Intersport Elverys is thrilled to announce its continuation as the Official Sports Retail Partner of Sligo Rovers, and to introduce that they will exclusively operate the e-commerce business marking a significant step forward for both organisations. 

This partnership means fans can now purchase official Bit O’Red merchandise, training, and leisure wear at the Intersport Elverys’ Sligo store in the Canopy Shopping Centre and online at elverys.ie, with a permanent retail presence for the club. 

Commenting on the new development, Philip Staunton of INTERSPORT Elverys said “we are incredibly proud to team up with a club that is willing to push the boundaries to continue enhancing the experience for their fans everywhere.”

Sligo Rovers Operations Manager, Shane Crossan, said “we are delighted to continue with Intersport Elverys as the clubs official sports retail partner. Since working with Intersport Elverys, we have seen a growth in demand for our brand and we are very excited for what the future will bring to our club and supporters. Intersport Elverys have a magnificent store located in the heart of Sligo Town which enables supporters to purchase club merchandise at ease. Along with that, their market-leading e-commerce platform offers our supporters across the world access to the Sligo Rovers brand”.”

Intersport Elverys is renowned for supporting sports at all levels, from grassroots to elite teams, and is proud to add Sligo Rovers to its family of partners. 

About INTERSPORT Elverys

INTERSPORT Elverys is a recognised market leader and innovator in sports retail and our store network in the Irish market now stands at over 45 stores, with a fully integrated omnichannel strategy.  

Our people are the core of our business, driven by a commitment to provide an outstanding customer experience for sports enthusiasts. The company remains Irish-owned and operated and is a member of IINTERSPORT – a vertical retail organisation with over 5,000 retail stores in 42 countries, bringing together the latest innovation in sporting goods from top brands around the world, along with an understanding of our local customer like no other.

INTERSPORT Elverys is one of the largest supporters of Irish sport, in sponsoring and supporting various sports teams, individuals and community events across Ireland.This highlights Intersport Elverys’ commitment to promoting and developing sport at both the grassroots and professional levels in Ireland.

A special presentation was held before Rovers last game of the season against Pat’s. Bernard and Teresa Culligan were honoured for their 30 years exemplary service to the Club.

Chairman Tommy Higgins commended Bernard and Teresa for their work in the Hospitality area for Rovers, saying that along with Damian and Mairead Grimes, they were always professional, courteous and reliable.

Club President Ray Gallagher said it was a privilege to know Bernard and and Teresa for many years, they made all visitors feel welcome and in this capacity were excellent ambassadors for the Club.

The presentation was attended by members of Rovers Management Committee, Club volunteers and FAI Match delegate John Byrne

Photography by Alan Finn

Top scorer Wilson Waweru has agreed a deal which extends his current contract to the end of the 2026 season, Sligo Rovers are delighted to announce. 

Waweru signed for the club in the winter of 2023 from Galway United, following an impressive season on loan at First Division side Cobh Ramblers. The 23-year-old made his Bit O’Red debut in the first home game of the season, when he was introduced from the bench, replacing Max Mata in a scoreless draw with Derry City at the Showgrounds. His first goal for the club came against Drogheda United at the same venue in March. 

Waweru went on to play 30 times for the club in 2024, scoring ten goals including a magnificent FAI Cup hat-trick against Cobh Wanderers. 

The Galway native’s season was cut short in cruel circumstances in September when he suffered an achilles injury in the win over Dundalk at the Showgrounds. Waweru is currently undergoing rehab for the injury after successful surgery and is expected to miss the first few months of next season. 

“I’m over the moon to get the deal done”, Waweru says. “The year didn’t end the way I wanted to but the surgery went well and I’m looking forward to recovering and getting back out there. It’s a slow process but I’ll get there.”

The striker paid tribute to manager John Russell who he says showed great faith in Waweru from day one.

“I can’t thank him enough for backing me the way he has”, Wilson continues. “I’ve learned so much from him, Ryan Casey and all the staff. The training is a step up from anything I’ve ever experienced and it’s helped me improve as a player. I’ve also learned a lot from my team-mates and getting game time and what I have learned can only stand to me when I get back out there. Scoring goals is my favourite thing to do and I want to keep doing it once I get back.”   

Speaking on Waweru’s new deal, Russell spoke of the centre forward’s potential and his keenness to see his striker back on the pitch as soon as possible. 

“We’re delighted Wilson has extended his contract with the club”, he said. “Wilson has all the attributes to become a top centre forward in this league. He has scored a lot of important goals for us this season and we believe he will continue to get better and better. 

