Latest news with #Ringmahon
Irish Examiner
19 hours ago
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Ringmahon Rangers to receive separate sum from Brentford following Caomhín Kelleher move
Ringmahon Rangers will be paid a separate six-figure sum by Brentford following their former player Caoimhín Kelleher's €15m transfer from Liverpool. Astute negotiating by the Cork grassroots club a decade ago ensured they would benefit to the tune of 20% if the goalkeeper was sold by the Reds. That situation unfolded this week after Kelleher opted to leave the Premier League champions with a year left on his contract, thereby activating the clause brokered by his schoolboy club. Ringmahon's minimum share of €3m will likely rise when the 26-year-old reaches milestones around appearances and league position, triggering add-ons. Liverpool are responsible for honouring that bilateral agreement but Ringmahon are now due money from the buying club under Fifa's statute called solidarity payments. This stipulates that 5% of every transfer fee is ringfenced for clubs the player trained with in a different country between the ages of 12 and 23. That amounts to €750,000 in this case. Ringmahon are entitled to the monies up to 16 when Kelleher left for his professional career at Liverpool – around €250,000. As the Blackrock native spent a brief five-month spell at Rockmount, Ringmahon agreed to disperse 20% of their sell-on, €600,000, of the main largesse. They will also receive a minor cut of the sum due through the Fifa route. Should, as expected, Kelleher be sold by Brentford before his five-year contract lapses, the same procedure applies. For instance, due to Nathan Collins playing all his underage football at Cherry Orchard before joining Stoke City at 16, they have profited from the €65m cumulative transfers he's been involved in to Burnley, Wolves and Brentford. Orchard hatched a sell-on with Stoke for a lower percentage than Ringmahon's but the solidarity income swelled their windfall.
New York Times
2 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
How Caoimhin Kelleher landed an Irish grassroots club a cash windfall that could last ‘100 years'
The Red Cove Inn will be busy tonight if Ringmahon Rangers win their final game of the campaign. Ringmahon are an Irish grassroots club, based in the southside of Cork. They play in the Munster Senior League — the Republic of Ireland's third tier of football — and it has been quite the season. Tonight, they are aiming to secure a 10th trophy of the season at adult level when they face local rivals Avondale United in yet another cup final. Advertisement Ray O'Mahony, Ringmahon's club sponsor of 25 years and owner of the Red Cove Inn, a 10-minute walk from their pitch near the shore of Lough Mahon, is preparing for a night of celebration. Yet for once, the football will not be the main topic. With former Ringmahon youngster Caoimhin Kelleher moving to Brentford from Premier League champions Liverpool this week, the club are set to receive the biggest-ever sell-on windfall for an Irish outfit, and it's the story everyone is talking about. Kelleher has put this little-known club on the map, but it was the smart thinking of club secretary Sean Fitzgerald, who insisted on inserting a 20 per cent sell-on clause when the goalkeeper moved to Liverpool for a modest five-figure sum in 2015, that has made a real difference. Congratulations to Caoimhin Kelleher who officially signed for @LFC last night well done to Caoimhin & his family — Ringmahon Rangers (@RingmahonRanger) April 16, 2015 Both Fitzgerald and his chairman, Paul Higgins, told The Athletic that they are waiting for further information from Liverpool before finding out the exact amount they stand to receive. But given Kelleher joined Brentford for an initial £12.5million ($16.9m) potentially rising to £18m, it will eclipse the record previously set when Shamrock Rovers received around €2m (£1.7m; $2.3m) of the fee Southampton paid Manchester City for Gavin Bazunu in 2022. Sean says passionately that the money is going to be life-changing for a club of its size. 'This money is going to be there for my kids, and my kids' kids and then hopefully for the next 100 years,' he says. Funds are likely to be allocated towards bolstering facilities at Ringmahon Park, with a full-size artificial pitch expected to go alongside the nine-a-side pitch that was installed in 2022. To do that, the club needs to obtain extra land and will first have to discuss plans with the local council. Advertisement 'It's going to take some time,' Fitzgerald adds. 'Some people think that the money will just land in the account and then we can start building everything around the pitch, but it won't be like that. It will be for our academy, for our five-year-olds in the future, so all the young boys and girls can have the best facilities in the future.' Ringmahon Rangers were founded in 1951 by a group of friends who kicked balls around the streets of Mahon's housing estate. Sean's father John — then aged 14 — played in the first ever team and later became secretary, holding the role for 60 years. 'We're a really close community who have got each other's backs,' says Sean. 'Ringmahon is the focal point, where you go at 8am in the morning at the weekend and see kids who will still be there until 10pm at night. Ray, who runs the pub, is a real gentleman. He'll always host opponents and make sure the kids have food so the adults can enjoy their Guinness.' Kelleher, who came from a quiet family, played most of his underage football at the club, which now caters for male and female teams, from under-7s to seniors. His back story is well told — he started as a centre-forward at Ringmahon, where he scored 20 to 30 goals a season before becoming a goalkeeper at the age of 14 after the first-choice decided at short notice that he did not want to play for his team anymore. Another box ticked for former Ringer Caoimhin Kelleher tonight. Handed the captains armband in tonights @LFC game . What an unbelievable footballing journey he is on,and long may it continue. Massive congratulations from everyone at the