Latest news with #BillO'Leary
The Irish Sun
4 days ago
- Business
- The Irish Sun
Nagging fear that League of Ireland outfit will become a casualty of growing multi-club model
IF it seems like it was only recently that Cobh Ramblers chairman Bill O'Leary was heralding new owners for the club, well, that is because he was. And if Mick McDermott's side succeed in winning promotion, there will be an obvious temptation to turn a blind eye to what went on off the pitch. But we are now in an era in which long-standing community institutions are being bought and sold with increasing ease and regularity. And, however much the credentials of previously-unknown investors are stressed, it is hard to get away from the nagging fear that, sooner or later, there will be a casualty. It has not been a good few weeks for the multi-club model with Drogheda United excluded and John Textor — the American who held a 77 per cent stake in Read More On Irish Football They had relegated Lyon from the top flight — with an accompanying agreement not to enter the Europa League — because of concerns over the club's sustainability. But an appeal was successful. Textor accused the DNGC of refusing to take into account the annual average of sales worth €100million of players who had come through the club's underage structure. But that number was not the one which would have grabbed most people's attention as Textor spoke of the 'cashpooling' which went on between Lyon and Brazilian club Botafogo, where he has a 90 per cent stake. He said the French club benefitted to the tune of €125m over a 12-month period with €65m going the other way with the flows occurring to deal with 'counter-seasonality'. Most read in Football And, if the way he portrayed it suggested Lyon had benefitted from this arrangement, a report from L'Equipe suggested differently. It claimed Lyon paid the salaries of 54 players when they had only 30 players in their squad, because it was also covering wages for Botafogo with a further €91m used to sign three players for the Rio outfit. Lamine Yamal faces government investigation after 'dwarfs are hired to perform at mafia-themed 18th birthday party' There has, thankfully, been nothing of this scale seen in Ireland but the slew of anecdotes from Peak6's stewardship of Dundalk will never cease to amuse. What has happened at Oriel Park since is a reminder that having local owners guarantees neither stability nor success. But there's an element of reassurance that comes with a proprietor that has a connection to the area. Each outside investor or owner deserves to be assessed on their own merits. But there have been enough issues elsewhere for there to be grounds for concern about the multi-club model and its increasing prevalence here. 1 Drogheda fans were denied a chance to go on a European tour this summer When O'Leary welcomed FC32 in October, he referred to it being 'a potentially transformative deal. It recognizes our history, our relatively strong operating and financial models and positions us for growth in so many areas into the future'. Presumably, he envisaged that future as lasting more than six months but, by the start of April, the club was distancing itself from the group. FC32 had already pulled the plug on its funding of Austrian outfit SKN St Polten after their purchase of Spezia in Italy. RAMBLERS TAKEOVER So, no wonder Ramblers were pleased with Its website says its 'company-building mentality drives strategic, operational, and financial services that transform clubs into championship organizations'. Ramblers have yet to be added to the 'partners' section which, as of now, contains just one entry with DAV saying it is the proud sponsor of Marc Anthony's E1 Team Miami which represents the city in the world's first all-electric powerboat racing championship. The club statement thanked Eric Perez who 'represented and supported the club throughout the transaction'. You might recognise the Canadian's name as the owner of Truro City. Last week, he and Nick Giannotti acquired a 50 per cent stake in Irish League outfit Larne. Five days before that announcement, in a post on Athlone Town's website, Giannotti There were no details provided on whether this was a takeover or investment and who else was involved. The new Athlone chairman is also a Will this web have implications for day-to-day business? Experiences elsewhere suggest that is possible. 'PARTY LINE' Last month, Keith Long spoke on Long said: 'When you're part of a multi-club model, recruitment decisions are sometimes made for you. "Fleetwood have a great network but I've great experience in terms of the League of Ireland and knowing what it takes to win games. 'You're part of a multi-club group and when an owner decides X, Y or Z happens, you've got to toe the party line.' Long did not describe it in purely negative terms and the Blues have benefitted from the association. In January 2024, they had two bids for Tommy Lonergan turned down by St Pat's. Fleetwood then met his get-out clause of €60,000 and the only surprise about him being loaned to Waterford was that it did not happen until 12 months later. Similarly, being owned by the Trivela Group, who also own Walsall and Silkeborg, has been good for Drogheda. Douglas James-Taylor's 12-month loan saw him play a key role in their FAI Cup win and them retaining their top-flight status. The striker He said: 'It's a tricky one because it's the same conversation with the same people but two different clubs.' Although he may have been surplus to requirements at Walsall, Kevin Doherty wanted to keep him. EXTRA CONSIDERATION The owners' mistaken belief that significant compensation would result if another League of Ireland club signed him led to them being caught out with Bohemians landing him on a free. This was despite Drogheda receiving nothing in a similar situation when James Brown Coming hot on the heels of Drogheda losing out on European football as a result of Silkeborg qualifying because they missed a deadline to place one of the clubs into a blind trust to satisfy Uefa's rules on ownership, it was another costly mistake. Running a sustainable Irish football club is extremely difficult. Running one as part of a group where competing interests have to be taken into account does not make it any easier. And there is an ever-present fear that, if multi-club owners decide they have to ditch one of their interests, there is a good chance that it will be the Irish one — which is never the senior partner in any of these arrangements — that may bear the brunt of it. While Ramblers have managed it this time, finding someone to pick up the pieces may not always prove so easy.