“We know he will be on the sidelines for a period of time after sustaining his injury against Dundalk but I know from speaking to Wilson he’s determined to come back fitter and stronger. We’re all looking forward to seeing him back next year as he’s an important part of the team and he’s shown that already. 

“It’s vital that we continue to build our team moving into next year and Wilson will play a big part in the future.”

David Goulden

Sligo Rovers are delighted to announce that no less than four academy graduates have agreed professional deals with the club. 

Daire Patton, Kyle McDonagh, Gareth McElroy and Conor Reynolds have each committed to pro-contracts for next year, further strengthening the Bit O’Red’s commitment to nurturing and developing players from within its own ranks. 

The news comes as a further boost to the club following the news that first team manager John Russell has signed a new two year deal. 

18-year-old Patton has been at the club since he was 13 and was a stand-out talent as he rose through the ranks at both club and schoolboy level for Summerhill. The skillful midfielder has represented the Republic of Ireland at schoolboy level and has featured twice for Rovers’ senior team, making his debut against Bohemians earlier this year. 

McDonagh has played three times for the first team and has also represented his country. The Tubbercurry native made his senior debut against Derry City at the Brandywell when he replaced Stefan Radosavljevic back in May. 

Rovers supporters will already be familiar with Burnfoot born McElroy who has impressed since his first team debut in a win over Waterford at the Showgrounds in September. A commanding centre-half, McElroy has slotted into the heart of the Sligo defence on three occasions this term following the departure of Nando Pijnaker. The 19-year-old also played a key role in the club’s under 20s team this season.

While Reynolds, another centre half, made his debut back in 2023 against Cork City and has gone on to line out for the first team on three more occasions. An unfortunate leg injury cut short his opportunities for senior football after he sustained the knock in the win over Shelbourne at Tolka Park back in May. Although there was good news for the Westport native who continued his recovery with a brief appearance in the mid-season friendly with Celtic earlier this week. Reynolds has also been capped at international level. 

Commenting on the deals, Russell says the news is further proof of how the club’s underage structures are run. 

“Developing players through the academy system and bringing them to a level where they are ready for first team football is what the underage set-up at the club is there for”, he said. 

“Daire, Kyle, Gareth and Conor are each proof of the great work the academy coaches are doing here at Rovers. It shows that the academy structures are in good shape and it’s a huge boost for the first team when we can call on the young lads when needed. All four have reasonable first team experience at young ages and each have excelled when called upon. It’s an indication of how healthy a state the club is in when you have groups of players rising through to sign professional deals. 

“We are always keen to give youth a chance here at the Showgrounds and we will be looking to further develop and sign from our own academy as the years go on.” 

David Goulden  

By Conall Collier

Sligo Rovers will look to extend a three-game Women’s Premier Division (WPD) unbeaten sequence on Saturday when Wexford visit to the Showgrounds for the final game of the season.

Buoyed by the long-overdue first win of the season in Cork last Saturday and draws against Peamount Utd and Shamrock Rovers, the Sligo Rovers players will be determined to take the points tally into double figures.

Neither side can improve on current positions with Wexford guaranteed a fourth-place finish, an improvement on seventh last season, while for Sligo Rovers, a victory on Saturday would see them equal the number of points they achieved last season.

On that basis, there is still plenty to play for and another competitive encounter is definitely on the cards, one that stand-in manager Conor O’Grady is relishing after the determined display against Cork City last weekend.

“I was delighted for the girls last weekend, the conditions were horrendous but we dug in and had a really good second-half performance and it was great to come away from Cork with the win,” he commented.

“It has been a tough few days, we were in Cork on Saturday, some of the girls were playing for the 19s on Sunday and then for the ATU on Monday.

“We also picked up a few injuries, Kate Nugent and Rachel McGoldrick will both miss out while Muireann Devaney is not available.

“It’s going to be a really tough game against an experienced Wexford side, but we want to finish on a high and to do that we are going to have to be at our best,” he concluded.

Last Saturday Wexford surrendered a 2-0 interval advantage, Leah McGrath and Kylie Murphy scored the goals, at home to Shamrock Rovers. They had to settle for a 2-2 draw and they will certainly be well-motivated to address that.

Last May the Bit O’Red conceded three second-half goals in the WPD encounter at Ferrycarrig Park after getting back to parity a minute after the interval as Wexford recorded a 4-1 victory.

