We host Cork City tonight at 7.45pm at The Showgrounds in the Men’s Premier Division.

We outline all our Match Night information below:

Turnstiles:

Turnstiles open from 6.30pm.

All Children Under 12 must be accompanied by a paying adult. This is non-negotiable and it is the responsibility of parents and guardians to ensure their children are accompanied arriving to The Showgrounds and throughout the night.

All Children over the age of 12 must enter via the last turnstile on the left hand side which will be sign posted ‘Over 12’s’. This new turnstile is for Juveniles only and here they must pay €10 for entry. Tickets should be bought online in advance via the following link: https://srfcdirect.com/match-tickets/ Only if tickets are not sold out, we will accept cash or card on the turnstiles.

Please have your tickets ready for scanning to ensure a smooth and quick entry process. Any duplicate tickets will be refused and may lead to stadium bans for those in possession of one. Tickets will only scan once per game.

Away tickets are also still available online via the link above. All away fans must buy online in advance.

Seating:

Seating is first come, first served in all areas of the ground. Seats with names on them must be respected as these are Gold Season Ticket members who have paid for their seat to be reserved all season. Anyone found sitting in a seat that is not theirs will be asked to move.

Security:

Members of our security team will carry out on the spot checks on bags and persons entering the ground. Alcohol and Pyrotechnics are not allowed and will be confiscated on entry. We ask supporters to please help the club in this regard and refrain from attempting to get in with any prohibited items.

CCTV:

CCTV is again in operation throughout the evening using our CCTV system. The system was instrumental in the club being able to utilise footage from previous anti-social behaviour and, in turn issue this to Gardai and serve stadium bans to some supporters. Security personnel and An Garda Siochaina will be monitoring the system and anyone found to be behaving in a way which contravenes our ground rules will be removed and banned from attending future games.

Car Parking:

There are limited spaces available at The Showgrounds astro turf car park. This will be closed once full, which is expected to be early in the evening. Supporters should note the club have come to an agreement with Nazareth House for official Match Night use of their grounds which has over 200 parking spaces. There is a charge of €2, with proceeds towards the upkeep of their grounds.

Flares:

Leave your flares at home. These are not wanted and anyone found with flares will be banned from attending future matches. These cause needless fines for the club, money which is raised by our volunteers and fellow supporters.

Pitch:

It is an offence to enter the field of play at any stage. This includes children. It is parent/guardian’s responsibility to ensure children do not encroach on the pitch at any time.

We thank you for your co-operation

Sligo Rovers host Cork City on Saturday night at The Showgrounds (7.45pm).

The game is the second of a double-header of home games this week after Rovers defeated St. Patrick’s Athletic 2-1 on Monday night.

Fabrice Hartmann’s winner was enough to earn John Russell’s side all three points after Pat’s Midfielder Chris Forrester cancelled out Reece Hutchinson’s first half goal.

John Mahon will be suspended for the game with Cork City after he was shown a straight red card having been deemed to deny a goalscoring opportunity for Saints striker Tommy Lonergan.

Cork City had an impressive 4-4 draw away to Shamrock Rovers on Monday night in Tallaght after a convincing 4-0 win over UCD at Turners Cross last Friday.

Sligo Rovers boss John Russell was delighted with his sides performance on Monday:

‘’I was delighted with the performance on Monday night. It was important for us to bounce back after our defeat in Drogheda.

‘’The players showed great character to go on and win the game after we went down to 10 men.

‘’The two goals we scored were of real quality and it showed the potential we have in this group. It’s important we continue to work hard and build on this performance and result’’.

The Bit O’ Red have played two home games so far in 2023 with a point against Shamrock Rovers on the opening day in front of a sell-out crowd at The Showgrounds followed by Monday’s impressive win. The atmosphere at both games has proved vital for the team on the pitch and Russell hopes to replicate that atmosphere for the third time in a row:

‘’Tomorrow night we face a Cork City side full of confidence, and a team who have scored 8 goals in their last two games. They have good players all over the pitch so, we know it’s going to be a tough game.

‘’We want to make The Showgrounds a fortress this season. The supporters have come out in their numbers for our first two home games and the atmosphere was electric. The players really fed off that energy so we’re hoping for another big turnout, and a big performance.

In team news, Rovers are without the suspended John Mahon as well as Garry Buckley, Gary Boylan and Mark Byrne who remain injured.

Lukas Browning missed Monday’s game with illness but is back in the squad and other than that, there are no concerns for Russell.

Supporters are urged to buy tickets online in advance of the game to avoid disappointment.

You can buy your tickets now via the link below:

https://srfcdirect.com/match-tickets/

We are delighted to announce that on April 22nd at our home game with UCD, we will be inviting Ukrainian families living in the area to the game as guests of the club.