Washington Post
02-03-2025
- General
- Washington Post
The house color that tells you when a neighborhood is gentrifying
A Washington Post color analysis of D.C. found shades of gray permeate neighborhoods where the White population has increased and the Black population has decreased. If you live in an American city, chances are you have seen this house: Its exterior is gray with monochromatic accents. Maybe there's a pop of color — a red, blue or yellow door. The landscaping is restrained, all clean lines and neat minimalism. Sleek metal address numbers appear crisp in a modern sans-serif font. Some might call it elegant, others boring. The look itself is purposely unremarkable. Real estate agents and paint companies use words such as 'quiet,' 'calm' and 'neutral' to describe it. But many longtime city-dwellers see this physical transformation of residences to muted tones and know what they signal: demographic, social and economic change. Rowhouses in D.C., craftsmans in Nashville, Victorian-style homes in San Francisco and many other styles of houses in gentrifying neighborhoods across the country have increasingly been stripped of their colors and painted shades of gray, altering the aesthetics of American cities. Story continues below advertisement Advertisement In some neighborhoods, the grayification of homes has been swift and stark — and the cause of conflicts. In the nation's capital, residents have seen the change steadily sweeping their communities lot by lot: A neighbor's red-brick rowhouse goes up for sale with a fresh coat of paint. A residential block that once had vivid murals painted on the sides of buildings begins to look less colorful, more monochrome. Homes in vibrant colors stand out next to several painted in shades of gray on Rhode Island Avenue NE in Washington. (Bill O'Leary for The Washington Post) A Washington Post color analysis of the District found that in neighborhoods where other markers of gentrification have spiked over the past decade — increased home prices, more noise complaints and the displacement of Black residents — the number of gray homes has notably increased. The analysis looked at houses that were newly built or built on lots where houses had been torn down. Homes that might have once been painted reds, yellows and browns have given way to houses in hues that range from Shark Fin to Deep Space. Pictures of homes analyzed by The Post were collected using Google Street View Static images and analyzed to find the most common colors represented across homes by ward. The analysis allowed tints and shades of colors to be grouped into color families. An abstracted map shows the prevalence of monotone colors in new or renovated homes in the District. Popular paint colors within the District Swatches are sized by the number of newly constructed homes painted that color in each ward from 2017 to 2023. 4 Ward 4 3 1 5 25 34 2 6 7 21 28 18 8 27 17 Ward 5 Ward 3 37 30 61 Ward 1 46 33 29 29 21 44 17 22 25 56 17 17 16 16 24 17 43 40 Ward 6 Ward 7 Ward 2 14 20 35 50 12 59 19 88 7 26 15 7 47 22 58 18 35 82 49 Ward 8 38 33 51 69 34 50 29 39 28 In every ward, the most popular new exterior paint colors have been desaturated tones. Gentrification in Wards 7 and 8 has led to many new and rebuilt homes. More than half of them are painted white, black or gray. Note: Analysis is based on color codes and differentiates between shades that may appear similar. TIM MEKO/THE WASHINGTON POST Popular paint colors within the District Swatches are sized by the number of newly constructed homes painted that color in each ward from 2017 to 2023. 4 Ward 4 3 1 5 25 34 2 6 7 21 28 8 18 27 17 Ward 5 Ward 3 37 30 Ward 1 61 46 33 29 29 21 44 17 22 25 56 17 17 16 16 24 17 43 40 Ward 6 Ward 2 Ward 7 14 20 35 50 12 59 19 88 7 26 15 7 47 22 58 18 35 82 49 Ward 8 38 33 51 69 34 50 29 39 28 In every ward, the most popular new exterior paint colors have been desaturated tones. Gentrification in Wards 7 and 8 has led to many new and rebuilt homes. More than half of them are painted white, black or gray. Note: Analysis is based on color codes and differentiates between shades that may appear similar. TIM MEKO/THE WASHINGTON POST Popular paint colors within the District Ward 4 4 25 Swatches are sized by the number of newly constructed homes painted that color in each ward from 2017 to 2023. 