'Now or never, it's up to us to deliver new stadium': Finn Harps Chairman Ian Harkin

In the absence of a major financial backer, Finn Harps shareholders now face something of a stick or twist dilemma.

As Finn Park continues to show its age – its floodlights failing a test last week the latest issue to rear its head – the need for the long-sought new stadium, fraught with roadblocks over the years, has been brought to the fore.

An EGM of the shareholders of the Finn Harps Co-Operative Society will take place later this month to determine the direction of their endeavours to earn the funding necessary to see the Donegal Community Stadium in Stranorlar become a reality.

Essentially, shareholders will need to decide whether to mandate the Board to proceed with some major fundraising initiatives or to seek a private investor.

The clock ticks, though, and the latter seems an option littered with further uncertainty.

Such offers come, Finn Harps Chairman Ian Harkin estimates, 'three or four times every year now'.

While he had once longed for a time when some of those inquisitive emails regarding potential investment in the club could be taken seriously – and the temptations are obvious – Harps haven't yet received a credible approach.

“We perform due diligence on these offers – standard requirements really – but we haven't passed the basic stage with anyone yet,” Harkin tells Donegal Live.

With the club having moved to a modular build plan to reduce cost, the bill to get the stadium capable of playing league of Ireland football is now €7.3 million.

“The only way now we can make this happen is by doing it ourselves,” is the blunt observation from the Harps Chairman.

In basic terms, there is a €1.5 million shortfall to be plugged in order for Harps to shift the short distance over the River Finn to the Donegal Community Stadium – a project beset with delays over the last 20 years.

The club has been awarded funding of €4.7m from the Large Scale Sporting Infrastructure Fund, €0.5m each from Donegal County Council and the FAI and has €0.1m remaining on a Sports Capital Grant.

With none of this funding representing cash in the bank, cash flow is a major issue.

Harps have secured a facility from the Western Development Commission for €1 million, whereby the money into the project is paid up front and the repayments from the Council and the FAI go directly to them with Harps covering the interest.

Even allowing for this and the vast grant aid that is in place, a €1.5 million deficiency represents a gaping hole; a question mark and an exclamation mark all at once.

Finn Harps Chairman Ian Harkin. (North West Newspix)

Harps, though, are now increasingly confident that the gap can be filled.

An arrangement whereby the developers of the new stadium would take ownership of the existing Finn Park collapsed at some point along the way.

Finn Park, with frontage onto both Navenny Street and Chestnut Road, is seen as a potentially lucrative parcel of land in a town centre location designated for high-intensity housing.

Harps are unable to put a charge on the land and are, therefore, precluded from using the ground as collateral for any bank funding.

Finn Park is owned by the Finn Park Trust, who withdrew from that agreement in an attempt to protect its asset. However, talks have since smoothed over that stand-off with Trust members now understanding of Harps' position and also keen to see senior football remain in Ballybofey.

Under the arrangement, the Trust would transfer to the new site.

“For the first time since the work stopped, we are in a position where we believe that we can get the cash in place,” Harkin said. “We have had tentative talks with people. We have gone out and spoken to banks and we believe now that we can have the funding to cover our element of the fundraising.

“We have had talks about bridging finance. We have a future asset when, once the new stadium is completed, that we can sell to help pay off the loan.”

While the rules of the Finn Park Trust do not permit them to take on any debt, they could facilitate the move to the Donegal Community Stadium, something that would represent a greater asset that the now-dilapidated Finn Park.

Last Friday, Harps were forced to kick off their home game against UCD at 5pm, three hours earlier than usual after the floodlight system at Finn Park failed.

While an attendance of 1,021 might've been excellent in the circumstances, there was no doubt that the situation represented a massive hit in the club's hip pocket.

Harkin says that the move to daylight hours – 'which has massive implications on the revenue we can make' – is a problem that could well arise again later in the season given the serious complications on repairing an outdated lighting system.

Saturday or Sunday afternoon football in Ballybofey is not now beyond possibility for the latter stages of this season, it seems.

“We need a new stadium,” was the rather blunt observation afterwards from the Harps manager, Darren Murphy.

