DANIEL KELLY wants loopholes closed to safeguard players’ wages in future after Dundalk came close to going to the wall.
The Derry City winger is currently recuperating from a knee operation that will keep him out for the rest of the season.
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That surgery was sorted by the Candystripes, and Kelly, 27, knows he is in a fortunate position of playing for a club that is financially stable.
But his first taste of League of Ireland football in 2018 was with Bray Wanderers where he went so long without pay that he was able to cancel his contract and move to Bohemians.
And while those horror stories have become rarer and rarer, Kelly was worried for former teammates when Dundalk flirted with bankruptcy last season.
Only the late intervention of local businessman Brian Temple kept the club afloat as former owner Brian Ainscough warned the club could even be wound up.
And Kelly’s first reaction to the news was to worry about players and staff he knew well, and fans who could lose their club.
Kelly said: “I was shocked. I didn’t see that coming although I sort of had an inkling that something was not fantastic there.
“Stevie (O’Donnell) had taken over it (in 2022) and we were all told it was going to be this big thing, a local consortium, and everything was going to be sorted.
“It just did not play out that way. I never would have dreamed that it would play out this way. And I don’t think anyone could.
“But it is just unfortunate. My sympathy is with the lads who were not getting paid. You have fellas who are going for mortgages, others whose partners are due to have babies.
“There is so much stress involved for those players who are about to become father’s or who want to get a house.
“It is not nice for anybody. Hopefully they just get sorted and get their money anyway.
“Once the club is there, that is probably the main priority. The fans have accepted that because they had the scare where yer man was saying five o’clock or else it is done.
“So even if it is to be First Division football, at least the club will be there. Cork were in a similar position, too, a while back, maybe not as bad as the Dundalk situation, but they lost all their players and had no money.
“Someone can come in and Please God they can help to get the club back up.
“It is not ideal. It is sad. Four years ago we (Dundalk) were playing against Arsenal.”
Kelly was one of the stars of that 2020 run as the Lilywhites reached the Europa League group stage and remained until last season.
But he departed for Derry City as the club was sold by the previous owners – led by Statsports owners Seán O’Connor and Alan Clarke – to Ainscough.
And Kelly was astounded how the former Kerry FC owner was allowed purchase the club without having to prove he had the funds to the FAI under current licensing rules.
He said: “It seems clear that Ainscough didn’t have the funds because all the talk was of getting investors in. They never came in.
“I read somewhere that Dundalk secured their licence but they did so when it was Statsports who were in charge of the club, rather than Brian Ainscough.
“Sure, if that is the case, anyone could come in and take over. Theoretically I could have taken over.
“Stuff like that (rule changes) can help the League to stop things like that happening.
“I wouldn’t say it is fear but most fellas who play in the league would have this in the back of your mind, this feeling that this could closely go downhill quite quickly.
“Obviously there are really good things going on in the League. The way the League is now, there is money in it.
“It is definitely going in the right direction but there are still huge improvements required, even facilities wise.”
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But the whole Dundalk scenario was a reminder to Kelly of the precarious life of a footballer as he intends doing courses in the coming years to prepare for life after the game.
He added: “When you are playing, it is the best thing ever. I love it. It is something I have always loved doing.
“I wouldn’t have been the cleverest boy in the world when I was at school.
“So, when you get to an age, you realise you are not set up for life because you do not earn enough money in the League.
“Everybody is at an age now where I am like, I will have to start thinking about doing some course and having the qualification ready rather than waiting to retire and still being stuck.
“I will definitely do my coaching badges and then perhaps look at some sort of course. I could say one thing one day and then the next, I could want to do something else.”
