QuoteWell if they want two divisions and it seems they're set on it, they need more teams. Who will actually be interested is another matter. Why did Tralee get turned down last time? Not sure who else would be suitable and interested. It's a tough gig.
http://www.fai.ie/domestic-a-grassro...-interest.htmlOriginally Posted by FAI
They want more teams in the 1st Division?
Are they crazy, we need One Division League, not this.
Well if they want two divisions and it seems they're set on it, they need more teams. Who will actually be interested is another matter. Why did Tralee get turned down last time? Not sure who else would be suitable and interested. It's a tough gig.
Upwards to the vanguard where the pressure is too high.
Slap a few more teams in that will struggle for a few years until ultimately pulling out.
I don't like the idea if the league being totally closed off to new teams but at the moment unless clubs not in the league have someone pumping decent money into them and have big potential for crowds what's the point on them entering.
Is there any cities or big towns out there that don't have a LOI team within 45 minutes drive that they will be competing with for players? I can't think of any at the moment.
Fingers would be crossed to see the likes of Monaghan, Castlebar, Kerry, Kilkenny, and such places with no team already. Obviously we'll be seeing a Galway team back.
I'd even welcome someone like Fanad United. Far enough from Harps/Derry so as not to cause any real bother to support and still in a large enough area to get a crowd of their own.
Can't see many applications though sadly.
Fanad United?? Are you mad?
We have bother enough with Sligo and Derry taking players without another side coming into the equation.
Agree with the OP, 1 division next season is the only way.
What are you on about. There's been ten times the number of Derry men who played for Harps, than Harps men playing for Derry city.
It could end up like the last couple of seasons. FAI invite applications, a couple of teams apply, FAI turn them all down!! One league needed to survive. 8 team first division is a joke. A mate of mine not from Ireland thought it was only the top half of the league they were showing in the table!!
The only way this is going to work is 1 division for 2-3 years, but build the regions into a feeder system and introduce 3 up, 3 down, with 3 prime feeder regionally based divisions below. It makes football in Ireland competitive, will develop interest and after 5-6 years see the league grow. However there are too many vested interests at all levels of the game to make it happen. We have a great product bht it seems that either the FAI and/or the clubs are ashamed of it, or that they are so keen to protect it that they're crushing in to their breasts.
Impossible without reverting to winter football or the unlikely event of junior football moving to a summer schedule.
You are 100% correct, though the FAI can make it possible, and drag the clubs along. LOI and junior clubs, the majority, won't see why they should change or do something different.
Imagine if you had a party and nobody came
Hasn't FAI sought applications every year for the last few years? Doesn't mean anyone is actually getting in. As mentioned the list of viable candidates is extremely limited, and limited even further by genuine interest.
Author of Never Felt Better (History, Film Reviews).
Sadly, I've grown resigned to the realisation that there will probably never be a Kerry representative in the League - the KDL have no interest in the concept, the individual clubs wouldn't support an idea that weakens their challenge, even if it's for the good of the county, and while communities fully support events to support their local clubs, it appears unlikely that that would be extended to a FORAS-style membership scheme for a Kerry team.
The only way for this league to drastically improve the public image and interest is to truly make it a national league. At the moment we have 12 counties represented within the league which leaves 14 unaccounted for. So that's 14 counties for the most part that have no interest in a so called national league and as thus most follow the EPL or other sky sports covered leagues.
Here is a list in order of population of the counties which don't have a LOI team.
Kildare pop.210,312
Meath pop.184,135 (Drogs but only partically)
Tipperary pop.158,754
Kerry pop.145,502
Mayo pop. 130,638
Clare pop.117,196
Kilkenny pop.95,419
Laois pop.80,559
Offaly pop.76,687
Cavan pop.73,183
Roscommon pop.64,065
Monaghan pop.60,483
Carlow pop.54,612
Leitrim pop.31,796
By encouraging teams from these counties to enter the LOI at some level we would create a truly national league with the national interest to merry it. It would therefor also receive greater media coverage and create a new buzz within the league.
I work in Dublin with people from all counties, most are massive soccer fans but do not have a team in the LOI within their own county so just support the EPL. This has to change if we want the league to reach its potential.
If i had my way, id propose a premier div, followed by a first div, followed by a 3rd(maybe northeast/southwest split to help with travel expenses)
Last edited by cob655; 03/08/2013 at 10:23 AM.
Wicklow - Bray Wanderers
Westmeath - Athlone Town
Kildare had Kildare County, started off great crowds fell away fast. Kilkenny by the end were luck to have 100 at a game.
Those populations seem very large also.
Last edited by Jofspring; 03/08/2013 at 10:27 AM.
thanks, i flew through that, so i knew i was bound to get something wrong..
Only the counties in bold have traditionally had reasonably strong clubs at junior level, but who knows, perhaps representative sides might spark an interest that has previously been lacking. Even in Scotland, where, bankruptcies aside, the lower divisions have been largely frozen in aspic over the decades, the winners of the Highland and Lowland Leagues will play off for the right to play the bottom League club in a decider, so a similar arrangement might encourage rural clubs to get involved, if as you say, a geographic structure can be arranged.
As far as I can see its far too expensive for any new club to enter with no financial return. Any new sides looking to enter should have the 19k entry fee waived and it is very unrealistic to expect them to have any sort of proper 'stadiums' so maybe lower the entry standards, if fahys field and the drom can get a license then why can't someone like Tralee.
If it was to be done correctly, clubs would be picked 2-3 years in advance and would help develop, especially in off field matters like keeping expenses down, marketing and how to increase revenue streams expected from a junior team to a league of Ireland team, which could be done by spending time with existing clubs. Also it would give them time to develop stadiums (?) and that. That's even before the playing side of things.
Agree with the other poster that an environment where all clubs want to move up the first division is what is really needed, the fact the they make such a big loss on registration and little money on prize money probably puts teams off.
P.S the areas most capable of having a teams must be kildare and fingal, with the populations they have, Maybe any junior teams their able to step up ? maybe shelbourne would consider doing a Sham rovers and moving out their ? is their any teams in west dublin either ?
You've left Derry out there somewhere.
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