Finn Harps

Finn Harps
Basic data
Surname	Finn Harps Football Club
Seat	Ballybofey
founding	1954
Colours	Blue and white
president	John Campbell
Board	Sean Quinn
Website	finnharps.ie
First soccer team
Head coach	Ollie Horgan
Venue	Finn Park , Ballybofey
Places	7,500
league	League of Ireland
2019	9th place Premier Division
home Away Alternatively

The Finn Harps Football Club ( Irish : Cumann Peile Chláirsigh na Finne ) is an Irish football club from the city of Ballybofey (on the eponymous River Finn ) in the Irish county of Donegal . Finn Harps were founded in 1954 and have played in the League of Ireland without interruption since 1969 . In 2017, the club was relegated to the second-rate First Division for the fifth time in its history.

history

founding

The Harps were founded in 1954 as a junior club, and for the first few years they played in lower-class leagues. The club's name comes from the river Finn , which flows through Ballybofey, and from a traditional Irish symbol, the harp. In the 1968/69 season they were known across Ireland when they won the FAI Junior Cup , the Irish Cup for teams in the lower divisions and were allowed to compete in the Intermediate Cup , the Irish Cup.

After the elimination in the cup, the responsible Fran Fields and Patsy McGowan decided to apply for the League of Ireland . They were included in the 1969/70 season and lost their first game against the Shamrock Rovers with 2:10, so that their whereabouts in the league was immediately in question.

1970s: a decade of dominance

However, the Harps quickly established themselves as one of the better clubs in the league in the 1970s. They ended every season of the 1970s in the top half of the table. They were able to qualify for the UEFA Cup three times , but always failed in the first round. In the 1971/72 season the club won its first title, the Dublin City Cup. Brendan Bradley scored the decisive goal against the Cork Hibernians . He is a club legend for the Harps and the top scorer in the Irish League. In general, the club was respected nationally for its attractive and aggressive style of football.

The greatest success in the club's history happened in 1974. With a 2-1 in the final against St Patrick's Athletic , the Finn Harps won the Irish Cup. Through this success they were qualified for the European Cup Winners' Cup in the following season 1974/75. But here too they failed in the first round against the Turkish cup winner Bursaspor. In addition, they stood in 1974 and 1975, albeit ultimately unsuccessfully, in the final of the League of Ireland League Cup .

The slow decline

In the 1980s, the club slowly deteriorated. A 1981 FAI Cup semi-final, a loss in the 1985 League Cup final, and a League of Ireland First Division Shield final loss to Kilkenny City (then EMFA ) were the highlights of the decade for them, and in 1985 the club became part of the league , placed in the lower First Division . A number of management changes then took place. These should allow the club to build on the successes of the last decade. However, none of these had the desired effect and the Harps could not advance to the Premier Division.

1992–2000: A time of change

At the beginning of the 1992/93 season, Patsy McGowan took over the club's coaching post for the third time. In the following three seasons, the club was twice on a play-off table for the Premier Division. However, both times do not prevail. McGowan was fired from the club before he could achieve his goal of promotion. Nevertheless, at the end of the 1995/96 season, after eleven years of being in the second division, Finn Harps FC made it to the first division.

In the summer of 1996, a company made the club's management an offer to take control of the club. However, this was rejected, which resulted in the resignation of the coach and some club officials.

Charlie McGeever was named the new coach and although time played against him, he managed to put together a squad by the start of the 1996/97 season. He managed to keep the class with his team. Out of the field, those remaining in charge set the club up as a cooperative and sold shares to longtime supporters to make sure the club was owned by those who they thought really cared about it. In addition, a long-term plan for the future was drawn up. [2]

In the 1998/99 season, the Harps finished fourth in the Premier Division. One point behind Shelbourne FC in third place and narrowly missed qualifying for the international competition. They also reached the final of the Irish Cup, but lost after two draws in the third game against the Bray Wanderers . Nevertheless, this season is considered to be one of the best in the club's history. After a bad start to the 1999/00 season, in which the club only managed to get one point out of a possible 21, coach Charlie McGeever resigned. Gavin Dykes was introduced as his successor. He still managed to keep the class but the club was forced to go public due to financial difficulties and debts of £ 280,000.