Transport will be arranged to and from The Showgrounds from host Accommodation centres and all Children will receive a free Sligo Rovers gift.

Further details will follow through accommodation centres.

Any enquiries can be sent to srfcdirect@gmail.com

Any local businesses who wish to get involved in this are also encouraged to contact the club on the email address above.

Ми раді вітати наших українських друзів на The Showgrounds 🇺🇦

Sligo Rovers make the journey to Wexford this weekend for a joust with hosts Wexford Youths Women in the second round of the Women’s Premier Division.

The Bit O’Red made an encouraging start to the new season despite a narrow defeat by a highly-regarded Shamrock Rovers side at The Showgrounds in a game that attracted the largest crowd of the opening round of action with 753 spectators enjoying the action.

A draw looked the most likely result until Republic of Ireland international Aine O’Gorman headed a 92nd minute winner to claim a 2-1 victory for the Dublin side after Shauna Fox (Shamrock Rovers) and Emma Hansberry traded goals early in each half.

Wexford made the trip to Galway for round one and claimed a 1-0 victory with Ciara Rossiter finishing to the net in the 80th minute in a tight encounter.

Wexford manager Stephen Quinn added some quality to his panel for 2023 with Emily Corbet joining from Athlone Town and Abbie Brophy recruited from Bohemian FC along with Republic of Ireland international Rianna Jarrett who her first appearance for the club since 2019 after joining from London City Lionesses.

Sligo Rovers manager Steve Feeney will be looking forward to the challenge of tackling a Wexford side that the Bit O’Red defeated at the Showgrounds last season and although disappointed with the first-round defeat, he will be able to take plenty of positives for the challenge that his players will face at Ferrycarrig Park.

TEAMS LAST WEEKEND

Sligo Rovers – Amy Mahon; Alice Lillie, Amy Roddy, Keela Scanlon, Sarah Kiernan, Leah Kelly, Emma Hansberry, Lauren Boles, Katie Melly, Emma Doherty, Casey Howe.

Subs – Jodie Loughrey for Melly 65 mins, Keri Loughrey for Kelly 70m, Helen Monaghan for Howe 86m

Manager – Steve Feeney.

Wexford – Maeve Williams; Orlaith Conlon, Meabh Russell, Nicola Sinnott; Abbie Brophy, Aoibheann Clancy, Michaela Lawrence, Kylie Murphy, Ciara Rossiter, Emily Corbet, Rianna Jarrett.

Subs – Freya DeMange for Lawrence 70 mins, Orlaith Deasy for Corbet 85m, Ceola Bergin for Rossiter 90m.

Manager – Stephen Quinn.

Kick-off is at 6pm and the game is available on LOITV

This weekend there are four games across Saturday and Sunday for our Bit O’ Red Academy teams.

Both our Under 17 and 19 Men’s teams have no fixtures.

Our Under 14 side take on Athlone Town away from home on Saturday at Noon. The lads are looking to make it three wins in a row at the start of their season.

Our Under 17 Womens team host Athlone Town at 1pm at The Sean Fallon Centre also on Saturday, with free admission for all supporters.

Sunday sees our Under 15 side also take on the Midlanders in Athlone Town Stadium at 12pm under the guidance of Manager Darryl Keaney.

Darragh Healy’s Under 19 Womens team travel to take on Shamrock Rovers at Roadstone at 3pm on Sunday in their second game of the new season following last week’s win over Athlone Town.

Updates will be on our Social Media platforms all weekend.

Well done to Under 19 Men’s players Niall Holahan and Eli Rooney who were part of the Ireland School’s side who were narrowly beaten by Wales on Thursday night. Both players started the game and Eli was on the scoresheet.

Sligo Rovers are delighted to announce the appointment of Alan Murphy as Head of Performance of our Senior Women’s team.

Murphy was most recently Manager of Galway FC who were part of the league last season before their amalgamation with Galway United for 2023 and beyond.

The experienced coach has been a League of Ireland player previously before moving into coaching after retiring from playing.

Murphy was over the Connacht Schools team for a number of years.

Manager Steve Feeney is delighted to have Alan on board:

‘’This is a great appointment for us ahead of the new season.

‘’Alan knows the League having managed in it last season and he will prove to be an important part of the staff here this season.

‘’Alan will mostly look at opposition games and work closely with the playing squad throughout the season, helping the players develop in all areas of their game’’.

With the 2023 season now underway, Murphy is hard alongside Steve Feeney and the Bit O’ Red backroom team.

The Bit O’ Red host Peamount United next Saturday, March 18th at 5pm at The Showgrounds and we want a huge crowd to turn out and support the Women’s team.

Admission is just €5 with tickets available on the turnstiles.

Sligo Rovers are delighted to join the We Are Breastfeeding Friendly Sligo Initiative.

We’re Breastfeeding Friendly Sligo is funded by the Healthy Ireland Fund supported by the Department of Health and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and hosted by Lifestart Supporting Parents.

