KERRY natives Matt Keane and Sean McGrath have put pen to paper on deals which will see them don the green of Kerry FC for 2023.

Killarney man Matt Keane signs from First Division side Treaty United having made 26 appearances in the division since signing for the Limerick-based side in 2021.

The central midfielder played over 1500 First Division minutes last season also appearing in the playoffs where they were narrowly beaten over two legs by Galway United.

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Matt is well known in Kerry for his time playing for Killarney Celtic as a young boy right up to playing top-level senior football in the county.

Speaking after signing his contract, Matt said; “I am over the moon to sign for Kerry FC and to be able to play SSE Airtricity First Division football at home is something I have dreamed about for a long time. I have been following the project very closely and when I got the call from Billy (Dennehy), it really was a no-brainer”.

Kerry FC has also announced that we have also secured the services of Sean McGrath from Cobh Ramblers for the upcoming season.

The former St Brendans Park FC and Kerry FC Academy graduate, who also made 2 appearances for the Republic of Ireland at under 16 level, moved to Limerick in search of underage football in 2018 before playing for Cork City’s Under 17s in 2019.

He also played under-19 football for the Rebel Army in 2019 and 2020. Having impressed at underage level, McGrath signed for Cobh Ramblers to play senior First Division Football in 2021 and 2022 scoring 2 goals in 27 appearances from midfield.

Speaking after putting pen to paper, McGrath said: “Yeah, similar to Matt, to have the opportunity to wear a Kerry FC jersey at senior level is something I have dreamed of since I was young. To line out against my former club Cobh Ramblers in our the first game here at the home of football in Kerry (Mounthawk Park) is something I am very much looking forward to.”

Speaking on the announcements, First team manager Billy Dennehy said; “I am delighted to welcome Matt and Sean on board for the 2023 season. I couldn’t have asked for two nicer players to announce as my first signings as manager of Kerry FC.”

“These are two players who are from the area who carry valuable experience at this level and to have their signatures secured for the upcoming season is a huge boost to everyone in Kerry FC. Time now for the hard work to begin,” said Billy.

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KERRY FC has announced that Billy Dennehy has agreed to become the First Team Manager for the 2023 SSE Airtricity First Division Season.

Originally announced as Director of Football for the club, Billy will now be the man on the side-line for the side embarking on a brand new journey in 2023.

The project has been referred to as the brainchild of the Tralee man, who becomes a first-team manager for the first time in his career.

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Billy’s playing career concluded in 2018 and on his return from playing in England, Billy won a League of Ireland title with Shamrock Rovers along with the Setanta and EA Sports Cups.

Billy appeared and scored in the Europa League Group stages and also wore the Irish national jersey up to under 23 level.

Speaking on the announcement, Billy said; “I am delighted to be named as the manager of the first team for Kerry FC for 2023. This has been a project that I have been excited about for a long time and to finally see it coming to fruition is something I am immensely proud of.”

Billy added; “To be named as the manager of Kerry FC is something that means a huge amount to me and my family and although I know it will be a huge challenge I am confident that Kerry FC will be extremely competitive in the 2023 season.”

It has been a busy couple of weeks on the ground for Kerry FC as the club ramps up preparations for the upcoming season which will start with a home game against Cobh Ramblers in Mounthawk Park on February 17th. Brand new seats have arrived and will be in place before the New Year.

Season tickets have also gone on sale and Kerry FC say sales are strong with two months to go before the first ball is kicked.

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IN an announcement by the League of Ireland this morning, Kerry FC will start their first-ever SSE Airtricity First Division season with a home fixture against Munster rivals Cobh Ramblers.

Kerry FC will welcome the claret and blue army to Mounthawk Park on the league’s opening night, which is Friday, February 17 with the kick-off time set for 7:45pm.

It will be the club’s first-ever game in the division and the first SSE Airtricity First Division game to be played in the Kingdom.

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It is the first of three Munster derbies to take place in the league with Waterford FC and Treaty United (Limerick) also coming to Tralee during the season.

Speaking on the fixture announcement, Kerry FC General Manager Sean O Keeffe said; “It is extremely exciting to see Kerry FC on an official fixture list and it is another milestone day in the club’s history. Season Tickets are selling extremely well and I would encourage anyone who hasn’t bought one yet to not delay to secure the best seat in the house for what will be a landmark day for Kerry FC and is looking likely to be a complete sell-out.”

Season Ticket prices start from €90 and can be purchased at www.kerryfc.com/season-tickets/ and game-by-game tickets will be on sale in the weeks leading up to each game.

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NOW that Kerry FC’s entry into the Airtricity First Division has been confirmed, it’s now time for fans to look forward to the Friday night football experience in Mounthawk Park, Tralee.

Over the course of the season, there will be 18 home league games to look forward to, as well as friendlies and cup games, so it’s going to create a fantastic buzz and create revenue for local businesses.

While it’s important that the players on the field perform, sustaining the club will also depend on the buy-in from the Kerry public and, of course, sponsorship money.

At a press conference on Friday morning, General Manager of Kerry FC, Sean O’Keeffe, said now that the license has been granted, things are moving fast on all fronts.