The 2000s: a roller coaster ride

The following season, Dykes also resigned after a series of defeats. Jonathan Speak, a fan favorite, took his place. New financial structures have been set up and a newly appointed fundraising council has been appointed. In addition, numerous fan clubs have been established across the country. Despite a series of 14 games without defeat and a generally strong second half of the season, the Finn Harps were relegated to the First Division on the last day of the season. The club rose again in the 2001/02 season for the first time after five years in the top division.

Speaks first full season ended in second place in the First Division behind Drogheda United . In the play-off for promotion they then lost to Longford Town on penalties. The following season the Harps finished third. The playoff semifinals against Galway United could not win them either. Even so, Speak managed to hold most of the roster together. Kevin McHugh was also able to keep the top scorer despite the interest of some Premier Division clubs. Together with the English striker Damien Whitehead he formed one of the most successful partnerships in the club's history. The Harps started the 2003 season as a promotion favorite. They got off to a good start, but dropped to fourth place after failing to win for a month in September. That bad run included a home defeat to north-west rivals Sligo Rovers and a home game against leaders Dublin City . Despite losing just two games the entire season, the nine draws cost Speak the job. Speaks assistant coach, Sean McGowan, temporarily took over responsibility. He stabilized the club with two wins from two games until a new coach was found. He then became Noel King, who should finish the last third of the season successfully. The squad was rejuvenated and stormed back to the top of the second division table. Four game days before the end of the season, Finn Harps led the table by one point, but then lost to the Bray Wanderers and was overtaken by Dublin City. The Harps had to go back to the dreaded play-offs. They won the semi-finals against the Bray Wanderers, but lost in the final against local rivals Derry City .

Noel King was the club's coach for six games in 2004, but then left the club by mutual agreement because the Dubliner commuting between the capital and Ballybofey was too much. Again Sean McGowan became the interim coach. The replacement was presented ten days later. The new coach was Felix Healy, a former player and coach of local rivals Derry City. He was able to win all national titles with his home club. This came as a shock to Finn Harps fans as they found the board's decision to be very brave to hand over the running of the club to someone who had a past with the club's toughest competitor.

In the club's anniversary year, however, Healy won the first championship title in the second division and made it to the premier division, which had escaped most of the coaches before him. But the following season the club had a hard time in the Premier Division and Healy was sacked in July. Anthony Gorman agreed by the end of the season player-coach to be. At the end of the 2005 season, when Finn Harps was relegated directly, Gorman agreed to take over the coaching position in full. However, his attempts failed in the 2006 season to lead the club to promotion and he left the club after less than a year.

In 2007 Paul Hegarty took over the management of the team. Due to financial difficulties, the club had to offer all of its players for sale and therefore got into the relegation battle of the second division. The season then began with a string of losses and draws, but a long streak of victories put the Harps in second place in the league, ending the season just one point behind the Cobh Ramblers . With a 2-0 win over Dundalk they reached the playoff final, in which they won 6-3 against Waterford United on both legs. This meant the renewed promotion to the Premier Division.

In 2008, the Harps began converting from a semi-professional part-time club to a full-time club again. At the beginning of the season there were 16 full-time players in the squad. Although the conversion was successful, the Finn Harps were relegated on the final day of the game. Despite one win on this one, it was the Galway Uniteds win that sealed the fate of the Harps in the end. In 2009 the Finn Harps played semi-professionally again in the FAI First Division, the second Irish division.

Upward trend despite difficult times

On May 11, 2009 Paul Hegarty left the club for "personal reasons" and was replaced by James Gallagher as coach.

On May 3, 2011, Peter Hutton took the lead together with former Northern Ireland international Derry City player Felix Healy. Hutton was named the new coach while Healy, who returned to the club, took on the role of the club's sporting director. After the last home game of the 2013 season, a 3-2 win against champions Athlone Town , Peter Hutton announced his retirement as coach.

On November 25, 2013, Galway native and former Fanad United manager Ollie Horgan was named as the new manager. He secured promotion to the first division with the Harps in the 2015 season by defeating Limerick with a 2-1 overall victory in the relegation. In the 2016 season, the Harps were able to secure relegation with nine points ahead of the relegation place. They did not succeed in the following 2017 season. The club ended the season in eleventh place in the table and rose again to the second-class First Division.

