Treaty United manager Tommy Barrett: "This is the hardest part of recruitment"

TREATY United manager Tommy Barrett feels it will be difficult for his side to compete with the bigger budgets of some of the teams in the SSE Airtricity League of Ireland First Division in 2025. 

"It's a difficult season, we have increased the budget. It's really difficult to compete with what other teams are handing out. There's a lot of full-time money floating around in a part-time league which is difficult for us. This time of the year is probably the most difficult.

"I didn't expect it to be as difficult if I'm honest about it. The money out there for a small pool of players is gone through the roof. It's a bit of worry overall for the league, for a part-time league. I think with money out there you might as well go full-time and bite the bullet. This is the hardest part of recruitment."

Barrett is pleased to re-sign the majority of players that he had lining out with Treaty United last season.

"We signed back a lot of lads that we wanted to sign back. We missed out on a couple, Thomas Considine is gone to Bray and obviously Stephen Christopher, Ben O'Riordan and Enda Curran are not playing this year due to various reasons. Ben is emigrating, Stevie is moving back home and Enda has retired". 

The Treaty United manager hopes to finalise his squad over the next few weeks ahead of the start of the 2025 season. 

"I'm still looking for a couple players. I've a few lads on trial next week, we've few foreign internationals on trial in the next couple weeks. We'll look at that market and see how we go," said Barrett. 

Treaty begin their pre-season against Galway United on January 10 in Ennis County Grounds at 7pm.

On Friday, January 17, Treaty United take on Temple Utd in the third round of the Munster senior Cup.

Barrett's side will then make the trip to Cork City on January 18. In the last week of January, Treaty United will then host Premier Division side Sligo Rovers. 

The Garryowen-based club open their SSE Airtricity League First Division campaign against Cobh Ramblers on February 14 at the Markets Field at 7:45pm.