there is no way that Galway can sustain any more than one club in the League. Our crowds have been disgraceful this season while Mervue have had barely more than 100 people paying into their games and Salthill will be in the same boat.
Don't go making stupid claims of fact which are plainly wrong - the chairman of Mervue Utd announced 2 weeks ago the club was to continue in the LOI.
Dublin has a populaiton of more than 1 million people., and 6 clubs in the LOI. Galway (city and county) has a population of around 230,000, and could have 3 teams in the LOI. Crazy****
"Billy Corgan, Smashing Pumpkins."
"Homer Simpson, smiling politely."
there is no way that Galway can sustain any more than one club in the League. Our crowds have been disgraceful this season while Mervue have had barely more than 100 people paying into their games and Salthill will be in the same boat.
We are the Galway Boys Stand up and make some noise"
NO Dillonman, I think they do have a regualr 4 fans at their games. I would seriously hope no self-respecting United fan paid in money to watch United rejects struggle at the foot of the First Division
"Billy Corgan, Smashing Pumpkins."
"Homer Simpson, smiling politely."
I said REGULAR fans
"Billy Corgan, Smashing Pumpkins."
"Homer Simpson, smiling politely."
Sure we even out numbered them with our band of fans when we won 4-1 earlier this season
Salthill received there planning permission to build a stand in the drom a while back and they plan to have one up to first division standards at some stage next season.
correct in a way, from what I could see it was about 60% mervue 40% united fans per match.
Galway is definately not big enough to sustain 3 clubs. In an ideal world you would have 1 strong club (Utd) with a decent reserve team in the A championship. The local junior teams such as Mervue and Salthill would work as feeder clubs with strong links with Utd. Unfortunately there is not a strong enough link between junior and senior football in this country
Mervue said the same thing last year about building their stand at their own pitch and so they'd only be using Terryland for half the season.They are STILL there now and no sign of their own pitch being developed.I realise its hard to build anything these days but Salthill saying the same thing now is laughable.
Not sure if its true but the Galway FA who own Terryland are meant to be charging Utd double in rent then they charge Mervue.
If Galway was big enough i wouldnt mind 3 teams in the LOI,it just isnt though.
Are you sure of that?
http://www.salthilldevon.ie/dromphotos.asp
The access roads to Drom from the city are very poor and would not be able to sustain a few hundred cars in one go. The local residents put up a big fight when Salthill Devon developed the current facility and there were a lot of stipulations added so the locals wouldn't get upset (no bar, large car park, restricted use of floodlights etc).
Keep in mind, Drom is located 5km from city in a rural area.
Last edited by Paddyfield; 08/11/2009 at 2:15 PM.
Nobody knows us, we don't care
I "played" against Salthill in a youths game in Drom years ago, it is actually way out from the city. It was windy as feck as well!.
Upwards to the vanguard where the pressure is too high.
Mervue United have plans to build a stand too
www.mervueunited.com
Plans for a 500 seater stand which will allow Mervue Utd to host big home games in the League of Ireland were unveiled to the public recently, Club officials have met with local residents to allay their fears regarding parking arrangements around Fahy’s field, where the east side club hopes to begin hosting games following the competition of the first phase of upgrading works in July.
The club has been given the use of Terryland for the entire 2009 campaign, if necessary, but according to Chairman Declan McDonnell plans are well advanced for Johnny Glynns side to stage games at their own ground for the second half of the season, once structures such as fencing have been put in place around the pitch at Fahy’s Field.
Declan McDonnell said that because the club was rooted in the community, had a successful lottery, and would retain its amateur ethos, he did not envisage Mervue having the kind of financial troubles which plagued many League of Ireland clubs in 2008.
“We have a structure within our club, with a guaranteed income stream, which would make us different to most established clubs” he said. “Having said that, we will be watching the financial aspect of it from week to week and month to month”.
He paid tribute to both Glynn and assistant manager Mark Herrick for their willingness to come on board when the club was invited into the ’A’ Championship 12 months ago, and felt the time was right for Mervue to join the national league.
“We are a community and the club, and I would have said ten years ago that it not for us”, he said we would hope to develop a ground which is similar to the UCD Belfield Bowl and we are hoping to be back in Mervue by July.
“We just want to make sure we have the players to be competitive and to give a viable channel for the talented younger players in Galway to go into. Fortunately, the younger players at Mervue are that good, that some of them are ready to go into the team”.
John Glynn has said it was the community - based ethos of the club which attracted him to Mervue 12 months ago. “Where we are right now is a testament to the vision of the people who decided to take up the challenge of going into the ’A’ League a year ago”, said Mark Herrick. “Last year was a difficult year for the League of Ireland, but we are humbled to go into such a League. In times of recession, sport has always prospered and Galway is benefiting from where we are at the moment.”
Fans of the club, who currently have 600 members playing in 26 teams at all levels, can check out regular updates on www.mervueunited.com in the build up to the start of the new season
Nobody knows us, we don't care
Of course they do but that doesn't mean that it is the best way to go. Utd have regular crowds of only around 1k. Mervue and Salthill have no fanbase as such - apart from a few regulars.
A city which struggles to maintain 1 senior club will not sustain 3 clubs. Mervue have crowds of only around 100 and 30-40 of these would be Utd supporters.
Mervue would also be a stronger football stronghold than Salthill so I can see Salthill having less than 100 regulars.
As a LOI fan which do you think is better - 1 strong club which consolidates itself in the top division with regular crowds of around 2k or 3 clubs in the 1st division with combined crowds of a few hundred - which is what you will end up with if the best footballers in the local area are split between 3 clubs
Mervue talked of plans to build a stand before the 2009 season began, held talks with City Council and a developer before a ball was kicked. Not one square metre of ground turned in preparation for that stand, won't be up for next season, so again, 3 Galway teams, one acceptable ground - what is going to happen???? As Paddyfield's post reads, plans were for Mervue to return to Fahy's Field in July. Never happened.
"Billy Corgan, Smashing Pumpkins."
"Homer Simpson, smiling politely."
Up to the Galway FA who they want to rent their ground to then isn't it?
If Salthill want a crack at the LoI, the FAI offer them a spot and Terryland is available for them to rent then they'll have just as much right as Galway and Mervue to compete
I'd agree that Galway is too small a town for three teams however
Too right Galway is too small for 3 clubs, its ridiculous
The two of them should act as feeder clubs as someone else said.
The planning notice for the mervue grounds went up only in july (half way through the season) with up until the end of August for any of the locals to oppose the works, so, nothing could be done anyway until the end of these dates. It is widely known that mervue gave such short dates at the start of the season so to get low rent payments to play in terryland as to the one that GUFC have to pay.
FAO PADDYFIELD:
I havent seen the planning permission myself for the drom, it was players and staff that told me of the developments.
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