Garrycastle man adding 'perks' to Athlone Regional Sports Centre

After working in a variety of different jobs in Ireland and the UK over the years, Garrycastle native Fergal Nugent started a new venture last October; a coffee and food business in a purpose-built container which sits outside Athlone Regional Sports Centre.

He needed a name for it and, after considering 'Coffee Con', he ultimately settled on 'Centre Perks'. This is not to be confused with Central Perk, the café in the TV sitcom, 'Friends', or with a certain well-known holiday resort in Ballymahon!

"The name is flirting a bit with Friends and Centre Parcs, but only flirting," says Fergal.

"Initially, a few things that were supposed to be delivered to us were delivered to Ballymahon. I was getting phonecalls and the delivery person was in the wrong town!"

Fergal comes from a family which has long been part of the retail history of Athlone. The Spar shop in Garrycastle (now Daybreak) was in the Nugent family up until five or six years ago, when it was sold by Fergal's sister, Denise, and her husband Joe Donegan.

When Fergal was born the shop and the family home were one and the same - the bungalow situated beside the current Daybreak premises.

"When you opened the door (of the house), you were in the shop. It was all the one, but that was our life and we didn't know any different," he explains.

Fergal's mother Bridie, and his father Seamus Nugent, who has made a major contribution to the GAA locally over the years, worked to develop and expand the business.

"The excitement when we built the new (shop), and had it 20 yards away, was huge," he recalls.

Sport has always been a big part of Fergal's life. He played gaelic football with his local club in Garrycastle, hurled underage with Southern Gaels, and played soccer with Athlone Town and Longford Town, among others.

Indeed, one of his sporting claims to fame is that he lined out for a spell alongside a young Roy Keane.

"I played with Roy Keane for a year... There was a FAS (soccer) apprenticeship course in Dublin when I was 19, and I was the representative on it from Athlone. He was with Cobh Ramblers, and Pat Fenlon was (on the course) too.

"I played in the middle of the park, so it was tough competition! But, that said, Roy Keane wasn't a starter on the Ireland youths team at the time, and there were other lads there who were.

"He wasn't the best player there at the time, which people find hard to believe. He didn't stand out as much.

"There was a fella from Shelbourne, Tommy Fitzgerald, who I remember. He had been with in England as a youth, came back to Dublin, and he was unreal.

“I've still never seen anyone like him, but he's not widely known now. You need a lot of things to fall into place in order for (a career in football) to work out."

The sporting genes are still evident in the next generation of the family, as Fergal has a niece, Hazel Donegan, playing with the Athlone Town ladies team, while his nephew, Bobby Nugent, is a talented young gaelic footballer with St Brigid's and the Roscommon Under-20s.

Fergal himself was involved in coaching teams with Willow Park, St Francis FC, and the Athlone District Schoolboys/Girls League (ADSL), but he has put his coaching involvements on hold for now due to the time taken up by Centre Perks.

At a previous stage in his life he lived in London for a number of years, selling machinery - crushers and screeners - to quarries and recycling centres.

"I'm back in Ireland 15 years now. I came back in 2008, so I think the recession was on the same flight as me!"

Now in his early 50s, he is focused on Centre Parks for the years ahead, having entered into a five-year deal to operate the business at the sports centre.

He started to think about opening the business during the Covid pandemic lockdown period.

"Everybody had to do everything outside at the time. I was coming down (to the centre) with kids, and there was nowhere to go to get a cup of tea or coffee," he says.

As it happened, Athlone Regional Sports Centre was itself planning to add an external coffee dock. When the licence to operate it went out to tender, Fergal applied and was successful.

Centre Perks opened on October 25 last year, and is trading seven days a week, with a team of six or seven staff.

Fergal is proud of the business's involvement with the local community, mentioning that it has sponsored coffees for people taking part in this year's Darkness Into Light walk in aid of Pieta House, and has been involved in providing sponsorship and spot prizes to organisations such as St Francis FC, Athlone GAA Club, and St Hilda's.

In the nine months since opening, his customer base has been steadily evolving and has included students from the nearby schools, parents bringing children to the sports centre's facilities, skaters from the centre's skate park, and larger groups stopping for a visit on days out.

The weather on a given day can affect the level of trade, for better or worse, and Fergal is currently in the process of applying for planning permission to erect a canopy at Centre Perks in order to provide more shelter from the elements.

If the canopy is approved, Fergal is hopeful it will be in place within the next couple of months.

"It wouldn't be affecting anybody in a negative way, and I think it would only add to the area," he says.

While his free time is in short supply, Fergal enjoys playing games of '25' with his father in Dan's Tavern on Sunday nights, and going for outings with his daughter Molly and son Scott.

He also remains a keen follower of football. "I'm a Liverpool fan, but I'd watch anybody," he says.

Starting his own business has had its challenges but also its rewards.

"There is always lots to do, and it can be stressful. I can be grumpy at times, and my partner Rachel will probably testify to that, but there is a great satisfaction that you get from it. It's a great little spot," he concludes.