club to Caoimhin and his family. — Ringmahon Rangers (@RingmahonRanger) September 27, 2023 The rise from there was rapid and Fitzgerald started taking calls from a host of English clubs who noticed his talent. Kelleher trained at Blackburn Rovers and Aston Villa but by the time Manchester United came along, they were too late — much to the amusement of Fitzgerald, a Liverpool fan who was able to haggle with the club he supported for what proved to be a modest fee of just £30,000. Advertisement Inserted into the deal were clauses around international debuts and other performance-related metrics. The sums received since have helped contribute towards an extension of the clubhouse as well as the upgrading of grass pitches, but no doubt this next windfall will be the most beneficial. Fitzgerald, who works as a volunteer at the club alongside his day job as a pipe fitter welder, recalls the time when he was negotiating with Liverpool. 'My boss was a mad soccer man and he knew what was going on, so he used to let me go to the toilet or out to the car on my lunch break so I could send emails,' he laughs. 'I was back and forth with Liverpool for two weeks until they came back and said, 'We'll sign the contract and just get it over with.' Looking back, jeez, I did okay.' Both Fitzgerald and Higgins say the interest in the club this week has been overwhelming. Ringmahon Rangers has produced a number of other players, including Sunderland's Alan Browne and the two Umeh brothers — Franco, who plays at Crystal Palace, and Jaden, who is on the books at Portuguese club Benfica — yet nothing compares to the publicity gained from Kelleher's rise. It's a club at the heart of the community and brings the small parish in Cork together. This is especially the case after such a successful season. The seniors have reached the final of every cup competition they entered, and the junior teams — coached by former players — have also won a stack of trophies. 'The only problem with the great season and all these celebrations are the hangovers that follow,' Sean said, laughing. 'It's not easy telling my wife that we have a final every week!' Tonight, though, the celebrations will be on a whole other level, regardless of the result against Avondale.
The Journal
3 days ago
- Business
- The Journal
Ex-Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher completes permanent move to Brentford
LAST UPDATE | 56 mins ago CAOIMHÍN KELLEHER has completed a move to Premier League side Brentford from Liverpool. Shortly after Brentford confirmed the exit of their Dutch international 'keeper Mark Flekken to Bayer Leverkusen, the club announced the arrival of Kelleher. Kelleher has signed a five-year contract at Brentford, with the option of a further year. The reported transfer fee is an initial £12.5 million (€14.8 million) that may rise to £18 million (€21.3 million) if a series of performance-related add-ons are reached. Kelleher's schoolboy club Ringmahon Rangers are due a windfall thanks to a 20% sell-on clause brokered with Liverpool. The club do not yet know precisely what they will earn and when it will be paid, as it depends on the size and the structure of the deal agreed between Liverpool and Brentford. A portion of their windfall will also be owed to Kelleher's former club, Rockmount. Based on reported figures, Ringmahon's windfall could be between €2.5 million and just shy of €3 million. 'I'm buzzing, I'm really happy to be here,' said 26-year-old Kelleher. 'I don't think it was very difficult for me to leave [Liverpool]. I felt for my own career that the time was right for me to go, to be a no.1 and to play every week. 'I heard of some interest a number of weeks ago. Once I knew Brentford was in for me, it was definitely one I was really excited about and wanted to do as quickly as possible. Advertisement 'I like the way the manager and the coaching staff go about their ways. It seems like a really close, tight knit, family club. They've got a really good track record of improving and developing players which is really what's drawn me to the club.' Kelleher joined Liverpool from Ringmahon when he was 17, and made his first-team debut under Jurgen Klopp in an EFL Cup tie in 2019, having been an unused substitute in the Champions League final over Tottenham earlier that year. Kelleher was also part of the Liverpool squad that won the Premier League in 2019/20, though did not make a league appearance. He made Premier League and Champions League debuts for Liverpool the following season, and scored the winning penalty in the 2022 Carabao Cup final shootout victory over Chelsea. He also played all of the victorious 2024 final win over the same opponents, but tasted defeat in last season's decider against Newcastle. Though unable to dislodge first-choice 'keeper Alisson Becker, Kelleher was an able deputy during the Brazilian's injury absences, and he played 10 games in each of the last two seasons, thus playing an important role in Liverpool's league title victory last season. He also saved a Kylian Mbappe penalty in a long-awaited 2-0 victory over Real Madrid in the league phase of the Champions League. Kelleher made 67 senior appearances at Anfield, winning a record four penalty shootouts as a Liverpool player, the most of any 'keeper in the club's history. Klopp described Kelleher as the 'best number two in the world', but across the last two seasons, Kelleher made no secret of his desire to establish himself as a number one, either at Liverpool or elsewhere. His Anfield days were numbered from the moment Liverpool signed Giorgi Mamardashvili from Valencia last summer on a deal that sees the Georgian international arrive this summer. Kelleher might have left Liverpool a year ago, but the club rejected a late offer from Nottingham Forest. He ultimately stayed to pick up another major medal, before moving to the side that finished ninth in the Premier League last season. Written by Gavin Cooney and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won't find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women's sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here .