The scoreline was a bit unfair on Sligo Rovers who lost the influential Jodie Loughrey on 66 minutes after a challenge from a Wexford player forced her out of the action and also denied what looked like a decent goal-scoring chance.

Wexford hit the front after 16 minutes of a well-contested first-half when Ciara Rossiter created an opening and Ellen Molloy finished confidently to the net.

Kelly Crompton had Sligo Rovers on terms a minute after the resumption, but parity lasted less than three minutes. Some hesitant defending gave Wexford an opportunity and Ciara Rossiter capitalised to make it 2-1 and she went on to complete her hat-trick.

In the last three WPD games Sligo Rovers scored four goals and conceded three, that statistic suggests the defensive frailties have been resolved. There will be an opportunity to demonstrate that on Saturday.

Sligo Rovers v Wexford will be live on LOITV and kick-off at the Showgrounds is at 3pm.

We look forward to welcoming all supporters to our friendly with Celtic this Wednesday 9th October. The game is sold out. If you are attending the game please note the following match-day arrangements which have been agreed in consultation with authorities.

SLIGO ROVERS V CELTIC MATCHDAY NOTICE

1) Car parking for cars at The Showgrounds will NOT be available on Wednesday October 9th.

2) Parking for buses only at The Showgrounds

3) Supporters parking will be available at Nazareth House (limited), and most of the car parks in Sligo town centre, a short walk away from the Showgrounds.

4) Turnstiles open 5:30pm, K.O. 7:30pm. Game sold out, ticket only with no cash/cards taken at the gate.

5) Seating is limited, on a first come basis.

6) Please observe Garda traffic management and be respectful to parking at neighbouring estates. Illegal parking may result in fines or clamping.

By Conall Collier

The long journey was much shorter on the way home as Sligo Rovers Women maintained recent good form with a first Women’s Premier Division win of the season as they got the better of Cork City with a goal in each half from Muireann Devaney and Keri Loughrey.

That’s  three successive games unbeaten in the WPD and the victory will certainly boost confidence for the final home game of the season next Saturday against Wexford.

This game was played at Leeside FC (pictured) which is located at Little Island after the alternative venue that was declared on Thursday afternoon, St Colman’s Park, Cobh was deemed unsuitable on Saturday afternoon.

The game was initially moved from Turner’s Cross on Thursday due to the anticipated inclement weather and the various Status Orange and Status Yellow weather alerts from Met Eireann.

The diversion to Little Island was slightly shorter than the journey to Cobh although it still added some extra travel time and distance with the kick-off time also changed from 5pm to 7pm.

Both teams had to cope with poor conditions at the windswept and rain-lashed venue.

Cork City had a couple of early chances from Freya De Mange who saw her shot saved by Bonnie McKiernan and soon after Barrett Edison was denied by the post.

However, the Bit O’Red remained composed and produced some enterprising passages of play before finding the lead goal in the 15th minute when Muireann Devaney hit the target with a fine finish.

The joy for the Bit O’Red was brief as Christina Dring conjured up an equaliser inside a minute and the sides remained deadlocked at the interval.

Cork City resumed smartly, but Sligo Rovers stood strong and the first real action of the second-half was a card to a member of the home sideline team around the hour mark.

Then there was a stoppage in play due to an injury sustained by Rachel McGoldrick with about 15 minutes remaining and she was replaced by Paula McGrory.

Despite the wind and rain Sligo Rovers kept probing for an opening and in the 82nd minute Keri Loughrey, a consistent performer all season, gave Sligo Rovers the lead and they weathered the storm in the closing minutes for that crucial victory.

THE TEAMS

Cork City – Una Foyle; Kiera Sena, Orlaith O’Mahony, Christina Dring, Freya De Mange, Niamh Cotter, Barrett Edison, Colleen Kennedy O’Connell, Dorothea Greulich, Alix Mendez, Becky Cassin.

Sligo Rovers – Bonnie McKernan; Cara King, Alice Lillie, Sarah Kiernan, Kate Nugent, Emma Hansberry, Muireann Devaney, Eimear Lafferty, Rachel McGoldrick, Keri Loughrey, Katie Melly.

Subs – Paula McGrory for McGoldrick and Keeva Flynn for Kiernan both 75 mins, Leah Kelly for Devaney and Robecca Doddy for Melly both 83m.

By Jim Gray

Deep in untamed woodlands nestling high above Sligo’s sacred Tobarnalt Holy Well, camouflaged amongst a thicket of tangled briers and sharp-thorned brambles, rests a 10” plaque bearing the name of Sean Fallon. The only person who knows its location and its significance is the man who put it there, Fallon’s only son, Sean T.