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“We expect to have season tickets on sale in time for the Christmas market. We’ll also have merchandise on sale. We are looking at maybe a pop-up shop — going into some retailers in town with a ‘Kerry FC store’ selling scraves, hats, beanies, zip-ups, but maybe not jerseys yet. Plans are advancing rapidly now.”

The prices of the season tickets have not been finalised yet, but they will come in two types — one where ticket holders can sit anywhere and one where you can reserve a particular seat in the ground.

New seating will be arriving from Spain soon and the capacity of the ground will be 1,150, but they aim to increase this as time goes on. There will also be an area for people with disabilities.

There be food facilities and a Kerry FC shop open for match days. The website is currently being built and this will have a shop facility.

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From a sponsorship point of view, Sean said the club has had many enquiries regarding this type of investment.

“From today we start engaging with people on that. There’s a feelgood factor about the project and a lot of companies want to come in behind us,” he said.

Sean believes League Of Ireland football is going to massively benefit the town of Tralee, with away fans coming into town for Friday nights, many of whom will stay overnight and spend money.

“The goodwill we saw yesterday has been amazing. When you bring a lot of people to an area they bring money — they stay overnight, they spend in shops.

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“It’s good for everybody. We’re getting a huge reaction from clubs like Finn Harps and Waterford looking forward to coming to Kerry, staying overnight and that’s all money going into the local economy.”

Chief Operating Officer, Steven Conway, said Friday nights offer a great opportunity to attract crowds to the games, as they won’t clash with any other local sporting fixtures in GAA or basketball.

“The support that we’ve received since yesterday and bumping into people in town suggests people can’t wait for Friday nights. It’s so positive and we want to make sure we’re run in the correct manner with the right people. We want people to come down here and be blown away by the product we have here in Kerry,” he said.

KERRY Football Club  has been successful in its application to secure an SSE Airtricity First Division License for the 2023 League of Ireland Season.

A statement released by the club, which will be based at Mounthawk Park, welcomed the decision by the FAI this morning. The decision will be a major boost for hospitality in the town as it will welcome fans from all over the country.

“It has been a dream for many years to provide the highest level of senior football in the Kingdom of Kerry,” reads the statement. “Being able to provide this full pathway for all soccer players in Kerry is something that the soccer community has always longed for.”

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“It has been a little over 20 years since Kerry first played on the national stage at the U-21 level vs Waterford United under the lights at Mounthawk Park and we are very much looking forward to bringing those Friday night lights back for the players and community.”

The club thanked all members of the Kerry District League, Mark Scanlon and his team at the FAI and their own team, led by former League of Ireland star Billy Dennehy, Steven Conway, Brian Ainscough, Sean O’Keeffe, Geraldine Nagle and Club Licensing Officer, Adrien King in making the dream become a reality for the whole of Kerry.

Speaking on the announcement, Steven Conway said; “A dream come through, from watching my brother David captain Kerry vs Waterford 20 years ago on that historic night, being a former Kerry player for many years, it fills me with immense pride and emotion to fulfil this dream and now give it to every young boy and girl in the county”.

“We look forward to welcoming all players and supporters from Waterford United, Treaty United, Cobh Ramblers, Athlone Town, Finn Harps, Galway United, Bray Wanderers, Wexford Youths and Longford Town to Kerry in the 2023 season.”

WHILE the decision on Kerry FC’s application to join League of Ireland First Division will be made by the FAI in November, the people behind the new club are not letting the grass grow under their feet when it comes to funding.

At a press briefing on Wednesday at the Kerry District League headquarters at Mounthawk Park, it was revealed that final details on season tickets are being ironed out  and they should be on the sale in a few weeks time.

The briefing was held to coincide with a delegation from the FAI visiting to inspect Mounthawk Park which will host Kerry FC’s home games. The briefing was also attended by Brian Ainscough, the CEO of Kerry FC and Tralee native Billy Dennehy, who is the Sporting Director of the club.

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It was acknowledged by Kerry District League Chairman, Sean O’Keeffe, that there was a considerable amount of work to do at the ground — in regards to the astroturf pitch, stand seating, press area, provision for away fans, capacity etc. — to bring it up to the standard required for League Of Ireland football.

“We have got a checklist from the FAI and we have to go through it. So that requires funding because of the upgrade required and Brian is working on that. In the short term, we’ll have to put in our own money because we won’t have the time to seek grants, but going forward we will be applying for grants,” he said.

Secretary of the Kerry District League, John O’Regan, speaking at the briefing, advised people to act fast when season tickets go on sale as they’ll be snapped up fast, judging by the public reaction to the plan to enter the League.

Mr O’Regan said everybody will benefit from bringing League Of Ireland football to the town including restaurants, shops, bars and hotels as they hope to get the busloads of fans down from Cork, Dublin and all over the country to stay for weekends.

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It was made clear by Billy Dennehy that Kerry FC will be about nurturing the local talent in the county. He said the club will “provide an elite pathway for the young players of this county and this region.”

He said the club will be built on “what Kerry soccer has always been built on, hard graft”.

“We are going to try and create a community-based club, becoming self-sustainable as quickly as possible. As we can grow and develop in the medium and long term we can look at other resources that may be required to go to the next stage,” he said.

Kerry FC expect to have their completed licence application submitted to the FAI by September with a decision from the FAI expected sometime in November.

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