Sligo Rovers, as always is a fully inclusive club and we are thrilled to support this campaign.

Former Sligo Rovers striker Marcus Hallows, now an Elvis Tribute Act is coming to Sligo to celebrate the club’s 25th Anniversary of our 1998 League Cup triumph

The 1998 squad will be at our game with Shelbourne that weekend as part of their reunion.

Hallows was part of the team that defeated Shelbourne over two legs in the decider at The Showgrounds and Tolka Park respectively.

Doors open at 7pm and tickets are priced at €15 per person with all funds going to Sligo Rovers.

Tickets can be bought now online at https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/i-am-elvis-tribute-act-tickets-549071135547

Greg Bolger played a crucial role for Sligo Rovers in Monday night’s 2-1 Premier Division victory against St Patrick’s Athletic. He missed last Friday night’s game in Drogheda, but got through an hour of dynamic play on Monday night. Greg was featured in an interview with Conall Collier in our Monday night matchnight programme.

THE INTERVIEW:

Now, in his third season with the Bit O’Red since arriving at the Showgrounds for the start of the 2021 season, Greg Bolger has a reputation as a no-nonsense type of player.

Greg finished the 2020 season on the sideline having sustained a broken leg with his previous club, Shamrock Rovers, but he was happy to get the chance to play for then Sligo Rovers manager Liam Buckley.

“I was with Liam Buckley at Sporting Fingal, but that didn’t last too long, Liam contacted me again after he got the job at St Pat’s and I always liked the way he tried to get his teams playing football,” commented Greg.

“He was a man I had great respect for, not just for his football ethos, but for things outside of football also.

“Liam was always one to look out for players, on and off the pitch, it was the same when he was here in Sligo, he wanted the players to be happy off the pitch as he felt that it would reflect on the performances on the pitch,” he added.

Looking back to his early years in Wexford, Greg cited the strength of the junior game in his native county and also his GAA exploits in Colleges’ football with Good Counsel as hugely influential in how he developed as a player and as an individual.

However, he credits his older brothers with helping to develop the competitive side of his game.

“I have a competitive streak, if I lose that then I wouldn’t be the same player if you know what I mean, it all comes down to the fact that I just want to win,” he stated.

“I suppose I can blame my two older brothers, Seamus and Tomás, for kicking the shit (can I say that) out of me, when I was growing up – you can’t really put that in, can you?

“I loved the GAA when I was playing it at secondary school, one thing about the Gaelic, it would certainly toughen you up a bit and that can be a great asset for playing in the League of Ireland.

“I wasn’t too bad at the Gaelic football either, I won a few Leinster Senior Football A Colleges medals with Good Counsel, but I never managed to make it to the All-Ireland final, we were beaten in a few All-Ireland semi-finals, but it was great experience at the time,” he added.

AND WHAT ABOUT THAT RELATIONSHIP WITH REFEREES?

I suggested to Greg that, perhaps, a referee might say to him before a game something along the lines of ‘Will I show you the yellow card now Greg, or will I wait until the game starts’ and he just laughed and commented:

“I’d say I have a good relationship with the referees, I talk to them a lot,” he admitted.

“You need to put yourself about sometimes, and sometimes I’d be on the receiving end of it, that’s the way it goes and I won’t be changing anything at this stage.”

EARLY DAYS:

Greg was a prominent young player in Wexford before there was even a League of Ireland side in the county.

“I played inter-league with Wexford at 16 and 17 and we had a lot of success, this was in the time before Wexford Youths joined the League of Ireland, I started out with New Ross Celtic and it sort of developed from there,” he said.

“The junior game in Wexford is very strong, I know North End Utd played Bohs a few weeks ago in the Leinster Senior Cup, that’s a good standard for those lads

“My local club, as I said, was New Ross Celtic and they enjoyed plenty of success at adult level when I was playing under-age, I eventually went to play with Cherry Orchard 17s and then went to UCD.

“Pete Mahon and Eddie Gormley recruited me for UCD, I was on one of the FAI FÁS Courses as they were called at the time and it developed from there, full-time football mixed with a bit of education.

“UCD always try to play the game the right way, lots of players come through UCD and then go to other League of Ireland clubs, I did it, plenty of others did it also.

“I played for the Republic of Ireland at u-19 level, Sean McCaffrey was the manager at the time, Sean knew his football and had a great way about him with the players. I also played for the u-23 home-based Republic of Ireland side on a couple of occasions.

“The way the League has gone now, it’s a young man’s game, you can see it, the opportunities that are there now, if a young player has a good season here then there’s the chance of a move across the water.

“Look around the League now and the average age of the players is a lot lower than when I started,” he recalled.

AND WHAT ABOUT SLIGO ROVERS

The club that is located at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, what about the prospects for this season and also for the future?