34 3 1 5 21 28 2 6 7 18 27 8 17 Ward 5 Ward 3 61 37 30 46 Ward 1 33 29 21 29 44 56 17 22 17 25 17 16 16 43 24 17 40 Ward 6 Ward 7 Ward 2 14 50 35 20 59 88 12 19 7 7 26 15 47 58 22 82 18 35 49 Ward 8 In every ward, the most popular new exterior paint colors have been desaturated tones. Gentrification in Wards 7 and 8 has led to many new and rebuilt homes. More than half of them are painted white, black or gray. 33 69 51 38 34 50 Note: Analysis is based on color codes and differentiates between shades that may appear similar. 29 39 28 TIM MEKO/THE WASHINGTON POST Cities over the past two decades have been transformed by demographic change that has remade the way urban centers are planned, operated and perceived. An influx of affluent and predominantly White residents moving into inner-city neighborhoods has flipped the defining 20th-century phenomenon of White flight on its head and, in cities such as D.C., has changed the makeup of neighborhoods that were once majority — and, in some cases, almost exclusively — Black. While these shifts have led to greater diversity and affluence and, in some cases, improved neighborhood amenities, they have also brought in new concerns and an unspoken question among longtime residents: Do I still belong? As of 2023, the most recent year for which national Census Bureau data estimates are available, about 33 percent of the District's homeowners identified as Black. That's a notable drop from more than a decade earlier, in 2010, when nearly 45 percent of homeowners did. Meanwhile, White homeownership rates in the city have continued to climb. In 2023, White residents accounted for 51 percent of D.C. homeowners, up from about 48 percent in 2010, census estimates show. Academics who study gentrification and its visual markers say the aesthetics of gray, modern homes serve as a strategic lure. 'It all comes down to this perception of wealth and luxury, this idea that neutrals indicate status — painted brick takes more to upkeep than regular brick. If you have a light-gray or white house, it signals you can afford to keep it clean,' said Libby Rasmussen, a color enthusiast who lives in the District and owns Libby & My, a home decor company, and the city's largest vintage store, Vintage Vintage Vintage. 'Black homeownership in D.C. has been shrinking for years, which means the very culture of these neighborhoods has been changing,' said Rasmussen, who is White. 'When we see house flippers try to take color out of a house, or a neighborhood, they're making it more palatable to mostly White people.' 'D.C. has really been changing' In interviews with nearly a dozen D.C. natives, opinions about the proliferation of these gray houses — and the changes that have accompanied them — were mixed. Many highlighted the pluses of a diversifying neighborhood and how things have improved since more affluent residents moved in next door: The city seems more responsive to neighborhood issues, the streets are cleaner, and the value of their own homes has increased. But some pointed to changes that made them feel, at times, uncomfortable in places where they have lived for decades. Peggy Lovett, 59, is a D.C. native who lives on a short block tucked inside Eckington, a hilly, largely residential community with homes from the late 19th century. The area is dotted with churches and mom-and-pop businesses, and the bustle of North Capitol Street, one of the city's main arteries, is close by. Lovett, who is Black, has seen the District transform many times over, but her neighborhood had remained a relative constant. That is, until the pandemic hit. Soon, she said, the houses along her slice of Eckington, a majority-Black neighborhood, began to look different. Her red-painted home used to be the norm. Now, its vividness stands out. (Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post) 'Majority of these houses down here used to be red — different shades of red or something bright; the house across the street was a lime green,' Lovett said. 'Now, they have these houses that are black and white, gray, all these colors that were never around here.' She and some of her longtime neighbors have come to see that gray as offering a clue about whom they might find on the inside. 'I see a house going up that's that color, and I know they have money,' said Lovett. 