Airtricity League report

[White Horse]

I like the idea, but some teams would be losing out on home advantage. It would have to be restricted to matches where the home team is from Dublin. Would Dublin teams agree to that?
If we were to keep the 12 team Premier, the spare home/away match could be held at Lansdowne, which would seem fairer. Six games over two days, €10 for a weekend pass, would be great craic.

Why does anyone think that provincial cubs would bring a big crowd to the Aviva for an away league match?

You could hold a big Dublin derby match there, but who would want to yield home advantage?

The showpiece at the Aviva is the FAI cup final.

[outspoken]

2 games on a Saturday, 2 games on a Sunday either just before or after the summer break in June or on a weekend there's no GAA (or major GAA) on, broadcast all 4 games on RTE, 13:30 and 16:00 kick off times, no English football to compete with.

Outside broadcast costs for RTE will be feck all as Landsdowne is superbly setup up and it's only down the road. Whether the pitch would hold up to 2 days and 4 games is another question but it would still be grand compared to the woes of most pitches in the league at different stages of the season. Basically a good old fashioned summer junior football blitz. €20 a ticket per day that includes both games, family of 4 for €40 (basically kids go free) or a two day ticket for €35 or something along those lines.

Other option imo would be to hold the play offs for the last Euro spot the week before the cup final in Landsdowne. The cup final should always be the last game of the season!

Pitch would hold up no problem didn't they play that many games the time of the dublin super cup and wasn't a mark left on it.

[Dodge]

The only way this would work is if it's a tenner in and drink is allowed (at the seats). It's the only way fans will stay. Otherwise most will go home after their own game (or miss the opening 2 for their game). Why would they stay? "to promote the league"? Ha

[SeanDMRooney]

The only way this would work is if it's a tenner in and drink is allowed (at the seats). It's the only way fans will stay. Otherwise most will go home after their own game (or miss the opening 2 for their game). Why would they stay? "to promote the league"? Ha

yeah because the attendance at the Magic Weekend for the Super League in the UK hasnt been anything to write home about

[Dodge]

They're allowed drink at rugby league. So if that's allowed, we're good to go

[dundalkfc10]

No mention of increasing prize money or decreasing affiliation fees I'm assuming? Or any suggestions that will cost the FAI any more money?

Our scumbag element, Rovers, Bohs and Shels scumbag fans on the one day on the Aviva.

Jesus, they would need some gardai on duty unfortunately

[nigel-harps1954]

http://www.the42.ie/league-of-irelan...59945-Sep2015/

John O'Sullivans response to the Conroy Report and what he'd change in the league.

[White Horse]

http://www.the42.ie/league-of-irelan...59945-Sep2015/

John O'Sullivans response to the Conroy Report and what he'd change in the league.

He can feck off if he thinks that the FAI can get their hands on Dundalk's European money.

We don't have a council to build us a stadium. We have no sugar daddy.

Our European prize money is ring-fenced for the redevelopment of Oriel Park.

[eelmonster]

He can feck off if he thinks that the FAI can get their hands on Dundalk's European money.

We don't have a council to build us a stadium. We have no sugar daddy.

Our European prize money is ring-fenced for the redevelopment of Oriel Park.

Totally agree WH (until we fail to qualify for Europe, then I want some of someone else's hard-earned money).

[sullanefc]

My own thoughts:

1. Independent Consultation me ar$e

How can a former FAI consultant be called independent? The FAI have gotten off fairly lightly in this and from listening to him, he justs sounds like an FAI mouthpiece.

2. No to a 10 team league

Chopping and changing the structure of the league on its own will not solve the ills of the league but switching back to a 10 team league will only make things worse IMO. People say you will play the big teams more often but there was a major problem with over familiarity last time and the big games just aren't as big anymore. Especially when you draw the same teams in cups and when games are postponed. You will get the absurd situation of meeting the same team 3 times in a short space of time.

What we should be trying to do is encouraging more teams into the 1st div. Encourage the likes of Mons, Kildare and Kilkenny back in. Encourage the Kerry league and similar in. They should follow the Wexford model of keeping things affordable. And to also make it affordable it should be regionalised and the extortionate affiliation fees should be reduced for 1st div clubs.

3. Yes to increased sponsorship and prize money.

While it seems to be very aspirational, this should be pushed. The report says that it costs the FAI more money to run the league than it takes in but there needs to be more transparency in TV and sponsorship incomes and these should be used to subsidise affiliation fees for 1st div clubs rather than the current poker game scenario.

4. Yes to focussing on infrastructure.

Deals like the new CCFC training centre are welcome. There should be more of this but we need to focus on stadium improvements also.

5. Yes to player marketing.

I've always felt that this should be done. Richie Towell is the poster boy at the moment. Even non LOI fans know who he is. But there should be more of this to make LOI more marketable. I remember in our glory years that non LOI fans knew who Georgie, Flynnie and Kearney were. It was great.



Anyway, my 2 cents. Sorry for long post.

[wonder88]

Players are still paid too much in the league of Ireland for the crowds they bring in. Totally disagree with the idea that professional players are the most important part of the league. It is club members/fans for me. Start at this point, like the GAA was before Dónal Óg.
Good piece in the Irish Times where Malone outlines some of the targets there was in the last report, average crowds at matches for example. A 3k average attendance for Premier and 1k for 1st could be achievable if clubs could connect more with their communities and facilities/matchday experience improved. By the way the league didn't reach, or move any closer to the targets set out in genesis in relation to crowds.