“I’m enjoying my time here in Sligo, I love the place, it’s great, except maybe for the weather sometimes,” he remarked.

“I’m doing a bit of coaching with the first team and also the under-age teams.

“My goal would be to stay in football as long as I can, it’s what I know best, I have always tried to learn something from the various managers I’ve met and now I’d like to be in a position to pass on some of that knowledge to the talented young players coming through the under-age ranks.

“I have the UEFA B badge and the next target would be the UEFA A, but as a player, I was very disappointed last season that we just missed out on a place in Europe.

“Apart from the financial benefits for the club, the European trips are great for the fans, for the supporters.

“I suppose the European games took a lot out of the players and that had an impact on our results in the League, we didn’t have the biggest squad, but you just have to get on with it and do the best you can.

“I know that the supporters really enjoyed last season’s Europa Conference League and we have to strive to make it again this season, it’s vital on so many fronts for the club.

“Look, we have to be challenging for a European place every year, obviously if you win the League, you are qualified and that’s the best way to do it, we have to target that.

“You look at the other teams, Shamrock Rovers, Derry City, they might be just slightly ahead of the rest of us in terms of strength-in-depth, but there isn’t a huge gap between the teams and it will be tight

“If we can produce consistent performances then we will give ourselves a chance, a club like Sligo Rovers should be in Europe every year,” he said.

THE SUPPORTERS AND VOLUNTEERS

Greg stated emphatically that he is very impressed by the people of Sligo, the supporters and club volunteers.

“Sligo Rovers, and more importantly I suppose, the people of Sligo and the wide network of supporters across the country, deserve great credit which they don’t always get, for sustaining the club and driving the club forward every season

“I didn’t realise what went on until I came to the club, how much of a big deal it is for everyone, the team off the pitch, by that I mean the committee, the countless volunteers and the wider groups of supporters, they all do a fantastic job and they deserve success, whether that’s winning the League, the FAI Cup, qualifying for Europe, it means a lot to so many people.

“You are kind of in a bit of a bubble going around clubs in the League of Ireland, I’ve been doing that for a good few years now, but what I see here in Sligo amongst the fans is a bit different, all the fundraising that goes on, all sorts of things.

“You know, there are no ‘big heads’ around the place, there are no big investors, it’s all down to the collective will of the supporters and that’s not lost on the players, you can see how much it means to everyone.       

“The longer you are here as a player, the more you realise just exactly what goes on to get the team on the pitch on a match night, that’s something that I certainly don’t take for granted. Putting it in simple terms, Sligo Rovers is a great club,” he stressed.

 JOHN RUSSELL

 Greg enjoyed success previously with current manager John Russell and is eager for more of that with Sligo Rovers.

“Myself and John (Russell) had great success at St Pat’s, winning the League, he knows football and now he’s on the sideline, but I’ll be doing my best on the pitch to make sure we get results for Sligo Rovers,” remarked Greg.

“John wants to do well for Sligo Rovers and he isn’t hesitant in any way at brining young players into the first team panel from the Academy.

“You can see the benefits from the work that Conor O’Grady and the other coaches do, the players who have come through, Ed McGinty, Johnny Kenny, John Mahon and more recently Sean McAteer, Cillian Heaney.

“I suppose it’s something that the FAI merits credit for, the Academy structure that has been developed over the last few years, it’s starting to pay dividends now in so many ways and the next goal has to be improved facilities.

“I was delighted to see that the club got planning permission for the development of the stadium, that’s great for the future and something that needs to be replicated across the League.

“Better facilities will benefit everyone, players, spectators, the image of the League, make the matchday experience memorable for all the right reasons, a family day out, that type of thing.

“There is a real European flavour this season around the club with various nationalities represented, they are all good people to have around the dressing room, but that’s down to John Russell’s ability to scout players in the first instance.

“Last season’s European campaign would have raised the profile of the club and now there’s a bit of a payback, but we need to sustain that European involvement.

“I think the spirit of the team was evident last season in the second leg against Viking, we really put it up to them, it was just so unfortunate that we got such a bad result in the first leg.

“But, a lot of the credit has to go to the supporters who really got behind us that night, what it really demonstrated is how important that level of support on a match night is,” he concluded.

Tickets for our next home game against Cork City on Saturday (March 11th) are now on sale.

This is a Category Two fixture with prices as follows:

Adult: €15

Senior Citizen/Third Level or Secondary School Student: €10

12 and Under: €5

The game has already been selling fast with high demand for tickets following last night’s impressive win over St. Patrick’s Athletic which was played in front of 2,751 supporters at The Showgrounds.

The easiest way to buy your ticket is online via the link below:

https://srfcdirect.com/match-tickets/

Tickets can also be purchased up to Friday in the club office at The Showgrounds from 10am to 4pm.