Jerseys and crests

The traditional jersey colors of the Harps are blue and white. In their first season in the League of Ireland, they played in white jerseys and blue shorts. Her third shirt was completely green. Since then, harps have always played in white or blue jerseys. The away colors varied between green, yellow and white. In 1975/76 and 1976/77 as well as 1983/84 and 1984/85 the Finn Harps played in blue and white stripes. In 2010, for an anniversary, Finn Harps decided to play in an all-white jersey that was reminiscent of the jersey of the first season 1969/70. In 2011, they returned to the standard blue home kits.

The jerseys have been made by Loma since the beginning of the 2017 season. The main sponsor of the Harps is McGettigans of Letterkenny sponsored.

The Finn Harps have worn various club crests throughout their history. They were all nearly circular and there was a harp in the middle. Newer drafts are just modernized updates of the previous coat of arms, as the content stayed the same. Footballs can be seen to the left and right of the traditional harp, which are also represented in all previous coats of arms. On the current coat of arms, the club name can be found in a Gaelic-like font. Commonly used colors in Finn Harp's coat of arms are blue, green and white.

For the golden anniversary year of the association in 2004, a golden coat of arms was introduced that was very similar to the founding coat of arms.

Stadion

Finn Park

Finn Harps FC plays its home games at Finn Park. This one is in Ballybofey , County Donegal . Finn Park consists mainly of open terraces that surround the soccer field. In 2005 the terraces were renovated for safety reasons. New concrete surfaces replaced the old lookout points. The stadium has a covered grandstand that offers 500 seats for spectators. The area allocated to supporters of visiting teams is the terrace opposite the seats. The playing field is 110 meters long and 80 meters wide. Finn Park is located on the banks of the Finn River and is prone to waterlogging in heavy rainy weather.

The new stadium

The club planned to move to a new, covered, 6,600-seat stadium directly across from the Finn River in Stranorlar , the neighboring town of Ballybofey. A regional FAI development center should also be established there. The association's shareholders gave the board of Harps 2005 the mandate to pursue the stadium plans. The building permit was granted in mid-2005. Approval for the tender was then obtained in early 2006 from the Football Association of Ireland . Local developers Joseph McMenamin and Sons won the tender process and had their proposal approved a year later. The Finn Harps were funded with 750,000 euros in 2007 to start work on the new stadium. They were hoping to play in the new stadium in the 2013 season, but work on the new stadium was suspended due to the recession and lack of funds. Work on the stadium was expected to resume in early 2011. In 2012 the building permit was extended by five years.

Planned completion: March 2019

The construction work did not resume until 2014. At the general meeting of Finn Harps FC on May 7th 2017, the club announced that in the summer of 2017 renewed plans will be published, which were put together by the former managing director of the North West Tourism Organization, Paul McLoone. These included a stadium with an expected capacity of 5,500–6,000 seats, consisting of a main grandstand with almost 2,000 seats and a further grandstand opposite with 2,000–2,500 seats. These are completed with terraced ends that offer additional standing capacity of 1,500 seats. The stadium is scheduled for completion in March 2019.

Rivalries and fans

Rivalries

The Finn Harps supporters have a rivalry with their neighbor to the northwest, Derry City FC. This is also called the Northwest Rivalry. Since Derry joined the league in 1985, the games have been highly competitive. The most exciting derby between the two teams was the relegation game in 2003. With a sold out Brandywell stadium and a Finn Harps team coached by a former Derry coach in the form of Noel King. It was a boiling mood that ended after a goal by Liam Coyle to make it 2-1 for Derry. There is now a friendly rivalry between the two clubs. Both clubs have encountered difficulties in recent years. The rivals supported each other.

Another derby of the Harps is that with southern neighbor Sligo Rovers . Although Sligo Rovers FC is also based in the north-west of Ireland, the respective games with this team are not considered a traditional north-west derby. The proximity between Sligo and Derry has contributed to the rivalry between Sligo and the Finn Harps. The stark contrast between the two clubs, on the one hand the rural one in Ballybofey and the urban one in Sligo and on the other hand the great differences in success, has intensified the rivalry. The fans of both clubs often sing about the other club. Many players have played for both clubs. The most famous of them is Kevin McHugh.