In a gesture graphically illustrating his late father’s indelible connection with his birthplace, Fallon Junior brought the plaque, which had been used as a temporary monument on his father’s grave in Glasgow, to the place he knew his dad would most like to be remembered.

As a child, he was brought to this holy place by his father every summer. Far from the fame of Glasgow Celtic’s “Iron Man” status, Sean Fallon would come here with his young family, unknown and unfettered, to touch base with a tradition he’d learned as a young boy growing up in St. Anne’s Terrace on the banks of the Garavogue River.

Now, months after his death in 2013, his son was back on familiar turf. He climbed slippery rocks, battled his way through thick, prickly shrubs and gorse, found an isolated patch and, with hands torn and scratched from the effort, placed the nameplate in its new home.

“For me, it’s his homecoming. I just wanted to signify his love of Sligo and of the Holy Well in particular,” Fallon junior explains.

It’s but one of many engrossing stories which illuminate the larger-than-life character of a genuine Sligo legend – a man from a humble working-class background who went on to become an iconic figure at Glasgow Celtic Football Club; who helped discover, nurture and construct the immortal Lisbon Lions, a team named after the city in which Celtic became the first British team to win the European Cup in 1967; whose unerring eye for raw potential unearthed further generations of International footballers; who travelled the world as a football ambassador, uniquely playing for both the Republic of Ireland and a Northern Ireland representative team; who counted luminaries such as Alex Ferguson and Sean Connery as close personal friends; but who was never more at home than playing a round of golf at Rosses Point or kneeling in prayer at the Holy Well.

Sean Fallon’s astonishing football exploits are well documented. He is revered in his adopted city of Glasgow and he is honoured with two separate football pitches named after him in his native town, the county council owned pitch at Cranmore and the Sligo Rovers Astro turf facility at the Showgrounds, which fittingly serves as the home venue and training facility for the club’s academy teams.

But the gregarious, magnanimous man behind the legend is in many ways even more impressive. His innate kindness suited his role as a father-figure to so many aspiring footballers, many of whom owe their extravagant careers to his early down-to-earth guidance and advice.

Legendary Irish goalkeeper, Packie Bonner, the hero of Italia 90, is one of those who Fallon took under his wing, and he has never forgotten the Sligo man’s early influences.

Signed by Fallon in 1977 when he was just 17 years old, Bonner was surprised and a little disappointed to learn the Sligoman had left the club by the time he arrived in Glasgow a few months later. But he needn’t have worried. Although fortunate to live with his aunt in the Simshill district of Glasgow – many of his contemporaries would have been in ‘digs’ with families they didn’t know – Bonner was nonetheless naturally homesick. He had left behind a close-knit family in the small fishing village of Burtonport, Co. Donegal, and was particularly missing the company of his twin brother, Denis. When he most needed a comforting, re-assuring arm around his shoulders, Sean Fallon provided it.

  “He was always looking out for me. He’d regularly invite me to his house for Sunday lunch, and I got to know his family really well. We had a great relationship,” Bonner confides.

“I never knew him as a coach or a manager, but I knew him as a man, a really good man. He was a real Irish man, and you could see those Irish qualities, particularly when it came to his family, who he adored. He was always the one who seemed to be picking me up and dropping me off wherever I was going.

“He knew my dad had died at a relatively young age and that there were six of us at home, so he was always asking after my mother and siblings. I remember when his own daughter, a doctor, went abroad to work for a short while, Sean was devastated because she was the first to go and he missed her so much. There were tears in his eyes. He could identify with that, and I suppose that’s why he looked out for all the young lads away from home at Celtic.”

Bonner also witnessed Fallon’s immortal devotion to his home town.

“God, he never stopped talking about Sligo,” he reveals. “The late Celtic manager, Tommy Burns, told me once how they had gone to play Finn Harps in a friendly match in Ballybofey, and Sean insisted they stop off at Rosses Point for a round of golf on the way home. Tommy said he was like a little boy showing off a new toy, he was so proud to show them the beauty of his home county.”

Sean T Fallon would be familiar with that trait in his late father, who gathered his young family into a packed people carrier every summer, sailing from Stranraer to Larne or Liverpool to Dublin, and then driving on to Sligo.

“That was our summer holiday every year. We took a house from Johnny McGonigle in Rosses Point, we’d go swimming in the sea, play golf, visit our grandparents in St. Anne’s and, always, the Holy Well.  Dad could have taken us abroad for holidays, but he never wanted to be anywhere but Sligo, and he instilled that in all of us. Myself and my five sisters still come back as often as we can,” Fallon confirms.

