Kelleher’s £12.5m Transfer Delivers Record Windfall to Grassroots Club | OneFootball

Ringmahon Rangers: The Cork Club Cashing In on Caoimhín Kelleher’s Premier League Rise

If Ringmahon Rangers win tonight, the Red Cove Inn will be packed to the rafters. The Cork club is chasing its 10th trophy of the season at adult level, with another cup final showdown against local rivals Avondale United. But silverware might not be the biggest reason for celebration on the southside of the city.

Because this week, Caoimhín Kelleher — the quiet, unassuming lad who once led their forward line — completed a £12.5 million move from Liverpool to Brentford, and Ringmahon, the club that nurtured him, is set to receive the largest sell-on windfall in Irish football history.

“It’s life-changing,” says club secretary Sean Fitzgerald, – in an interview with Gregg Evans in The Athletic – who in 2015 had the foresight to insist on a 20% sell-on clause when Kelleher left for Merseyside for a modest £30,000. Nine years later, that decision could inject upwards of £2.5 million into a grassroots club founded by teenagers on the streets of Mahon in 1951.

A Club at the Heart of a Community

There’s a deep-rooted charm to Ringmahon. Its home ground sits near the shore of Lough Mahon, a 10-minute walk from the Red Cove Inn — run by Ray O’Mahony, the club’s sponsor of 25 years. Every weekend, the park hums with the energy of boys and girls from under-7s to seniors, kicking balls from dawn until dusk.

“It’s the place where the community comes alive,” Fitzgerald says. “You’ll see Ray making sure the kids are fed so the adults can enjoy their Guinness after a match.”

The club has become a conveyor belt of talent. Sunderland’s Alan Browne, Crystal Palace’s Franco Umeh, and Benfica’s Jaden Umeh all wore the Ringmahon shirt. But Kelleher’s trajectory stands apart — a symbol of how far the club has come.

From Scoring Goals to Saving Them

Kelleher wasn’t always a goalkeeper. In his early Ringmahon days, he was a prolific centre-forward, netting 20-30 goals a season. At 14, fate — and the sudden drop-out of their first-choice keeper — forced a positional switch that would change everything. Scouts flocked. Fitzgerald fielded calls from Blackburn, Villa, even Manchester United, but as a die-hard Liverpool fan, he quietly steered his prodigy towards Anfield.

What followed was a shrewd negotiation, carried out in car parks and toilet breaks from Fitzgerald’s day job as a pipe fitter welder. “Liverpool eventually said, ‘We’ll just sign the contract and get it over with’. Looking back… jeez, I did okay,” he laughs.

A Windfall to Shape the Future

The money won’t arrive overnight, and it won’t be splashed on vanity projects. Fitzgerald and club chairman Paul Higgins are drawing up long-term plans with Cork City Council. Chief among them is the acquisition of extra land for a full-size artificial pitch, complementing the nine-a-side facility installed in 2022.

“This is for the five-year-olds. For the academy. For the next 100 years,” Fitzgerald says. “We want every boy and girl here to have the best facilities.”

One Last Dance (This Season)

On the pitch, the men’s team has reached every cup final entered this season — an unprecedented run that speaks volumes about the club’s growing stature. Youth coaches are former players, trophies stack up, and yet it’s the spirit of the place — not the medals — that shines brightest.

Kelleher’s move may have drawn the headlines, but Ringmahon’s story is about much more than just money. It’s about a club built by family, fuelled by community, and now — finally — funded by the success of one of their own.

“The only problem with this great season,” Fitzgerald jokes, “is the hangovers that follow!”

Tonight, whatever happens on the pitch, the Red Cove Inn is ready. The Guinness will flow. The stories will be told. And somewhere in Brentford, a goalkeeper with Cork in his heart has just changed the future of his boyhood club.