Sligo Rovers senior and Under-19 players competed in a match in The Showgrounds on Saturday.

Photos by James Fallon

Manchester United are the most popular team selection this week with 9 of the remaining 14 players selecting them. They play Afc Bournemouth at home today at 3 pm

3 players have selected Chelsea to beat Watford. The remaining two teams have selected Leicester who are at home to Crystal Palace.

Sligo Rovers chairmen Tommy Higgins believes the entire football club has been lifted by the response of the Bit O’ Red Supporters Trust GoFundMe.

Over €50,000 has been donated to the Trust in a two-day period.

It began in the immediate aftermath of the Rovers management committee’s decision to return to play. 

The chairman said: “We have been watching it in amazement because it is extraordinary.

“I have to say it has lifted us all. When we made the decision to return this season, it was taking a step into the unknown, with the only thing certain that we were beginning a huge challenge to us all. 

“This is the start we needed in terms of funding but it also means a lot in terms of what it says. 

“We will not lay down, the supporters are with us every step of the way and it shows the connection that is there with the public and alumni of the club. 

“I have to congratulate and thank the Supporters Trust and in particular Gerard O’Connor who has driven it tirelessly in 48 hours. To know we have such dedicated supporters working behind us means the world to us all.”

Addressing the next four months, he added: “As we said in our statement, there is a significant gap in funding in what we need and what came out of the summits with the FAI and other clubs.

“We will need our Annual Draw to get some traction and the Bit O’ Red Wall later in the year. But I also hope that we can generate more revenue in other areas. 

“We are hopeful we can have some supporters at our matches and as the season goes on, we’d like to have even more if possible. We are going to look at all of that at our next committee meeting. The logistics are obviously very important and the initial guideline of crowds of 500 includes all the players, teams and officials so that all must come into equation. If it isn’t safe or feasible to have supporters in the ground, then we will take that decision. Finance won’t come into the equation. 

“The streaming service will be very good from what I’m told and it will mean every match can be streamed live for supporters who can’t attend. The FAI are working on that so we wait for that announcement.

“It remains an evolving situation and it will continue to be based around the national approach to Covid-19. We are at the heart of the community and we will not do anything that could endanger it.”

The chairman also confirmed that all of our foreign based players are now back in the country. 

Under guidelines they will train in isolation.

“Liam has been liasing with the FAI medical team on the situation and the management team are putting in more sessions to accommodate the five players that arrived this week. 

“They will be a complete group in two weeks’ time. We are fully behind our management staff and players. They have all played their part in getting The Showgrounds back open. 

“They will prepare for the next four weeks and we’re going to be with them throughout, doing all we can.”

The Bit O’ Red Supporters Trust link is here 

https://www.gofundme.com/f/sligo-rovers-the-fight-for-survival?utm_source=customer&utm_campaign=m_pd+share-sheet&utm_medium=cop

Sligo Rovers manager Liam Buckley says the next 30 days will be about gearing the club up for a challenge that must be overcome as €30,000 was fundraised by supporters in a day.

The Bit O’ Red Supporters Trust started a GoFundMe to help the club for the rest of the season at 6pm yesterday, and the response has been incredible.The initial target was cleared in 23 hours, including €2,500 from Mark Feehily of Westlife

Liam Buckley said: “A week ago the club made the decision to return to play. It wasn’t an easy one I know. Everyone has rowed in together to get there.

“The players are delighted to be coming back, the management team are delighted, the club are delighted that we can all look forward to games. That is the big positive that we will be back playing games.”

Buckley said of €30,000 being fundraised in 24 hours.

“It sends a message, it tells you what the club means here and the feeling on the ground here. We’re all in this together. It is just incredible what people do here for this club. 

“This has been a very difficult period for everyone. We’ve got a job to do and we’re going to give it absolutely everything.”

The total is now €42,000 on Friday morning with the next target of €50,000 in sight.

The donation link is here 

The Bit O’ Red Supporters Trust have set up a fund for the club for a resume to play.

€5,000 was raised within three hours

To donate go here

Sligo Rovers can confirm that the club will return to play following extensive meetings with the Football Association of Ireland and our fellow League of Ireland clubs.

The decision has been reached following lengthy discussions within the management committee and taken in the belief of what is best for the future of the football club.

The Bit O’ Red wishes to state that from the outset of this crisis that it has been our target to return to playing this season.

It also became clear that Sligo Rovers would be the club hit hardest by the Covid-19 crisis as our fundraising (€500,000 in 2019) and gate receipts (at highest level in seven years last year) have been decimated. This forms 70% of our annual budget.

We have accepted a financial package, which, in truth, will still leave a massive strain on the football club and also required a compromise from all parties involved.  

We want to acknowledge that our management team, our players, administration staff and the wider Sligo Rovers community have all played their part in encouraging the decision to return.

Not returning to this season would leave us in a position that we may not have been able to recover from. It would leave the club with debts that could not be overcome.

That was the defining factor in reaching this decision.

We have consulted with some supporter groups, including the Bit O ‘Red Supporters Trust, who will help facilitate a GoFundMe page to help with costs.

Click here for that.

We will also launch our Annual Draw, with a change in ticket sale policy to be compliant with Covid-19. The Bit O’ Red Wall Stage 2 will also commence.

The financial challenge is significant and requires a high level of support but the alternative is much worse. 

Our first-team players returned to training and employment this week.

Our underage players will soon follow. In the last number of years the people of Sligo have built a football club that completely defied the environment imposed on us by the former regime in the FAI.

We have a home that is a hub in our community, we have one of the outstanding football facilities in the league, and a shared bond and love of our club and the game.

The next few months will be about ensuring we hold on to all those things.

An update on attending matches and streaming will follow next month.

Our club’s history is filled with a steely determination to survive all the challenges thrown our way. We have never given up in over 90 years, we have defied logic and our best days have come from it.

On the pitch, we face a massive challenge in 14 matches left to play in the season.  But it was the only scenario in which we could return.

This format proposed today was of particular disappointment to the club and is something we sternly object to. We believe it is grossly unfair, unjust and do not see the matter as concluded.

We will be having further discussions on this issue with relevant parties.

From today we will regroup, we will rally together and take on the next 16 weeks with the resilience that has got us this far as a football club.

We thank everyone for their support in recent months and look forward to returning to the pitch on 31 July.

Sligo Rovers Management Committee

Arsenal makes up the majority of this weeks picks with 13 of the remaining 17 players believing that they will beat Norwich at The Emirates. Two players selected Chelsea, who are away to West Ham United. The remaining two players chose Manchester United and Tottenham.

Good luck to all entrants

Last man standing continues this evening with all 20 teams playing in midweek fixtures.

Leicester, Manchester United, Tottenham and Wolves are the most popular picks amongst the remaining players.

Our Last Man Standing competition enters week 3 this weekend with all remaining players selections posted below.

Man City is the most popular pick with 16 players selecting them ahead of their home tie versus Burnley. 4 players have selected Chelsea who is away to Aston Villa, while 3 players have gone for Leicester.

The remaining two players have selected Afc Bournemouth and Everton