Ballybrack Seagulls was formed to give a home to die-hard fans of the Irish national team. For years previous, we as fans travelled away from home to watch our national team. Enjoying the adventure, the camaraderie and loyalty as one for our team. However when it came to home games we found ourselves scattered around Lansdowne Road. As likeminded positive people we felt the need to replicate the infectious energy found supporting Ireland on foreign soil and in some way try replicate it at home. Working closely with the FAI we agreed on an area of the new stadium and set out to bring family, friends, colleagues and likeminded individuals together. Within a short period of time Ballybrack Seagulls has surpassed any other supporters club and have to date amassed a gathering of 1100 yearly season ticket holders. With our strength in numbers our sole focus is to attempt to drive down the ticket pricing and to in turn make it as affordable and as accessible for the people of Ireland to attend the games. To date an overwhelming success.
As the Seagulls grew in strength new ideas came to the fore. During a walk on the high-line in Manhattan not far from the neighbourhood of Chelsea a football pitch became visible, behind the pitch was the world famous iconic New York City skyline. It got the Seagulls thinking. Can we bring our fellow members to a place like this to play football ourselves, be in charge of our own destiny for once and not solely at the hands of a UEFA or FIFA electronic fixture system? Can we bring our friends out of the stands and back onto the field where we all at one stage dreamed of playing in amazing venues worldwide? Most importantly can we do it together where all are welcome be them man, women or child in an environment that will allow those said Seagulls a chance to spread their wings and feel part of something? Become a movement, a team that only plays away in locations we want to visit. A team that can meet weekly outside the normal domain of a pub and put behind any demons or stress that have entered our heads and just simply play the game we love once again.
The idea was floated and met with mixed reaction, but it was decided that it was too good an opportunity to shelve so we ploughed on organized our first game against Manhattan Celtic in New York City for 16th March 2016. Slowly but surely the numbers came forward and bought into our dream. They not only bought in but started to share a collective dream. Together we could do this, love it and tick off along the way many places on our collective bucket lists.
Since our debut in New York City we have kept up our Wednesday night football get together and have now travelled to 3 continents of the world sharing the positivity and love of the Seagulls. Over 50 seagulls have played in our matches so far and the dream of becoming one big happy traveling family that is open to all genders, creeds and religions has become reality. A realization that could in the coming years take us anywhere.
Be Not Afraid
