Which towns could use LOI teams?

**dcfcsteve** · 04/08/2009, 12:32 PM

Originally Posted by brendy_éire

Harps should have moved to Letterkenny instead of building their new ground in Stranorlar. Although I know that wouldn't have been a particularly popular move with Harps fans, Letterkenny is bigger and still getting bigger. Plus, it's closer to Derry.

I agree 100% and have said this a number of times before on here.

You get the standard responses from Harps fans (Letterkenny isn't that far form Ballybofey, location isn't the issue etc etc). I still think that from a longer-term perspective they are crazy to continue basing themselves in a village rather than Ireland's fastest growing town.

There are some Harps fans who would be fine with such a move, but the majority would seem to oppose such a suggestion.

**Mr A** · 04/08/2009, 1:00 PM

By moving to Letterkenny we'd be walking away from the prospect of a new stadium and would have to start afresh with a green field site.

While we'd be moving closer to the biggest population base in Donegal plus the North and Northwest of the county, we'd obviously be moving away from South Donegal, Strabane + West Tyrone and the Twin Towns. Harps currently play at the centre of our support, more or less anyway. I think it's a mistake to view Harps as merely tied to a town rather than being a county (plus bits of Tyrone) club.

I don't think the arguments for moving really add up. We need to always be the LOI club of Letterkenny, but we don't need to move there.

**Black and White** · 04/08/2009, 4:08 PM

Isnt that non league team Phoenix not from Meath somewhere?Where they not emalgamated from two non league temas, Ashtown Villa and some other team?Maybe Im wrong!

**davidatrb** · 04/08/2009, 4:34 PM

Phoenix FC would be from Dublin, they are not too far from the Phoenix Park as far as I know.

**Hairy Bowsie** · 04/08/2009, 5:39 PM

Originally Posted by Black and White

Isnt that non league team Phoenix not from Meath somewhere?Where they not emalgamated from two non league temas, Ashtown Villa and some other team?Maybe Im wrong!

They were all from the general Cabra area. I think the other team may have been Kinvara

**Ronnie** · 05/08/2009, 8:32 AM

Of the 6 clubs that came in in 1985, plus Longford and Cork in 1984, two have been very succsessful, Derry and Cork. Two have been quite successful, given their status in the overall scheme of things, Bray and Longford. Of the remaining 4 clubs, Monaghan are a very stable if unspectactular club and the other 3 are gone. Now I know Cork are hanging by a thread, but the expansion of the league with 8 new clubs in 84 and 85 hasn't been a complete disaster!

**dcfcsteve** · 05/08/2009, 12:56 PM

Originally Posted by Ronnie

Of the 6 clubs that came in in 1985, plus Longford and Cork in 1984, two have been very succsessful, Derry and Cork. Two have been quite successful, given their status in the overall scheme of things, Bray and Longford. Of the remaining 4 clubs, Monaghan are a very stable if unspectactular club and the other 3 are gone. Now I know Cork are hanging by a thread, but the expansion of the league with 8 new clubs in 84 and 85 hasn't been a complete disaster!

It has hardly been a huge success either. City, Cork and Longford have all come extremely close to going out of business - Cork could still end-up that way - and Longford's recent success has been a tiny blip in their 25 year history. And as stated before - City were not a new team, but rather a team with a long tradition in a new league, so they can't be viewed the same way as the likes of Longford or Monaghan.

My point is that you can't just pick towns on a map and say 'them boys could do with a team', as experience shows that it is extremely difficult for new team to make a lasting impression in the LOI at the best of times. Not to mention that fact that it's borderline franchise football as well.

Maybe Belfast could do with an LOI team. Or the Isle of Man. Or Barcelona. Hmm.....

**The Betting Man** · 05/08/2009, 12:59 PM

Phoenix also have an all weather pitch

**Ronnie** · 05/08/2009, 1:14 PM

Originally Posted by dcfcsteve

It has hardly been a huge success either. City, Cork and Longford have all come extremely close to going out of business - Cork could still end-up that way - and Longford's recent success has been a tiny blip in their 25 year history. And as stated before - City were not a new team, but rather a team with a long tradition in a new league, so they can't be viewed the same way as the likes of Longford or Monaghan.

My point is that you can't just pick towns on a map and say 'them boys could do with a team', as experience shows that it is extremely difficult for new team to make a lasting impression in the LOI at the best of times. Not to mention that fact that it's borderline franchise football as well.

Maybe Belfast could do with an LOI team. Or the Isle of Man. Or Barcelona. Hmm.....

Well for the record Longford Town is an old club, going back to 1924, it spent its first 60 years coming up through junior football. Looking at it over 25 years, 2 FAI Cup wins and 2 final defeats, 1 league cup win and league cup final defeat, and an 8 season run in the Premier, thats a record that compares very well with all bar 3 or 4 of the original 14 clubs in 1984.
Although I accept your point that you can't just pick a town that has a population as the basis for entering the league.

**Mr A** · 05/08/2009, 1:28 PM

Yes, but you can move an established club on the basis that the town down the road is bigger. Makes perfect sense.

**dcfcsteve** · 05/08/2009, 2:12 PM

Originally Posted by Mr A

Yes, but you can move an established club on the basis that the town down the road is bigger. Makes perfect sense.