'It's a great big change, but it's not just in my neighborhood — D.C. has really been changing.' Lovett's home and her neighbor's have remained a vibrant color. (Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post) The Black population in the part of Eckington where Lovett resides dropped from 97 percent in 1990 to 40 percent in 2023, according to census data. Over the same period, the percentages of White, Hispanic and Asian residents all rose, though the gain made by White people was the most significant. They went from making up about 2 percent of the community in 1990 to about 39 percent in 2023. The area has also become markedly more wealthy. Average monthly wages have increased from $5,700 in 2005 to $9,400 in 2023, according to inflation-adjusted workforce data from the Census Bureau. For Lovett, the transformation has brought a mixed bag of experiences: Neighborhood nuisances such as neglected alleyways, trash-littered streets and petty crime have decreased. But issues of racial profiling and mistaken identity — problems that were less common when her block was nearly all Black, Lovett said — have increased. Like the time Lovett's son moved some old furniture onto the sidewalk in front of her home for bulk-trash pickup, she recalled, and a neighbor called the police, believing the Black man she saw outside was settling in to stay on the sidewalk. Or the time, Lovett said, a different neighbor filed a complaint with D.C. code inspectors about Lovett's worn-out porch instead of talking to her directly. 'If you have a concern, you should go to your neighbor,' Lovett said. 'That's how I was raised to act — like a good neighbor.' Story continues below advertisement Advertisement Ward 5, which encompasses Eckington and surrounding neighborhoods, is one of the areas where the most significant visual change has occurred, according to The Post's ward-by-ward color analysis. What were once warm tones of browns and reds have given way to grays, gray-blues, blacks and whites. While gray-washed homes have proliferated across neighborhoods in Northwest Washington over the past decade, data shows this look has also begun to seep into Wards 7 and 8, where new developments and home renovations have increased. Grays and neutral colors are in the majority in this stretch of homes on Adams Street NW in Washington. (Bill O'Leary for The Washington Post) 'The concept of a post-race America is tied up in these aesthetics. It's sort of a 'Everyone is welcome here, and no one should feel uncomfortable if the aesthetic is uniform.' Gray is a way to flatten difference,' said Brandi T. Summers, an associate professor of African American and African diaspora studies at Columbia University and the author of 'Black in Place: The Spatial Aesthetics of Race in a Post-Chocolate City.' 'But when you create an aesthetic that is supposed to be minimalist and monocultural, it extinguishes difference,' Summers added. 'It doesn't allow different people from different cultures to actually be different.' 'It was everywhere, and it's still ongoing' D.C. real estate agent Ileann Jimenez-Sepulveda remembers selling homes that used to be more earthy in color. More reds and greens. More warm, wood accents. More color in general. It wasn't until a few years ago, around the start of the pandemic, that Jimenez-Sepulveda began to notice how much the housing market had shifted, she said. In magazines and on social media, the homes she saw all seemed to have the same, sleek look: They were painted in neutrals — black or white or gray — and had modern features. Metal accents. Sharp lines. (Moriah Ratner for The Washington Post) 'I was seeing homes like that not just here but in Texas, in the Midwest, in Arizona, in Utah; it was everywhere, and it's still ongoing,' she said, recalling a particular shade she saw featured called Rodeo that is beige with a hint of gray. Evaluating what's selling in other cities — and what buyers are drawn to in her own market — helps Jimenez-Sepulveda and other real estate agents determine what advice to give clients looking to sell their homes. These days, one of the most common pieces of advice she doles out is this: Paint your house. 'Sometimes we have sellers tell us that they just painted five years ago and they don't need to repaint,' she said. 