“There is no point in saying any different. We have had problems with the floodlights all year. The amount of work that has gone in to get games on is astonishing.”

Finn Harps manager Darren Murphy greets flagbearers at the game.

As a player, Murphy lined out for Glenavon in a pre-season friendly in the summer of 1998.

Then, as Harps entered their third season in the Premier Division – a campaign that would end with their ill-fated FAI Cup final appearance against Bray Wanderers – redevelopment works were underway at Finn Park.

A new terrace was added at the Town End at a cost of £60,000. The terrace was built in such a way that seating and a roof could have been added at a future date. Crush barriers are all that have been added in the interim.

Murphy, who has also been left to bemoan issues with hot water at Finn Park, said: “The ground is 26 years older with nothing more done. We need to try to get the backing of everyone and we need this pushed over the line. I want to see the ground started because the people of this football club deserve it.”

When Harps, following a relegation in 2001, won promotion again in 2004, the club was already aware that Finn Park had passed its sell-by date. Ahead of the 2005 season, Finn Park actually initially failed to get the necessary licence for Premier Division football – a decision that was overturned on appeal.

A 'temporary' seating block was added that remains in use while the stand and gantry side were terraced.

Shareholders were first briefed on the possibility of relocating to Stranorlar at the AGM of the Finn Harps Co-Operative Society Ltd in late 2004. Planning permission was granted, subject to 16 conditions, in 2005 and in 2008, amid much excitement the sod was officially turned by Mary Coughlan and Pat 'The Cope' Gallagher.

After initial delays, a significant body of work took place in 2014, but there has been little advancement since in the intervening ten years.

The site of the proposed Donegal Community Stadium.

A further upgrade of Finn Park has long since been taken off the table. As a football stadium, the old place is all-but condemned.

“It's just not an option due to the various limitations of the venue.

Harkin said: “A lot of people keep mentioning doing work to Finn Park, but we just can't. Finn Park was discounted in 2005 really. The place doesn't even qualify for a category 1 now and we are getting derogations on so much, from floodlights, to seating, to parking, and loads of other reasons . . . . the River End is a special area of conversation, the main stand is a flood wall for the town and there are health and safety issues with two exits coming onto roads.”

That, though, does not quite cover the entirety of Harps' often head-scratching stadium woes and even the possible solutions are not as straightforward as they seem.

On Sunday-week, April 21, an EGM of the Finn Harps Co-Operative Society will ballot its members on the path ahead.

“Basically, we don't know what the valuation on Finn Park would be and we also need to fundraise for inflationary pressures,” Harkin said.

Among the options on the table will be an annual membership fee, amounting to €600 (€50 per month). Those who sign up would get a membership in the 500 Club and a season ticket on top of membership rights.

“The vast majority would represent a donation to the building of the new stadium,” Harkin said.

The current 500 Club has around 300 members and has served as a valuable cog in keeping the club afloat.

Harkin points out that other clubs such as Bohemians, Shamrock Rovers and Sligo Rovers have similar membership plans in place.

“We have to ask the question in terms of what we want for the future as a fan-owned, community-based club,” he said. “We can attempt a private investor or we can do this together as a community.

“For someone that is already an adult seated season ticket holder and 500 Club member, the ask is only an additional €70 a year. We just need to get more people to that level of support like other clubs have.

“What we will do first of all is a survey to see where the shareholders are at. We will take the feedback but there's no doubt that we will be asking for people to dig deep.

“We need a mandate from our owners, the fans. If we are doing it ourselves, we need to pay for it.

“No-one has approached us with any credibility to say that they will do it all for us,

“If we don't do it, well, there is a high chance we could be playing in the Donegal League.”

Finn Harps has opened a fundraising page on idonate for those interested in starting their own fundraiser or for making private donations Donations can be made by clicking here.

Any individual donating over €250 in a tax year qualifies for Approved Sporting Body Donation. The Revenue has provided the Club with a valid Games and Sports Exemption Number, in practice a donation worth €250 can receive a top up of roughly €100 in tax rebates (average 40% marginal tax rate) if the tax element is also donated.