[Dodge]

5. Yes to player marketing.
I've always felt that this should be done. Richie Towell is the poster boy at the moment. Even non LOI fans know who he is. But there should be more of this to make LOI more marketable. I remember in our glory years that non LOI fans knew who Georgie, Flynnie and Kearney were. It was great.

Players won't do it for free*, and clubs already think they're paying them too much to play. They don't want to pay them to star in ad campaigns

*You'll get some players who are very generous with their time and will turn up for every school, hospital visit etc.

[oriel]

Just on the league winning prize money and also CL for previous period.

Considering its now 100k for winning the league but up to 575k min from CL (total of 675K min), how does this compare to say when Bohs won the league in 2008, did they get 280k from the league, if so what was their CL min? I'd like to see the total figure in comparison to today.

Overall though, the prize money needs to be increased significantly for all clubs, and a new and fairer TV deal needs to be negotiated, I would say something like 5k for the home side and 1k for an away side would seem reasonable?

The urgent improvement in facilities should have been better emphasized in the report, and maybe a scheme whereby if clubs raise 50k, the FAI or Govt Sports Body matches it, or more, then the money is kept under a protected account, to be only used on ground improvements.

10 team Leagues is not the way forward either.

[osarusan]

Am I the only one who wonders whether the FAI actually get the 19k affiliation fee from all clubs each season?

[Nah Nah Nah Nah]

My own thoughts:

1. Independent Consultation me ar$e

How can a former FAI consultant be called independent? The FAI have gotten off fairly lightly in this and from listening to him, he justs sounds like an FAI mouthpiece.

2. No to a 10 team league

Chopping and changing the structure of the league on its own will not solve the ills of the league but switching back to a 10 team league will only make things worse IMO. People say you will play the big teams more often but there was a major problem with over familiarity last time and the big games just aren't as big anymore. Especially when you draw the same teams in cups and when games are postponed. You will get the absurd situation of meeting the same team 3 times in a short space of time.

What we should be trying to do is encouraging more teams into the 1st div. Encourage the likes of Mons, Kildare and Kilkenny back in. Encourage the Kerry league and similar in. They should follow the Wexford model of keeping things affordable. And to also make it affordable it should be regionalised and the extortionate affiliation fees should be reduced for 1st div clubs.

3. Yes to increased sponsorship and prize money.

While it seems to be very aspirational, this should be pushed. The report says that it costs the FAI more money to run the league than it takes in but there needs to be more transparency in TV and sponsorship incomes and these should be used to subsidise affiliation fees for 1st div clubs rather than the current poker game scenario.

4. Yes to focussing on infrastructure.

Deals like the new CCFC training centre are welcome. There should be more of this but we need to focus on stadium improvements also.

5. Yes to player marketing.

I've always felt that this should be done. Richie Towell is the poster boy at the moment. Even non LOI fans know who he is. But there should be more of this to make LOI more marketable. I remember in our glory years that non LOI fans knew who Georgie, Flynnie and Kearney were. It was great.



Anyway, my 2 cents. Sorry for long post.

While I agree with this until we manage to get teams into Division 1 I just don't see how an 8 team league at that level is doing anyone any good down there (hopefully we won't be finding out next season). If there are only 20 teams then I think it has to be a 10/10 split. It's just the teams at the top that need to be looked after.

[Trainee]

Would love to see players paid a small basic wage & % of seaon ticket & gate money. The better they play & the more promotion activitives they do the bigger the crowd so the more they earn. Unfortunately this will never work for a various reasons.

One thing the report doesnt even mention things like increase media coverage in papers, radio etc & fails to deal with the issuse of live EPL games on Friday nights which will have a huge effect on attendances.

[Mr A]

Am I the only one who wonders whether the FAI actually get the 19k affiliation fee from all clubs each season?

Well prize money just gets deducted from it anyway. So if you finish high enough and don't incur too many fines you might end up ahead. As for clubs that are behind.. hard to know. Does it count as a football debt at licensing time?

[bluewhitearmy]

While I agree with this until we manage to get teams into Division 1 I just don't see how an 8 team league at that level is doing anyone any good down there (hopefully we won't be finding out next season). If there are only 20 teams then I think it has to be a 10/10 split. It's just the teams at the top that need to be looked after.

The premier shouldn't be hurt to help the first division imo. And there is no guarantee at all it would even end up 10/10 whos to say teams that wen't down won't just go bust without the money from prem and we end up with a 10/8 split or something like that.

[Mr A]

If one of your divisions is likely to kill clubs that end up in it then that's the central problem for your league in my opinion. Although clubs have historically probably been probably more likely to die at the top level.

So I guess the answer is obvious- we shouldn't have a 16/18 premier, we should have a 16/18 first instead.

[nigel-harps1954]

Regarding league structure, my greatest annoyance of the entire report is that there was no recommendation to genuinely attempt to put a pyramid structure of sorts into place. I had really hoped Conroy would suggest the the FAI take football in this country by the balls and put shape on it from top to bottom.

We'd not be having the discussion of 'not enough teams' again, and there'd be a constant supply of teams going through promotion and relegation right throughout the country.

We'd easily be able to transfer to a 16 team Premier and 10 team First Division North/South in the next ten years if the right structures were put in place from top to bottom.