'But if you're trying to sell an outdated-looking home, you're just not going to have as much success.' To convince reluctant clients, she and other real estate agents prepare what they call comparative analyses. These data-rich handouts pull from previous property deals to make the case for updating the look of a home. In at least one case, Jimenez-Sepulveda said, changing the aesthetics and colors of the home probably contributed to a sale price of more than $100,000 over another, similar property whose owners declined to make similar changes. A painted brick home in D.C.'s Crestwood neighborhood. (Moriah Ratner for The Washington Post) Home-listing giant Zillow, which conducted a survey among 4,600 recent and prospective home buyers across the country in 2023, found darker shades eclipsed brighter colors for the first time following the explosion of home sales in 2020 and 2021. Story continues below advertisement Advertisement A company spokesperson said these hues are often seen as peaceful, quiet, a 'retreat.' Amid the chaos of the pandemic, people were pulled toward simplicity, paint companies and those who closely follow color trends said. The desire for peace is reflected in noise-complaint numbers The Post collected. Data from D.C. shows that noise complaints for 2019 through 2023 are concentrated in areas that are largely considered the city's most gentrified neighborhoods. 'Gray, gray, gray, white, gray' In cities like San Francisco, where homes are known for their color, the gray wave triggered backlash from longtime residents and appreciators of the city's classic motif — most famously encapsulated by the Painted Ladies, a row of colorful Victorian houses included in the opening credits of the sitcom 'Full House.' Few neighborhoods in San Francisco have experienced the shift to gray more starkly than the city's historic Latino district, the Mission. Richard Segovia, 71, who has lived in the Mission District his whole life, steps outside of his brightly colored house every day and surveys how the neighborhood has continued to morph around him. 'All this gray — it's so dark, it's so gloomy, so ugly. It's like seeing creativity and art and the colors of my community disappear right in front of my eyes,' said Segovia, a musician who painted a mural honoring Latin rock pioneers on his home. (Winni Wintermeyer for The Washington Post) 'We're used to bright houses — yellow houses, green, the whole river of colors, like Carlos Santana used to say,' he said. 'But now you look around, and it's gray, gray, gray, white, gray. The real estate agents are pushing these new colors that aren't even colors to send a message: New people are moving in, and they're not like us.' Sergio De La Torre, a professor at the University of San Francisco, has data to back this up. He and his students mapped gray houses in the Mission and, he said, documented a correlation between gray houses and rising police calls and immigration raids. 'The gray houses have become a symbol of this muteness, this quiet, humble, nothing-is-happening-here,' said De La Torre, who is also an artist. 'When you paint a house gray, you're covering up its history, its memory. You're starting over. We can be modern now, we can be cool.' Gray homes are also being built in midsize cities like Nashville, where development is driving population shifts. Houses are being flipped — torn down and rebuilt or renovated with a new coat of paint — in cities, such as Chicago, with older housing stock and a changing residential base. A gray house is next to Segovia's colorful home. (Winni Wintermeyer for The Washington Post) Trends around home exteriors tend to shift in roughly 15-year cycles, experts said, noting the gray-homes trend is nearing its expiration — but the colors that appear to be rising to replace it are variations on the monochromatic theme. Story continues below advertisement Advertisement Julie Elrod, the director of business development in painting services for Ace Hardware Painting Services, said whites and blacks have been steadily growing in popularity as home aesthetics lean further into sharp contrasts and the more modern look that began with the tilt toward gray. 'We're seeing a lot of white modern looks with stark black accents; I have a friend who calls those 'stormtrooper houses,'' said Elrod. 'It's still that same desire for a clean aesthetic. It's modern, it's easy. In contrast, the other trend we're seeing is people painting their homes charcoal or black.' Gray and neutral-colored homes in the Mission District, known for its murals. (Winni Wintermeyer for The Washington Post) Rasmussen, the color enthusiast, has been on the hunt for a house in D.C. She dreams of a brightly colored home: a bright pink, she mused, or maybe canary yellow. 'When I see a house that hasn't been flipped, when I see a green house or a red house, my heart gets really happy,' she said. But 'turnkey' houses, or those that are move-in ready, with little to no additional renovations required — ideal for many first-time home buyers — tend to hew more closely to what real estate agents say is most likely to sell. The reality, she knows, is this: She's probably going to end up in a gray house.