Being the only son of a famous football man had other benefits, too, of course, as Sean T explains: “I’d sometimes be allowed on the team bus, that was great fun. I remember once Lou Macari, who my dad had signed for Celtic, coming to our house and giving me a pair of boots he’d just worn in a testimonial game between Celtic and Manchester United.

“On another occasion, I was at a pro-am golf tournament with dad when Sean Connery, 007 himself, came over for a chat. Later, he wrote dad a lovely letter on specially headed notepaper, and I sneaked it out and copied down the phone number. I went into school next day boasting that I had James Bond’s personal number!”

Another of Fallon’s life-long friends was Sir Alex Ferguson. The pair had met when Falllon was at his peak, Assistant Manager to Jock Stien in charge of an all-conquering Celtic team, and Ferguson was a rookie boss, cutting his managerial teeth. Fallon, perhaps seeing something of himself in the ambitious, working- class young man from Glasgow’s tough Govan area, became a willing and valuable mentor. More than thirty years later, Ferguson, then a global football legend, travelled to Sligo as guest speaker at a function to honour Fallon’s career. When Fallon died in January, 2013, Ferguson broke away from a Manchester United trip abroad to deliver a touching eulogy at his friend’s funeral.

Former RTE Northern Editor, the late Tommie Gorman, who was the last journalist to interview Fallon for an RTE Nationwide programme only days before his sudden death, had a first-hand view of the strong friendship between the two football greats. 

In 2012, Ferguson was in Belfast at an event honouring United’s Munich air disaster survivor, Harry Gregg, and the strict official line was that there would be no Press interviews. When Gorman got word through that his request was for a tribute to Fallon, the access policy changed and Ferguson readily made himself available to talk about his old friend. 

A few months later, on the day of Fallon’s funeral, Ferguson sought Gorman out.

“He quietly called me aside because he knew I had been involved in what was Sean’s final interview,” Gorman later recalled.  “We sat into his car, and we chatted about Sean Fallon, the family man, the football man. Ferguson was keen to know what sort of form his friend had been in during those last days of his life. He really cared about him. You could sense the depth of their friendship.”

Sean Fallon played as a full-back and centre-forward for Celtic from 1950 to 1958, making a total of 254 appearances, winning a Scottish League and two Scottish Cup medals, and earning eight caps for the Republic of Ireland.  During one game, at a time before substitutes were allowed, he went off injured only to return and complete the game with his arm in a sling, thus earning him the immortal “Iron Man” nickname.

Those who knew him as a youngster in Sligo would not have been surprised by such athleticism, as he had been a keen swimmer, boxer, Gaelic footballer and soccer player in his youth. He famously scored two goals for Sligo against Kerry in a 1948 National League game, one of the few GAA matches ever to be staged in the Showgrounds.  A baker by profession, he played locally for McArthurs and Distillery and always retained a fondness for those formative years. 

He played for Longford Town, Sligo Rovers and Glenavon before making the move to full-time football with Celtic, where he soon became a firm favourite, initially as a fearless player and later as coach, assistant manager and chief scout.

More than half of Celtic’s European Cup winning team had been recruited by Fallon. Lisbon Lions such as Bertie Auld, Ronnie Simpson, Tommie Gemmill, John Craig, and Bobby Murdoch had all been unearthed and tutored by the Sligoman. Later, a new generation of Celtic greats, players of the calibre of David Hay, Danny McGrain, Lou Macari, Kenny Dalglish, Paul McStay and Packie Bonner came through the Fallon production line. Two players with lasting links to the history of Sligo Rovers, Willie McStay and the late Pat McCluskey, were others signed for Celtic by Fallon.

Honoured as a Freeman of his native Sligo, Fallon’s last public act for his beloved Celtic was to unfurl the league winners’ flag at Parkhead during the club’s 125^th anniversary season in 2012. He died a much-loved man in January, 2013, survived by his wife, Myra, five daughters and a son.

His old pal, Alex Ferguson, summed him up perfectly in his eulogy at his funeral Mass in the Church of Christ the King, King’s Park, Glasgow: “It’s very difficult for people who are successful to remain humble. It’s a touch of greatness. Sean always had that greatness.”

*This article was first published in the book, LOCAL HEROES: A CELEBRATION OF SLIGO SPORT by Jim Gray and Leo Gray.