There might not have been a match of note played since last November, but there has still been a tremendous amount of work ongoing at the Waterford FC offices over the winter. Chief Operating Officer Richy Walsh took some time out of his hectic schedule to talk about his lifetime with the Blues and to share some exciting plans with fans of the club. 

“We successfully obtained an alcohol license which will see us serving alcohol in the RSC for the 2025 season."

“It’s been a really busy period for us which has been in motion since before the end of the last season” explains the former kitman before going on to break the news many thirsty supporters having been waiting years to hear. “We successfully obtained an alcohol license which will see us serving alcohol in the RSC for the 2025 season. Things are starting to take shape in the last couple of weeks as we have just installed the cooler room along with taps in the fan zone and lounge for fans to be able to enjoy a pint.” 

While there’s been a major emphasis on improving the matchday experience in recent years, the club are also keen to build the Blues and the RSC into the everyday lives of fans. There can be few platforms more powerful in delivering that social element for people of all ages than football so the opportunity to bring people together more than once a week would be a significant boost for the community. Richy says that “we’re also in talks with the council about turning the fan zone into a café during the week. We’re looking to put a decking area to complement it, but there’s still work to be done on that.”

One request that fans have made since the opening of the excellent club shop across the road from the RSC in the Kingsmeadow Retail Park is for merchandise to also be on sale within the ground on match-nights. The club’s management have listened and are delivering a common-sense solution. “Another one of the changes we are making is we are renovating the old sweet shop situated under the main stand and converting it into a club shop for matchdays for both our men and women’s games.”

That brings us to the biggest addition to the club for 2025 as Waterford FC will have a team in the Women’s Premier Division for the first time in the history of the Blues. Richy is thrilled with the prospect which will see the club working in conjunction with the London-based Hess Sports Group. “It’s really fantastic to have our women’s team up and running and be part of it. We’ve been working very hard behind the scenes as a club to deliver this and now, with the support of the Hess Sports Group, it will give us a huge opportunity to develop women’s football here in Waterford and the southeast. Gary (Hunt, the experienced manager of Waterford’s Women’s team) and his staff are working hard with the group to be ready for the start of the season and we urge everyone to get behind the team and support the team.”

The sense of pride that Richy has about the growth in the club is immediately clear and community work is a large part of that. Whether it’s the Autism-friendly match experience, ASD Football Friends programme, walking football, Community Boot Room or school visits, Waterford FC have been making a positive impact in the city and county. “It’s incredible to be honest”, Richy beams. “Part of the reason clubs around the country struggled was down to having no community connection and the past two and half years, we’ve seen the change. The work Colin (Power, Head of Community Development) has done has been amazing. It’s really blown me away. Seeing how much it means to kids and families across all the programmes is truly amazing and he’s making such an impact on their lives. I would urge people to support the community in any way possible and if anyone would like to help in any way just get in touch.”

While the developments in community work, matchday experience and growing to eight teams representing the Blues in competitive action every week are staggering, the key factor in dictating the success or failure of the club is still the results of the men’s first team. That drives the popularity and financing more than anything else and Walsh is satisfied that Keith Long’s squad is set up to compete effectively this season. “It’s probably the strongest League of Ireland Premier Division I’ve seen in my time, with all the clubs strengthening across the board, but I do feel we’ve done a lot of good business in the off-season. I think it’s fair to say one issue at times last season was the lack of options and I feel this year we definitely have strength in depth. Obviously there has been a massive amount of change to the squad and it’s going to take some time for lads to settle in, but I have no doubt they will and once we click, I’m sure we will give fans something to get behind.” 

As a grandson of legendary club kitman Michael Walsh, Richy has been around the club all his life and was volunteering from a very young age. That puts him in a better position than most to see the changes over the years. Did he think it was all over during the lowest points of a decade ago? “Yes, to be fair. I thought it was very close to being over at a couple of points back then. The club got through and we’ve had a few fresh starts since then, but it must be said, it’s not easy to run a football club and there were some really, really good people involved back then that did their best for the club. The league wasn’t what it is now - crowds were down around the country, the standard had dipped considerably compared to early 2000s and it was hard for a lot of clubs like our own to keep going.”