RTÉ News
3 days ago
- Business
- RTÉ News
Ringmahon set for €3million windfall from Kelleher move
Cork amateur soccer club Ringmahon Rangers are in line for a reported €3million payday with their former goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher on the verge of a move from Liverpool to Brentford. Kelleher came up through the age grades at Ringmahon and eventually lined out for their senior team before making the move to Liverpool in 2015. The Cork club are understood to have agreed a 20% sell-on fee with Liverpool when Kelleher moved to Merseyside and are set for a windfall payment in the coming days. With Kelleher now poised to switch from Liverpool to Brentford for an initial €16million, potentially rising to €21.3million with add-on fees, Ringmahon are set to receive what would be the largest ever sell-on payment received by an Irish club. That payment would eclipse the €2million Shamrock Rovers got from Gavin Bazunu's move from Manchester City to Southampton. The 26-year-old, who has a year left on his contract at Anfield, played over a quarter of the champions' Premier League matches this season when first choice Alisson Becker was injured. His move away from the Merseyside club has been heavily reported, with Giorgi Mamardashvili joining the club in July after Liverpool confirmed the signature of the Valencia keeper last summer. The switch to west London comes with 31-year-old Bees keeper Mark Flekken set to join Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen. Kelleher's initial journey from Ringmahon to Liverpool is the kind of move that can no longer happen, following Brexit. Since the UK left the European Union, Premier League clubs are no longer allowed to sign players from the EU before the player turns 18, as is the case under FIFA rules, and young players must also meet a strict criteria in order to move.
Irish Examiner
4 days ago
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Ringmahon Rangers to receive a record €3m of Caoimhín Kelleher's transfer fee
Cork club Ringmahon Rangers are set for the biggest-ever sell-on windfall for an Irish outfit as Caoimhín Kelleher's transfer banks them a guaranteed €3m. The goalkeeper played most of his underage football at the grassroots club on the south side of the city which caters for 42 teams, male and female, from under 7s to senior grade. Kelleher is in London to complete his transfer from Liverpool to Brentford today for an initial fee of €16m. Read More Jake O'Brien tips fellow Corkman Caoimhín Kelleher to excel at Brentford When the 26-year-old moved to Merseyside a decade ago, Ringmahon brokered a 20% sell-on clause. The largesse – of which 20% cascades to the Corkman's first club Rockmount – trumps previous amounts grossed by Irish clubs for sell-ons. Shamrock Rovers received around €2m of the fee Southampton paid Manchester City for Gavin Bazunu in 2022, two years ago after their rivals Bohemians got a €1.7m cut from Matt Doherty's transfer from Wolves to Tottenham Hotspur. Also part of the Kelleher deal were incremental payments such as Ireland caps which had earned around €150,000 but this blockbuster windfall will set the club up financially for decades. The club have declined to comment until the transfer is completed but it's understood they intend to allocate funds towards bolstering their facilities at Ringmahon Park. Members of the hugely successful U12 girls team who won the U12 Premier Division pictured with their coach Lyndsey Horgan, Caoimhin Kelleher and John Kavanagh Since their establishment in 1951, ambitions existed to develop their home base and the latest additions included an extension of dressing-rooms to cater for their girls' teams. Last year's sports capital grant of €109,700 facilitated the installation of full floodlights on the senior pitch. There's every chance now that the 9-aside astro pitch installed in 2022 will be added to a full-size artificial surface. That €3m payout will likely rise once clarity is provided around the add-ons included in the transfer. Another €8m is payable to Liverpool subject to certain milestones such as appearances, of which Ringmahon would be entitled to 20%. Fifa statutes set out mandatory percentages of transfer fees payable between clubs under training and compensation but grassroots outfits are free to hatch their own private terms.