The Harps have a good relationship with the Shamrock Rovers . The clubs have supported each other financially in the past, and fans of both clubs sing together when the clubs play against each other.

Fans

The club's anthem "The Finn Harps Song" is often sung by the club's followers and their lyrics, "They Follow Them in Donegal, Derry and Tyrone" make it clear that the main core of Harps support comes from the northwest of Ireland. Finn Harps FC has been a public company since 1996 and therefore belongs to the club's fans. Shareholders have the right to attend general meetings of the club, including the general assembly, and to vote on important decisions affecting the club.

All shareholders also have the right to stand for election to the Board of Directors as soon as they have submitted a correct application and found a partner. All members, regardless of how many shares they own, have one vote in the general meetings. Everyone is entitled to buy one share worth € 317.50.

European Cup balance sheet

season	competition	round	opponent	total	To	Back
1973/74	Uefa cup	1 round	Aberdeen FC	2: 7	1: 4 (A)	1: 3 (H)
1974/75	UEFA Cup Winners' Cup	1 round	Bursaspor	2: 4	2: 4 (A)	0: 0 (H)
1976/77	Uefa cup	1 round	Derby County	01:16	00:12 (A)	1: 4 (H)
1978/79	Uefa cup	1 round	Everton FC	00:10	0: 5 (H)	0: 5 (A)

Legend: (H) - home game, (A) - away game, (N) - neutral place, (a) - away goal rule , (i. E.) - on penalties , (n. V.) - after extra time

Overall record: 8 games, 1 draw, 7 defeats, 5:37 goals (goal difference −32)

Important club personalities

• Brendan Breadley, record scorer for the Harps and in the league
• Con McLaughlin, mostly for Finn Harps
• Brian Wright, the club's first professional player
• Paddy McGrory, scored the Harps' second goal in the League of Ireland
• John Gerard McGettigan, won many awards as a harps player
• Ray Kenny, the club's best defender

successes

• Irish Cup Winner (1): 1974
• Irish Cup Finalist (1): 1998/99
• FAI Junior Cup Winners (1): 1967/68
• League Cup Finalist (3): 1973/74, 1974/75, 1984/85
• First Division Champion (1): 2004
• First Division Promotion (5): 1995/96, 2001/02, 2002/03, 2007, 2015
• Dublin City Cup Winner (1): 1971/72
• Tyler Cup Finalist (1): 1977/78
• First Division Shield Finalist (1): 1986/87
• Irish News Cup Winner (1): 1998/99
• First Division Cup Winner (1): 2002/03

Web links

• Official site (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w} Bartley Ramsay & Rodney Dullaghan: "History of the Harps". (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on March 4, 2016 ; accessed on November 30, 2017 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
2. ^ Hegarty is the new Finn Harps manager . December 20, 2006 ( bbc.co.uk [accessed November 30, 2017]).
3. ↑ Peter Hutton tenders resignation at Finn Harps - Donegal News . In: Donegal News . October 5, 2013 ( donegalnews.com [accessed November 30, 2017]).
4. ↑ Finn Harps confirm Ollie Horgan as new manager . ( donegaldemocrat.ie [accessed November 30, 2017]).
5. ↑ BJ Banda sends Finn Harps up to Premier Division . In: RTE.ie . November 6, 2015 ( rte.ie [accessed November 30, 2017]).
6. ↑ Football data. Accessed November 30, 2017 (German). 
7. ↑ Football data. Accessed November 30, 2017 (German). 
8. ↑ New Page 5. Retrieved November 30, 2017 . 
9. ↑ Info Finn Harps. Retrieved November 30, 2017 . 
10. ^ New Stadium. (No longer available online.) Formerly in the original ; accessed on August 2, 2017 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.    
11. ↑ Finn Harps FC. (No longer available online.) September 28, 2007, archived from the original on September 28, 2007 ; accessed on November 30, 2017 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
12. ^ FOOTBALL: Derry Stay in Top Flight Football; Derry City 2 Finn Harps 1 . December 14, 2003 ( highbeam.com [accessed November 30, 2017]). FOOTBALL: Derry Stay in Top Flight Football; Derry City 2 Finn Harps 1 ( Memento of the original from July 1, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.