With those struggles in mind, it’s no surprise that Walsh has a very positive view of Waterford’s relationship with Fleetwood Town. “Honestly, it’s been fantastic. I really can’t emphasise that enough. Even if I wasn’t doing the job, I’d still feel the same because all I ever really wanted was what’s best for the club.” He goes on to use that magic word ‘stability’ that would have been music to the ears of fans in tougher times. “Often in football, owners take over and the sole focus is on the pitch. Yes, that’s really important, but putting the right structures in place and investing in people and facilities brings stability. That will ultimately lead to growth once you have the right people all pulling in the same direction and we certainly are now.”

So, what of his grandfather Michael who celebrated sixty years of work for the club last month with a multitude of tributes from players and fans at home and abroad. “He’s doing really well after an operation and is on the mend. He’s still as sharp as ever and chomping at the bit to get back. He was really grateful for everyone’s kind words across the platforms, and he was proud, as were all of us.”

Michael has passed the torch as Head Kitman to former Blues goalkeeper Kevin Burns – maybe an unenviable task to fill the shoes of one of the most respected figures in Irish football, but Kevin has thoroughly earned Michael’s seal of approval according to Richy. “He loves Kevin. Even when Kev was a player, he always had respect and was grateful for anything Mick did, so it made it easy for them to work together.” With Richy’s talent for problem-solving, it was his idea for Burns to take the job. “I remember meeting Kevin and trying to convince him to take over for me and him not being sure about it. But working with Mick was a huge part of the reason for him and now, over a year in the role, I think he’s loving it and Mick knows it’s in great hands.”

"But look I think everyone involved is the face of the club whether it’s kids in the Academy, staff here in the office, the first team, matchday volunteers - we’re all the face of club."

Much like his grandfather, Richy was known for quietly going about his work in the dressing-room for many years so how does it feel being ‘the public face’ of Waterford FC almost a year into the job? “Everyone has been great with me since I took over last season and I really appreciate it. The odd time we get a bad result, I do get a bit of stick, but that’s just part and parcel of the role. Most of the time people stop me to talk, it’s on a positive note. But look I think everyone involved is the face of the club whether it’s kids in the Academy, staff here in the office, the first team, matchday volunteers - we’re all the face of club. It’s really important to me that everyone across the club has good standards and I’m proud that we do.”

The average fan can only imagine the stories and the events seen by Richy in that dressing-room over the years, but doubtless, he’ll take most of them to the grave with him. When pressed to pick managers who stood out, a couple of names come to mind. “I’ve had some great times over the years and met some great people. I had a really good relationship with Ian Morris, which was the start of me being more involved in the operational side of things and that helps me now. I still keep in contact with Ian - he’s a great guy. Rennie has to be in there as well - what a character - and the dressing-rooms he’s built were some of the best I’ve been in. I’ve a really good relationship with Keith (Long). We talk daily and what I like most about him is he will give it to you straight and everything is always for the best of the group. That’s something I’ve always tried to do myself. There’s been so many good people involved from coaches, physios etc, but ultimately you just do your best for them.” And as for players? “I keep in contact with a good few lads from over the years, but the two standouts would be Bastien Hery, who’s a really good friend of mine outside football - and what a player he was - and Georgie Poynton, who again like Basty, we keep in contact and catch up every once in a while.”

“Most important is stability” is the direct answer when Richy is asked what his hopes are for the club in the medium to long-term. “It’s something that evaded us really over recent years so it’s a big focus for me and I think we have everything in place now across the club to do that. In the long-term, we all dream of silverware and I’d love to see us be successful and have great nights. I think we can all agree we’ve had enough disappointment to last us a lifetime, but look that’s sport.”

With so many improvements within the club and with the League of Ireland growing as a whole, there are areas he would like to see continue to develop around the country. “Facilities are a big thing for me. I’m going to games a long time now and facilities are something that haven’t really improved across the league. We’re blessed with ours in the stadium, the arena and our office/retail facilities.” From a man who has seen peaks and troughs within his own club, Walsh is well-positioned to advise on the way forward for Irish football. “We need to create an industry here and we need government support in order to do this. The job clubs have done with their academies is incredible despite the lack of funds. Imagine what it could be with resources and support.”

These are certainly exciting times for Waterford FC and their Chief Operating Officer is looking forward to seeing fans enjoy the fruits of the winter’s work.