Athlone Town want league to emulate MLS

[Spudulika]

Dublin should be able to support two teams. Cork, Derry, Sligo, and Dundalk have the necessary support base to have decent budgets.

Then their are the "sugar daddy" clubs. Pats at the moment, but Limerick and Drogheda in the past.

10-12 is probably optimistic.

It depends on what we mean by support. In Dublin you have Rovers with their fans and money, and 2-3,000 between Pats and Bohs (and Shels). Cork for sure, Derry yes, Dundalk yes (though we know what'll happen in a downturn). Sligo are sugar daddy too but with 1,500-2,000 fans. Unless it is just ripped apart and starts again, which would mean Drogheda goes, Cobh, one of Athlone or Longford. 10 pro "franchises" with 2 groups of 20 (north-south divisions) below it with 1 or 2 spots available depending on play-offs.

Or else there is a proper pyramid and have at it.

In Russia all clubs are sugar daddied (can I say that?). In fact in Eastern Europe I could not name a single one in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus (even BATE), the Baltics, Moldova or Serbia who are professional and not dependent on a single person, company or government for survival. BATE have ploughed their money into facilities and coaching, but they still pay very big wages. So if they can thrive, so can we.

10 fully pro clubs, backed by business, fans and government (as they did/do in Norway) and we might have a chance.

[Charlie Darwin]

Who's Sligo's sugar daddy?

[Nah Nah Nah Nah]

Looking forward to this reply

[Jofspring]

Doesn't every single club in this league have someone pumping some but of money into them? I find it hard to believe any club is run purely either off fans money and/or advertising sponsorship. Some obviously are getting more financial support than others.

[Charlie Darwin]

Doesn't every single club in this league have someone pumping some but of money into them? I find it hard to believe any club is run purely either off fans money and/or advertising sponsorship. Some obviously are getting more financial support than others.

No. Bohs and Rovers don't, apart from members' dues. Sligo don't to the best of my knowledge. There are sponsors who are linked with members of club hierarchy like Pepper, Mr Green, Fyffes, etc, but it's not benefactor money.

[El-Pietro]

Doesn't every single club in this league have someone pumping some but of money into them? I find it hard to believe any club is run purely either off fans money and/or advertising sponsorship. Some obviously are getting more financial support than others.

where do you think Cork City are getting money?

[Charlie Darwin]

where do you think Cork City are getting money?

Cork don't have any money, John Caulfield confirmed as much earlier in the season.

[Spudulika]

Who's Sligo's sugar daddy?

There is a gentleman, known to most of us - if not then you've been letting the grass grow under your feet (mega hint there) who told me that without his financial support Sligo would be gone. Of course the same gentleman loves to beat the drum of being a promoter of Irish business and winning contracts etc, though the truth is rather different.

[Ezeikial]

There is a gentleman, known to most of us - if not then you've been letting the grass grow under your feet (mega hint there) who told me that without his financial support Sligo would be gone. Of course the same gentleman loves to beat the drum of being a promoter of Irish business and winning contracts etc, though the truth is rather different.

I put this into Google Translator. It said

Google says "He is a well known undertaker, and he has told me he gives loads of dosh to Sligo. He is also thinks he is a good drummer, but I disagree"

[Ezeikial]

No. Bohs and Rovers don't, apart from members' dues.

Is the oft repeated contention of Rovers having a Aussie based benefactor just waffle?

There are sponsors who are linked with members of club hierarchy like Pepper, Mr Green, Fyffes, etc, but it's not benefactor money.

Fyffes were club sponsors at Dundalk before the current owners took over. It is a purely commercial deal - and one that has been very cost effective for Fyffes

[nigel-harps1954]

Doesn't every single club in this league have someone pumping some but of money into them? I find it hard to believe any club is run purely either off fans money and/or advertising sponsorship. Some obviously are getting more financial support than others.

Harps have nobody pumping money in either. All through sponsors and fans.

[Nah Nah Nah Nah]

There is a gentleman, known to most of us - if not then you've been letting the grass grow under your feet (mega hint there) who told me that without his financial support Sligo would be gone. Of course the same gentleman loves to beat the drum of being a promoter of Irish business and winning contracts etc, though the truth is rather different.

http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/irish...2-sligorovers/

Quite a few people helped get us out of this hole in 2008. Delaney even gave us 5k at one stage. None of them are a "sugar daddy" that is pumping money into the club every year to keep it going. Maybe he should take it easy on the grass.

[Charlie Darwin]

Is the oft repeated contention of Rovers having a Aussie based benefactor just waffle?

The Aussie-based supporter is a higher-up at Pepper and helped organise the sponsorship.

[Ezeikial]

The Aussie-based supporter is a higher-up at Pepper and helped organise the sponsorship.

Was this guy a benefactor to Rovers prior to the establishment of Pepper in Ireland?

[Charlie Darwin]

Was this guy a benefactor to Rovers prior to the establishment of Pepper in Ireland?

He put up half the money to buy the club out of examinership but far as I know he's not in a position to be putting any more in. The club's accounts indicate they've only drawn down shareholder funds in the last couple of years.

[Bunny Kelly]

As crazy as it sounded Niall Quinn was right & we should be looking to sell out TV rights to the Asian market (well he said African) the football betting market is massive & given the lack of big leagues over the summer there would be decent demand for just anything to watch & bet on

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/33594354

[peadar1987]

The FAI and the clubs should have acted to stop the rot in the past, before we lost Monaghan, Kildare, Fingal, Kilkenny, and all of the teams who competed in the A Championship (Castlebar, Carlow, Tralee and Tullamore).

If even a couple of them had been saved from going under, we could have two 12-team divisions, instead of one decent division and an absolute graveyard.

[Louth4sam]

As crazy as it sounded Niall Quinn was right & we should be looking to sell out TV rights to the Asian market (well he said African) the football betting market is massive & given the lack of big leagues over the summer there would be decent demand for just anything to watch & bet on

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/33594354

I didn't think it sounded crazy at all. If we got 50k each from 20 countries that is a massive increase on prizemoney. A major issue is the stadia. There is two or three that would look adequate on TV but the rest would look terrible.

[peadar1987]

I didn't think it sounded crazy at all. If we got 50k each from 20 countries that is a massive increase on prizemoney. A major issue is the stadia. There is two or three that would look adequate on TV but the rest would look terrible.

Tallaght, Dalymount, Eamonn Deacy, Turner's Cross and the Showgrounds would probably look okay. Richmond as well if there's a decent crowd. You could probably get enough matches being played between those grounds to make an okay programming schedule.

[Bunny Kelly]

Agreed the initial funding in a lot of places would have to go into sprucing up the grounds & developing them for TV coverage, but when you the setting for some games on 365 punters aren't that picky