the area and the process reckon that it's something the club's currently jubilant officials should start worrying about sooner rather than later.
"I think it (their ability to get Dalymount rezoned) depends entirely on the extent to which they engage with the local community," says local Labour Party TD Joe Costello, an opponent of the move who believes the club still have some important hurdles to clear if the deal is to be completed.
"Personally I think it's a shame because both the ground and the club would be a terrible loss to the area," he says, "but the reality is that if they are really determined to go ahead with it, they need to start a process of consultation immediately because if the locals are against it then frankly it's very unlikely that councillors are going to be supportive in what is essentially an election year."
Because of a material contravention of the council's plan for the area, a two thirds majority will be required when the matter comes to a vote and the feeling is that that will be almost impossible to achieve unless the 10 councillors on the local area committee, due to consider the matter first, are broadly supportive.
With both Mountjoy prison and Phibsborough shopping centre already earmarked for redevelopment, however, there is a fear that the local population will react badly to the prospective disappearance of Dalymount which stands on a 5.07-acre site that, one industry source said yesterday, could accommodate 700 apartments if the density of recently approved developments is anything to go by.
While all of that is unfolding, the future of two other big Dublin clubs is likely to be decided with Shelbourne likely to move from Tolka Park and St Patrick's Athletic, chairman Andy O'Callaghan insists, anxious to commit themselves long-term to Richmond Park.
Shelbourne have already sold an option on Tolka to a consortium led by the accountant Ozzie Kilkenny but as they own only a long-term lease on the ground the club will receive a fraction (around a third, it is believed) of the sort of money involved in the Bohemians deal in the event that they move.
Most observers now believe chairman Ollie Byrne will either revive the proposed move to Swords or, more likely, seek to ground share with Shamrock Rovers in Tallaght, but this option also remains plan B for St Patrick's in the event sufficient funds cannot be raised to redevelop their Inchicore home.
"We addressed a large meeting of local residents the other night," says O'Callaghan, "and what we asked the people was whether they wanted us to stay even if that means us looking at ways of incorporating other things, maybe apartments or offices into the redevelopment of the site or bring in another club (he mentions Shelbourne) so as to generate the money we need to fund the project. They gave us a very strong indication that they will support us, that they don't want us to go.
"We made it clear that the club is a business that costs €20,000 a week to run and we can't simply keep on losing money.
"What we've shown over the last couple of years is that when you try to cut back you get crucified because other clubs are putting the resources in and so we have to find a different way of doing it.
"Our priority remains the redevelopment of Richmond Park.
"If we can't do that then we'll look elsewhere, we've left the door open to Tallaght but I just can't see us doing a Bohemians on it."
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