Hell yeah !

Err - Rovers and Tallaght ? Shels and Drumcondra ? Drogs and wherever they manage to get a site for a new stadium (if ever...) ? The league has seen existing clubs moving around for years.

And as you said anyway - Harps is the County's team. So why not put it in the largest centre of county population......

**Schumi** · 05/08/2009, 2:18 PM

Originally Posted by dcfcsteve

Err - Rovers and Tallaght ? Shels and Drumcondra

They're still in Dublin, just different suburbs.

The league has seen existing clubs moving around for years.

Have there been any that didn't just involve clubs moving to a different part of the same town/city.

**dcfcsteve** · 05/08/2009, 2:23 PM

Originally Posted by Schumi

They're still in Dublin, just different suburbs.

Stranorlar isn't in Ballbofey....

And as Harps fans are fond of telling us - they're a county team. So Letterkenny is still in Donegal.

Originally Posted by Schumi

Have there been any that didn't just involve clubs moving to a different part of the same town/city.

Tallaght was a fairly big move for Rovers, even if it is technically still in Dublin (where isn't in Dublin within the Pale these days anyway !

).

Sure City moved footballing jurisdiction as well !

**jinxy lilywhite** · 05/08/2009, 2:59 PM

Originally Posted by dcfcsteve

Tallaght was a fairly big move for Rovers, even if it is technically still in Dublin (where isn't in Dublin within the Pale these days anyway !

).

The parts of the pale that aren't in Dublin.

Seriously though i think thought should be given to the allowing of extra teams play and compete in the senior league. Whether this means that 6 new sides be cherry picked by the powers that be from specific locations or that attempts are made for progrsseion from regional leagues to the A Championship. The loi is missing out on representing alot of areas in the country and thought/attempt should I think be put in for those areas to be represented.
Some formats of the league have been tried and failed, ie a 10 team premier, a 12 team premier, a dublin district league along with Dundalk, Derry & Cork has been tried to no avail and then the next step is toi revert to what it used to be.
Allowing extra teams into the league will not solve its problems but it will not worsen its problems either.
Only 22 clubs in our senior league and that is a very low number

**brendy_éire** · 05/08/2009, 4:15 PM

Originally Posted by jinxy lilywhite

Only 22 clubs in our senior league and that is a very low number

Really? I think it's too many. We've not that densely populated a country.

**MeathDrog** · 05/08/2009, 4:17 PM

Originally Posted by KeepersBall

Navan has a lot of people with a HUGE interest in soccer.
However sadly the main club Parkvilla is seen by many to be somewhat elitist, ie nless you know people involved you are not welcome.
I never found this to be the case myself but it appears others feel that way.
The Meath and District League has an excellent set up on the Trim Road from Navan and maybe they should consider getting a team involved in the under 21 section.
The only way I can really judge interest would ne to go back quite a few years and recollect that when Parkvilla played Home Farm in the FAI Cup they packed the ground out whether they could do that week in week out I am not sure.

I just don't think that you can spontaneously get a town to support a LOI team out of nothing, especially in Navan.

The MDL did have an U21 team, but many top clubs didn't want to allow their players to play for it, so it didn't work out.

**dcfcsteve** · 05/08/2009, 4:27 PM

Originally Posted by jinxy lilywhite

The parts of the pale that aren't in Dublin.

Yeah - like Leixlip, Bray etc....

Originally Posted by jinxy lilywhite

Only 22 clubs in our senior league and that is a very low number

England consistently has the best attended football leagues in the world. Football is also by far and away that country's number one spectator sport.

Yet they have 92 league clubs - with a population over 10 times that of the ROI/Derry combined.

So how many clubs do you think an area with a population of 4.1m people should have ? If 22 is very low, what would you suggest : 44 ? 66 ?

**Mr A** · 05/08/2009, 4:31 PM

Originally Posted by brendy_éire

Really? I think it's too many. We've not that densely populated a country.

Really really?

I think a country that repeatedly returns Fianna Fail to government is pretty densely populated in all fairness.

**dcfcsteve** · 05/08/2009, 4:38 PM

Originally Posted by MeathDrog

I just don't think that you can spontaneously get a town to support a LOI team out of nothing, especially in Navan.

There-in lies the problem in this debate.

Too many people on here think that all that's stopping the good people of Navan from getting off their bar stools and supporting an Irish team is the lack of one in their own town.

Having LOI teams in other towns - many much bigger - hasn't got the masses to support Irish football there. And if someone living in Navan can identify themselves tenuously with a club like Sunderland, then finding a link to existing Irish clubs like Bohs or Drogheda shouldn't be that difficult for them.

**BohDiddley** · 05/08/2009, 5:11 PM

Originally Posted by dcfcsteve

if someone living in Navan can identify themselves tenuously with a club like Sunderland, then finding a link to existing Irish clubs like Bohs or Drogheda shouldn't be that difficult for them.

If things were that simple there'd be no need for this discussion in the first place! They don't have tenuous links to Sunderland (or, more likely, Yunirah); they positively love them -- if fact, they <are> them, as in we, us, etc, -- precisely because they are far enough away.